Since when was she mayor? She didn't even know where she was! "I'm not mayor…" she mumbled.
"It is you!" The horse neighed in excitement. "Come on, let's get you inside." The horse extended a hoof and helped June to her feet.
What was going on? Was this a dream? Maybe she hit her head after falling in the river. Or maybe she never even made it out of the river…
The horse guided June through the trees, and her house appeared out of the gloom of the night. Oh no. Not the horrifying room that grabbed her and trapped her in an illusion of the future.
"No, I'm fine, I think I should stay outside to get some fresh air," June tried saying as the horse dragged her to the house.
The horse paid no attention and opened the door. June braced herself, closing her eyes and waiting for the worst.
"What are you doing, silly?" The horse nickered.
June slowly opened her eyes, almost afraid that the house would bite her. Taking a deep breath, she scanned the room. It didn't seem quite as bad as it did the first time.
The horse dragged her upstairs, and after flicking on a light switch, she shuffled through a closet and pulled out some clothes, handing them to June. "Put these on. I'll be waiting downstairs." The horse closed the door behind her June could hear her hooves echoing off the wood steps.
How strange. June changed into the dry clothes, her mind straining to figure out what was going on. The horse apparently knew her quite well. Maybe they were friends sometime earlier in June's life? But why couldn't June remember?
She went downstairs and found the horse in the kitchen, a mouth-watering scent wafting away from the stove.
"What are you making?" June asked.
The horse spun around. "You'll find out soon enough. Now sit down and watch TV or something." She ushered June over to a fluffy orange and white couch, handed her a thick quilt, and turned the TV on. Satisfied, she rushed back to the kitchen.
Heeding the horse's orders, June laid down on the couch and curled up with the quilt. On the TV a game show was playing, which looked mildly interesting. What was more interesting was June's friend bustling around in the kitchen.
The striking red and yellow racing jersey reflected the horse's spunky and enthusiastic personality.
"What's your name?" June called out.
The horse turned, astonished. "You don't remember me? Victoria?"
June shook her head. Victoria. It didn't seem familiar. "Sorry," she said.
Hopefully not offended, Victoria returned to cooking. The smell from the kitchen continued to get better and better.
Trying to pass time quicker, June stared at the TV, seeing but not comprehending. When she thought she couldn't resist the smell of food any longer, Victoria called out, "Ready for a midnight snack?"
"You bet!" June jumped off the couch and strode over to the kitchen table, where Victoria was setting plates and putting pots and pans on the table.
Sitting down, June spotted spaghetti in one pan and tomato sauce in another. "This looks great!" She exclaimed. Her stomach growled in agreement.
Both girls started eating. After the initial urge of hunger had been satisfied, June decided to start asking some questions.
"What's the date?"
"Huh?" Victoria looked up in surprise.
"What day is it? What month? What year?"
The horse set down her fork and swallowed. "You really don't know?"
June nodded.
"What exactly is the last thing you remember?" She asked slowly.
The question set June to thinking. What happened before she woke up? She tried to remember, but she couldn't. She just couldn't. "Nothing. I don't remember anything from before waking up."
Alarm spread across Victoria's face. "You need to go to a doctor." She jumped out of her seat and hauled June away from the half-eaten plate of spaghetti.
"Hey! I'm not finished!" She protested.
The horse paid no attention as they rushed out the door and hurried through the town. Victoria didn't let go of June's wrist. They passed trees, a garden of sparkling flowers, lit-up houses, and crossed a bridge over the river. At last they came to a stop in front of a cozy two-storied house. The lights were on, beckoning the duo inside.
Victoria knocked.
The door opened and a hen wearing a red argyle shirt stood in the doorway. "Victoria?" She clucked. Then, seeing who stood with Victoria, her eyes widened. "June?"
Victoria wasted no time. "Hurry up and let us in, I don't want anyone to see her. She doesn't remember anything."
The chicken stepped to the side and let them in.
Once the door was shut, she asked, "You don't remember anything?"
June nodded. "I just woke up not too long ago."
The chicken appeared genuinely confused.
Not for the last time, June wondered just what had happened to her. Would life ever be the same? Would she ever remember what the same was?
Sorry about the wait! I'll try to be more prompt with the upcoming chapters. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, I welcome any ideas, comments, or anything you think I can improve. Thank you for reading!