3 Chapter 3: The Memory Bottler

My phone was beeping when I woke up. I picked it up to shut it down. It was 11:00 PM, I just had ten minutes to get to the football field. I paused. Was it the football field? Where had I met him first? It all seemed so blurry since I hadn't really noticed him at first. The message did say where it started so I decided to take my chance.

I grabbed my shoes and flung a coat on. "Whoa, where's the fire?" Kinley said behind me. I groaned. I had forgotten that I had to get past her first. Her face changed when she saw my hand on the door knob. "You're not going to meet him now, are you?" "Kinley, it's not him. I will explain everything later. Just believe me when I say it's very important", I said and rushed out before she could stop me.

There were a few girls in the corridor but no one bothered as I ran past them.

11:10 PM. I panted as I looked around. It was dark save for the single street lamp in the corner. I shivered as I pulled my coat closer. Was it an elaborate prank? I looked around but there was nothing in sight. I checked my watch. It was 11:11. I checked my phone in case my watch had failed. It was 11:11 PM and there was no one in sight. Someone had pranked me or this wasn't the place.

But this had to be the place! It was where I had first noticed him. He had been a terrible football player but he had joined the team as I had watched football matches. He was sweating as he came over during half time. "I... hi, I have seen you around and I just wanted to say hi." I closed my eyes, I could remember the way he had sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as he said those words.

I opened my eyes and turned to leave. I hit my foot on something solid. I reached out and couldn't believe it. There was something solid in front of me. I touched it. It felt wooden. Remembering the text, I knocked thrice. It creaked open.

There was a soft orange light inside. I stepped into the room that had appeared. The door closed behind me. There were warm orange lights everywhere. Shelves ran all around the room and were lined with beautifully colored vials. The vials shone in the light and had some kind of liquid inside. I reached out to one to check it out.

"Don't touch that" said a silky voice. I shivered. There was someone sitting in front of the desk that was at the end of the room. He was wearing a hood so I couldn't see his features clearly. "Are you the memory bottler?" I asked hesitantly. He snapped his fingers and the lights glowed brighter. "At your service, lady". His voice never changed as he smirked.

"I am not sure why I am here" I blurted out. His smirk deepened. "I thought you had some memories you wanted to bottle away", he said walking towards me. "Is that even possible?" I asked and felt stupid. Of course, it had to be possible. I was standing in a room that materialized out of thin air. He was standing very close to me. He whispered in my ear, "if that's what you want, yes, it is possible."

I swallowed. "What happens when I give you my memories, do I lose all memories?" I asked. I had watched too many fairy tales to know that you shouldn't just sign away something, everything has consequences. He stared down at me. "All the memories associated to the event or person disappears. Everything else stays intact." I thought back to the smile of the boy I loved - the way my name rolled off his tongue and how it felt so special to hear it. I would never get him back. He had someone else now. Damn the consequences, I wanted to forget. "I am ready", I said.

He gestured towards the table. There was a contract on it. I didn't read it. I didn't care - I had to forget. I was afraid I would back out if I read it. "Read it", he said, his eyes watching me. I glanced at it. It looked like the normal stuff, person A decides to sign over memories, blah blah...

I took the black ball point pen on the table and signed it. He took the contract and slid it into the drawer. Taking out a vial, he smiled at me. "Each person's memory is personal. The colour and scent is unique. Sad memories are blue and smell like the ocean. Happy memories are yellow and smell like warm apple pies and so on. It also takes a tinge of something personal from your memory. No two memories are the same." He gave a wry smile. "I know the colours and scents are cliche but it was there long before time existed." He snapped his fingers. The vial floated in front of me. "Now, relax and remember all the memories you want to forget."

The first thing I thought about was how his arms felt around me. I felt safe in them. I thought about the cologne he wore and how I loved to breathe it in. His smile was beautiful and I was lucky to see it often. He said he would love me always... my heart hurt. His fingers were gentle as they stroked my hair. The way his lips would brush against mine...

The last thing I saw was a bright blue vial with sparkles in it. "He always made fun of how I loved sparkles", I said and fell asleep.