Clutching the parchment in his grasp

He sprints,

ducks,

weaves,

each page flitting in his red hands

as the date marked first of November

Slips from his fingertips.

The memory of Mama slips from her mind,

As casual as sleight-of-hand,

As crafty as deception

As November first becomes a day she deems normal as any other.

And the sound of the heartbeat monitor

Beeping.

Beeping.

Ceasing

is lost.

The...

In a world where memories could be bought and sold, Evelyn found herself standing in the bustling marketplace of Reminiscence Square. Traders hawked their wares—flasks of first loves, vials of childhood laughter, and bottles of long-forgotten dreams—each promising a taste of someone else’s past. But Evelyn wasn’t there to buy; she was there because something precious had been stolen from her.

Jus...

Part 1: The Memory

Some things people say, stay with us for a lifetime. Perhaps it's because the ideas or messages they wish to convey in that moment, hold such significant meaning to us, that they actually break through the various inner shields we cover ourselves with, and embed themselves deep into our souls forever. For each and ev...

Rage fuels my steps as I search every face of villagers.

Someone has stolen a memory, one that I often looked back at and cherish more than my own soul.

I _need_ to back, more than anything.

Everytime a memory is sold, the person only ever has a fading, vague sense of the memory.

I can only recall a cold summer morning and the heavy feeling of sadness.

One can find who bought their memories ...

Give it back

It’s mine

And only mine

It means nothing to you

It’s my memory

Sacred and special

To you it’s just a story

A thought

Give it back

Now!...

The vase twisted as it fell off the night table into a violent shatter. “Nooo.” The girls eyes were wrinkled and she searched and her fists pressed fitfully against her temples. “It’s gone. It’s not here. IT’S GONE!” Her wrist pulsed absently, forgotten in the fray. It had been taken from her. That she knew.

The steps of her flatmate grew nearer to her door.

“Ana! Ana honey are you okay in ther...

She ran down the street, shaking her hands above her head. He was spotted: the man who had stolen her most cherished memory, and she was taking matters into her own hands. He didn’t look like much, just a normal guy, but to her, he was public enemy number one. She tripped but found her balance again, and screamed after him.

“Hey! Stop!”

He didn’t look behind as he ran. He kept running, and she...

Holding her breath, Shai took three tentative steps towards the counter. It was fleshy with jack o’lantern teeth around its old timey cash register. Shai closed her eyes. She’d done her research and knew the entire pawn shop was coated with a psychotropic paint job designed to enhance moods. She counted to three and then to ten, and then three again, Opening her eyes, Shai saw the register counte...

Marcy swiped from the memory, despite it constantly being replayed she still would blush. Her boyfriend, her Ricky, and his powder blue eyes that stared up at her at the botanical gardens. On bent knee, asking to marry her.

As silly as it sounded she had a routine of memories, the pair’s first date, their first kiss on the Ferris wheel, their anniversary dinners, and of course of that afterno...

She scrolled through her memories.

“Where the hell is it?” She thought.

She knew she had 276 memories in this folder. The memory of that was stored in a different folder on her Google Drice.

But there were only 275 memories. And these weren’t just any memories - these were “sacred.”

The folder was even labeled as such: “Shannon’s Sacred Scenes.”

Her stomach was in a knot. She knew a sacr...