On a harsh winter’s morning she rose from her bed with a distressful sense of fatigue, a queer feeling which she should not have been experiencing after a long night of restful sleep. Sitting by the edge of her bed she struggled to put on her slippers, so unfamiliar this all looked. Her eyes had yet to become accustomed to the rising sun and her body ached with the chill of December.

Standing up straight she looked back at her bed, searching for her husband, Yixing, an upperclassman she met during her freshman year in university.

His space on the bed was vacant; perhaps that was why the past night had been such a cold one.

Rubbing her eyes she tried to adapt to the morning light.

How strange it was for her to realize that this had not been her house.

She tried moving about, inspecting the space. Her body refused. The ache on her back became unbearable, crippling.

At the age of twenty-one this was something which she certainly did not expect to be happening to her.

She decided to remain still. From her point of view she analyzed the room, a simple cubicle lacking the comfort of a real home.

Had she been kidnapped and brainwashed into forgetting the unraveling of such events?

She shook her head in denial. It couldn’t have been. She was merely a twenty-one year old schoolteacher with little to interest the likes of any criminal.

           She noticed a large window from which she could witness the movement taking place outside. Struggling, she managed to drag herself towards it and she watched as people went about worrying about their own business.

           A bizarre sight was displayed through her looking glass. This location just beyond her windows looked like a playground... for the elderly...where they laughed at one another and engaged in trivial conversations. She noticed nurses as well, young ladies passing by and always keeping a keen eye on the aged pack.

           Was this place a retirement home?

           If so, why was she there, at the age of twenty-one and with no recollection of how she had gotten there in the first place.

           As multiple new questions began to emerge in her thoughts she heard a soft knocking on the door.

           Who goes there?- She inquired.Her voice seemed different, aged. She cleared .

           Your husband Yixing, dear!- She heard just from outside the door.

           This brightened her mood; he had come to take her out of this strange confinement.

           Oh! Please do come in!- She responded happily as she struggled to walk towards the entrance.

           She watched carefully as the door came open and her husband revealed himself.

           Setting her eyes on the individual who had entered her room she immediately gasped in surprise and indignation.

           Who are you?!- She shouted at the unrecognizable man.

           He looked at her with a saddened air of deceit.

           Your husband, Yixing.- He clarified.

           She took one good look at him, her eyes scanning him from head to toes.

He wore an aged suit and a wrinkled face, one she had never seen before. His hair resembled the winter’s snow and he kept himself up straight with the aid of a cane.

This was an old man standing in front of her, not her Yixing.

           Cursed old man! You are not my husband!- She cried out.

He chuckled a bit and proceeded to properly welcome himself into her room.

He settled his coat on her bed and she frowned at him with disapproval.

           WHO ARE YOU? And WHERE am I?!- She shouted once more, confused about the situation presented to her.

Calmly, he pulled a chair and placed it by the window where he sat down, pleased.

           ______, it’s me Lay.- He said, reclining backwards on his chair.

           But…You’re old!- She protested.

           WE are old, dear.- He smiled.

           WE are not! You may be, but not me. No, sir. Not me. I am twenty-one years of age!- She claimed proudly.

           He sighed profoundly.

           And you were twenty-five yesterday and twenty-eight the day before…- He said.

She stared at him with an air of confusion.

           Look into that object, dear. Because that will be the only way for you to understand my words.- He explained as he pointed to an item placed by a table which stood beside her.

The item had been a mirror which rested in place, unused.

           She proceeded to retrieve it.

           Looking at her reflection on the object she could not believe the trick her eyes played on her! Well, it had to be a trick...How did this old man manage to make the face of a twenty-year old girl look like that of a wasted old woman?

Immediately she settled down the item.

           What is happening here?!- She yelled.

           …I still remember the first day we met, dear. – He spoke.

           Who are you?!

           It was on a hot summer’s day, you wore a bright green dress and looked to find a certain book at the library…- He continued.

           Who are you?- Her voice seemed to have lowered.

           I went to the trouble of finding the book for you, in exchange for your phone number that is…- He rambled and she began to pay attention to what he was saying.

           I’m sure you remember that, dear, don’t you?- He asked her and she just stood still.

           …Are you really my Yixing?- She asked.

           I am, sweetie.- He clarified.

She walked slowly to his side and sat on a chair that rested by him.

Looking into his aged, dark eyes she saw her husband once more. Her Lay, who had been there all along.

           …What happened to us?- She asked as tears began to form at the corner of her eyes.

           Time happened to us, honey. – He her hair gently, his touch felt so familiar to her.

           Doesn’t it scare you? That we look so…old?- She asks him.

           I am not scared of old age. I only fear the day when I will wake up and you will no longer recognize my face, nor my name…That, dear, will be the scariest day of my life…- He explained with a serious tone of voice.

She sulked upon hearing his words.

           I will always remember you. No matter what happens, I always will remember you.- She assured him as she pressed his delicate hands.

           Sitting by the large window they looked out at the commotion taking place outside.

She knew she was not alone. She knew he would be there for her. So she sat by his side on a cold winter’s day, tasting the bitter-sweetness of her elderly life…at the age of twenty-one.

 

 

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In case it was too confusing I will explain what was happening. She (You) were an old lady who is suffering with Alzheimer's Disease and that is why your memories were deteriorating day by day. As you continued to become older you remembered less and less about yourself which is why you tended to be a different age each day. I hope you enjoyed reading this ^^