Forgotten Dreams of Eternity: Lost Odyssey: Thousand Years of Dreams

(Short Story -X.) *Don't Forget Me Now, You Hear?*

Forgotten Dreams of Eternity: Lost Odyssey: Thousand Years of Dreams

Copyright © 2011 Sky_Knight

(Short Story -X.)

*Don't Forget Me Now, You Hear?*

"Brother dear!"

The cry comes from someone behind as he wades through the post town's crowds. At first Kaim does not realize that the person is addressing him, and he walks on in search of lodging for the night.

But the cry comes again, all but clinging to him, "Brother, dear! Big Brother!"

This is puzzling.

He last visited the town eighty years ago. There can't be anyone here who knows him.

"Wait, Big Brother! Don't go!"

His puzzlement begins to take on an eerie edge, for the voice addressing him as "Big Brother" can only belong to an old woman.

Without letting his guard down, he turns around slowly.

Just as he thought-it is an old woman.

Dressed in the clothes of a young girl, the tiny old woman is looking straight at Kaim with a bright smile on her face.

"I think you may have the wrong person," he says, allowing his discomfort to show.

"No I don't," She says with a big shake of the head and an expanding smile. "You're Big Brother Kaim!"

"What...?"

"What's wrong, Kaim, did you forget me?"

"Uh... well... I mean..."

He can't place her. Even if he were to succeed in doing so, he knows he has no acquaintances in this town. He wonders . . . could this be a chance re-encounter with someone he once met on the road? But no, he is sure he doesn't recognize her, and strangest of all, why would this woman who looks old enough to be his grandmother address him as "Big Brother"?

"Don't pretend you don't know who I am Kaim! You're so mean!"

She yells at him loudly enough that people in the crowd stop and stare at them.

It is not just the fact that she is shouting, of course, People always have to shout to be heard in these crowded streets. That alone would not attract attention. The old woman's voice is different from a normal adult yell. It is like the innocent, unrestrained cry of a little girl who throws her whole body into her scream.

People turn shocked expressions on the old woman and quickly avert their eyes.

Their dismay is understandable. The old woman has her stark white hair up tied up with a colourful ribbon, and her dress has the same floral pattern and floppy sleeves as a little girl's.

Many of the passerby look at the old woman with a mix of sympathy and pity on their faces.

Gradually, Kaim begins to comprehend the situation. This old woman has simply lived too long. This is why the past, locked away in her memory, has become realer to her then the reality before her eyes.

A middle-aged passerby tugs on Kaim's elbow.

"If I were you I would just walk away. Don't get involved with her. She'll be nothing but trouble."

"It's true." says the wife by his side, nodding. You're a stranger here, so you don't know, but this old woman is senile. You can ignore her. She'll forget everything in five minutes."

They may be right, but the fact remains is this old woman knows Kaim's name.

In the little girl part of her mind, she thinks of Kaim as her "Big Brother."