I Don’t Know…

Abdullah Afzal
3 min readJul 11, 2021

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A picture by Vasily Koloda

The strong antiseptic smell and different chemical smells started to irritate me. I heard some voices and noises at a distance, but these voices and noises are of such meager volume, I couldn’t deduce, from where these noises are coming, and what these voices actually are. I tried to open my eyes by lifting my eyelids upward with difficulty. After observing my surroundings, I realized I was in a hospital and I was lying on the bed. There was a drip needle pierced in my left hand.

After some instances, a man came wearing a white coat on it, with a casual attitude. He said: “That’s great you are conscious,” he took a look at the blue document file, placed on the table in front of my bed.

He said, “ Unfortunately you were the part of a train accident, many people died and many were injured in this accident. Do you remember anything of it or anything before it, like your name and where you live? ”

I said in sudden panic, “ I don’t remember anything and what are you talking about? What’s going on…?”

The doctor’s facial expression didn’t change much and he calmly explained the situation to me, “ Look! you got an injury in such part of your brain that your all old memories are kind of wiped out. There is a treatment for such a condition but it will take time.

Fortunately, we got some luggage from the site of the accident and one bag from this luggage is yours.”

He called the nurse to bring the boy’s bag and the nurse gave him the bag and took a card from it.

He said, “See what I found your name is Molood jaded. Everything is written on your identity card. This pic on your identity card also matches with you. so, it’s your identity card. The management has called your parents, they are sitting outside the room and waiting for you.”

I said again with panic, “But I don’t remember who my parents are?”

The doctor politely said,

“Yes, you can’t remember them, and even your identity as I told you that due to your brain injury you can’t remember anything. You have to believe what we are telling you.

At this time there are other many patients, I have to see. So, now you are clear to go and we will start the treatment for your brain injury later when this emergency in hospital will be over. Have a good day.”

The doctor left the room and gave some instructions to the nurse. After few minutes they discharged me. I was standing in the corridor with the bag in my hand that they gave me. I saw a couple sitting on the bench. I was told that they were my parents.

I was standing there with so many questions in my head. But the biggest question was, should I believe, what they said to me or should I not? And try to find the answers about myself until I get satisfied with my founded answers?

But at this moment I was sure about one thing that I really don't know who I am and why I am here. I was just saying in my head, “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t …”

This story is derived from the TED Talk of Raja Zia-Ul-Haq (CEO of Youth Club).

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Abdullah Afzal
Abdullah Afzal

Written by Abdullah Afzal

A student, always trying to look up for cool things and do something creative.