After the Dream

by Stan Mason

  ‘Come on!’ he encouraged. ‘Don’t be shy. You must regard me as a priest who will not divulge anything you tell me to another soul.’

  Her resolve weakened and she found herself telling him the truth. ‘I’ve only dreamt this a few times since the attack,’ she revealed to the scientist. ‘I dream of a sexual incident with Ahmed...the man employed by my husband to report my progress back to him. But each time we’re on the edge of making passionate love, the dream ends.’

  Mahmoud pursed his lips and stroked his goatee beard. ‘Hm,’ he muttered. ‘In my opinion, you’re starved of sex and the frustration builds up inside you. It comes out in your dreams. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact it’s quite common among many women.’

  ‘But it’s over before anything happens,’ she complained bitterly. ‘Just as we’re about to make love the dream ends.’

  ‘It’s your conscience telling you that it’s wrong,’ he explained.

  You want to experience having sex but you realise you are married and you know it’s wrong to do so with another person. That’s why your dream ends so suddenly.’

  ‘That’s just it,’ she remonstrated. ‘I don’t know that I’m married. I’ve no recollection of it. My alleged husband is a stranger to me. So why should I have a conscience when dreaming?’

  Mahmoud found himself unable to answer the question and Diana was soon ushered from his office with an appointment for the next morning.

  * * *

  An hour before she went to see him on the following day, , Ahmed came into her room at the hospital. On this occasion, she became very dispassionate deciding to tell him about her dreams.

  ‘I’ve been dreaming that I’m in a Bedouin tent on the edge of the Sahara Desert making love to you,’ she blurted out breezily.

  He looked surprised for a moment. ‘I’m flattered,’ he managed to say. ‘No one has ever revealed their intimate feelings about me before. Go on...tell me more.’

  ‘There isn’t any more to tell. The dreams end suddenly. I don’t know whether the love is reciprocated or not.’

  ‘Are you saying that you think you’re in love with me?’ he asked quietly with a smile touching his lips at the thought of it.

  ‘No I’m not!’ she returned adamantly. ‘I’m just telling you my dream. After all, with my memory gone, you’re practically the only person I can related to. It’s not surprising that my mind turns to love when I think of you but don’t make anything of it.’

  ‘I really don’t know how to respond to that,’ he countered amiably, pausing to think how he could continue the conversation. ‘I don’t think you really mean what you say. It’s your state of mind....your condition....that makes you think that way. One never knows what will show up in a person’s imagination in their sleep. Of course, none of it is real.’ He paused again for a few moments waiting for her to respond but she failed to do so. ‘After all,’ he went on, ‘As you say, I’m probably the only person you know here in which case such ideas are bound to happen.’

  ‘You were definitely the only person in my dreams,’ she persisted. ‘Unfortunately they end so abruptly before.........’ she tailed off stopping short of what she was about to tell him.

  He appeared a little embarrassed at the trend of the conversation and stepped away from the bed. ‘You seem a little better today,’ he commented swiftly changing the subject. ‘You’ll be seeing Dr. Mahmoud shortly I understand.’

  ‘I’m going to see the Wizard of Agadir. That’s what I’m naming him. I doubt that he’ll find the right formula for curing me though.’

  ‘He has a remarkable reputation for being successful in his field,’ Ahmed continued solemnly.

  ‘For diseases such as cancer, hepatitis and other things maybe but not for someone with a loss of memory.’

  ‘We shall see,’ retorted the young Arab. ‘In the meantime, I’ll report back to your husband telling him that you’re much better in spirit.’

  ‘Is that what you think I am?’ she countered smartly. ‘In better spirit. You don’t know how much I would give to get out of here.’

  ‘There’s a Chinese proverb which goes ‘cursed is the man who achieves his ambition!’ Be very careful what you wish for, Diana.’

  Deciding that his duty had been done, he turned and went to the door. ‘I’ll visit you again in two days’ time. We’ll talk again then.’

  Without further ado, he departed leaving her to face the blank walls of the room. Indeed, she was feeling so much better believing it was the effect of the tablets given to her by Dr. Mahmoud. Ostensibly, the void hung over her like a dark cloud and she still could not remember anything of the past. She lay back in the bed wondering what her life had been like before the attack. What had been her relationship with her husband? Did she love him or merely tolerate him> Was he henpecked? Did they make love together either regularly or sporadically....or not at all? What was the attitude of the children towards her? Was she a possessive, domineering or very loving? Did they live at home or had they flown the nest? Did she interfere in their lives? Was she employed at work? If so, what kind of work was it? Did it have anything to do with brainpower, clerical or manual work? What had been her spare time interests? Did she go to aerobics, play bridge, enjoy gardening, write poems, go jogging or do something else? Did she have any close friends? And what about her sister who lived in Los Angeles. How close was their relationship? Her mind had become active once more and questions began to bombard her brain. She tried hard to commit her memory, pushing firmly inside her cranium. However, her efforts were futile. Nothing came....nothing happened. She now understood that she was passing through a long dark tunnel knowing that there was likely to be light at the end of it, although she was unable to see it. It gave her hope of recovery at some time in the future but she could not predict when it might happen. In her heart, she pleaded with her mind to take wings and speed up the process. It was a very mean hope to consider.

  The meeting with Dr. Mahmoud that day was quite brief. HE passed two tablets across the desk which she swallowed asking whether she had experienced any side-effects after their previous meeting. It was too soon really for him to pose such a question but she realised that he intended to be kept informed at all times and be completely satisfied with her condition.

  ‘I feel much better today,’ she told him. ‘Do you think it has anything to do with the tablets?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ he admitted frankly. ‘I don’t think it has anything to do with the Beotag essence. It takes a little time to manifest itself in the body. I do not know about the other essence which I’ve named ferrdil-x in my classifications. It’s an unknown factor.’

  ‘Well I don’t mind being a guinea pig if it helps me,’ she remarked, staring at the scientist’s face, but he showed no sign of anger or surprise. ‘I just hope it kicks in fast.’

  ‘We shall see,’ he told her hopefully. ‘You’re the only person to whom I’ve given ferradil-x so you’re unique in that way....if it’s any help to you. But you must report any side-effects to me immediately they occur. It’s extremely important that you do. Isd that understood?’

  She nodded her assent. ‘I promise to tell you immediately. You have no worries about that.’

  ‘I’ll give you this phial of tablets,’ he went on, passing two small canisters of pills to her. ‘Take one of each in the morning and the same at night. I’ll see you in seven days’ time.’

  She took the pills, staring at the labels. Dr. Mahmoud had entered his telephone number on each canister leaving no doubt of the importance of contacting him if anything untoward occurred.

  ’What could happen?’ she asked herself. ’Headache, depression, vomiting, malaise, palpitations.....perhaps she would grow another head or more fingers.’ Now she was becoming whimsical and stupid although she was prepared to lose all her hair if it brought back her memory
. At least she was alert, feeling as though she was starting a new life.

  When she returned to her room, she found her sister waiting for her.

  ’Laura,’ she began brightly. ’I’m glad you’re here. There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. What was our relationship like in the past. I can’t for the life of me remember. Were we close or distant?’

  Her sister pulled a face at having to answer the question truthfully. ’To tell you the truth,, it wasn’t good,.’ There was silence in the room until she continued. ’We haven’t spoken to each other for nine years.’

  Diana stared at her dolefully. ’We haven’t? For nine years? Why not? What went wrong?’

  Laura paused to reflect the sad tale. ’Our parents died in a car crash in the South of France. They left a Will which involved a house valued at two hundred thousand pounds and cash and securities worth a hundred thousand. You were married to a rising Civil Servant and had accumulated a house, two cars, and a fair amount of money. I married Mac in the United States. He was only a car mechanic and we were having serious financial

  problems. Mum and Dad knew the score so they wrote a Will giving me the house and you the money.

  ‘Which meant that you had twice as much as I did,’ bleated Diana weakly.

  ‘Yes....that was the problem. But you didn’t need any money at all. Well the proceeds of the sale of the house was the lifeline that Mac and I needed. We went on from there. Bought ourselves a house, paid all the debts and had money in the bank. It changed our lives completely whereas it mattered little to you whether you received fifty thousand or a hundred thousand.’

  There was a long pause as Diana asked the obvious questions. ‘Did I contest the Will?’ The words sounded hollow and she prayd that she hadn’t done so.

  ‘Yes you did,’ came the stark reply, causing Diana to feel an empty paid in her stomach. ‘You delayed the whole thing for over nine months causing Mac and I great anguish. In the end, the Court refused to overturn Mum and Dad’s Will but we never spoke to each other again after that.....not until now.’

  ‘After all that, why did you come to Agadir to see me? I’d have thought you would have hated me for the rest of your life.’

  ‘Charles telephoned me and said that you had part of your skull blown away in the attack and had lost your memory. He was very concerned that you might die. Blood’s thicker than water and you are my sister. I thought if you were dying, I’d stay with you until the end.’

  Diana sat up in bed to make contact with her sister clutching the hand of the other woman. ‘You really are a true sister and I’m really sorry if I offended you in the past. Will you forgive me?’

  ‘It’s all in the past now, Diana. I would have been satisfied with a hundred grand but you were so toffee-nosed about it, fighting me every inch of the way. I had no option but to challenge you in Court.’

  ‘Forgive me, Laura. I really am sorry,’ she pleaded. ‘I don’t know what could have got into me. I must have been a real bitch.’

  ‘Don’t knock yourself out about it.’ The look on Laura’s face and the fact that they were holding hands meant that no further words were needed. The two sisters, after a span of nine years, were united....they were together again!

  ‘Why don’t you stay with us in Los Angeles?’ invited Laura, warmed by the reunion with her loving sister. ‘You’d like it there.’

  ‘I would dearly love to, Laura, but I’m under Dr. Mahmoud

  for treatment. I call him the Wizard of Agadir. But when I recover fully, if I ever do, I’ll take you up on your offer. Thanks for the invitation.’

  They continued to look at each other in a new light and Diana felt that her life was picking up at last.

  * * *

  That night she fell asleep and began to dream. However this time it was anything but pleasant. Contrary to those that she normally imagined, it turned out to be an awful nightmare. For the first time in her life she envisaged darkened clouds overhead and found herself up to her chest in deep water. A large vessel, similar to a Spanish galleon, sailed towards her and the height of the waves increased as it came close so that the water moved up to her neck. She feared that she was going to drown until the ship slowly drifted away into the distance behind her but the water failed to recede still reaching as high as her neck. She wrestled with the situation in her sleep, twisting and turning vigorously, trying to escape from the dilemma but an enormous figure suddenly appeared on the skyline. It was the Devil himself and he had arrived to haunt her. He carried a trident in one hand with which he teased her by pointing it at her head and she could see forked lightning flash with jagged spears from the dark sky and heard the sound of terrifyingly loud thunder which almost frightened her to death. She awoke abruptly at that point and sat up screaming at the top of her voice causing the nurse to rush into the room to find out what was wrong with her patient. It soon became apparent that it had been a particularly cold night and the nurse had placed a blanket over the sheet on her bed. This had ridden up to her neck which was the reason she had felt so discomforted in her sleep.

  ‘It was terrible!’ she told the nurse with a doleful expression on her face. ‘Absolutely terrible! I don’t want to think about it let alone talk about it!’ She shuddered as a shiver ran down her spine.

  The nurse smiled and straightened the blanket. ‘It’s best that you try to go to sleep again. The doctor will want to speak with you later.’

  ‘That sounds serious,’ commented Diana with an element of concern sounding in her voice. ‘What does he want to speak to me about?’

  The nurse shook her head. ‘He’ll tell you later. Go to sleep!’

  Diana settled down again but she was wide awake. What on earth did the doctor want? Dr. Mahmoud would have discussed with him all the relevant facts regarding any complications. Well there was nothing she could do about it . She would have to wait and see.

  Sleep refused to come again, not that she wanted it to. One haunting nightmare was enough for one night. She lay in bed staring at the ceiling thinking of nothing for a full two hours before the doctor arrived. He checked her pulse and removed the bandages from her head, examining the wound.

  ‘Good!’ he uttered thoughtfully. ‘The bone-paste has hardened and the wound looks as though it’s pretty well healed now. I think it’s time for you to leave us, Mrs. Templeton. There’s nothing more that we can do for you.’

  ‘Leave you!’ she stared at him with dismay. It was the last thing she thought he would say. ‘Has the money for my treatment run out...the money they pay for me to stay here?’

  ’It’s not that,’ he explained sharply. ’It has nothing to do with that. The problem is that we’re a very small hospital. We need your bed to treat a patient who was admitted last night. So if you would care to make other arrangements, we shall part company shortly.’

  ’But where would I go?’ she bleated desperately. The horror of her situation never seemed to bottom out. There were always worse problems to resolve. ‘If you want more money, I’m sure it can be arranged.’

  ‘It’s not a matter of money,’ he went on. ‘If the hospital board learned that I was turning away Moroccan patients for treatment in favour of tourists I would be in serious trouble. You can understand where I’m coming from, can’t you?’

  Diana pulled a face and nodded her head slowly. She had the invitation from her sister to go to Los Angeles but that would take her away from her wizard scientist. ‘What does Dr. Mahmoud say?’

  ‘He agrees that you can be treated as an out-patient. It’s only a matter of renewing your supply of pills and undergoing a brief interview every two weeks. You are quite free to leave the hospital immediately.’

  ‘So even though I can’t remember anything, you still want me to leave.

  ‘That’s exactly the position, Mrs. Templeton.’ replied the doctor. ‘We
do need this bed urgently. If you contact your husband...’

  ‘My husband!’ she reacted sharply. ‘Not only do I not know him but I can’t remember what he looks like. He hasn’t been here to see me except for that very first day. What use is it for me to contact him?’

  The doctor shrugged his shoulders aimlessly without wishing to become involved. At that moment, Ahmed appeared in the doorway.

  ‘Hi!’ he greeted with a slight smile touching his lips. ‘How are we today?’

  ‘We are terrible!’ retorted Diana sharply. ‘We’ve had an awful nightmare...the first I’ve ever had in my life. It was awful!’

  ‘I take it that you didn’t dream about me then,’ he said with an element of amusement.

  ‘What are you doing here today. I thought that you weren’t coming for two days.’

  ‘You’re right...that’s so, but I was informed that they needed your bed so I came along with an offer. He moved past the doctor to the edge of the bed and took her hand which he kissed gently.

  She stared at him with a smile touching her lips. ‘You‘re a real charmer. Did you know that?’

  ‘We are what we are in life, Diana,’ he told her philosophically using her first name freely.

  ‘Very well, Ahmed. ‘What do you have to offer?’

  ‘I want you to come and live at my house. It’ll only be a temporary arrangement until you can sort out where you intend to go.’

  ’From my knowledge of the local houses in Agadir,’ she uttered critically, ’it’ll be exceedingly small with few rooms and your family will live with you.’

  ’You’re very perceptive,’ he remarked hoping that she would accept his offer. He paused to reflect for a moment. ’You’re right of course. It’s a small dwelling and we have only two bedrooms for myself, my mother and my three brothers and sisters.’ We always manage somehow. I mean this is a state of emergency for you. They want this bed in the next hour.’ An hour! Panic began to race through her mind. There was hardly any time to make a decision. ‘I don’t think you have a choice,’ he went on. ‘I’ll leave you to get dressed.’