Chapter Text
Drip.
Drop.
Drip.
Drop.
If you listen carefully enough, the sounds of droplets hitting the surface can be heard in the distance, causing small, yet persistent ripples that glide through the endless puddle below.
…
What is this place, anyway?
You open your eyes to an empty void, filled with nothing but endless black, endless water, and endless ripples reflecting what little light is in this place. Habitually, you take a look at your hands, and notice that you can see them quite clearly, despite the lack of light in the area.
It appears that I am able to see relatively clearly. And that I have not lost my arms, too.
You begin to walk in a random direction, hoping to find some sort of way out of here. You walk, and you walk, and you walk some more. Every step you take creates a new ripple that follows the last, yet no trace of your path remains when you look back. It’s as if you’ve never left.
Arrgh!
You trip over something and fall onto the surface below. Despite the pond being quite shallow, you don’t feel any pain smacking into it face-first or feel wet at all. In fact, none of your clothes are wet, which is something you didn’t notice before.
How interesting… Dry water…
You look behind you, noticing a purple book sticking out from the ground with a crimson glow. Totally not ominous at all, but it’s not like walking endlessly was getting you anywhere. You pick it up, noting the scratched out title, and flip through the pages.
I… What is…?
You continue flipping through the pages, a little weirded out by how blank they all are. No words, no pictures, no content, nothing. Just pure, white sheets of paper. However, once you reach the final page, you feel a pang of fear course through your body.
Y-you forgot…? W-what…?
The words “YOU FORGOT” are plastered over the final page over and over, like a repeating pattern on some wallpaper. The more you look at the bloody red phrase, the more you begin to panic.
I-I did not forget any— W-what did I f-forget, exact— N-no, this is all a ruse—
You toss the book away in a panic, sweating from the intensity caused by the repeating, dreadful phrase.
I-I didn’t forget a-anything…! Ahaha… haha… ha…
You take a deep breath—
B-breathe in…
—and exhale.
Breathe out…
You continue to take deep breaths until you become calm enough to think.
I feel… safer, I suppose.
…
I do not know why I was so worked up about that. How odd of me to react this way.
???: “But you did forget.”
W-what—
Before you can process what the voice said, the book you threw away began to morph into a foggy, humanoid silhouette, complete with crimson eyes that stare directly into your soul.
??: “Y-you—”
You take a step back.
??: “W-who are you, exactly?”
???: “Do you not remember me, ‘Hazel’?”
Hazel?: “H-Hazel? T-that is not my name, m-my name is—”
You pause for a second.
I… N-no, I cannot—
Your heart sinks as you come to a realization.
I-I can’t r-remember…
???: “How unfortunate. You cannot even remember the name given to you by your most precious person.”
P-precious?
???: “Soon, your memories of her will fade away, just like how your memories of the past faded away. Like how I faded away.”
I…
You take another step back.
???: “You forgot me, ‘Hazel’. You forgot US.”
B-but I—
You stumble and fall to the ground.
???: “...I suppose you do not care enough to remember us.”
The foggy silhouette begins to drift away, but—
Hazel: “W-wait, but I do care!”
—you try to desperately reach out to them. The figure turns back to you, red eyes staring directly into your pitiable face.
Hazel: “J-just tell me w-what I forgot, and I— I’ll write it down! P-please!”
???: “With what? Your blood?”
Hazel: “I…”
You look away for a moment, unable to come up with a response. The silhouette stays silent, continuing to judge you with its piercing gaze.
Hazel: “...Why will you not remind me? You want me to remember, do you not?”
The two of you stare at each other, though without the tension that came with it before.
???: “I cannot tell you. All I can do is lash out in anger.”
Hazel: “...But why?”
???: “Because I am you, ‘Hazel’. The PAST you.”
The figure turns away, its form beginning to flicker.
???: “...And just like you, I cannot remember who I am.”
The silhouette violently flickers until it morphs into another humanoid figure.
Y-you…!
The silhouette, so deeply familiar to you, flashes a friendly smile at you before walking away.
Hazel: “W-wait! Come back!”
Parts of the silhouette start to become visible as a thick, grey fog begins to obscure your vision. You notice the oversized straw hat on her head, and her black hair flowing in the wind.
Hazel: “P-please, come back! I— I don’t want to f-forget you!”
Her short cloak trails behind her as she disappears into the abyss.
Hazel: “C-come back! I—”
You begin to sprint headfirst into the fog, desperate to catch up to the familiar figure. You try to call out her name, but…
…
You can’t recall it. You just can’t remember it.
…
With that realization, you stop chasing after her. It’s pointless to chase after something you’ll never get back.
…
You fall onto your knees, and begin to tear up.
…
She’s so familiar, and yet, you still can’t recall her name.
She’s so important, and yet, you still can’t recall who she is.
She’s so precious, and yet, you still can’t recall the memories you shared with her.
…
I-I don’t… I d-don’t want to f-forget…!
…
M-maybe… M-maybe I don’t care a-after all…
…
I-I… I w-wish… I could g-go back… And—
The world begins to blur a bright white, and the empty abyss—with you in it—is no more.
It h-hurts… A lot…
You slowly open your eyes, puffy from all the tears streaming down your face. You stare at the ceiling with an empty gaze, trying to take in your surroundings as you begin to process the nightmare.
I-I forgot something, d-did I not…? Or maybe it was… a f-fleeting moment of insecurity…
…
The f-figure… S-straw hat, black hair, short c-cloak… And that smile—
Ah, it was that smile, wasn’t it?
That easygoing, relaxed smile that screams “everything will be okay” to you. A memory of a different time, when the two of you were travelling together. You had almost forgotten her outfit back then.
And just like that, you remember who she is, and begin to cry again.
I-I… I d-don’t…
Tears run down your face as you recall who this person is. Of course you couldn’t forget her. Not even in a million years could you forget the kindness she showed you that day, and the years following it.
I-I don’t w-want to forget…
And yet, even if it was brief, you forgot who she was. Even if it was a nightmare.
I-I’m sorry… So s-sorry…
The possibility of forgetting her, now etched into your mind, will forever haunt you for the rest of your life.
I-I miss you so m-much…
You will never see her again.
…
You will never see her smile again.
…
You will never see your mom again.