The Grasp of Nighttide Read Online Free Page B

strange feeling was the tall cylindrical tower−the color of bricks−attached to it. Alice had first called it a turret, but Anna was quick to correct her that it was a tower because it did not vertically project out of the house, rather it started from the ground. Tiny rectangular windows ran up its side with a big one at the top. Standing on her toes, Alice could take a peek into one of these windows. The sight of a dark dusty stairwell reflected a bad past. 
    A tall tree that stood in front of the house- a great drawback, for it blotted out most of the light entering the house on one side. At least that was the only tree that grew within the fence, or else Alice would have to burn electricity through the day too and shell out extra bucks on the light bill.
    Alice kicked off her muddy pink shoes while unlocking the door. She darted straight to the laptop in her room, not bothering to put down the bag of groceries or the umbrella. For some time, the thought of the song had gone into hiding again, and then resurfaced. She  had  to know that song. 
    “Tell me, Google, for heaven’s sake,” Alice mumbled, typing the first two lines. When that didn’t work, she put in all six lines hoping for a match. 
    In vain, she sat there staring at the screen. It was as though the song never existed. But Alice heard it; there was no doubt in her mind. Frustrated and totally exhausted, today had been unlike any other day. The only clue she had was the song, and now it appeared to be a dead end. 
    She dried her hair and changed into a dry pair of jogging pants and a pale green shirt. She got the fireplace in the living room going. Finding her wool shawl draped over the arm of the couch, she threw it over her shoulders and sat close to the fire, feeling its warmth on her face and hands. The heater was not running to its full potential these days, and with temperatures falling, Alice was sure to be sleeping on the couch in front of the fireplace in about a week.  The only thing needed now to complete this cozy atmosphere was a hot cup of coffee , she thought. 
    This wasn’t Alice’s home, but it was where she woke up five months ago... 
    She had woken up on the bed early that bright morning. Her head was heavy, probably from the effects of a drug. But the surroundings weren't the same as when she had first woken up. Her memory went back to the first time she woke up, at the hospital. She could remember nurses and the doctor examining her there. Alice remained blank through all of it. The first sign of trouble came when she was asked, "Your mom is outside. Do you want to see her?”
    “Mom?" she didn't know what to make of it. "Mom?"  Whose mom? Her own? Who was her mom?  Then realization struck. "Who am I?"
    The next time she had woken up, also in the hospital ward, she tried to think as she was told but could come up with nothing. Later still, she semiconsciously heard a woman asking the doctor to discharge her. It seemed like he was confused. "I think we must keep her under observation for another day or two. She must have her memory back; retrograde amnesia is very rare, especially in head injuries and given that she wasn't even severely injured. I need to see the scans. There could be something that may come up. And uh, do you think she could be... I don't know, faking this? I mean, to get away from troubles... family troubles, maybe?" 
    Next, Alice woke up to pure darkness. She was blindfolded. "Let me go!" Alice ordered.
    "Do you know what your name is?" a female voice asked.
    "No."
    "Don't you even recognize my voice anymore?" The voice came again, edged with sadness this time.
    "No. I don't." Then she was stung by a needle and fell unconscious again. 
    In the morning when she woke, she was here at this house−struggling with dizziness. It didn’t take long to figuring out that she was