Remember Our Song by Emma South

use the sample furniture, unless you’re feeling brave enough for a late-fall/early-winter picnic by the lake?”
    “Yeah, the lake!  What’s it called?”
    “Lake Oroitz,” he said.
    “That’s a nice name.”
    “I think so too.  Front door will be easier… how are we going to get you out of here?”
    “I think I can manage to get down OK by myself.”
    Sure enough, clambering out was easier than climbing in and I landed on the ground even steadier than I had anticipated.  I smiled, feeling physically normal for the first time since I had woken up in hospital.  The two of us walked around the side of the house between it and the outbuilding I had seen previously, which Jeremy appeared to be purposefully ignoring, along a gentle downward slope until the bare dirt of the construction zone gave way to lush green grass.
    Jeremy spread out one of the blankets on the ground, having left the others just inside the front door and put the basket down on top of it.  I helped him unpack the basket, which was jammed completely full with everything we could possibly eat or need, including a thermos of hot coffee, the flavor of which was indeed growing on me, that helped keep me warm.
    It was a wonderful, simple, intimate lunch with nobody but the two of us within sight, and nothing but the natural beauty of the lake and forest around us.  Although he owned the land, it was a picnic that would have been perfect even if he didn’t.  I found myself looking at him in a different light, seeing something behind the money that otherwise colored every facet of his life.  There was more to him than just that.
    I felt an internal debate swinging in a direction I’d been fighting against for months as conversation flowed easily and I laughed long and hard.  It felt good to let go of my defenses for a while, the lake was so calm and reassuring I let the peace flow through me and one by one muscles that I hadn’t even noticed were bunched up began to relax.
    “I really love this place,” I said quietly.
    “That’s what you said when I first brought you here.  Want to go for a quick walk along the shore?”
    “Yes please.”
    The lake was just as pleasing to the eye no matter how far we walked, but I was definitely reaching the limits of my walking-stamina by the time we returned to the picnic location and Jeremy packed the remnants of our meal back into the basket.  The day was just starting to cool off, I rubbed my arms and glanced up at Jeremy to see a smile playing on his lips as we made our way back towards the house.
    “What’s that smile about?”
    “Hmm?  Nothing… well, it’s just been a really nice day.  A perfect day, actually.  I’m glad it was your birthday.  I’m just thinking I’ve got one more surprise for you before we leave, and I hope you like it.”
    Jeremy led the way towards the mysterious outbuilding, but instead of heading towards the door, he walked to the side and started tinkering with some greasy red contraption on the back of a trailer that suddenly sprang to life with a cough and a splutter.
    “A generator, for electricity.  We’re not connected to the main grid yet, but I made them finish this building first.  It was done before the… accident, so I’m really hoping you remember it.”
    I was intrigued, I tried to get some kind of an idea about what the building was for by looking at its exterior, but it just looked like a small, rectangular, version of the main house.  Jeremy found the keys in his pocket and opened the door before looking at me.
    “Close your eyes,” he said.
    Leading me through the open doorway, I heard Jeremy flicking several switches before pulling me further into the room and turning me to the left.
    “OK, open them.”
    Although I’d never been in one before, that I could remember anyway, there was no mistaking the purpose of the room I was in.  In front of me was a complex panel of buttons, lights, sliders and switches looking through a glass wall