Amnesiacs -- Fiction; Science fiction; Short stories
The other men gathered around him. Professor, staring with sharp eyes,
asked, "Do you recall your real name now?"
He shook his head. "I don't remember a thing. How did I get here?"
"You don't remember that?"
He said with irritation, "I have just told you so."
"Don't get huffy, chum," said Angel. "I been feedin' you and takin'
care of you and your pal for two weeks. And you don't know a thing
about it, huh?"
"I recall nothing. Except that there is danger."
"The railroad bulls who chased us," said one of the other men. "He
remembers them."
"Bulls? No, it is something more than that."
"What about it, Professor?" asked Angel. "Think he'll snap out of it so
he really remembers?"
"I certainly hope so," returned the little bald man. "When I first
found him, wandering around near the swamp, he seemed to be in a
complete coma. Then, after a few days of rest, he seemed to realize
dimly what was going on around him. But from day to day he remembered
nothing. Perhaps the events are not completely forgotten, perhaps they
reside in his subconscious, ready to be called to mind again upon
proper occasion. However, so far there is no evidence on this point."
"But he's gettin' better all the time," said Angel defensively.
"Yes, that is the thing that indicates there is hope. From now on I
think that he will consciously remember all that happens. And perhaps,
in time, he will recall who he really is. In the meantime, of course,
he is like a shipwrecked mariner discovering an entirely strange land.
That is why I have named him Crusoe." He smiled wistfully. "Perhaps he
is more fortunate than he seems. I would give much for his ability to
forget."
"Stop harpin' on it, Professor. It happened long ago."
"But I still remember it as keenly as if it had happened yesterday.
Strange, all the whiskey and gin I have drunk have not dulled my memory
in the least. I was very successful in my profession, gentlemen. I was
already an Associate Professor of English Literature, a recognized
authority on the novel. I had a great career ahead of me. And then, one
day, coming home from a Christmas party with my wife, my car skidded on
the ice--"
Angel's heavy hand fell across his shoulder. "It's okay, Professor,
don't talk about it no more. I know where I can pick up some rotgut
tomorrow night, and you'll celebrate and forget all about it."
Crusoe listened with interest. He had a vague memory of having heard
Professor's story about his wife's death before, as if the man had told
it to others before they had met Angel and the latter's friends. But it
was so vague that he could hardly be sure it was a memory at all. And
meanwhile the feeling of danger persisted. He had to do something, do
it rapidly. But what?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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