The Memory Eraser

IT WAS OVER

"So, you have a..memory? That haunts you? Am I understanding that correctly?"

"Yes,"

"Can you tell me what happens in this memory?"

"There's a man, and he's talking to his daughter, and he's comforting his daughter while someone's pounding on the door, and then the daughter hides in the bathroom, and watches through a crack in the door while man who was pounding on the door kills the father and the father dies right in front of the daughter and the man lets the girl go free and then another man comes and says 'Pumpkin,' which was the code word, so the girls lets him in."

"And this is not your memory, right?"

"Right. My daddy died before I was born."

"Mm. So you see this every night in your dreams?"

"Yeah. I can never get used to it, too."

There was a knock on the door, and I looked at the clock. 2:30. It was over.

"Come in," I said, "We're just finishing up,"

Kiara's mom came in.

"How'd it go?"

"Good. I asked about what happens every night, so I can help. Next week, I'll help her come up with ways to sleep without dreams or other ways to help."

"Actually, do you think-"

"I'm right here, you know. Don't talk about me like I'm not."

"Yes, I'm sorry, baby. Now can you go outside for just a minute?"

I started to say that that wouldn't be necessary, but the look Mrs. Marshall gave me said otherwise, so I shut my mouth.

"Yes, Mommy," Kiara sighed and left the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

"Now, there's something extra about this killer," Mrs. Marshall said. I was confused. "They killed Kiara's father, my husband, before I even knew I was pregnant with her,"

"I'm very sorry about that, Mrs. Marshall. I can see how that could make the nightmare worse, if she knew. Does she?"

"Does she what?"

"Does she know?"

"Oh, right. Yes, she does."

"Do you want me to bring it up during therapy?"

"Yes, actually. That's why I told you." she said condescendingly.

I made a quick note of it on her file. "That's what I thought, but I was just checking."