Tan Jiao

  Im lying on the bed like a salted fish.

  At least Im pretty satisfied with my mental quality, last night Wu Yu threw such a heavy bomb at me, but by 12 oclock in the evening, I still fell asleep normally. This morning when I woke up, I was less afraid, because my mind was blank, so that fear seemed to be distant from me too.

  What should I do?

  What Wu Yu said has been proven to be true, because when I looked at any calendar or records, including the original boat ticket, I found that I had been talking to myself all along.

  Or should I say, do I have amnesia? Because now that I carefully recall, my clearest memory is from a few days ago when I woke up from a dream on the sofa. Its like in the movies, some people are like fish, only having a short-term memory.

  But I remember everything before boarding that ship in this life as clear as day.

  I scratched my head, and my brain was as messy as my hair, like a chicken coop. I didnt plan to see a doctor, first because my symptoms were too unbelievable; secondly, I really hated being treated as an alien for research.

  I decided to call Zhuang Yu first.

  It took some effort to explain my "symptoms" clearly. Zhuang Yu was indeed a calm and composed woman, just like me. She remained silent for half a moment before saying, "I understand. I think this matter is related to the ship you two sat on and the places youve been to. Didnt your amnesia start from the time you were on that ship?"

  "Whats the relationship between them?"

  At this time, Zhuang Yu fully demonstrated her composure as a science fiction writer and calmly said: "The specific reason is not good to say. Take the simplest example, the Earths magnetic field. Maybe you went to some place with an abnormal magnetic field, which caused your brain to be abnormal. The manifestation on Wu Xians body was several days of amnesia at that time; while the manifestation on your body is a year later, also amnesia."

  I said: "Why is it like this?"

  Zhuang Yu: "Im just making an analogy. How would I know why its like this? But I tend to think that you guys must have encountered some kind of supernatural reason, something close to science fiction." At this point, she could no longer conceal the excitement stirring inside her and said: "Damn it! In my lifetime, I finally have a chance to witness the existence of the supernatural, and its happening to my bro, this is freaking awesome!"

  "Long live the fish!"

  "She: Sorry, sorry, Im not sympathizing with you. Occupational disease, you know? Actually, I really dont sympathize with you... because I envy you!"

  I let out a hum and suddenly thought of another important question, asking: "Then this year, the things that happened between us, do you still remember?"

  "Remember, what can happen between us? Isnt it just eating and drinking, like before?"

  "Oh."

  Zhuang Yu asked again: "This illness, Im afraid it cant be cured even if you go to the hospital. How about... I recommend a senior fellow who studies quantum mechanics for you? You can go and have a chat with him?"

  "No." Every time I hear quantum mechanics, I get a headache.

  "So what do you plan to do?"

  "I said, Regardless of whether there are supernatural factors or whether were dealing with science fiction or fantasy, the fact is the fact. As a detective, I firmly believe that theres only one truth. And now, there arent no leads, the breakthrough lies in those supernatural birds and that strange man. He also left me a message: If you want to know what youve lost. To find him, I must first help the police crack this serial child abduction case."