She woke up… in the hospital. The first thing she noticed was the pain she had in her head.
She winced… then she looked around her. At first, it was blurry from her eyes… then she could see everything clearly… the hospital room… the lights… her bedside table, filled with get well cards from people.
Then, she spotted the nurse outside the room through the window.
The nurse saw her. She came and told her that she had an accident and that she had survived but the other man in the other car… died… she told her that she might lose a fragment of her memory and she asked her if she was fine. "I… I'm alright." She replied to the nurse.
Alice was 20. She had an accident and had been brought to the hospital by an ambulance after a man named James found her. She was unconscious for 2 full hours… until now…
Alice had to stay in the hospital for a few weeks. The nurse named Lauren called Dr. Andrew. Dr. Andrew asked her if she can remember anything from the accident. "The accident… no… no, I don't think I can…" she replied
He concluded that she was fine but lost a part of her memory. "Perhaps the shock? Or maybe the unconsciousness?" he said. He bandaged her bleeding arm. Her leg was sprained and she had a few cuts on her hands and forehead.
Alice kept asking Lauren about the accident. She wanted to remember. "Well… I don't know that much, to be honest. I heard that the police are investigating. He died... the other person in that car. I told you that."
That night, Alice slept… but it was difficult for her… she kept wondering and trying to remember the night of the accident.
The next morning, Alice had visitors. Her mother, Anne, her older sister, Elara, and her niece, Hannah. Her younger brother, Luke came to see her as well. He was still in 12th standard. She remembered all of them… and felt great…
After Luke left, Alice had a glass of water and started reading a book by Stephen King. Suddenly, she felt like someone was watching her… she looked at the window… but there was no one…
Later that day… James came to meet Alice. "I hope you're fine. I don't know if you remember but I was the one who found you and called 911." "Oh… I'm sorry… I don't remember much from the accident at all… but thank you so much. You saved my life." "No problem. Hope you're fine. I'll take your leave then." Alice smiled and nodded. James left.
Over the next few days, Alice kept feeling like someone was watching her… every day.
On one of those days, Alice caught someone… she didn't see his/her face properly but… she saw that the person was wearing a black hoodie…
For a few days, this continued… Alice kept seeing someone in a black hoodie watching her… and she kept trying to get her memory back… occasionally, she would remember the tires screeching and she would remember running away from something…
Dr. Andrew visited her every Thursday. She had two more weeks to stay in the hospital… then if Dr. Andrew felt that she was well enough to go home… her mother or sister or maybe her brother would come to take her home.
Dr. Andrew was a good doctor to Alice. He always checked her properly and took care of her. Alice learnt that he was a doctor for 5 years now.
The next few days, James visited Alice and they slowly became friends…
"Does it hurt?" He asked kindly. "No. Not much, at least." She said, smiling.
Alice got to know a lot about him. He was 25 and he worked as a teacher. He was walking on the sidewalk when he saw the accident happen. "Your car and the other one just crashed into each other. I went to go and check if anyone was alive. I found you so I called 911." He said.
But Alice couldn't help feeling uncomfortable sometimes… not because of James... not because of the doctor or Lauren or the pain... but because she kept feeling at least once every day that someone was watching her… the person in the black hoodie…
She sometimes catches glimpses of the person… but she never gets to see the person's face…
One day… she was sitting and reading a book by Enid Blyton, her childhood favorite author and crocheting… at the same time… Alice was alone in the room… then, suddenly she saw a note had been slipped under the door.
She got off the bed and picked the note up. She opened it and it said:
I'm watching you. Give it to me.
Give what? She thought.
For few days, she got more notes like the one she got that day:
Give it to me.
I won't leave you until you give it to me, Alice.
Do you want me to keep watching you?
Alice wasn't scared but… she wondered more about what "it" is… she thought at first that they had the wrong person to send threats to, and she would tell someone in the hospital… perhaps Dr. Andrew or nurse Lauren…
But then, every time she got one of those notes, she saw a black hoodie… the same man…
One day, Alice was sitting alone… again, waiting for nurse Lauren, and she saw the man in the black hoodie… he was just standing there… Alice froze… she observed him… there was something… familiar about him…
The hoodie he was wearing had a symbol… Alice looked closer and the man didn't move. She squinted her eyes. It was then that she realized… that the symbol on his hoodie could only be found on a family pendant which belonged to her… the man left…
Alice thought… 'Why would he be wearing my family symbol?'
She informed nurse Lauren about the man. Nurse Lauren notified the police. "Did he come inside?" "Why did you not inform the police about the notes before?" Questions were asked, Alice answered them honestly.
A few days later, Alice was discharged and she went back home.
She did not see the black hooded man again… until one regular day, she found a letter anonymously written to her.
It wrote:
Alice,
I'm getting impatient. I want it.
Now, if you don't give it to me, I will start harming you and your family. You don't want Luke to get hurt, do you?
So, give it to me by next week and send it to me by post… or… you know what's going to happen to Luke and you.
- Anonymous.
Alice did not want Luke to die or get hurt like her, but she didn't know what to give him.
So, she wrote to him, carefully:
Dear… anonymous person,
I do not want anyone to get hurt but what is the thing you are asking for?
I do not know what you are talking about.
- Alice
Alice got a reply that evening.
Your grandmother's necklace.
- Anonymous
That's all it said.
Alice realized something… she remembered the handwriting… 'It looks familiar' The trouble was that she could not remember whose handwriting it was…
Alice would not part with her grandmother's necklace. It was all Alice had left of her…
Alice informed the police after a long time of thinking. She did not want any violence.
"Do you know who he is?"
"No. But I saw a man with a hoodie… with my family symbol." she replied.
The police did all they could… they asked questions and looked for the man.
Alice stayed safe for a long time but… occasionally, she still kept seeing the man…. but he never came back…
No one knew whether Alice had some psychological problem… or did the man just leave her alone because of the police?
