The idea
of memories making us who we are has been featured a lot in science
fiction. The film Dark City features characters who have new memories implanted night
after night, and their alien overlords watch them to see how they behave. Memories are occasionally blocked by trauma
or by mysterious agents that want to keep crucial information contained.
Memories
are powerful. We learn from past
experiences. We’re informed by them in
the decisions we make. When memories are
altered or blocked, what kind of impact does it have on who we are? Can you ever truly control someone by
controlling their memories?
My short
story “Felix Was Here” deals a lot with memories. Resurfacing memories are the catalyst for all
that happens. And, as it turns out, she’s
not the only person who’s struggled with this.
The
following excerpt from the story finds Betty speaking to someone who
understands her plight.
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*
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| Image courtesy of endiku at morguefile.com. |
“What happened that night?” Betty
persisted.
Simon sighed. “It was bad. The man
didn’t just have an episode. He broke down entirely. No matter how much Verity
and I tried to talk him down, it seemed as though he didn’t hear us. He kept
talking over us both. He went on and on about his brother Tommy, even though
there’s no evidence he ever had a brother at all. He kept saying ‘They sent him
to war! They sent him to die in a war we’re not supposed to know about! They
used tricks and drugs to make me forget. To make us all forget.’ It sounded
ludicrous at the time.”
She drew in a sharp breath. “At the
time?”
*
*
*
Don’t
forget!
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