Helping Sarah Remember

Helping Sarah Remember

A Short Story

Written By

Donald A. Johnson

     Matthew Thomason, twelve, stops and points at an illustration of some ruins hanging on a wall full of other illustrations of ruins. “Miss Donovan, why aren’t you going to tell us about this illustration?”

     “I don’t recognize it,” says Matthew. “Where is it? When was this illustration taken?”

     Betty Donovan and twenty-four other Junior Future Archaeologist Club students between ten and thirteen stop and look at what Matthew is pointing at. “I wasn’t going to talk about that illustration because we only know a little about it. We don’t know where it is or when it was taken.”

     “Why don’t we know more about this illustration?” Jennifer Valentine, eleven, asked. “I thought every illustration had a story to it.”

     “Every illustration does have a story,” Betty says after looking at Jennifer. This illustration is included, but it’s a little different. I don’t think I should tell you this story because of your age.”

     The students start asking her questions and commenting on what she has said. “Calm down. I will answer all your questions and comments.”

     “First of all, it’s not as bad as it seems. But some parts of this story may be too scary to hear at your age. Then again, maybe you aren’t.”

##

     A pounding at the front door of her museum sends Betty to it. No one is there. But there is an illustration leaning against the wall next to this door. “Who put you here and why aren’t you still here?”

     Betty picks up this illustration to take a little closer look at it. She looks for a signature and date on the front and back of it. But she doesn’t see any. “I don’t recognize these ruins. Where are you and when was this illustration taken?”

     “That’s what I said,” says Matthew. The other students start agreeing with Matthew, asking questions, and commenting again.

     “I know you said that too,” says Betty. “That’s why I’m sure you can help me with Sarah Roberts.”

     Betty takes this illustration off the wall and shows it to the students. “Has anyone seen these ruins?”

     Everyone else says ‘no’ in one way or another. “I’m not surprised. We haven’t been able to figure it out either. I still don’t know who sent this illustration to me and why. All we know is that Sarah is somehow connected to this illustration. We don’t know how she is connected yet. That’s where you come in.”

##

     Jennifer takes Betty aside while the other students head for a nearby School bus. “I don’t think my parents will permit me to go on this field trip to help Sarah. But I will try to convince them to do it.”

     “My parents think this a phase I’m going through. I’m not, they don’t believe me. They think archaeology is like musicians and painting artists, that’s not a real profession. My parents want me to be a professional when I grow up like a doctor, lawyer, etc.”

     “Do you want me to talk to your parents?” Betty asked. “I will if you think it will help.”

     Jennifer smiles sarcastically. “No offense, but I don’t think you can help me. You are a museum curator who exhibits pictures, illustrations, etc. of archaeological ruins worldwide. My parents think you are almost as bad as musicians, painters, etc.”

     “No offense taken. I know how most people think of me, especially adults. That’s why, I started this museum and the Junior Future Archaeologist Club in this area because of youngsters like you to educate you in the good and the bad parts of being an archaeologist.”

##

      Sixteen of the Junior Future Archaeologist Club got permission for the field trip to try to help Sarah, including Jennifer. They were staring at Sarah in her hospital bed through a large window. Betty was standing among these Junior Archaeologists.

     Betty was pointing at Sarah. “This is Sarah. The girl I was telling you about. We have been here for the last three hours, and she still hasn’t reacted to us. I don’t think you can help her after all.”

     “I’m not so sure about that.” Matthew started pointing at Sarah too. Sarah’s fingers were beginning to flex. Every slowly, but they were moving slightly. Her eyelids started flickering about a dozen times before they opened. Sarah’s eyelids got a little bit more open with each flicker.

     An alarm started going off. The machines around Sarah started flickering with information. Different colored lights were flashing all around her too. Doctors and nurses were running in to see her. Sarah could barely move her head. But she looked at each Doctor and nurse who came in there. She also saw Betty and the Junior Archaeologists.

##

     “Where am I and how did I get here?” Sarah asked after sitting up in her hospital bed.

     “We were hoping you would be able to tell us that.” Two doctors were checking out Sarah. Four nurses were helping the doctors by doing what they asked them to do. Checking her Vitals, giving her medications, etc.

     Dr. Helen Waterson finished her examination of Sarah. “All we know is that your name on your passport is Sarah Roberts and you were found on a beach with a picture of some ruins in your hands.

     “No one knows how you got to that beach, where you came from, or why you had that picture in your hand, an image of an illustration that I got left at my museum a few weeks ago.” Betty made her way between the doctors and nurses to stand next to Sarah’s bed.

     Sarah looked at her hands. “What picture? I don’t remember any picture.”

     “What’s the last thing you do remember?” Helen asked.

     “I can’t remember too much. But what I do remember is that there was a lot of death and killing going on all around me.”

####

      Sarah woke up and slowly looked around her hospital bed. Only one doctor and nurse were administrating her health right now. The doctor was Helen. Sarah stopped looking when she got to Helen. “Why did you ask me what I remember a few hours ago?”

     “Because of the reason why you are here. You have been here for almost six months, and up until now, you have been asleep. Only you haven’t been asleep. You’ve been in some kind of a coma. But it wasn’t a coma. We need to know what happened to you before you were found on that beach so that we can understand what is happening to you now.”

     “I don’t think I can help you because I don’t remember what led up to where I was found on that beach. Of course, I want to remember. But I can’t remember what happened before I woke up here.”

     Helen smiled. “You can and will remember. I just don’t know how long it will take you to do it. That’s why I’m here, to help you remember.”

     “How are you going to do that?” Sarah asked.

     “You don’t want to know.” Helen was no longer smiling.

##

     Sarah broke her grip on the hands of her parents and started running toward the large opening leading into some ruins. She stopped to stare at the two giants in the alcove on one of the sides of this large opening. Her parents, Hank and Diane, came to stand beside her.

     “They explain why everything is so huge around here,” Sarah said after she pointed at one of the two giants. “Who are they?”

     “That’s one of the reasons why we are here,” said Hank as he and Diane started staring at the giant Sarah was pointing at. “We don’t know who they are either.”

     Diane looked at Sarah. “When we saw an illustration of these ruins we had to know who lived here.”

     “We also didn’t know where these ruins were,” said Hank who didn’t take his eyes off that giant. “No one knew where they were or who gave us this illustration. It took us a long time to find them, but we did find them. That’s another reason why we are here.”

     “There’s another reason why we are here.” Diane showed the illustration to Sarah. “As you can see there are no giants in this illustration.”

##

     An Archaeologist Helper entered a large tent with another artifact he had found in these ruins. He placed it on a table with some other artifacts. “I found this artifact on the east side of these ruins,” he said to Hank and Diane who are looking at some of the other artifacts there.

     After leaving Hank and Diane, this Archaeologist Helper went to be with three other Helpers. They started talking to each other softly. It doesn’t look like they know Sarah is close enough to hear them. “What are you doing?” Another Helper asked. “You told Hank and Diane where you found this artifact.”

     “I’m not that stupid,” said the first Helper. “I didn’t tell them where I really found it. They are archaeologists. If they find the treasure first, they will turn it over to the locals.”

     “We need to find this treasure first, and I think you have just found it.” The second Helper used the side of his right leg to point at the artifact the first Helper found. “Do you see what I see? I know that it’s not part of our treasure, but it will lead us to it.”

##

     After the four Archaeologist Helpers left that tent, Sarah left where she was hiding and went to her parents. “I think we have a big problem. I’ve been watching the Archaeologist Helpers, and you are right about them. They are up to something besides archaeology. I heard them say something about finding a treasure here.”

     “I’m not surprised,” said Diane as she continued looking at the artifacts they had found. “We thought they were doing something like this.”

     “What are we going to do about it?” Sarah asked as she started looking at the artifacts too.

     Hank removes the hands of Sarah to stop her from looking at the artifacts. “We will do nothing. We’re here as archaeologists, not treasure hunters. If they want to look for treasure, that’s their choice.”

     “Besides, there are rumors about a curse associated with the treasure here.” Diana put an artifact carefully into a box next to that table. According to the curse, if you try to take the treasure from here, the Giant Guardians will come alive and stop you from taking it.”

     “It’s not just treasure, though.” Hank started looking at another artifact. “What we are doing could cause them to come alive too.”

##

     Sarah remembered almost all of what happened at those ruins. But she didn’t want to remember it. It started with the killing of the four Archeologists Helpers. Then she heard the killing of her parents. After the killing began, her parents hid her in her favorite hiding place.

     The killing of the Helpers she could barely hear them screaming. But her parents were close enough to her hiding place that she heard them dying slowly and painfully. She covered her ears and closed her eyes, but she could still hear the screaming and dying.

     “I’m sorry about the death of your parents,” said Betty. Betty stood beside Sarah in her hospital bed with three of her Junior Future Archaeologist Club students. Two of those students were Matthew and Jennifer. The third one was a male about eleven. “I think I know why you had the illustration of these ruins in your hands. But I still don’t know how I got it or how you got to that beach.”

     “I would help you if I could. But I don’t know how you got your illustration. And don’t remember who helped me to be found on that beach.”

Word Count = 1,965