Faceless (Open)
Oct 11, 2010 18:50:50 GMT -5
Post by Rosetta on Oct 11, 2010 18:50:50 GMT -5
Lethe Turner:
Lethe woke up with a start. A woman smiled down at her, and in her sleepy haze, Lethe was confused. Who...?
"Hi, honey." The woman said, and Lethe's eyebrows knit. "It's me, Mom." Her mom? Lethe sat up, nervously, eyeing her. The woman who claimed to be her mother nodded, and showed her a picture that she had just pulled out of her pocket. Lethe, thankfully, was quite familiar with it. It's the picture her mother showed her every day, but this impostor woman couldn't...
The picture was just as she remembered it, she and her 10 siblings, smiling at the camera, each one looking a little different from the next. Lethe knew her brother, Mark, who was closest to her in age, shared similar noses with her, the cat-like nose, roundish and down turned, but their hair was different. She remembered, hers was white-blonde, and his slightly darker. Yet, the boy sitting next to her couldn't be Mark, could he?
"Look, dear, there." The impostor jabbed a finger at the woman sitting center next to a smiling man. "That's me, your mother."
Lethe squinted at it for a moment, and then looked back up at her mother. Yes, it had to be her. Lethe gave her an uneasy smile. Her mother grinned, obviously relieved.
"Everyone's already off to work, and your grandparents are visiting someone. I let you sleep in a bit, but they're probably waiting for you at the stable." Her mother held up a leather bag. "And tonight we are going to go into town." Her mother winked, and gave her a knowing look. "I hear some boys your age are going, too."
Lethe wrinkled her nose at her mother. "But, Mom..." She complained, and her mother nodded.
"Yeah, I know, but you're 19, maybe..." Lethe seriously doubted it, as she watched hope cross her mother's face, then slowly decline. They'd finally explained to her when she was 16 what was going. Why she woke up every morning, in terror, at the people she didn't know, in her house.
"Lethe, dear." Her mother had said, as gently as she could. They were sitting in the living room, the area reserved for guests, or when death happened. Lethe sat, silently in fear, in between her two parents, while the rest of the family crowded on the couch, dining room chairs, or the floor. "We think you have a problem."
"A problem?" Lethe asked, in a voice higher than her own. Her knees began to tremble. "I don't..."
The rest of her family nodded, sadly. Lethe stared at her hands. "I don't get it." She whispered.
"Lethe," Her father had said, in his gruff voice, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You can't seem to remember us each day, unless we remind you of who we are."
"Yeah, but-"
"And the people in town say the same thing." Her mother interrupted, wiping a tear from her eye. "We don't know exactly what it is."
"I'm-"
"Lethe, we are going to try to do whatever we can to fix this, okay?"
"But, mom! If you remind me, I'm fine, right?" She looked around, uneasily at her family. "Right?"
"But, what about when you don't have us?" Her mother had asked, kindly. "You're 16, in a few years you'll be wanting to get married and have children, then what?"
Lethe had no answer, and so it was decided. She had a problem. A memory problem? Or much worse? No one could guess, but from then on, her family resolved to help her, using things like the picture to jog her memory. Despite this, she knew nothing had changed, and she knew this evening she'd be confronted by more people, claiming to know her, while she was just forced to play along. But, even she noticed the knowing glances, and the superior smiles.
"Thanks, Mom." Lethe said, softly, getting out of bed, and going to her dresser. She quickly pulled on a pair of jeans, and a t-shirt. Her mother held up her boots, and Lethe put them on, while her mother hovered over her, anxiously. Lethe hastened to lace up her boots.
"Be careful!" She called after her, as Lethe, swinging the bag over her back, made her way out of her room.
"I'll be fine!" Lethe cried, irritably. The cobblestone streets of District 5 met her, and the smell of animals was thick in the air. People went here and there, as she made her way towards town, which she had to pass through to make it to the stables. She couldn't wait to see her favorite horse, Susie.
The tree branches waved in the wind as she passed. Most of the leaves still remained green, while others had turned. The top of particular tree was bright red, with orange mixed in, making the trees appear to be on fire.
Lethe walked slower than she meant to. Think and wondering. Her "problem", as her family liked to call it, hung over like a shadow. She imagined what life would be like without it. Maybe she'd be in a relationship, or even married. And she could wake up every morning, and not have to wonder who was there. She could actually say their name, and know exactly who they are. What a thought!
While she smiled at her family's attempts to help her, she knew, somewhere deep inside it would never work. She'd be doomed to not remembering forever. Forever would every one remain faceless to her. And that's what scared her the most.
Lethe woke up with a start. A woman smiled down at her, and in her sleepy haze, Lethe was confused. Who...?
"Hi, honey." The woman said, and Lethe's eyebrows knit. "It's me, Mom." Her mom? Lethe sat up, nervously, eyeing her. The woman who claimed to be her mother nodded, and showed her a picture that she had just pulled out of her pocket. Lethe, thankfully, was quite familiar with it. It's the picture her mother showed her every day, but this impostor woman couldn't...
The picture was just as she remembered it, she and her 10 siblings, smiling at the camera, each one looking a little different from the next. Lethe knew her brother, Mark, who was closest to her in age, shared similar noses with her, the cat-like nose, roundish and down turned, but their hair was different. She remembered, hers was white-blonde, and his slightly darker. Yet, the boy sitting next to her couldn't be Mark, could he?
"Look, dear, there." The impostor jabbed a finger at the woman sitting center next to a smiling man. "That's me, your mother."
Lethe squinted at it for a moment, and then looked back up at her mother. Yes, it had to be her. Lethe gave her an uneasy smile. Her mother grinned, obviously relieved.
"Everyone's already off to work, and your grandparents are visiting someone. I let you sleep in a bit, but they're probably waiting for you at the stable." Her mother held up a leather bag. "And tonight we are going to go into town." Her mother winked, and gave her a knowing look. "I hear some boys your age are going, too."
Lethe wrinkled her nose at her mother. "But, Mom..." She complained, and her mother nodded.
"Yeah, I know, but you're 19, maybe..." Lethe seriously doubted it, as she watched hope cross her mother's face, then slowly decline. They'd finally explained to her when she was 16 what was going. Why she woke up every morning, in terror, at the people she didn't know, in her house.
"Lethe, dear." Her mother had said, as gently as she could. They were sitting in the living room, the area reserved for guests, or when death happened. Lethe sat, silently in fear, in between her two parents, while the rest of the family crowded on the couch, dining room chairs, or the floor. "We think you have a problem."
"A problem?" Lethe asked, in a voice higher than her own. Her knees began to tremble. "I don't..."
The rest of her family nodded, sadly. Lethe stared at her hands. "I don't get it." She whispered.
"Lethe," Her father had said, in his gruff voice, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You can't seem to remember us each day, unless we remind you of who we are."
"Yeah, but-"
"And the people in town say the same thing." Her mother interrupted, wiping a tear from her eye. "We don't know exactly what it is."
"I'm-"
"Lethe, we are going to try to do whatever we can to fix this, okay?"
"But, mom! If you remind me, I'm fine, right?" She looked around, uneasily at her family. "Right?"
"But, what about when you don't have us?" Her mother had asked, kindly. "You're 16, in a few years you'll be wanting to get married and have children, then what?"
Lethe had no answer, and so it was decided. She had a problem. A memory problem? Or much worse? No one could guess, but from then on, her family resolved to help her, using things like the picture to jog her memory. Despite this, she knew nothing had changed, and she knew this evening she'd be confronted by more people, claiming to know her, while she was just forced to play along. But, even she noticed the knowing glances, and the superior smiles.
"Thanks, Mom." Lethe said, softly, getting out of bed, and going to her dresser. She quickly pulled on a pair of jeans, and a t-shirt. Her mother held up her boots, and Lethe put them on, while her mother hovered over her, anxiously. Lethe hastened to lace up her boots.
"Be careful!" She called after her, as Lethe, swinging the bag over her back, made her way out of her room.
"I'll be fine!" Lethe cried, irritably. The cobblestone streets of District 5 met her, and the smell of animals was thick in the air. People went here and there, as she made her way towards town, which she had to pass through to make it to the stables. She couldn't wait to see her favorite horse, Susie.
The tree branches waved in the wind as she passed. Most of the leaves still remained green, while others had turned. The top of particular tree was bright red, with orange mixed in, making the trees appear to be on fire.
Lethe walked slower than she meant to. Think and wondering. Her "problem", as her family liked to call it, hung over like a shadow. She imagined what life would be like without it. Maybe she'd be in a relationship, or even married. And she could wake up every morning, and not have to wonder who was there. She could actually say their name, and know exactly who they are. What a thought!
While she smiled at her family's attempts to help her, she knew, somewhere deep inside it would never work. She'd be doomed to not remembering forever. Forever would every one remain faceless to her. And that's what scared her the most.
