He couldn't remember his name or how he came to be in this place.

He couldn't remember his name or how he came to be in this place. As the panic began to set in, he began to run. "Why can't I remember," he asked himself. As he settledinto a rhythmic stride, the panic began to lessen. The countryside was starting to look familiar. He remembered! He had been this way before. The thought nagged him that he couldn't remember when. The scent of the flowers was cloying, yet it reassured him somehow. Anticipation gripped him and his pace increased. He ran recklessly down the hillsdie, the smell of the ocean strong in his nostrils. He could hear the crash of the waves, and something rose within him. As the ocean came into view, his heart seemed to leap within his chest. His stride lenghtened, taking him ever closer to the pounding waves. He thought he could hear voices, far off in the distance. He could let nothing distract him from reaching the beach. He felt small and alone, in need of something, but he didn't know what. The ocean breeze filled him with hope that his questions would soon be ansewred. He could hear the buoys in the distance, tolling mournfully. Why did they ring a chord within him? He felt the first stirrings of uneasiness, it was as if someone was watching him. He shrugged the feeling aside, and continued to run to the shoreline. As he rounded the trail to the beach, he began to slow. He thought he could still hear the faint whispers of voices he didn't quite recognize. Who were they? The pervasive feeling of being watched was still with him. He felt as if he were no longer alone. Yet, for some reason, the uneasiness was gone. The voices became louder. They were familiar to him, echoes of a life he had known. He began to listen intently. The voices called to him. Their sibilant whispers told him of the answers he had sought. The unseen watcher's identity became clear. He wasn't alone. He had never been alone. He stood looking upon the empty strand, and he knew. The beach stood silent witness, the buoy gently tolling in the distance, as he released himself into the mysteries that awaited him beyond.