Forlorn, But Not Forgotten

It happened on this day, that I was late.
On this very day I could not leave work earlier.
After a long delay, I arrived at my aunt's house. I rang and knocked on her door like crazy, but nobody opened.
I unlocked the front door with my spare key, the apartment was completely deserted - nothing was missing though, except my aunt.
Anxiously, I screamed her name and searched the entire street for her, asked her neighbours, but no one knew where she was.

When I called the police, a search was carried out in the surrounding forest and, thank goodness, she was found only a short time later - alive.
The police men told me that she was on her way back to her house, completely freezing and emaciated, while holding several red clothes in her hands.

It turned out that she had been wandering around the area for several days in utter confusion, sometimes even for hours completely alone in the forest.
She was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed with advanced dementia.
According to the doctors, she was walking through the woods with the intention of picking up her husband from the nearby bus station.
An old man with a crutch, with whom she loved to walk through the woods.
But... due to her illness though, she has forgotten that he already passed away 6 years ago.

When I visited her in the hospital, she seemed like a completely different person, heavily confused, not being able to talk properly... just like an empty shell.
It was on this day that I painfully realized that I had lost my aunt as I knew her.

She may be safe and in relatively good health by now, but it breaks my heart to know that a person I once loved is long gone. Her mortal remains are still with us and are a constant reminder of how cruel life can be.
It is only a matter of time before dementia consumes the last remaining remnants of her mental existence. And even if she has forgotten me, she will remain in my heart forever.

This is the story of Mrs. Winters.

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