Hope in Hector's Heart: Hazim's Journey

I'm hot. I'm tired. I'm... thirsty?

My eyes flutter open, and a bright light greets me. It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust, but when they do, I realize that the light is not the sun, but several lamps hanging from the ceiling of a small room. I try to lift myself from the table I am laying on, but my muscles tighten and refuse to cooperate.

"Do not move," says a woman standing over me. She has an accent that sounds like it came from the Middle East, maybe Iraq or Iran. I look down at my body and see that I am naked except for a pair of tight-fitting black shorts. "You are in no position to move yet."

"What happened?" My voice is deep and gruff, and sounds alien coming out of my mouth. "Where am I?" The room is sparsely decorated; just the table I am laying on and two foldable chairs next to it. A door stands open across the room with sunlight pouring in through it.

The woman does not answer me, but begins walking towards one of the folding chairs and sits down in it. She is wearing a white lab coat with what looks like a stethoscope around her neck. She has long dark hair tied into a ponytail that reaches down almost to her waist.

I try to sit up again and find that my muscles are slowly responding, but still feel like rubber bands stretched too far. "What's wrong with me?" My voice is still rough and low sounding. The woman begins looking through some papers she had been holding in her hands as she walked towards the chair. When she finally speaks up again, her voice sounds like music echoing softly through a canyon; sweet, smooth, and calming all at once.

"Your metabo--" The young doctor stops herself short with a questioning tone in her voice and lifts her head back up to look at me with curious eyes; beautiful brown eyes that make you forget where you were even heading before you saw them in the first place--like when your car gets stuck on gravel on a road trip and you can't help but stare at the pretty girl walking by as you wait for someone to pull you out of your predicament so you can get going again before all the good scenery goes by without your notice because you're daydreaming about the pretty girl walking by instead. But those eyes are now staring at me with curiosity and wonderment written all over them like they've never seen anything this odd before in their life--like when your car gets stuck on gravel on a road trip and you pull over to politely ask every pretty girl walking by if they could maybe give you a hand so you don't miss out on all the good scenery while waiting for someone to pull you out of your predicament because there's this golden haired beauty walking by who is getting closer every minute and there's no way in hell you're going to let her pass without asking for her number...or something more...ummm...more intimate anyway because holy crap she's beautiful! And these eyes were supposed to be helping me figure out what was wrong with me!

"Wait..." I manage to say after finally snapping myself out of my daze, "...how do you know what my metabolism is?" The doctor creases her eyebrows together as she thinks about how best to answer my question without revealing any classified information about herself or me or whatever happened before we both woke up here together (which would probably be quite difficult considering neither one of us seems to remember much). Finally she sighs lightly, giving up on trying to keep secrets from me anymore than she already has already done by answering my question in the first place instead of ignoring it like she should have because honestly this is classified information! "You'll find out soon enough," she says looking down at the papers again as if finding it funny that she answered my question anyway instead of ignoring it like someone who wanted people not know anything about them would have done while trying to act aloof while also pretending they thought they were important enough to actually care about such things as keeping secrets or having people think they didn't want anyone knowing anything about themselves when really it was just so no one would bother them whenever they tried being aloof instead of talking directly to people like normal human beings who aren't secretly trying so hard not letting anyone know anything about them because then maybe people wouldn't bother bothering them whenever they tried doing normal human things like talking or smiling or acting friendly towards each other or something else equally simple human things most normal human beings do every day without thinking twice about doing any of these things unless maybe they were trying not wanting anyone knowing anything about them which is stupid because nobody cares anyways when they try changing who they are so everyone won't bother bothering them whenever they try acting different than how most normal people act around each other which kinda makes sense when you think about how nobody wants anyone knowing anything about them anyways so why do people even bother trying not letting anyone know anything about them anyways? Because its annoying when people try acting different just so people won't bother bothering them whenever they try being normal human beings who want other human beings acting normally around each other instead of trying acting different than normal human beings whenever people want other human beings acting normally around each other? That makes sense! No wonder nobody bothers anybody else when everybody tries changing who they are into somebody else instead of just being normal human beings! Whew! That was exhausting thinking all that! Does anybody else have these thoughts? Would anybody else mind talking while I take a quick nap? Thanks!)

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

Your metabolism? You mean all those glowing green lights flickering inside my chest cavity? How did you even know where those were located? This isn’t possible! Who are you? And why did we wake up here together? We shouldn’t even exist together outside our own worlds! And what happened before we met here? Did we meet somewhere before? Where did we meet before? Why don’t I remember meeting before today!? And why do I feel like I’m forgetting something important!? Was there something important?! Are there things important we need find!? What are our names!? What are our missions!? Why can’t I remember our names!? Who am I!? Who are you!? Why does this feeling grab hold of my chest telling me there’s something important but everything seems fuzzy beyond that?! What was our mission!? Why does everything seem blurry beyond that thought!? What was our mission!!?? Wait.... what was OUR mission?! Why did YOU say WE when asking if WE remembered something important?! Who ARE YOU???!!! You can't be ME!!! That's IMPOSSIBLE!!! You're too beautiful!! You're too tactful!! You're too suave!! You can't be ME!!! Impossible!!! Not happening!!! Not possible!!! I'm Hazim Khoursamy! The manliest man alive since Adam first tried touching his balls without dropping dead from embarrassment!! Not some sissified pretty boy who would chase after ladies just for saying hi!! Not some pansy who would willingly submit himself into slavery if he thought he might get laid afterwards!! Not some limp-dicked poodle following whoever said whatever best caught his attention right now because he was too cowardly facing reality head on regardless of whether or not he liked what reality had in store for him today!! Not some pathetic pussy-whipped pussy who doesn't know whether he's enjoying his freedom or begging for more chains depending on whom caught his eye last!! Not some spineless wimp living under someone else's thumb doing whatever someone tells him just because he couldn't find his own damn spine anywhere within reach!! And definitely NOT SOME BITCH IN HEELS WHO WOULDN'T LET ME HAVE ANY GODDAMN FREEDOMS IF SHE COULD HELP IT!!!!!!!!! MY MISSION IS TO BRING HOPE BACK TO MY NATION BY FIGHTING FOR ETHNIC AND RACIAL EQUALITY AND UNITY UNDER THE FLAG OF FREEDOM!!! YOUR MISSION IS TO UNDERMINE MY EFFORTS BY S