The world stood still, for hours I could feel it spin around clockwise and anti-clockwise, crazy right? But all of a sudden it stopped moving and then it was just there, standing and unable to move. The air seems suffocating and I held my lungs, trying not to rush in my breath.
Hours later, I found my body losing its balance, what is happening? Something or someone whispered. I tried to clear my throat but instead
I coughed and swallowed in some water, I tried pushing myself off the water but I couldn’t, I opened my eyes to see what makes my effort fruitless, and alas! I found my legs tied to an anchor. I dive below holding my breath to unfasten the rope but then I lost consciousness.
I woke up to the sound of chirping birds, my body was weak and my voice cracked, I opened my eyes to see my surroundings and my ears fixed on hearing past the chirps of the birds but I got nothing, opening my eyes I saw my surrounding, a red umbrella-shaped mushroom with white dots caught my attention. It felt familiar, I could have sworn I have seen it before. My left eyebrow moved in a questioning manner, trying to recall how I had gotten here but all was lost.
I sighed and tried moving up my head but I groaned from the pain that spark from it. What happened here? I question the silence that was bestowed on me, the bird chirping far gone to be heard.
Still laying to my right side I tried to move my body to lay to my back and focus my eyes on the sun but well, all I feel is pains intensifying from every part of my body. I sighed hard again and close my eyes to the thoughts that have clouded my mind. Will I ever be able to move from here? Is my spinal cord in good shape? Who will.. Just then memories poured in like a broken dam? I screamed out loud from the pain it brought, my throat got dry from the screams, and my lips parched from the inability to get something to wet it.
I was agonized and felt a tear slip past my eyes towards my cheek in a fast hot track, burning me in the process. I hiccupped and tried taking things slow. I moved my feet a bit, feeling my fingers move, I sigh in approval and then move on to the next thing to do. I tried lifting my hand and it moved but with a pain gut filled in. I screamed again and then everything went blank.
Waking up again, a sound was heard, this time around it wasn’t the chirps of the birds in the wood but the sound of a woman, I tried listening to what she was saying but I couldn’t hear past the whispers. With a hopeful heart, I tried to move my body, hoping it will be less of a burden-filled pain this time, and my hope was answered with less filled pain. I stood up from the bed on which I was laid and stood on my feet to move, my feet staggered and I hit the floor or almost hit it if not for a familiar hand holding me tightly from falling.
“You are awake” the voice whispered in a calming manner.
And I nodded thankfully with a little tear glistening in my eyes which the hands of the man cleaned before they come down.
“What happened” I questioned but it came out as a low whisper and I coughed out.
A glass of water was brought to me by a woman as I rested back on the bed. I took the glass of water and drank it all up, belching out to nature's blessing.
“You went out for a walk in the forest and I found you there unconscious when you failed to return hours later” the male voice explained.
I open my eyes wide to see why the voice sounded so familiar and then I remembered.
“Andrew?” I questioned.
“Oh baby, thank God you remembered” he came over hugging me in a tight embrace.
“This is Doctor Michelle” he continued, introducing the old woman to me. “ I called her when you passed out and she came over to run a series of tests which confirmed you were poisoned, I was scared and..and”. His voice broke into a shattered tone and I hugged him, cleaning off his tears.
“All I remember was seeing a beautiful red umbrella-shaped mushroom with white dots on it, it was beautiful and I went closer and touched it, inhaling its smells then everything started spinning I felt as if I had taken countless shots of tequila and I think I fainted” I mumbled.
“A red mushroom? You called it, you need to be careful out there child, beautiful things are most times deadly, that was a ‘Fly agaric mushroom or Amanita Muscari's. Whichever you’d like to call it. It is a poisonous mushroom, I will have someone check it out and have it contained later, hope you feel better?” she questioned.
“Yes, the pain got lessened and I can feel my legs, arms, and body” I smiled.
“That’s because you have been asleep for 3 days” Andrew sputtered out.
“What!” I screamed.