It was a woman’s voice.

Keep going. Keep going.

I moved along, now warm inside my parka, dancing around the roots as they presented at my feet.

But the trees. They never stopped. Never ended. Just when I thought I’d gotten closer to the light, more trees appeared. They popped up like they did in a child’s storybook.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

So much to get through. So dense was this forest. So many layers to peel. So many. So many.

Onward I trudged, through the dense foliage, over the tangled roots. Warm now, clothed in the parka, the down insulation like a fire on a hearth.

Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.

I inhaled deeply, gathering my courage and my strength. Keep going, I said to myself, closing my eyes. Keep going. It’s getting easier. You figured out the roots, you found a coat to keep you warm. Only the trees left to master.

Only the trees.

I opened my eyes.

A clearing. No more trees. And in the distance, a metal cube stood.

I walked toward it slowly, slowly, slowly.

Until I could see what it was.

An elevator.

A fucking elevator.

And lying on the ground in front of it was…

A key.

My eyes popped open.

“Mr. Wolfe?”

Where the hell was I? My arms were still warm until I regarded them. I no longer wore the parka, and goosebumps popped out from the cold. Yes, my arms were cold again. Cold like they’d been…

“Was I in a forest?” I asked.

“You seemed to be,” Dr. Woolcott said.

“But why? I’ve never been in a forest in my life. I’m not really an outdoors person.”

“You were inside your mind. Your mind created the forest as a barrier to the memory you seek. It’s quite common.”

“Forests?”

“Forests. Mountains. Water. All are barriers. One patient of mine actually created a black hole.”

“So buried memories are common?”

“I wouldn’t say common, exactly, but more common than you might think.”

“Why? I finally got through the forest, finally made it to a clearing…and then pop. Here I am. Why didn’t it work?”

“It did.”

“But it didn’t. I found the key. Actually saw it lying in front of an elevator, but then suddenly I’m back here.”

“I understand your frustration, but you made great progress for your first session.”

“But now I’ll have to start all over.”

She shook her head. “It will be easier the next time. You’ll have a coat, and you already know how to get through the tapestry of roots on the ground.”

“Wait. How do you know about that?”

“I was guiding you. Instructing you.”

“You showed me how to get through the forest?”

“No. I simply gave you the tools to get through yourself.”

“The coat?”

“I suggested it.”

“You suggested it, and all of a sudden it was there? I don’t understand.”