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"If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page."
The Perfect Girl | |
| "You can't just abduct a little girl off the street!" "Says who?" "Says the la-" "Oh, don't even start with that! The research we're doing isn't exactly legal. Having a missing child here is the least of our concerns." A lone computer screen flickered faintly, a small child huddled in the corner of the small room that the camera was placed in. She clung desperately to a stuffed toy dog, gazing into its black beady eyes as if seeking comfort from the object. She knew not where she was, or why she had been taken away. One of the two men, both dressed in white research coats, watching the screen turned away, forming his fingers into a steeple of thought. Neither of their faces were discernible in the scantily lit room. "She's perfect. Her age, the obscure planet she's from..." "You really plan on going through with this?" "Of course I do! That's why we're here, isn't it?" "No. It's why you're here. Not me." "Suit yourself. Get the equipment ready." The subordinate gave a reluctant nod, hesitating briefly as he turned away to leave the room. The man left in the room alone turned back to the monitor, watching the small girl intently. A grin creased his lips as he muttered to himself, "I'll show all of them..." |
| "I don't want to go in there!" The subordinate reached out to grab the girl, his hand falling short as she made a frightened sideways dash. He heaved an exasperated sigh as he straightened his glasses, and at the same time felt a twinge of remorse in his heart. How he hated what he was doing right now, yet he was helpless to stop it. Several other scientists in the room went to grab her, the subordinate quickly calling them off. The girl backed against a wall, trembling visibly. The scientist knelt down a short distance from her, trying to put on his best smile to comfort her. "It won't hurt. In fact, it will be fun." "Fun?" "Yes. It's a new way to watch a holovid," the scientist lied. "A new way to... watch a holovid?" "Yes. Any holovid you want." The tension in the girl's body lessened at the thought. "We're not trying to scare you. We're just trying to keep it a secret, you know? We don't want everyone knowing about it, and that's why we didn't say anything about it before. It's super secret. So, will you please come with us?" The girl paused, obviously deep in thought about what she was being told. After a few short moments later, she nodded and extended her arm, taking the scientist's hand in hers. He offered her a professionally feigned smile, guiding her out of the room. His visage was perfect; his features betraying none of the emotions he felt. The mental stress, the heart-wrenching disdain for his actions. He loathed himself right now, and softly squeezed the girl's tender hand. She responded by inching closer to him as they walked, her stuffed dog wrapped securely in her other arm. If you remember this some day, the man thought to himself, I hope you can forgive me. | 
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| "This is scary." "It's okay, I promise. Just hold my hand, and I promise you'll enjoy it." His words were lackluster, but the frightened mind of a child was incapable of registering the tone in his voice. How could she enjoy it if she wouldn't remember it? Everything about her, her personality, her memories, it was all about to be expunged. And for what reason? So the boss could "prove" himself. To imprint others' memories into this shell of a girl, and hope that she would adapt and survive. How could they know? They couldn't. The technology was far from perfected, and every other time they had attempted to test it had resulted in a failure. "Okay. We're getting ready to start it," the scientist said, his hand still holding the girl's. "Are you ready?" "Y-Yes... I think so." After one final sigh of bitter resentment, the man flipped a switch on a nearby console. The machine began to hum to life, and it was only seconds before the scientist felt the grip on his hands release slowly. It was done: this small child, whose name he didn't know, was gone forever. Her mind was empty, a blank canvas that could be dyed any colour now. The shell of everything she used to be, whatever that was. He didn't know. Please forgive me... |
Like the ghost of a dear friend dead
Is Time long past.
A tone which is now forever fled,
A hope which is now forever past,
A love so sweet it could not last,
Was Time long past.
There were sweet dreams in the night
Of Time long past:
And, was it sadness or delight,
Each day a shadow onward cast
Which made us wish it yet might last--
That Time long past.
There is regret, almost remorse,
For Time long past.
'Tis like a child's belovèd corse
A father watches, till at last
Beauty is like remembrance, cast
From Time long past.
Is Time long past.
A tone which is now forever fled,
A hope which is now forever past,
A love so sweet it could not last,
Was Time long past.
There were sweet dreams in the night
Of Time long past:
And, was it sadness or delight,
Each day a shadow onward cast
Which made us wish it yet might last--
That Time long past.
There is regret, almost remorse,
For Time long past.
'Tis like a child's belovèd corse
A father watches, till at last
Beauty is like remembrance, cast
From Time long past.
Memetic Legacy
| "Make a wish!" "A wish." "Think very hard about what you want most in the world, then blow out the candle!" Jenrose laughed dryly, "That won't accomplish anything." "You never know." The young girl from twenty years ago, whose original name was unknown, her past a mystery, now a lobotomized shell, sat with her newest doctor. The newly named Jennifer Rose, popularly known as Jenrose in the facility in which she resided, was still under a rehabilitation process. She was the first success they had achieved thus far, but she had required constant attention, training, and instruction on things from the bottom up. The process of wiping her memories had also wiped everything that was supposed to come instinctively, but that wasn't all they had done to her. The new doctor slid aside the cupcake she had brought Jenrose, the flame crowning the tip of the candle still burning dimly. She laced her fingers together and peered at Jenrose from underneath her glasses, the same glasses everyone here seemed to wear. "Didn't you ever have birthdays before?" The subtlety of that question was almost untraceable. The doctor wasn't concerned about her prior birthdays, but rather wanted to test something else. How well had their process of transplanting memories worked, if at all? Jenrose was still simple-minded enough that she wouldn't be able to detect the doctor's true intentions. Jenrose slanted her lips, one memory coming to mind. It was the final hours of the day on the planet of Manaan, the unnamed child rushing towards a table where the rest of her family was. Her mother poured fresh drinks for all of them, and her father was just pulling in a chair of his own. The girl laughed gaily, eager to begin eating. There was an inexplicable air of joy, of happiness, filling the room, though Jenrose could recall no sounds. A moment blinked by; the mother returning with a birthday cake laden with candles. The girl squirmed in obvious delight, and Jenrose finally snapped out of the memory. What had happened to the girl in that memory? She thought it was herself. Why wasn't she the same, cheerful girl she was then. "Yes, I did," Jenrose laughed as she took the cupcake, and blew out the candle. I wish I could be out of here, and see the galaxy. | 
|
| "Tell me one of the happiest things that's ever happened to you." "When dad came home," Jenrose replied with a smile. She was much more upbeat than before, she was happier. Her reconditioning and rehabilitation continued to show extensive promise, and the scientists were pleased with their creation so far. They had run into some snags, but nothing that couldn't be managed. They were simply happy because of the fact she was remembering what they wanted her to. Little did she realize that none of these memories were her own. They belonged to others. "We were living on Naboo at the time, "she began... The small, unnamed child who Jenrose believed herself to be dashed down a walkway in a headlong sprint. The glistening water of a nearby river shone beautifully, reflecting the diminishing rays of a sun ready to go to sleep beyond the horizon. A figure in the distance walked at a casual pace, a briefcase in one hand, his suit coat balled up in the other. The girl seemed to be sprinting towards him specifically, and it could only be assumed that he was her father. The scene was again devoid of any sound, and the girl's call for her father went unvoiced to Jenrose. The father turned, smiling as his eyes came to rest on his daughter. She jumped, making for his arms... ...and he disappeared. The girl crashed to the ground in startled alarm, scraping her elbows and knees on the permacrete below. Jenrose snapped out of the memory, and the scientist had a disheveled look of confusion plastering her face. This was not what she had anticipated, but she acknowledged that there were likely to be faults in Jenrose's imprinted memory. She had no intention of telling her subject what, exactly, the sudden shift in her memory was about. |
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