“Great” Officer Trailbreaker exclaims. “Just what I needed. Can I talk with him now?”

“No.” says Dr. Lightbringer. “Give me a few minutes to determine how much he understands. While I’m doing that, you can let them know that there is probably somebody looking for him.”

The Officer, not moving, Dr. Lightbringer turns back to me. There is some respect for this man now. If I had not seen that stone tablet light up, I would still be thinking it was some joke. A more serious attitude is coming over me. We start to converse.

“My name is Dr. Lightbringer. Can you tell me your name?” Great, now he’s talking to me like I’m an idiot or a little kid.

“Am I under arrest?” I ask. The Doctor sits a little bit straighter, clearly now not as relaxed.

I turn to the Officer “What do you want?”

Officer Trailbreaker starts “Two days ago you were found delirious, just standing there, with a shovel in your hand. You were guarding a girl that was in the process of being abducted. The abductor was unconscious, having been hit with said shovel. The girl claiming it was you who saved her. The shovel was taken from a nearby gravesite which you seem to have crawled out of, being thrown into it by two apparent male accomplices. Those men are dead, having been struck by lightning. I want to know what happened. Why you were there. How many there are. Did you know them or what they were trying to do?” He pauses, waiting for my reply.

“I’m sorry Officer, I don’t know anything about what you are talking about. I remember sleeping at home in my bed. It was loud, it was raining, a dog kept waking me up. I was sitting here enjoying my day, this isn’t my room, and now you are here.” I do sound idiotic.

The Doctor cutting in “What Officer Trailbreaker is asking is, do you know if there was anyone else there. Did you see anyone or any children? Was there anyone lost or sleeping?”

“I’m sorry. Between going to bed, and waking up here, there is nothing really to remember. I don’t know how I am here. I am not sure where here is.”

“Ok.” says the Doctor. Can you tell me your name? What house are you from?”

“Doug” I lie. I know my name, but something just isn’t right. Something is off. More than just the rocks for medical instruments.

“Hello, Doug. You can call me Rowan. This is Talon. Do you have your identification stone? When you were unconscious, we looked for one, but couldn’t find it. We just wanted to make sure you were safe and let anyone that might be worried about you know that you are safe.” The Doctor is talking to me in that practiced medical profession way, while he is focused on putting my hand back on that rock tablet, watching it blink.

‘And there it is’ I think to myself. You still think there is something wrong with me.

“Do you have a phone I could use?” I ask.

Now both the Doctor and Officer are looking at me in a questioning way.

“Something I can call my wife with?” I say.

The Doctor nods in understanding reaching into his lab coat. He pulls out another rock and hands it to me. I’m looking at this rock in my hand trying to determine if this is a joke, are they are all crazy, or am I. I hand the rock back to the Doctor and ask “I’m not sure how to dial out, could you do it for me?”

“Sure” the Doctor responds. “Who are you trying to talk to?”

“1-888-555-5555” I give him the number.

“Have you used the calling stone before?” he asked.

“No. The first time I have seen one”

He instructs me “Hold the stone and think of who you are wanting to talk to. If they are in range, they will appear before you. If they are not, you will not be able to see them, only speak with them.” He demonstrates by holding the stone. A picturesque woman appears just above the stone. A 3-D image about twice the size of his hand. “How are you doing today Lilly?” he asks.

Lilly responds “I am well. Do you need something?”

“No. I am just showing Doug how to use the stone. Thank you.” The image collapses and he hands the stone to me.

I hold the stone and think of my wife. The stone glows a bit, but no image. I think of my sons, a couple of people from work, each time the stone glows a little, but there is nothing. I am starting to question my sanity a bit. The stone reacts each time I think of someone, but how? How can that be faked? How can the stone know when I am thinking of someone, and when I am not? The Doctor is asking me questions, I am responding, but not paying attention.

I start listening again as the Doctor is handing the stone tablet to the Officer and telling me “I would like for you to stay for a day or two, to make sure everything is alright. I want you to rest. We will try and contact your wife and family, to let them know where you are. I want someone to come and bring you home. I don’t want you to try and make it home by yourself. Jenn will be close by if you need anything and I will ask her to periodically check on you.” As he gets up, he pats my shoulder.

Leaving with the Officer following, I overhear the Officer say that he will get a temporary ID made. The two are standing just down the hall, but I can still hear the conversation. They agree that I am educated enough that I am somehow one of, or related to, one of the main families. I could be visiting, maybe possibly I was kept sheltered away. If I am a zero, to keep from embarrassment. The Doctor thinks the lightning may have hit me. That would account for the strange behavior. While seeming to fully understand, follow concepts and higher thought, but not knowing what the stones are. Better to keep me under observation until they are sure I will be alright. Try to determine if something has happened to me, or if it is just my normal state.

As I continue sitting up in the bed, I stretch my legs and work out some kinks. I have been sitting for too long. I get up. Walk around the room a bit and look out the window. I’m feeling a little bad, I think that I misjudged the Officer and Doctor. Talon and Rowan? Talon could be a cool name. It kind of fits with the officer/ranger outfit. Looking back, I can see that they are concerned for me, the Officer was only trying to figure out what happened and do his job. There might be something wrong with me. I keep seeing rocks in the place of cell phones and tablets. Making the rock glow when thinking of someone is bizarre. But that could also be brain damage. Brain damage could be a lot of things, but how would you know? How do you evaluate yourself? How do you measure accurately when you do not know if the standard you are using to measuring with is accurate? Time passes as I look out the window pondering and reflecting on myself.