Shadow Memories

Note: Written and performed by Brendan, posted to the session recap channel in discord, copy pasted here

See: The Forever Woods for context.

When their hands touch, time ceases. There is an explosion of pure emotional energy that washes through the storybook, rewriting and ingraining truths forgotten, strong enough to shake the foundations of the mansion. The sands of time in the cosmic hourglass fall.

The prologue.

There is worship, but either it does not hear or it does not listen. There is ceasing. It no longer sees the sands. There is nothing. There is darkness. There is warmth. There is safety. When he emerges there is fear, there is light, there are a million sensations, totally new and alien. There is sobbing and shouting but there is life. Life passes by. There is much noise, from within and without. There is normalcy that is, in retrospect, too perfect, too picturesque. Too many smiling faces that hold nothing behind them. Still, it is all that is known. Even her face holds nothing real, except perhaps annoyance, exasperation. The only thing that settles him to sleep is her voice, and it's so much easier to speak with words in front of her. It is difficult to hold annoyance when speaking of silly bears searching for honey or gallant knights riding on horseback. It is difficult to maintain distance when she must attend at all hours. There is warmth. There is safety. The power flows and the child grows. He learns little tricks, making the grass grow or wounds heal. He can see the restlessness all around, though he can not place it. He can hear the harsh whispers, but he does not listen. Growing anticipation means nothing to a child with stars in his eyes. He is just old enough to be able to ask why there are no other children. She does not have an answer for him. Her hurt bleeds into the next story she reads. One feels hurt when they must lie to one they have grown to love. As the town becomes more lively, so does he. She grows pallid. The night before she offers him a small pastry. An early birthday gift. Don't tell your father. He says I love you. She can not look him in the eyes.

The fifth day of the fifth month of the year. He has existed as he stands for five years. The false smiles are warm, genuine. It is dark. Everyone in town is here for him. The leader gives a speech, full of words he can only half understand. The crowd roars. She is silent. Smiles turn to serious looks of concentration as the leader begins chanting in a tongue he has never heard but fully understands. It feels wrong. She is frightened. He wants to protect her. He wants to be a hero. He does not know what she is frightened of. There is pain. It feels pain like it has never felt before, It is being taken. It is being ripped. Its nose is bleeding. It wants its mother. It screams. It wants normalcy. It faces its palms towards the villain. The leader screams and he begins to feel normal again. It faces its palms towards his mother. She screams and he begins to feel normal again. He raises his hands. Everyone begins to feel normal. He screams. He feels normal. He begins to feel like everything is as it always was. Everyone feels like everything is as it always was. Everything is as it always was. The passage of time has been stemmed. He is a young boy who lives in a normal town full of normal people with normal smiles. He and his mother are very happy.