I couldn't remember anything. All I remember is walking down this dusty road, surrounded by gray flat land. There were fences, but no one was in sight. Nothing to do except walk. Just keep walking, I told myself you'll find someone eventually. No use crying, it won't do any good to cry. Keep walking, keep…. I plopped down on a nearby fence, letting my dark brown hair hide me from the world. Even if I found someone, how could I get myself back on my feet? I didn't even know my own name. For hours on end, I sat there, shutting out the world. I didn't even notice when someone started tapping on my head.
I lifted my head up, and met a pair of concerned eyes. "You going anywhere, miss?" The strange man said. "No, I've got no place to go. Is this your fence?" I responded.
"It isn't, our farm's the next one down. If you'd like, we could take you there and we could help you find your bearings."
"That would be wonderful, sir. Thank you." I said, smiling. I hopped off the fence and joined the man on his wagon. There was another man there; you could tell he was much younger than the man I just met. "So what's your name?" The older man said. "I don't remember." I responded, my smile fading.
"Huh, you must have hit your head on something before you came here. Don't worry, happens all the time. We'll just have Em give you an ice pack. By the way, I'm Henry Gale. The man to your right is Hickory, one of our farmhands." Henry said. I gave a small "hello" to Hickory. The rest of the trip was in silence until we reached a small farm. By what looked like a pigpen, a young girl was balancing on the fences surrounding the sty. She had a gingham dress on, and had her hair up in two pigtails.
"Dorothy, stop walking on the fence! Do you wanna fall in again?" Henry shouted. Dorothy hopped off the fence and ran over to meet us. "Sorry, Uncle Henry. Who's this?" said, gesturing to me. "She has amnesia, poor thing, go get Em!" Henry replied. Dorothy nodded and led me toward the house. At the porch, we were met by Aunt Em. She was about the same age as Uncle Henry, and had grey hair that stretched back into a bun. "Now what's all this jabber-whapping out here? Dorothy, who is this girl?"
"I don't know. She came back with Hickory and Uncle Henry, and they say she's got amnesia."
"Oh, you poor dear. Come on in, I'll fix you some tea." Em said.
We all sat down at the kitchen table, and we were soon joined by Henry, Hickory, and two other men, who introduced themselves as Zeke and Hunk. While Em got the tea, I told everyone what I knew, up to the time Uncle Henry found me. After I finished, Em said "My, that's some story you've told us. Do you have any idea where you could go next?"
"None. I don't even remember my name." I responded.
"Maybe she could stay here with us!" Dorothy blurted out. "Oh, I couldn't. You said yourself, Henry; people get amnesia all the time. I'll be back to wherever eventually." I countered.
"Please, call me Uncle Henry. I did say that, but none so strange a case as yours. Most people have some clue of where they're gonna go." He answered.
"From what you've told us, you don't have anywhere to go. You can stay here as long as you'd like. Dorothy would like the company, and you'll have a place to stay." Em said.
"Okay, I'll stay. I'll even pitch in with the farm work if you'd let me."
Aunt Em beamed, while Dorothy looked like she just won a prize. "Alright, it's decided." Zeke said.
"What about her name?" Hunk asked "What do you want to be called?" I thought for a moment, and said "Elizabeth. Beth for short."
"Sounds perfect." Hickory said. I knew I was going to be happy with this family. It was evening, and everyone retired to their bedrooms. I helped Uncle Henry move a bed from the guest room into Dorothy's room. Before I finally drifted off, I thought, I've finally got a family.