Do Not Forget

Important Instructions! Read For Your Own Safety!

First off, let me warn you about one thing. They could come for you too. The more you know about them, the better. Do not quit reading. You need to know what can happen if they find you. My name is Harper. I'm 17 and used to have a life filled with people who knew me. Now that has all changed.

They came for me during my art class on Thursday. No one noticed. Everyone just kept painting their fall landscape. I felt this cool breeze ruffle my hair, as if a window had been opened a crack behind me. A shiver passed through me as I tried to carefully paint a branch on my tree, causing my arm to shake and the brown paint to go askew. Now you may think that the window scenario had been just the case-but no. I knew that the windows in this class room had never been able to open. Searching behind me, I found nothing that could have caused the breeze. No students, no vents, no fans, nothing. Stupidly, I shrugged and went back to work. That was mistake number one. If you ever feel a phantom breeze, get the heck out of that place!

Then, I saw the dead leaves dancing around the floor, scraping and crackling. "Where did these come from?" I thought. My teacher, noticing me examining the floor, asked, "Harper, is there something the matter? Why are you staring at the floor and not at your canvas?"

"How did these leaves get in here?" I said, gesturing towards the floor.

The teacher chuckled for a second, "The assignment must be getting to you. I don't see any leaves... are you alright?"

I leaned back on my stool and exhaled, "Yeah, I think I'm fine. Must be my brain getting overly exhausted from all of this painting." Mistake number two. If you see the leaves, they are really close. Get away fast. As fast as you possibly can. You might have a chance.

The sounds started soon after that. Thunder boomed in my chest. Birds screeched and flapped their wings incessantly. Then, I heard the low sound of cavernous voices singing-chanting. The sounds kept getting closer and closer. The louder they got, the faster my heart pounded. Boom! Shriek! Chant, chant, CHANT! I was too frightened to look behind me. I knew that someone was there. Or something. Then- it stopped. Everything was... silent.

I slowly turned in my chair to look out the windows. There they stood. Three men wearing old, dirty, torn clothes. Their darker-than-night top hats cast deep shadows on their faces, hiding their eyes from view. However, that didn't save me from their freezing gaze.

"Do you see that?" I said to the whole class and pointed out the window. Third mistake. If you see them, they will come after you. Don't endanger other people's lives. Let them be oblivious to the whole situation. You can't risk them seeing what you see.

The students turned and started asking, "What are you pointing at?" and "I don't see anything."

Then I heard, "Oh my god, who are they? What are they doing?" Poor Lily. They'll be coming for her next. But she won't remember. She won't remember anything about me or what happened that day. Everything will seem ordinary to her.

Suddenly-the men rushed at the window and came right through the wall as if they were made of air. Each of them pulled out a gun and shot me in the heart simultaneously. And that was it. It was over. They were gone. I looked down at my chest. There was nothing there to indicate anything had happened to me. No blood, no holes in my shirt, no scars.

Class ended and I said goodbye to my friends. Except, they treated me oddly, like I was a stranger. I shrugged it off and walked home to finish my school work. When I got into my house, my mom called out, "Home already? I thought you had to work until 6!"

"Nope! I don't have to work today, mom. I thought I told you my schedule for this week."

My mom frantically ran to the entry hall. She had a strange look on her face. It looked like maybe she was worried... or scared?

"I think you have the wrong house, honey," she said.

"What? No I don't. Is this a joke?"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "If you don't leave now, I'm going to have to call the police."

My eyes widened. "What is happening? Why doesn't she remember me? If only I could prove that I belong here, maybe she would remember," I thought. Then I realized that we had a family photo hanging on the wall to my right. I looked over at it and my heart stopped. There was my mom and my dad and... no me. I was missing from the picture!

My mom started dialing and I freaked. I just ran out of the house and far down the street. I ended up at the park in the middle of town and I have been sleeping here ever since. No one remembers me. And if you aren't careful, no one will remember you either.