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 ^{(it's beta!)}

One day I am going to wake up and I'm not going to remember anything about my life up to that point. All of my past experiences and ideas and goals and priorities will be completely wiped from my mind.

I will be sitting up in my bed, staring forward, gazing absently through the window at the bright sun and I will casually wonder where I am. I will look over and see some other guy sleeping in his own bed on the other side of the very small and messy room.

Then an alarm clock will go off. I'll pick it up and look at it, wondering who it was trying to wake up, and for what. I'll turn it off and slowly get out of the bed, still looking around. After a few minutes of wondering if I should, I'll then start putting on the clothes lying next to my feet. They look clean enough, and the pants still have a wallet in them.

I'll briefly contemplate trying to wake the other guy and ask him some questions, but I'll change my mind and simply walk out of the room. I'll take a minute to wander through the hall and find an elevator, at that point convinced I am either in a dorm or a crappy apartment.

I'll go down to the first floor, ignoring the people who glare at me for taking the elevator coming from the second floor of what's apparently a twelve-story building.

I'll walk towards the front doors straight ahead, passively making note of the other people wandering around, about my age, carrying book bags and talking on cell phones. I'll walk around the building, watching a few large buses picking up other people. I'll pass them by and walk down the road. I'll keep walking until I come across a shopping center, with a coffee house called Mochas and Javas. I'll walk inside and order a small java chino. When I open the wallet to pull out a debit card, I'll divert my eyes away from the driver's license, but I still catch enough of a glimpse to see my picture.

I'll take my drink and walk back out of the shop.

And I'll walk down the road a bit further.

I'll eventually come across a large park, with a river running through it, and a lot of people in bathing suits hanging around. There'll be a few people tossing a frisbee nearby. I'll sit down and watch them, talking to them only occasionally. One of them is an older man with long hair, wearing really short shorts and a visor. He's really good. They call him Frisbee Dan because apparently nobody knows anything else about him outside of that hobby.

After a while, I'll get back up and head off again.

I'll walk down the road a bit further.

And I'll come to something of a town square. There will be a large concentration of dozens and dozens of assorted shops and restaurants. I'll walk into a record store and look around. I will browse through the vinyl section until I come across a band name I recognize. I'll pay for it and leave the shop.

And I'll walk down the road a bit further.

I will find a man playing guitar on a street corner. I'll sit and listen for a while, then empty all the cash in the wallet into the man's nearby hat. He'll thank me and I'll smile at him. I'll drop the useless wallet in a trash bin around the corner.

And I'll walk down the road a bit further.

And I'll keep walking, on and on, never asking anyone where I was or if I seemed at all familiar. I'll keep walking until I no longer know the way back. Then I'll walk a little further. Some people may give me rides, and I'll accept them so long as they do not recognize me. And once I've found a new place. A nice place. A place where I could start a new life and live on my own terms, with no prior goals or obligations, and nothing tying me to anything...

I'll do just that.