Forgotten: a truly gripping psychological thriller by Heleyne Hammersley Page B

sneak down here for a bit of peace and the occasional cigarette. It’s supposed to be a sort of recuperation area cum quiet space for the recently bereaved.’
    ‘Which category do I fall into?’
    ‘Both, in a way. You’re coming to terms with something you’ve lost but, on the other hand, you want to get better. Maybe its effect will be twice as powerful.’
    Kai smiled dubiously but, wanting to give it a chance, she leaned her head back and enjoyed the interplay of light and shade on the wall next to her, it felt comfortable and, somehow, familiar. Kai’s heart quickened as she tried to unravel the delicate threads of memory without breaking the tentative contact with her past. It wouldn’t solidify beyond a feeling, a certainty that this was something she had done before – she had sat in the shade of dense foliage and enjoyed the sun and the light. She took a deep breath.
    ‘I’ve done this before somewhere.’ She tried hard not to disrupt her focus as she sensed Ellen move away from her.
    ‘Where?’
    ‘I don’t know but this feeling is familiar.’
    ‘Okay,’ she heard the doctor exhale loudly. ‘Try to focus. Think about your other senses. You can see the light, maybe feel the warmth. Can you hear anything?’
    It was still in the enclosed garden but Kai was sure she could hear the breeze rasping through the palms – and birds. She closed her eyes immersing herself in this auditory hallucination, almost enjoying the sounds that weren’t really sounds until something underneath the current of the breeze caught her attention. A liquid sound like movement in water, maybe someone throwing stones? No it wasn’t as sharp as that, it was more of a rippling sound, like water lapping at a river bank or a beach.
    ‘I’m near water. And I’m not on something stable, I can sense movement. Maybe a swing in a park, with a fountain or a pond.’
    ‘Could be a childhood memory,’ she heard Ellen murmur.
    ‘I don’t feel like a child. It feels too familiar to be that long ago. I feel contented and– no it’s gone.’ The return to reality was as sudden as the switching off of a light. She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, eyes still closed, trying to recapture the feeling but it had passed. There was only the warmth and silence of the garden. Kai exhaled and rubbed her face with her hands. She knew there was no point in trying to regain the memory – the feeling had gone.
    ‘Hey, that wasn’t part of the plan,’ Ellen reassured her. ‘This isn’t my off-duty office or anything like that.’ Kai glanced over at the therapist’s worried expression.
    ‘I know. It just happened. I think you helped, in a way, with your questions. They helped me to focus.’ Ellen nodded and then checked her watch.
    ‘Well, my services are required elsewhere. I have my only appointment of the day in half an hour. I’ll walk you back to your room.’
    They negotiated the corridors in silence as Kai tried to memorise each twist and turn so that she would know the route again if she could persuade Ekachai to let her visit the garden on her own. If he knew what had happened perhaps he’d agree. Maybe he’d see it as some sort of therapy. It certainly felt like the most positive step that she’d taken so far.
    She was almost disappointed when he didn’t drop in after lunch but she occupied her time with her diary, skimming over a week of bus and train journeys until something caught her eye.
     

 
    13th October – Boat No. 19 Chongqing
    Another of those amazing times when it’s hard to believe I’m actually doing this. I promised myself a trip down the Yangtze a long time ago but it’s still weird to think I’m here. I’ve got two nights on this boat, in a sense I’m trapped here as my only options for disembarkation (is that a word?) are some towns and cities along the river which promise to be pretty grim affairs – if Michael Palin is to be believed. I’ve booked myself in to second class – I