Luna had finished her check-up and the result was as expected. Her body was healthy but nothing else has changed. The only memory she had was after her incident, anything before that was a blank slate. Her name, her life, her family and friends, all seemed as if they were of a different life, a different time. She could feel their warmth and care, but she couldn’t remember them and sadness filled her heart when such thoughts entered her mind.

A nurse handed her cane to her, and she navigated to the front door with ease. In the last four months she had gotten used to not being able to see. She just had to be careful and take it slow. As she opened the door it made an impact with something on the other side.

Moonbyul was stretching and enjoying the scenery, when the door hit the back of her head. “Ow,” she rubbed the spot where it had been hit and turned around.

“I’m sorry. Are you okay?” Luna said apologetically.

“Wha…”

“Dr. Luna, are you alright?” The receptionist nurse ran over.

“I’m fine, but I think I hit someone with the door.”

“Are you okay?” the nurse asked Moonbyul, but she didn’t reply. “Ma’am?” she called again. “MA’AM!?”

“Y-yes?” Moonbyul was startled, turning her attention to the nurse.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?” the nurse asked once more.

“I’m okay…” she replied.

“That’s good to hear, but please don’t block the entrance.”

“I’m sorry…” she stepped aside but her eyes were glued to Luna.

“It’s not her fault. I should’ve been more careful,” Luna said apologetically.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“You should get back to work,” Luna said with a smile. “I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“Alright…” the nurse was hesitant but proceeded back to her desk.

“I’m sorry for hitting you,” Luna gave Moonbyul an apologetic bow.

“I-it’s alright…”

“Have a good day.”

“Y-you too…”

After bidding farewell, Luna went towards the direction of a bench, near where the children were playing with a golden retriever. She took her time to avoid causing another accident. Moonbyul followed closely behind her, speechless and shocked as she observed Luna. She stood by the bench where Luna sat, rubbing her hands together and biting her lips, hesitant about starting a conversation. As she took a deep breath to ready herself, another interruption appeared.

“Woof!” the golden retriever barked happily, running up to Luna.

“Hi, girl!” Luna smiled happily as she rubbed her dog. “Did you have fun?”

“Woof!” she Luna as Luna scratched behind her ears.

“Hi, Dr. Luna,” the children ran up to greet her.

“Hello,” she greeted them joyfully. “Did you guys have fun?”

“Yes!” they answered simultaneously. “We love Sunny! Can we play with her for a little longer?”

“Of course,” Luna said, rubbing Sunny’s head a few more times.

“Thank you!” the children said excitedly. “C’mon Sunny, let’s go play!”

“Woof!” Sunny answered with the same enthusiasm and continued the game of tag with the children.

Luna listened to the joy that was echoing all around her, using them to form an image of her surroundings. The birds chirped happily among each other, only to be spooked and interrupted by the children and Sunny when they played too close to the trees. They screeched in dissatisfaction, having to look for a different perch. The seniors scraped their walkers ever so slightly against the pavement. Their conversations were full of life.

The sunlight warmed Luna’s back as the gentle wind brushed her hair, tickling her ears. Moonbyul took a deep breath and sat down next to Luna. She rubbed her hands on her thighs as if she was sweating. Why am I so nervous? Every time she was about to speak, she looked over at Luna and hesitated. This caused her to sigh constantly and it got louder with every breath.

“Is something the matter?” Luna questioned, losing count the number of times Moonbyul had sighed.

“Wh-what?” Moonbyul was startled.

“You’ve been sighing for a while. Did something happen? Do you need help?”

“Oh…ah…I’m okay,” she thought for a moment, “it’s just…”

“Yes?” Luna raised an eyebrow.

Moonbyul took a deep breath and said, “you look like someone I know.”

“Someone you know?”

“Yes.”

“Do we know each other?”

“No, I mean…it’s just…I’m amazed how much you two look alike.”

“Is that so…” A bit of sadness filled Luna’s voice, “I’m not sure what I look like.”

Without thinking Moonbyul ran her fingers through the ends of Luna’s hair and said, “hair, smooth and silky. Eyes as beautiful and deep as the sea. Voice as sweet as any melody…” When Luna turned to face her, she became speechless, almost forgetting to breathe.

“She sounds lovely,” Luna smiled.

Moonbyul turned away to compose herself. “S-she is.” That was too close. She was too close. She held her chest to try and calm herself. Why is my heart beating so fast? Calm down Moonbyul. They’re not the same person.

“The way you talk about her. She must hold a special place in your heart.”

“She does,” she smiled.

“She’s a lucky girl.”

“I’m the one that’s lucky to have her.”

“You two sound great together.”

“Thank you,” she rubbed the back of her head shyly. “What about you? Do you have someone special?”

Luna was silent for a moment. She smiled sadly before replying, “I don’t know…”

Oh my god, stupid, Moonbyul slapped her forehead. She has amnesia. What are you doing asking her that? “I wanted to thank you for saving me.”

“I can’t take the credit. Sunny was the one who found you.”

==================================================

THE NIGHT BEFORE

Luna was sitting on her porch, imagining what the night sky above her looked like. She could hear the ocean wave crashing steadily before retreating. The forest cacophony echoed and the feeling of the wind as it rushed by. However, the sky was silent; the moon could be full or crescent; the stars could be bright or dim or even nonexistent; the clouds could be blanketing it and Luna would not be able to find out for herself.

She let out a long sigh, debating whether she should sleep outside or in her bed. As she was contemplating her sleeping schedule for the night, Sunny interrupted her. Sunny hopped over the two little steps onto the porch, barking in hysterics. She chomped on Luna’s sleeve and tugged it gently.

“What’s wrong girl?”

“Woof, woof, woof, woof.”

“You never bark this late at night. Are you hurt?”

“Woof,” Sunny whimpered. “Woof, woof!” She dropped the saliva covered cane onto Luna’s lap.

“You want me to go somewhere?”

“Woof!”

Luna followed Sunny’s voice. She didn’t need Sunny to lead her since there wasn't anything she could run into on the beach. After about a quarter-mile, Sunny stopped and barked until Luna reached her.

“Is this it?” Luna questioned as she approached.

“Woof!” She tugged on Luna’s sleeve to stop her.

Luna knelt down and rubbed her head. “What is it?”

Sunny led her hand to the object on the ground. “Woof!” she whimpered.

“A-a body?” Her hand shook as she tried to find the head and checked for breathing.

“Hrrr…” the body let out a groan.

“AHH!” Luna screamed, slapped the person, and held her chest. “Th-that scared me.” She took a deep breath before asking, “a-are you okay?” but there was no response.

“Woof,” Sunny replied.

“H-hello?” she poked the body. “D-did they die?”

“Woof!”

Luna rolled the body onto their back to examine the person. Her breathing is shallow. Her lips are dried…she’s dehydrated. Afterwards, she placed her ear against their sand covered chest to confirm the heartbeat. What’s that smell? She followed the faint scent of blood to the wound, where she carefully checked as best as she could.

“Woof!”

“Don’t worry girl. She didn’t lose too much blood. See, the cloth around her wound is not damp.”

“Woof, woof!”

“You’re right. We should get her some help.”

Luna carried Moonbyul on her back and proceeded towards the clinic that was about a mile away. She used the beach path but followed the sound of Sunny’s voice to avoid walking into the sea. It was difficult not being able to use her cane or hold onto Sunny’s vest and each step became heavier as her strength ran low, but abandoning someone in need was unacceptable. One step at a time. I’ll make it there, she told herself, her sweat dripping from her forehead.

Once they got to the clinic, Moonbyul got the help she needed and Luna stayed for a bit to make sure everything was okay. After she got her assurance, she headed home, rejecting her friends’ offers to walk her. When she reached her porch, she slumped back into her chair and regained her peace of mind. She no longer needed to debate where she was going to sleep; her exhaustion made that decision for her.

==================================================

Sunny ran up to them and rubbed her head on Luna’s hand, panting happily as Luna scratched her chin and petted her head. Luna smiled happily as Sunny nudged her for more affection.

“Is she yours?”

“Yes, she helps me get around.”

“She’s very lively.”

“That she is. But when she puts on her service uniform, she takes her job very seriously.”

“Can I pet her?”

“You should ask her,” Luna said with a smile. “Put your hand out, palm facing up, if she approves she will approach you.”

Moonbyul did as instructed. Sunny sniffed her hand for a minute before rubbing her head on Moonbyul’s hand. Moonbyul beamed with excitement as her hand brushed against Sunny’s head. “She’s so soft,” she said, grinning from ear to ear.

“Woof!”

“She likes you.”

“I like you too, Sunny,” she said, rubbing Sunny’s golden coat. “Thank you for saving me.”

“Woof, woof!” She Moonbyul’s face.

“Come on Sunny! Let’s play!” the children screamed.

“Woof!” Sunny ran to meet them.

“The children really love her,” Moonbyul commented.

“They do, don’t they?” Luna smiled joyfully.

“Hey…I was gonna go for a walk. Do you want to join me?” She asked shyly.

After a few moments of debate, Luna replied, “it would be my pleasure.”

“R-really?” She was shocked.

“Yes, it seems like a nice day for a walk.”

“Yes, it is,” she said excitedly.

Moonbyul held Luna’s arm to help her and Luna didn’t shy away. They walked through the forest path and chatted about the sweet air and clear sky. The squirrels peeked curiously behind the trees, wondering if their nuts would be crushed under the human feet. The birds twisting their heads left and right, hopping on the branch, staring down from their perch.

They entered the bustling port, where the fishermen were hauling in their catches. A loud debate about whose fish was better could be heard from the nearby boats. Moonbyul carefully led Luna through it, making sure no one would bump into her. At the other side, a stall was busy frying up the next batch of fish balls. A family of cats were roughhousing beside the stall.

“Luna, I’m surprised to see you here at this time,” the stall owner said happily. She glanced over at Moonbyul before turning back to Luna. “On a date?” she said teasingly.

“I-it’s not like that,” Luna said, flustered.

“No need to be shy,” she laughed loudly.

“It’s really not…” Luna sighed.

“Here, it’s on the house.” She winked, handing two servings of fish balls to Moonbyul and gesturing to Luna.

“T-thank you.”

The owner went back to her other customers and they continued on their way. As they got closer to the end of the street, a moped turned the corner. Moonbyul dropped the fish balls in her hand and grabbed Luna’s arm.

“Solar!” Moonbyul pulled her back, embracing her. “Are you hurt?” She turned to face her.

“...I…” Luna held the cane with both her hands tightly against her chest.

Moonbyul quickly let go of her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” she said before turning away. What was I thinking using the wrong name? I hope she’s not offended. She sighed and rubbed her head.

“Who is Solar?” Luna mumbled under her breath. What is this feeling? A familiar sting tugging at her heart.