The Life Behind an Animatronic IV- Solace

Chapter 24 - Memory

I felt my feet planted firmly on a wooden surface. I kept my eyes shut, too nervous to open them and scan my surroundings. I instead listened, making sure that I wasn't in any danger.

There was a creaking sound, as if an old house were in a storm. Adding onto that was a rumbling noise which I remembered to be thunder. There was nothing more that could indicate that there was danger. 

I slowly opened my eyes, and was surprised. I was inside a long, dark hallway that was lined with candles on shelves. Some candles burned more brightly than others, and some were newly lit while others had been burning for awhile, judging by the pool of wax accumulated beneath them. The darkness, however, seemed to be swallowing whatever was in front of me in the hallway, despite the candles' light. 

I took a couple of steps forward, finding that the wood creaked heavily and steadily underneath my feet. I gulped nervously. There wouldn't be any monsters here...would there be? I shook my head. Whatever was in here was all a part of my imagination...or Springtrap's, rather. 

I passed by one of the brighter candles, and stopped, noticing something in the flames. I stopped, and took a closer look. And then I was shocked.

There were...pictures? Movies? Inside of the flicker, moving with them. It was as if the flame had shapes and colors as vivid as the TV I had seen when I was in the Suit.

I was hypnotized. I studied the scene a little closer, my nose inches away from the flickering fire. My curiosity had gotten the better of me.

It was as if I were looking through Springtrap's eyes, but at a different point in his life, judging by the skin on his hands and clothes on his body. He was a big fan of purple, it seemed.

He was just walking along the street, the faces of the people blurred and messy. I was curious as to why, but all of a sudden, the scene repeated itself. Then it dawned on me.

These were his memories.

I quickly backed away, suddenly feeling like I was prying. These candles, each flame; they were a memory. It was so strange, seeing them as they were now, with no sound to them. Did...Springtrap remember this much?

I was floored by the amount of candles lining the shelves, and continued to explore the hallway. 

I walked for what felt like forever. My legs were getting tired, my mindchip tired of the candles, the dark hallway and the weathered wood. I glanced at the candles, noticing them to be getting somewhat dimmer. Were these older memories, ones that he was forgetting? 

I walked further until I noticed that the light wasn't continuing with me. I looked around, quickly walking backwards out of the swallowing darkness. Why wasn't there light?

The candles. They were out. I approached them, noticing some had simply burned out from burning too long. But some were still new or still had wax to them. They must've been blown out. Someone was blowing out the candles. 

Frowning, I searched for something I could use to relight the candles. That was, until I heard a flicker and saw a light at the end of the hallway. Knitting my brow together, I approached the light, thinking that whatever was in here couldn't hurt me if it was in Springtrap's imagination. 

I suddenly came across a horrific sight. A fire was blazing, one filled with screams of both animatronics and children. I looked at the memory inside, seeing a horrible scene of broken bones, torn tendons, and sundered sinew. This was...

This was his death. Springtrap's death. The fire was spreading- and it was engulfing more and more. His entire mind was being burned away, forgotten and erased. This must be the Nightmarionne's doing.