My short stories

Story 12

My job was simple: invite the people in the room, sit them down, take their "picture", which was code for erasing their memory. I work for a company, who's name cannot be shared to the public. The people come into my room, a green screen near the wall with a large vintage looking camera standing about five feet in front of it. The people would talk to my boss, John, and they'd tell him the problem. Next, John would tell them they'd be put in a magazine and they needed their picture taken, so they'd be sent to me and my room. I'd erase their memory, it's simple really.

Today was a regular day, consisting of going to work and working overtime. I got up, dressed, then barged out the door with my iced coffee in my hand. I locked the door behind me. I unlocked the car as I descended down the steps. The traffic wasn't too bad, not many cars were out at three in the morning. I strolled into my building, being greeted by a random boy in a suit. With his small friendly eyes I'd say he was around nineteen, or somewhere around our age. I nodded at him with a quick "hello". I entered the elevator and pressed the button for floor 27. It roared to life and lifted me up. I waited patiently for the doors to open so I could exit. I fish for the keys out of my pocket and unlock my door. After setting the keys on the counter I searched for the light on my left. I find it, surprising me with a small shock. I flip it on. A moment passes then they flickered and lit the room. I went and sat on my stool. I leaned over to the desk phone. I called my boss as I put on my protective sunglasses. 

"Hi, good morning, John," I recited when he answered "I'm ready to work."

Within a minute there was a family of three making themselves suitable for the camera. I had taken the order from John to set it back for three days worth of science fictional witnessing. Sure, the camera would take their picture but the light also blinds them temporarily and wipes their memories of whatever I set the dial to, in this case science fictional witnessing. 

"Ready?" I smiled so brightly most wouldn't notice it was fake. They nodded "Smile on three..." They started smiling all ready. "One...two...three..." I snapped their photo. The smile instantly falls of their faces. Their smile returns a second later, completely oblivious to their memory being wiped. 

"How did it turn out?" The women asks, now smiling wider than she did in the picture itself. 

"Amazing!" I grin, turning to the printer to grab the copy. I handed it to them. "Alright there you go, follow the red tape out to the parking lot. Thanks for visiting the Toyota's Factory." I lie. "You have a nice day, now."

They left with a smile. I yawned, already tired. 

Three other groups of people came that day. It was nine in the morning when she walked in.

I stood up, quickly not expecting her presence. 

We said each others names at the same time. We shared a smile.

"W-what are you doing here?" 

"Uh, I'm here to take your picture for the magazine." I lied, that was what I had to tell everyone that walked through that door.

"Oh," she said simply. 

My ex girlfriend smoothed her hair and stood in front of the camera. John messages me "set back a week." 

I've wanted to tell her something for a while now. I look at her through the camera lens. I stand from my stool as I explain it to her.

"I've haven't stopped thinking about you. I miss you so much--" her face turns pink with her smile. "--I honestly can't go a day without thinking about you. Sometimes all I do is think about you... Okay out loud it sounds creepy but it was supposed to make you blush and say 'awww' ..." 

She giggled.

"Look, I wanted to ask you something..."

"Alright.." She tucked hair behind her ear slowly.

"D-do you still have feelings for me?" I mess with camera to distract me. In that same moment as her smile dies my heart breaks. I imagine it sounded with a dead thud when it hit my stomach. 

"No" she replied after hesitation. 

I nodded, as if to nod away the familiar pain and aching in my chest that had returned with a cold and bitter revenge. 

"I'm sorry--"

I shook my head and forced a smile "don't be sorry for something you just don't feel the same about." 

She gave a small nod. 

I looked at the dials on my camera: the time dial and the dial that controlled what part of memory I was wiping away. I quickly switched the second one to "friends" and the first to "three years". I bolted up and stood on my stool. I took off my belt and hung it up under the ceiling tiles. 

I slipped it around my neck. I threw my sunglasses onto the desk. 

"Whoa, what the hell are you doing--?!"

"Say cheese." I say forcefully as I feel tears spring up. She smiled worriedly and afraid. 

I jumped down from my stool as I hit the button. She wouldn't feel the aching and pain I felt when she left me. I knew she wouldn't remember me personally, so I smiled, knowingly accepting the white flash the camera created, just before I was thrown into an internal afterlife of darkness.