Forest of Memories

Time passes in a dizzy haze, and I can’t distinguish the realm between dreams and

reality. I feel trapped, yet afloat, and there is nothing but darkness. I try to wiggle my

body, but I have no control.

I can’t distinguish any direction. I look to the side, and there is no resistance in

my neck as my entire head spins around. The creepy thing is, I don’t feel the strain of

my flesh or bones.

My eye catches on to something that wasn’t there before. Off in the distance, I could

see a hazy band of speckled light growing larger. As it grew and grew, I could make out two

figures approaching me.

The bigger one was lanky and dark. The smaller one was white and four-legged. The

dark one sways like a shadow and glides as it moves. The white one walks with a bounce.

Within moments, they stopped moving and stared. I realized the white one is a cat.

The darker one, however, is something I can’t quite comprehend.

“Hello?” I stammered.

“Follow us.” The shadow’s voice resonated, but it was also toneless. They both turned

back towards the milky light.

“I can’t move.”

They keep moving despite my plea of panic. I try to walk forward, and I still

can’t move. They continued and I felt a pull. As the shadow and the cat trudged on, I felt

myself being pulled with their every step. I tried to shimmy my body out of their pull, but I

do not budge.

My efforts were futile. “What’s happening?”

They didn’t bother to acknowledge my question.

“I am Eon, and this is Cosmo,” Eon whispers.

“I’m-” I paused. My mind begins spin and accelerate. Who am I? Where am I? Why am

I here?

“Good questions,” Eon stopped, and Cosmo follows. “I am glad to hear you finally

snapped. Most humans usually right away, but you did not. I was beginning to think we

would have to travel forever.”

“You can hear my thoughts?” I deadpanned.

Eon bent over but paused and ignored me as if the answer were obvious. Which it

was, but it was all too surprising. They continued and reached toward Cosmo with a wispy

limb that mimicked a human hand. They pinched a small orb from Cosmo’s collar and lifted

it to inspect it.

Eon glided towards me and I stared at the orb with piqued curiosity. The orb was

magnificent. It had swirling colours that breathed—each inhale shone with vivid colours and

each exhale dulled with pastel colours. It was almost like it was alive. Its shell was

pearlescent, and the longer I stared at it, the more captivated I was. Eon and I didn’t move.

Nor did Cosmo.

“What is this?” I breathed, half-distracted.

“You.”

I froze. Me? But I’m right here. Aren’t I?

Moments passed, and I began to realize that Eon’s limb was slowly retracting. Cosmo

hissed and leaped up at Eon. The orb flew out of their wisps and Eon’s body partially

disintegrated into black smoke. Time slowed. All three of us turned our attention towards the

orb, and within a second, it fell. The ground rippled like waves on water.

It remained intact. I relaxed with relief. It buoyed until Cosmo walked over to pick it

up. Cosmo faced Eon and snarled. I could tell there was something between them. Eon gave

in and hunkered over to Cosmo. Eon had the orb again, and Cosmo watched their every

movement.

Eon swiftly plunged the orb into me. I stumbled back.

A flash of memories washed over me. There was a large, protruding metal object. My

telescope. A couple was dancing, resembling day and night. One had bright hair and

bright eyes. The other had dark hair and dark skin. My parents.

There was a girl in a wheelchair, gazing up at the night sky. Me. My name

was Estella Fischer. I aspired to be an astronomer. I was only fifteen.

Then, there was a room. Shrill screams and rushing footsteps, and then—there was

darkness.

I fell back. My hands planted into the liquid surface. Ripples of disturbed waves

reverberated throughout space. I looked down and I saw a terrified girl staring back. I raised a hand

to my face and gaped at my transparent hand.

I am dead.

I feel different from before. I feel a heaviness in my chest. And wetness cascading

down my cheeks. I have a body now. I have functioning legs now, at least. That’s a plus. Yet,

I feel that something is missing. But I can’t place a finger on it.

“I died, huh?” I uttered. Cosmo sauntered over and nuzzled against me. I gazed into

Cosmo’s ethereal purplish eyes. They were equally as beautiful as the orb.

Eon started. “Yes. We have seen this a billion times before. It’s time to go now.” Eon

was hunched and faced the opposite of us.

I jumped to my feet. “Wait—why did you try to take my orb?”

Eon stopped and paused. Their wisps wavered.

“I will never know when I can rest. And I will never know which orb will be the last. .

. I wish to become human,” Eon stood taller, their words echoing with pride. “I apologize for

trying to steal your orb, but it’s rare to come across such an opportunity.”

“Oh. It’s alright. But isn’t an orb just a dead human? Like me?” I shuffled in my spot,

watching every ripple that was created from my movements. “Besides, the world I come from

isn’t as pleasant as you think it is.”

Eon knew an orb was a dead human, so they were okay with stealing that persons soul? I froze and tried to blank my mind.

But judging by Eon and Cosmo’s relaxed movements, they could no longer hear my thoughts.

“Your world was created equal. Ours was created from pure chaos and chance. It’s

uniquely different.” Eon slowly glided, stopped and hunched over, as if they were looking at

their reflection. Though there was nothing on the watery surface.

“I know it was created equal. Until many humans decided they were better.” I stared

back at my reflection. Caramel-brown skin, round brown eyes, and ebony black hair stared

back.

Eon turned to move, and Cosmo and I followed. I examined my surroundings, and it

truly was different from Earth. It was peaceful. There was nothing to worry about. There was

no agony, anxiety, or routine. The only sense of forward movement is the company of Eon and Cosmo.

“Where are we going?”

“To put you to rest,” Eon replied.

“So, like dying a second time?” I questioned.

Eon pondered my question for a moment. “Not exactly.”

I scrutinized the reflective surface. Each step I took was like a drop in calm water.

Cosmo’s paws caused tinier waves than mine. It was odd that only Cosmo and I had

reflections and not Eon.

Cosmo scurried past us with the elegance of a ballerina. My eyes followed Cosmo’s

steps.

I squinted my eyes. My breath hitched at the distant sight of hundreds of bizarre trees.

An assortment of colourful and uniquely shaped branches and leaves shone brightly against

the reflective surface.

“Can we go to those other trees?” I stepped forward. “They look so exotic.”

“We cannot.”

I faced Eon. “Why?”

“Those trees are for different beings.”

I gaped at the distant trees. That’s why they look so peculiar.

“We have arrived,” Eon announced.

When we arrived at the nearest tree, my jaw hung open.

This tree had glowing roots that pulsated. The stem was the colour of an ocean full of

coral and fish. With each pulse, the roots absorbed the surrounding matter and carried the

energy up toward the stem and orb-like leaves.

Despite the reflective surface, it was easy to discern the roots from the branches and

leaves. There were orbs in place of leaves and each orb was hypnotic and enticing. Some

sparkled with warm colours, while others glimmered with cool colours. Each had different

hues and intensities.

Cosmo circled the tree. He stopped and gaped at a pitch-black orb. The orb looked

dead, completely sucked of its illuminance. Eon’s head snapped in Cosmo’s direction, equally

perplexed as we were.

“Oh, stars.” Eon glided forward. “Did I misplace a rotten soul?”

“What?” Estella grimaced. Souls can be rotten?

Suddenly recalling my faint memories of my once human self, I pondered if I was

rotten. After all, I was ill—terminally ill. I’d never gotten the chance to reflect on my years,

as I thought that was what old people did.

Eon neared me, and I struggled to form words. “So. . . this is my end, isn’t it?”

Eon nodded. “Most humans ask a lot of questions. Why is it that you’re so

compliant?”

“Well, I already knew my fate before I came here. I was sick and there was no hope

for me.” I muttered.

“You weren’t sick,” Eon whispered. I raised an eyebrow.

“I killed you.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“I kill every human. Every time I do, I desperately wish I could use their soul somehow to become one. Some

humans have it rough, some have it easy. Despite that, I want to live a life on Earth. As a human. It’s

pointless here, there’s nothing to look forward to. Orb by orb, I have to say goodbye to

countless humans. It’s torment. I want to feel, like you.”

My surprise was dampened, and Eon’s wish hit me harder than their confession.

When I was alive, I knew I was going to die. I didn’t want to leave my parents, but I knew

death was inevitable.

Eon and I are profoundly different, yet we both have dreams. Well, I had a dream. I

couldn’t find my purpose as a human, but Eon was here for centuries, so hope may not be out

of reach for them. I smiled, a half-smile.

“But I know I am here for a reason.” With one brisk motion, Eon put me to eternal rest.