These items glow almost in the soft cycle of someone’s breath, slowly dimming and then brightening every few breaths. I am so taken with these items that I don’t realize I not only reach out and touch them, but I pick one up to have a closer look. The one I have in my hand is spherical in shape and gives off a subtle lavender tint glow and is slowly warm in my hand. I twist and turn it about so that I can see if there is any battery slot or wire attached but find none.

When I finally stop inspecting it I look into the middle of the orb and see the source of the glowing mass only to find that it morphs before my eyes into a silhouette. I watch transfixed as that silhouette moves around, almost in dancing motion and makes the ground come to life like a coordinated water fountain show and push everything away with sweeping motions of their arms and push everything away and leaving a chasm in its place before the image dissipates. I put that orb down an pick up, the next item, this time a square with a dim blue glow and a silhouette studying a book when a shadow from the background appears from behind and overtakes the whole image before it disappears. The one above that is pyramid shaped with a slight green tinge to its luminescence and when I look at the image it presented, I see a silhouette of a person grabbing onto what looks like a tree. The tree wakes up and starts swinging around its branches and I realize that it’s actually attacking another silhouette who is dodging frantically as the tree whips its branches around in precise movements. Suddenly the second silhouette run right at the tree and pushes two hands against the trunk and a bright light forms from the hands. The glow quickly becomes a large hole that engulf the tree and person inside it and the images seems like it explodes in my face as I accidentally drop the tetrahedron like a dummy!

I gasp loudly as I realize what I just did but fortunately, Lucy - whom I forgot is still by my feet - is paying attention to the dangers above his head and caught it easily in his mouth. I kneel down to get the item from his slobbery grasp and pet him on the head in appreciation as I finally exhaled loudly, quickly wiping the slobber as discretely as possible.

“Well, if that had shattered it would have cost you a pretty penny.” Someone comments behind me. I swore to myself and slowly turn to see a rather attractive guy around my age leaning on the entrance door frame with a wry smile upon his face.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to barge in and almost drop...whatever that is. What is that, anyway?”

“Curios collected and traded by and as a passersby.” He says offhandedly with a shrug and an easy smile that flashed his perfect pearly whites. I smile back sheepishly and hand back the pyramid that probably would have set me back one month's rent and deposit but he just put the item back like nothing is wrong.

“I’ve never seen anything like that.” I comment, trying to see if he’ll tell me more about his curious collection of glowing curios. I look down at Lucy and notice that he is staring at one that is at his eye level and sits here watching it. It oddly looks as though he’s found out their secret as well and watching what his object is projecting.

“Talented dog you, got there?” The owner comments on Lucy casually, looking at the odd canine. “A Weimaraner, hunting dog?”

“Yeah, Weimaraner and he’s a pretty smart one.” I was shocked that he knew. I only knew because I was obsessed with animal as a kid. “He tends to wander off at times.”

“Maybe he’s actually trying to tell you to follow for a reason.”

“Huh. What makes you say that?”

“Oh, nothing. We usually brush them off for being dumb animals, which they very well, may be.”

Lucy chose that moment to participate in the conversation and issues a low growl at the shop keep, but again, nothing seems to phase the guy and he continues to go on. “Or maybe, we’re just too stubborn to see what’s in front of our eyes even when it’s staring right back at us.”

“Huh.” Not an articulate respond to his observation but it made me think about the all weird occurrences happening with my amnesia on the advent of my health improvements.

“Buuut….it’s just as likely he's just a dumb beast that has a penchant for running off on busy roads or cliffsides, who knows.” The shop owner says nonchalantly with a shrug. I couldn’t help my guffaw at his seesaw observations of 'beast' but Lucy sniffed indignantly as soon as he said it.

“Well, we’d better get going and I’m sorry again for barging into your shop. It was nice chatting with you-”

“Quinn.” He interjects and extends a hand.

“Quinn. I’m Amber and he’s Lucy.” Introducing myself as I shake his hand before nodding down towards my standoffish dog.

“Lucy, huh? How interesting….” Is all Quinn says as he looks at Lucy with an amused grin before he switches gears and cheerfully says, “Well Amber, it’s nice to meet you; both of you. Keep that beasty of yours on a tight leash lest he tugs you into a whole new world of trouble.”

I turn to Quinn one last time and say, “bye” as he waves cheerily. We exit the courtyard and then past the pewter door and close it behind me as I leave.

“Well, that was odd.”

The rest of the day turns out to be uneventful as I continue to organize all my stuff and cooking dinner. Yes, I’m just as guilty as aunt Cissy for spoiling that dog when it comes to food. He really does refuse to eat anything that is not freshly made but at least he’s clean.

My flat is small with my living room space and kitchen connected, downstairs has a mini bathroom, and the upstairs has the master - and only - bedroom with an attached bath and walk in closet. That being said, I apparently have a lot of stuff; getting this place in order ate the rest of the day and much of the evening, so when I say, I am so tired that I could fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, I mean it.

*****

I find myself in a place that is not wholly new to me. Clear blue skies and fluffy clouds up in the middle of the day, I am standing in a field with a sparse jungle growing wild behind me. I walk to the edge of the platform stone and see a worn down path that leads to ruins made of light green stone at the edge of a cliff looking out to the sea. The structure is sturdy despite the fact that most it has fallen, yet everything else withstands being worn down by time. A cool breeze coming from the ocean kicks up and swirls around the red dirt that lightly coats the ruins of what was once a grand era in time with a thin layer of rusty colored dust. I climb up a few steps to look around the foundation of forgotten grand hall, pass a few fallen columns and an intact arch, all ornately decorated with swirls and carvings of flowers and gods. Then, I notice at the corner of my eyes, a flash of white rounding the outer edge of a stone wall over taken by enormous trees.

I squint at his face and realize that I recognize his form but cannot yet see who he really is. His slightly longer than shoulder length flaxen hair blows freely in the wind and his tunic reminds me of what I’ve seen in pictures of Grecian chitons or himation, clothes I imagine actors in Greek plays wear. It’s tunic like in nature that is completely off one sculpted shoulder draping down his waist where it gathers and falls just past his knees.

“Hey!” I call out hesitantly at first but when he starts to walk away, I shout louder. “Hey, wait!”

I need to catch him!

He doesn’t seem to hear me as he continues to walk towards the wall where the two trees with various roots and branches plunge into the ground and have taken over the walkway. The toga wearing man walks through and is hidden from my view at the angle I’m jogging at. When I stand before that very entrance, all I see are overgrown trees against the wall with no point of entry. I peer between the roots of the tree and the stone wall behind, there are no signs that someone came and disturbed it.

What’s going on?

“I know he just went in there.” I mutter with frustration to no one in particular. “How do I get in?”

I sigh trying to figure out if there is a way to get in without having to climb overhead but the blasted wall stands firmly in place; my sensibilities tell me I’ll probably fall if I scale it. Then an idea or memory from that odd shop of seeing someone  take a stance in front of a tree with their arms extended before them, hands splayed out make a tree move comes to mind. It's a crazy idea but I've got to try something. 

I square my shoulders and stand tall, stomp forward in a lunge with my right foot towards the tree with my arms in front me. My hands touching at the wrists are splayed at my palms just like the memory, my body strains against the weird stance. I try and imagine the tree moving aside for me with all my might and I picture that glow emanating from my hands to the tree. 

I just stand there thinking, “Open openopenopen…” 

Nothing happens. My shoulders sag in defeat while I look down at my hands before I cover my face in utter shame.

“Now I feel stupid. I guess it was worth a try.” I admit to the trees and turn to walk away to find another way in. Suddenly, I hear a slight crackling and rustling of the trees. When I look back, I watch as something astonishing happens before my eyes. The branches at the top of the trees lean towards the wall forming two arcs and the roots suddenly thicken and grow into the earth, spreading out like fingers. Almost as though the trees were grounding themselves against something solid for stability thought the wall and ground, it slowly pulls away apart stone from the center the wall breaks away from itself like a jagged puzzle piece. A network of smaller roots hold the loose edges of the wall intact as each side is pushed back like an accordion. Once it stops moving, I give the rocks and the wall a cursory nudge making sure it is stable enough to walk through. It’s so secure in its placement, I would have thought the wall was in this formation for centuries if I did not just watch it split before my eyes.

I start off on a run yet I don’t see him. I curse again under my breath and wander through another marble foundation of a once grand structure with only fallen arches and crumbling columns as its legacy. When I reach the arch, there are sweeping staircases that curve up the mountain side and a lone path leading down to the ocean ending on sand. 

There, a few yards away from yet another crumbing building, ankles deep in wash of a wave is the person in question facing the ocean horizon. I stand at the ledge overlooking the ocean, trying to place where I’ve seen him before as I watch his profile until he turns and notices me looking down at him. There is a moment of pause and question on his defined features and then a dawning understanding as I descend the steps and walk towards him. I finally step into the cool waters until I am walking into the wash of the waves looking at his half clothed back wading knee deep, dragging my peplos behind me.

"You're here."

He turns towards me, my peplos swaying and floating through the waves ebbs and flows is sopping and heavy. Now, facing me completely, I stop a foot away from him and offer a small smile, relief flooding me. I offer my hand out, relief flooding me now that we are here and he extends his, placing it in mine.

“I’ve finally found you, Lucy.”

*****

I startle awake and look around my bed where I usually find Lucy in the morning. Looking around my room, I still don’t see him so I start feel a bit anxious. I peer at the sides of my bed, then crawl to the foot of it to see if he’s curled up there; I still don’t see him. I feel the panic rise within me suddenly and I race out of my room down the stairs looking around until I spot him in the spot that he claims for himself we we first arrived. I quietly walk up to him and squat down looking at his human features. 

He's older than me, maybe twice my age but something about his features make him regal. He doesn’t look anything like I expected him to in human form and yet, he looks just as I knew he would.

“It is rather unnerving to know someone is staring at me while I sleep.” I gasped as Lucy mumbles in a deep timber with his eyes still closed. “Oh, and It’s Lucretius, by the way.”

“What?”

“My name is Lucretius.”

“Oh.” I manage to say meekly. “So it’s not just a dream. All of it, from me interacting with your younger self to the times when you’d help me sleep.”

“No, is suppose not. Here I thought I was always the one having the dreams when it was actually both of us.

“Wait, how are you able to turn into human?”

“I am human.” He responds pointedly. “I can shift into a dog apparently.”

“Shift, as in shape-shift? So all this time you’ve been able to become human and you chose not to?”

“I did not choose anything, I had no choice in the matter. I was stuck and didn’t know how to shift back to my human self. I was able to keep my human form in my dreams yet could not sustain it once I wake up.”

“Why couldn’t you just shift back?”

“I do not know. I have no memory of my past as well but these dreams seem to be a piece of a larger puzzle I’m trying to figure out.”

This is a lot of information to take in all at once but it did not go unnoticed how we both have the same medical malady and dreams that seem almost too real to be just a figment of our imagination. I sit and think about all the  dreams that I have had but one such image is in the forefront of my memory and psyche: I once again see burning buildings, someone by my side and nameless bodies laying all around us amidst fire and destruction. My breathing quickens as I realize it may be more than just a dream.

“All those people….gone.” I’m still in shock at the implications that images in my nightmares may actually be memories long forgotten. I feel older suddenly with the burden of those memories bringing back stress left asleep with our amnesia. Like swimming in blue water with no sense of up or down.

“I don’t know.” Lucy responds is withdrawn with a slight frown marring his aristocratic features. Hesitantly, he continues, trying to dig deep for the past. “I have similar flashes of memories as you but I do not know for certain if it is actually the past or my nightmares.

“The loss feels real.” I whisper softly, not wanting to betray my feelings or invalidate them. Deep down, something tells me that it’s all real and a deep ache in my heart makes it difficult for me to breathe. I'm drowning. A hand on my shoulder breaks me from my thoughts and look up at Lucy. Just by the look in his eye I know he feels the helplessness that threatens to over take me. 

A single tear slips down from my eye. Then another. I swipe at each one and realize I can’t stop as my body is shaking and I cover my face with my hands to hide my sobs. I feel a warm embrace tighten around me and continue to cry against him.

“Enough revelations for tonight.” He shushes me and holds me tight. 

I know that he, too, is floundering for air.