What's more scarier than death, the grim reaper asked me. What could be possibly more frightening than the end of your life, he repeated. And I answered. If there was anything even scarier and more frightening than having you guide me to the afterlife, it would be forgetting everyone as I enter the afterlife.
All they knew to do was forget and forgive. No matter what happened in their life, everyone was sure that they would forget. Shove them against the locker, they'll forget. Raise your hand as if you're hitting them and watch them flinch, they'll never remember. Slowly capture their mind in your very own hands, they'll realize they can't know anything. Just a little doll that you can destroy and play with whenever you're bored.
Cecil Solace knew it all. They forgave everyone. They forgot everyone. But, they also knew everyone. Knowing and remembering are two different things. If you're stupid and you don't know something, you are bound to forget it. If you know something, you might forget it. However, in the end, you can return to it to remember. Your mind might not recall such an incident and a person to the deepest depths for a long time, sure. Your body and your senses never forget though. The second the same contact lands on your body, it takes less than a moment to realize, " ah ... again "
There was no need to force the memories out. If you forgot something, you know you'll gradually remember it in the end. Whether that end be today, tomorrow, or your death bed. Who was Summer Madden? Who was Percival Madden? Who was Anna Thompson? Who was Hazel Solace? Who was the one that kept appearing in their dreams and told them that they have done well? Who was the person to reassure them? That they do deserve to be in this world.
Who was the one to hold them until the end?
Whenever the girl came along to shove them off as if they were never sisters, Cecil forgot the interaction after a few minutes. But, when she came back to shove them, they always had a flash of memory. As her hand landed on their shoulder, they knew this exact situation had happened before. It wasn't the first time she came to shove them away like they were some kind of a pest. It wasn't the first time her gaze carried loathe and disgust. It wasn't the first time they rubbed their arm, watching their stepsister walk away with her friends.
They were okay though. Even if they were the blonde child between their black haired father and brown haired mother. Even if they watched people die numerously from a few feet away. Even if they were sent away like some kind of an animal on display. It was all okay. Because Cecil Solace forgot.
A brown haired lady smiles. She holds her child and whispers dearly,
" Is my sweetheart comfortable dancing with me in my arms? "
The child laughs so happily.
" This is mama's favorite song. Do you love it too? " The lady hums, gently crouching and sitting on the edge of the cliff.
The child stares up at the sky.
The song has ended.
There was no photo on their desk. There was no slightest of memories. There was no name. There was nothing. Just like how there was no one to wipe their tears. The soft touch, the warm hands, and the gentle smile. It was all a dream and they knew it.
Those kinds of people don't exist.
Cecil sat up. They rarely remembered dreams. In best cases, they might catch a small sliver of it and go excitedly tell their friends about it. That was if they didn't get annoyed midway by their endless rambling. This time, they remembered something. A tune. A familiar tune. It echoed and ringed in their ears, but faintly. Like an angel's calling. It wasn't an annoying noise. Nothing similar to those mosquito buzzing or chatters in the classroom. It drew them in. Like an entrance to the other side.
