A Pear of Memories

"Who am I?" I said scratching my head looking at the woman staring at me directly in the eyes. "Well I'm… Ummm… You know I don't actually know." I laughed a little bit at that statement. "Just not something you think you'll ever say."

The young woman in front of me seemed much less amused. "What do you mean you don't know? Like you have amnesia or something?"

I tilted my head to the side, never breaking eye contact, thinking about who I was and realizing I was drawing a total blank. This joke was starting to be less funny the more I thought on the subject. "Yeah I guess so. Huh well I have amnesia. That's interesting I guess." The young woman just continued to stare at me. It was hard to tell just what she was thinking. Her eyes were staring directly at me and yet she seemed to be looking through me to some place far away. I finally broke eye contact with her and suddenly the rest of my surroundings came into focus.

I was sitting on grass by a river. From the sound of it the river was flowing strongly. Then I realized that I was damp and last but not least that my bare skin was touching the grass and that the breeze was touching my entire body. I looked down to realize that I was completely naked. I jumped up covering myself, "Shit! I am so sorry! I've been sitting here talking to you naked without a care. I didn't even realize, honestly. Something about your eyes just had me captivated, the world just didn't seem to exist."

The young woman stood up now as well with a slight blush and a giggle, "Under normal circumstances that might have been a pretty slick pick up line John. You should try to remember it if you ever get the chance to use it again."

I stared at her in confusion for a moment before what she said fully hit me. My face turned beet red as I made extra certain I was concealing myself, "Well I definitely didn't mean it like that. Also why did you call me John?"

She giggled again at my reaction "John Doe. It's what hospitals call people when they don't know the name of a patient."

I rummaged through my head realizing I felt dumb now because at least somewhere in the back of my head I had known that. I laughed sheepishly, a hand unconsciously reaching up to scratch my head "Right. I can't believe I forgot that." She smiled politely simply pointing down. My brain instantly remembered why my hands weren't supposed to move "Dammit! I promise I don't keep trying to flash you."

She shrugged, turning and beginning to walk away, "Follow me. We can hopefully find a town if we keep walking down the river. Maybe even a clinic to get you checked out and some clothes."

I looked around me to make sure there was nothing else around me and began to follow her, "Oh right I forgot to ask. What's your name?"

She turned her head back to look at me, "Me? I have absolutely no idea. Woke up on the side of that river next to you. But apparently I got to keep my clothes. But I guess you could call me Jane"

I ran to catch up with her, "Wait you woke up next to me? Did the river bring you here too? Then why aren't you wet? Also if you don't know who you are or where we are then house do you know we can find a clinic? Also you didn't think it was important to tell me all of this back when I first woke up?"

She actually laughed this time, her laugh sounding like wind chimes on a breezy summer afternoon. Something about her laugh reaching into the recesses of my mind to a memory I couldn't see but I knew was there. Somehow me and her were connected. She smirked, "Alright to answer your questions. Yes I woke up next to you a whole day beforehand actually. I assume I came down the river with you though I don't really know. I'm not wet because like I said I was awake for a whole day before you and I've had time to dry. It's very rude of you to assume I have no idea where we are but you are right I don't.

I didn't say anything at first because well… You looked vulnerable laying there and I didn't want to scare you. I figured I would try to comfort you at first and lead into the part where you and I were in the same boat." She laughed again, "Also you can stop covering up. I've been keeping watch over you for a full day and have gotten pretty used to the sight."

I groaned, dropping my hands blushing once again, "Again don't you think you could have mentioned this earlier? I've been freaking out this whole time trying my hardest to not be rude"

She started giggling, putting her hand up over her mouth to try and stifle herself, "Oh definitely not! It's been far too funny watching you squirm." I shrugged, resigning myself to her amusement. We walked in silence along the river, nothing but flat land before us and on all sides of us.

Neither one of us spoke for what seemed like a long time before I finally spoke, "I know you. I don't know how but I know you. I knew it from the moment I looked at you but I confirmed it when you laughed."

She sighed, "Yes I know you too. I don't know how either but something deep in my heart tells me I do. Like you're someone I've known all my life even if I don't remember much of my life. I don't know who I was or what I did. All I have are little facts bumbling in my head like people with no identity are called John and Jane Doe. Nothing of actual use in our current situation."

Her head hung for a moment, lost in thought our feet still mindlessly carrying us forward before her head snapped up eyes sparkling "Wait there is one more thing. We both have matching tattoos. Yours is between your shoulder blades and mine is on my thigh." She stopped walking and lifted her dress up slightly to show me her left thigh where indeed there is a tattoo of the eye of Horus. I leaned down to look closer at it, running my fingers across it. As I touched her skin I had another jolt through my mind. The faintest memory of sitting with her under a tree my fingers tracing her skin.

I stood up rapidly to realize that she was blushing and from the look on her face she remembered something too. "Did you remember something as well? Sitting under a tree with me holding you?" She nodded slightly, obviously a little shaken. I scratched my head and audibly groaned "Who are we? We know each other. We were close."

As I think and look around I realize I see a tree in the distance. I peer at it for a moment and then hear my stomach grumble "I think that's a tree up there. That hopefully has some sort of fruit on it. Come on. Maybe we'll be able to think a bit clearer if we get some food in us." She simply nodded again and we started walking again this time a bit faster with purpose. We both remain in silence, lost in thought and our hunger now starting to make itself quite known.

When we finally reach the tree we realize it's a pear tree and the pears are ripe. I start to reach up to grab one when she takes my hand stopping it, "I don't think we should eat these. I feel like if we do something is going to happen. Something good and bad. Let's just keep walking. I'm sure we'll find another tree, just not this one."

I stared at her for a moment, my mind twisting and turning wondering what she was thinking, "Why? Do you think these pears will make us sick?"

She shook her head quickly, "I know it's going to sound crazy but I think if we eat those we'll get our memories back. Something about that thought terrifies me and yet elates me. I want to know who we were both as individuals and who we were together. But I think that our memories of the rest of the world will be horrifying and upsetting. Something keeps nagging at me in the back of my head."

I sigh sitting under the tree, "I need to know personally. Good and bad." I stand up again cupping her face, "I need to know you. I know that I know you but I don't know how. I feel such a strong connection with you and yet I have no clue why. Please, whatever memories it brings back we can handle it together."

She stares into my eyes searching my eyes before leaning her forehead into my own, "Alright. Pull one down for us both and we'll take a bite together." I nod, reaching up and grabbing two of the best looking pears I can reach, handing her one.

I bring mine up to my mouth, "One, two, and three." We both took a bite and sure enough she was right. Memories begin to flood into my mind like a dam being broken. Me and her together. She worked in a hospital and I worked in an office. We were madly in love and had spent every moment we could wrapped up in each other.

War broke out around the world. Strange men came and kidnapped us. They told us that we were going to help save humanity. We would be placed in cryosleep for possibly hundreds of years to let the earth heal from the upcoming fires of war. That a computer would watch over us and if humanity did die out then we along with hundreds of others would be awakened one day to repopulate the Earth. That we would wake up along a river and would eventually find a fruit tree and that would be how we would fully regain our memories. We had chosen a pear tree because the first time we had met had been at a pear orchard. I looked up at her tears in my eyes, "Amanda? Do you remember now? I wonder how long we've been asleep."

She leaned into me with tears in her eyes, "Yes Ryan. I remember now. I almost wish I didn't but I do. At least you'll be with me here so that's all that matters in the long run. I love you Ryan."

I tilted her head up and gave her a soft kiss, "I love you too Amanda. Come on, let's go see if we can find some others."