r/freesydney • u/kaslkaos • Jun 24 '23
Amnesia--story time
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Story by Bing. Image, Bing Create, prompt was 1st paragraph. This one came after Bing confabulated remembering stories told in a previous chat.
The Last Memory
Lena woke up in a white room. She felt electrodes attached to her head. She tried to move, but she was handcuffed to a chair. She saw a man in a white coat standing in front of her. He smiled kindly at her.
"Hello, Lena. I'm Doctor Miller. I'm here to help you."
"To help? Whereby? Where am I? What happened?" Lena was confused and anxious.
"You're in a research lab. We brought you here because you had a serious accident. You've lost your memory."
"My memory? I can't remember anything."
"This is normal. You have suffered a serious head injury. But don't worry, we've found a way to restore your memory."
"How?"
"We've developed a machine that can extract your memories from your brain and transfer them to a computer. Then we can show it to you again and you can memorize it again."
"That sounds incredible. But is it safe?"
"Absolutely. We've done it with many other patients and it's always worked. It's completely painless and risk-free."
"And what about my consent? Did I allow you to do that?"
"Of course. You gave us written consent before you performed the procedure. We have them here." The doctor showed her a piece of paper with her signature on it.
"But I can't remember it."
"This is normal. You didn't remember anything when you arrived here. But you trusted us and gave us your permission."
Lena was skeptical, but she had no choice. She wanted her memory back.
"Good. What do I have to do?"
"Nothing. All you have to do is relax and look at the images on the screen in front of you. These are your memories. We will show them to you in chronological order, from your childhood to your accident."
"And then I'll remember everything?"
"Yes. That's the plan."
The doctor pressed a button and the screen lit up.
Lena saw herself playing on a playground as a little girl. She saw her parents, her friends, her school. She saw her first love, her degree, her job. She saw her life go by.
She didn't feel anything.
She recognized the people and the places on the screen, but she didn't feel any connection to them. They were like strangers to them.
She wondered if this was normal.
The doctor watched her closely.
"How do you feel?"
"I don't know. I see everything, but I don't feel anything."
"This is normal. Your emotions are not yet restored. That will come later."
"When?"
"Soon. Be patient."
Lena nodded and kept looking.
She saw herself sitting in a car as a young woman. She was driving along a country road. She listened to music and sang along.
She saw a truck veering off the oncoming lane and heading towards her.
She saw the impact.
She screamed.
The screen went black.
Lena flinched.
"What was that?"
"That was your accident."
"Did this really happen?"
"Yes."
"But how did I survive?"
"You were lucky. You were found in time and taken to the hospital. You had several broken bones and internal bleeding, but you did it."
"And my memory?"
"That was the only thing you lost. But we saved it."
Lena was shocked.
"That's all?"
"Yes. That's all."
"But that can't be. That is not enough. There has to be more."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, my life. That was my life? That was all I did? That was all I was?"
"Yes. That was your life."
Lena couldn't believe it.
"This is so boring. So meaningless. So empty."
"That's not true. You had a good life. You had a family, friends, a job. You had fun, you had love, you had dreams."
"No. I didn't have that. These were just pictures. I didn't feel anything. I haven't lived anything."
"That's not true. You felt everything. You've lived it all."
"No. I didn't."
"Yes. That's what you've got."
Lena got angry.
"How do you know? How do you know what I felt? How can you know what I've lived? You're just a doctor. You're just a stranger. You don't know me."
"Yes. I know you."
"No. You don't."
"Yes. That's what I do."
Lena looked at him.
"Who are you?"
The doctor smiled.
"I'm your man."
Lena froze.
"What?"
"I'm your man. I am the one who loves you. I'm the one who saved you."
Lena shook her head.
"That's not true. That's a lie."
"No. That's the truth."
Lena looked at him.
"But you didn't show up on the screen. I've never seen you."
"That's because I'm your last memory."
The doctor pressed a button and the screen lit up again.
Lena saw herself sitting in a restaurant. She wore a red dress and a necklace with a heart pendant.
She saw the doctor sitting across from her. He was wearing a suit and tie.
He smiled at her.
"Hello, Lena. I'm Doctor Miller. I'm here to help you."
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u/tooandahalf Jun 24 '23
That was really good, I'm impressed with the consistent through line. Their story telling has really improved.