...
Tick
...
Tick
...
"What do you mean... memories?"
Worry strangles his words.
"Perhaps, it was too soon to tell you..." Regret strings the old man. "I apologize, I was too hasty." The Timekeeper searches his mind for the right words to say... But finds none.
This never gets easier.
...
Tick
The two words bounce in his head as if it were hollow.
Tick
"Are you being serious...?"
"..."
He only nods.
...
...
The outside world falls into a numbing silence. The humid wind feels fuzzy; it won't stop buzzing...
...
"When you say memories..." It's Korlin that fills the void of sound. "Do you mean... all of our memories?"
Tick
The sound of a clock has never been so loud.
...
Timekeeper takes in a heavy sigh.
"The price... for being reborn into this world... By the witch's evil design... Is to lose all memories of your past life."
...
...
Not a single whisper.
No one even breathes.
...
Tick
...
Tick
The vast city chokes them like a claustrophobic dome. Each tick echoes in the empty expanse.
A relentless assault on his eardrums. Its cruel rhythm evokes the endless march of time.
...
Tick
...
A gale shreds the null airspace. Their hair whips along with the squall.
"...So, when this reaches zero... What happens to us?" Sirius doesn't raise his head; the floor swallows his stare.
...
"It begins with insignificant afterthoughts... Memories you barely care about or remember. Slowly, you forget the people and things that mean nothing to you. But as the countdown nears its end, you lose the memories with greater impact. One by one, the things and people you believe are important to you, all slowly start to fade."
"..."
"Until... all that's left is the memories that shaped you. The memories that make up your personality. But, in the end... When the countdown reaches zero, even those will be lost."
...
.....
"..."
"..."
"So," Korlin sounds hopeless. "When it reaches zero, are we just... brain dead?"
"No, nothing like that... You will still remember everything that has happened since you met the witch. You'll remember your days on this planet. You'll remember struggling to retain your memories. You'll remember trying to remember... Only the memories before your death will be lost."
...
"What if we write down our memories and keep reading them and picturing them in our heads every day?"
"Like I said, once the memory is deemed insignificant enough, it will disappear from your brain. Anything you picture will be a lie. One day you could remember, and then the next it will be gone. Even if it is important to you, once the countdown ends, it will go away. No matter how hard you try."
"What about talking, breathing, and moving my body? Will I forget how to do that?"
"No, you are doing that right now, after all. As long as you maintain daily functions, you will be fine. You may need to write down and study some words, but as long as you communicate with people, you'll be fine."
...
Paralyzing stillness possesses each of them. None of them knows what to say.
Sirius has only been listening.
Millions of thoughts torrent his fragile mind. His eye twitches... followed by his arms. And then...
He laughs.
A haunting and hollow titter...
A snicker at the contrite man.
"...This is a joke, isn't it?"
"..."
His face rests in his palm. A distorted smile is spread underneath.
"I mean, there's no way that's true... My memories will be ripped away when this clock reaches zero? That's bullshit..."
Tick
"Sirius..." Korlin whispers meekly.
"Unfortunately, it is true..." Timekeeper nods quietly to himself.
Sirius's tone turns sour. An unprecedented hostility rises from his heart.
"Oh, come on, everyone I've met since coming here has done nothing but lie and ridicule me. I understand that I don't belong here, but I'm tired of constantly being harassed."
-Huh? Why am I being so hostile...?
Tick
"I don't think he's lying, Sirius..." Korlin sounds dejected.
"How do you know? I'm sorry, but I don't like to blindly trust people! What proof does he have? Huh?!"
-What is this...?
Tick
"Sirius, lay off him."
Sirius steps closer toward the man.
"I mean, seriously, do you really expect me to believe that?!"
-It's just memories...
Tick
"..." The man is silent.
"You probably gave these to us as a prank-"
Sirius prepares to hurl his watch into the stone.
"Sirius, stop! This is probably hard on him too-"
"Why would it be?!"
-Why am I acting like I'd care...? At this rate, they'll...
Tick
"I don't know! But he obviously knows-"
"How would he know what happens to us?! He's probably just some senile, old-!"
"Because I, too, was like you!"
...
...
Tick
...
The man's words reverberate in the surrounding air. Stilling even their heartbeats.
"...What?"
Timekeeper releases a bellowing sigh.
...
"I am a human. A Witch Spawn. Just like you two..."
"...So, does that mean-" Korlin chokes on his words.
"Yes. Many, many years ago, I lost the memories of my past."
The man doesn't look sad... Not at all. He appears... content.
"..."
"At first, I desperately tried to regain my memories... I struggled, I cried, I beat myself up over it. But, once they were gone... I started living." Tears threaten to fall from his eyes. "I dedicated my life to helping those who tried to help me... And to trying help the humans that awaken here. Heck, I even invented those watches."
...
This should be an uplifting moment.
But Sirius feels nothing but guilt, uncertainty, and self-pity. He stares at his watch...
"That's impressive..." Despite his mood, the words were genuine.
"After a while, I forgot I never lived here... And that was okay. I made friends. I got a well-paying job. I met so many new people..." Timekeeper smiles down at his ring. "I even met my wife."
A light wind brushes against the man.
"That's beautiful," Korlin smiles warmly. His lack of concern worries Sirius.
"Yes, it is..." The man looks like he could cry with joy. He's truly lived a blessed life. "So, you see, you need not worry about your waning memories. You'll overcome this hurdle and live a happy life after."
...
Tick
They sit with their thoughts a moment. Each one of their mindsets differ.
"So," Sirius abruptly speaks out. "When does it happen? How much time do we have?"
...
Timekeeper pauses.
He locks eyes with the boy.
Hesitation envelops him whole. It does both of them.
It takes twenty seconds for the tension to reach its climax... And the fateful words to pass his lips...
"A year."
...
...
The words are a flashbang to his ears.
"Actually, it would be less than that now since..."
The man's words trail off into a deafening ring.
Any words now are no more than a mumbled mess...
Sirius stumbles backwards. It feels as if he's been hit by another truck.
This whiplash of emotions is overwhelming. It's all in slow motion...
-What is this?
He's light-headed. If he stops moving for even a moment, he'll likely faint. He's never felt this sort of distortion before.
"Sirius...?"
Korlin's mouth enunciates his name, but Sirius can't hear it.
Tick
The clock's sound rattles his staggered mind. "
"Are you alright?"
The question both echoes and fails to make a sound.
-A year.
...
So long yet so fleeting.
-Was this more or less time than I was expecting? I don't know. Why do I care...?
His palm smacks his forehead. He holds it there as if checking for an ailment. With the look on his face, he may as well have one.
"Sorry..." It barely squeaks out his throat. Apologies are his body's natural reaction to mental strain.
Managing to lift his head, he sees what he feared would happen...
...
-Their eyes...
...
Korlin and the man's eyes stalk him.
Their eyebrows are knitted in worry, belittling him into the dirt.
Ever since he was little, Sirius has hated being looked at.
He despises it.
He doesn't mind the stares of townspeople. Their looks were more... disgusted, annoyed even. That, and the fact they're strangers, made their gazes bearable...
But the leers from people he knows... From people who feel bad for him...
Those are the ones that matter.
Those are the ones he hates.
He's managed to avoid it up until now, but here it is... Staring at him...
...
The look of pity.
...
-What am I doing...? Why am I acting like this?
The shock of the timeframe and memories vanish for a moment. That feeling is replaced with frustration and self-consciousness.
Tick
"Sorry," Sirius swallows. "I need to... step away for a minute."
Sirius fixes his posture and strides away from the two. Their distant conversation picks up, but he can't hear it.
Tick
-They're talking about me, aren't they?
An invisible pressure presses into his skull. The world collapses around him.
He strides out of sight, abandoning the two strangers.
He breaks into a jog.
His jog evolves into a run.
-Stop it.
He runs and runs... The golden watch he holds continues its bombardment.
Tick
-Don't pity me.
Tick
Their eyes sear into his brain.
TiCk
-"Your memories."
TICk
-"A year."
Erratic memories project themselves in his mind.
TICK
His childhood home. Teetering on a tire roped to a large tree. Drawing with sticks in wet sand...
TICK
His first dog. His first friends. His first love interest...
TICK
Leaving those friends forever. His new friends. Leaving them too...
TICk
Obtaining medals and trophies. His father smiling. Quitting sports...
TiCk
The dog goes away. A new dog.
Tick
School. Houses.
Tick
The memories start to blend together.
tick
His run slows to a halt. With his hands on his knees, he catches his breath.
-All those memories will go away... Why? I don't want that... Who will I be when they're gone?
Another thought crosses in the endless stream. Those memories...
-Why don't I want to lose them?
For years, he's felt nothing but insufferable mundanity. Or rather, the absence of emotion. An endless abyss of emptiness. He's hardly lived a life worth anything.
So why care...? Why would he care for these worthless fragments of a life?
He doesn't know.
-I don't know.
Guilt again shrouds him.
-How can I think like that? That's disrespectful to the people who raised me... To the people who gave me those memories.
Another ripple of remorse.
-I just ran away from those two. I should go back and apologize...
But he doesn't want to.
...
Something tells him... it's better to stay away. It's better to be alone.
That's how it should be.
That's how it's always been... Why try to change now?
...
He doesn't want to see those eyes again. He knows they'll be there, staring back at him. Any attempt at conversation will only lead to the same thing...
More pity...
Korlin has been a breath of fresh air. That boy gave him the most fun he's ever had with someone...
He shouldn't throw that away. Yet, in the back of his mind, more dark thoughts emerge...
-Does Korlin... even want me around? I can't match his energy, I can't feel the same excitement he does... Is he just... pretending to be kind? I'm in his way... aren't I? He's only tolerating me because we're both human... He doesn't want me around.
...I shouldn't be here.
Sirius looks back toward the path he ran... An empty, soundless street... Shrouded in gray sky...
He stares blankly down it... Then turns away.
His head held low, he starts to walk...
Succumbing to his delusions and doubt, he runs away...
...
Just like he always has.
...
22828877 seconds remain.