Maran's final message from Eve was mere minutes before the bomb which wiped Oseka from the face of the planet reportedly dropped:
Eve: I love you to the end of the universe and back, Marie.
Maran: And mine knows no shores!
Eve: I’m going where you can’t follow. Sorry.
Maran: What?
Maran: Eve, what do you mean?
Maran: Where are you going?
Maran: Eve?
A long ten minutes later, Maran finally got through the busy signals and reached Esther.
Eve must have been so scared.
She must be so scared, on Aravu all alone.
He can’t protect her there, he can’t follow her there, he can’t…
The people of Haven traditionally use memory chests to store valuable and sentimental items. These items are stored in a memory chest once the owner no longer has a place for it or a need for it, but cannot bear to get rid of. Memory chests are typically made of solid wood but vary greatly in size and in design. Some memory chests are barely bigger than a suitcase, while others may take up an entire dresser.
In addition to a memory chest, many residents also keep hope chests. Hope chests are dedicated to items that the individual may not have a use for
now, but likely would in the future. Like memory chests, hope chests are wooden and vary in shape, but they are usually smaller.
In the event of the owner's death, memory and hope chests are generally dealt with in the following ways:
- The chests and its contents are burned along with the deceased
- The chests are opened at the memorial service
- The chests are opened in private by loved ones
At Eve's memorial service, Esther bequeaths Eve's memory chest to Maran.
Maran accepts it.
Not a word passes between mother and husband.
Her Memory Chest should've burned with her, without a will.
But she's not gone, not really. Her family puts together a hope chest for her. Ravi takes it and vows that she'll get it, where she lives now.
When Maran returns home a few days later, he clears a space for it in his living room. He fishes the key out of his desk drawer.
He doesn't open it.
She's dead to Kivria, but she's not gone. She haunts his vimpad, still, with messages from Aravu. He hasn't responded to them.
He can't open the memory chest.
He can break quarantine to message her back, though.
Nanatu's Memory Chest
Nanatu, then known simply by the name
Eve, kept a memory chest while she still lived on Kivria, filled with a myriad of momentos collected over the course of hundreds of years.
Nanatu's memory chest is on the larger end of the spectrum.
Contents of Her Memory Chest
Keep: Kitchen Curtains
Two small, light blue curtains. They used to have wavy white lines and a cartoonish sailboat at the bottom, but now all but the very top of the boat's sails has burned away.
Rest: Birth Quilt
A well-loved quilt made by Oz, Nanatu's godmother, to mark the occasion of her birth. As Nanatu acquired more quilts over the course of her life, she stopped using this one and instead tucked it away into her chest.
Proud: Meridian Academy Diploma
Nanatu put her diploma from the Meridian Academy into her memory chest the night after she received it.
Protect: Bes Navy Sailor Outfit
When the time came for Nanatu to officially retire from the Bes Navy, she carefully cleaned her outfit rather than return it or pitch it. It hung in her closet for a few years until she came to terms with the fact that she would never need to wear it again. Since it was bulky, she decided to place it at the bottom of her memory chest.
Nanatu's Hope Chest
Nanatu had not created a hope chest by the time of her death. Rather, her family members got together and created one for her. This hope chest was designed to assist her with her transition from Kivrian to Aravu, since most of her former support network could not visit her.
Contents of Her Hope Chest
Ancient: Areta's Feather Blanket
Swift: Cursed Walking Cane
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Author's Notes
New month, new challenge! I think I've gotten my energy back from the rush that was NaNoWriMo and WorldEmber, so I'm excited to jump into the Cabinet of Curiosities challenge this February. My goal is to start with stubs for each prompt, then expand them as the month goes on (and as inspiration strikes). Each item should come with a related article, though it may not be an article dedicated to that specific item.. Since Nanatu and Maran are the two characters that I've hyperfixated on, I'm going to try to get some of that energy out using this challenge.