Hey I'm Mark D Choppafeller, I'm 12 and a half years old and I live with my sister, Jean, in our estate ever since our father passed away.
My daily routine is rather monotonous, 5 days a week, a series of tutors come and conduct lessons for me and my aide Maria for the whole day. The other two days I am given free time so I go play around estate, in the fields, the rivers and the forest, often times I also find myself nestled in the library reading. Ofcourse I am accompanied everywhere by Maria.
It's not bad but I do wish I had more friends my age around.
Ah… no… I am detracting from the point.
What I want to say that… something weird has happened lately thag has been distracting me from my everyday life.
Suddenly I feel strange and different to the things I see and do everyday, visions of a child my age come to my mind at random times and they leave me cold, sweating and restless.
I am quick to forget the content of these visions but I can remember the fact that I have experienced them and how bizarre of a feeling they left behind.
The more visions I see of these child, the more I seem to lose my memories of the past, as if a growing rift has sprouted, separating my body from my mind.
Usually it was just forgetting what I ate a day or two ago or what I studied on the day of the test, I thought these were just normal things to forget randomly.
But yesterday, when Maria told me about how my mother chose her to be my aide, I realised that… that I forgot about my mother!
I couldn't remember how tall she was, what did she look like, how her voice sounded, how she liked to dress, I couldn't remember her at all!
It's not like I forgot I had a mother, I know she existed and I know she passed away shortly after my father did. I remembered her fond embrace and the memories of her were still as bright and vibrant as ever, but… in those memories her place was just left… blank.
Or that was the case until yesterday.
Yesterday, when I saw an old picture of my family, there was a woman who I didn't recognise in the place of my mother. My father seemed off too, wasn't he taller and with darker skin? And since when did I have an elder sister and an elder brother?
Am I going crazy?… Will I end up in an asylum just like my mother?
I don't know these people. I don't know if I'm right. I don't know if I belong here. I don't know any of this. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know!!
"Master Mark, Are you alright?"
A palm landed gently on my back to sooth me. This touch, and this voice, it's Maria.
I wiped my tears as I responded.
"No, not really. I am forgetting the people around me… or am I feeling that they are being replaced? In any case, my memories have been failing me and I feel like a stranger in this place."
After a moment of silence, Maria spoke.
"I see, I don't know how to help you with that. Would you like some water- er cola? I snuck it out of the pantry for us to share."
"Yes, thank you Maria, some water-er-cola would be nice." I nodded
"I meant just cola!" Maria puffed
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The cola really was nice. It gave me the clarity to think, while it's true that I do not even recognise my family anymore, there are still that— my family. They still remember me vividly and rely on me, so I should do my best to not fail them.
Meeting them face to face may prove to be helpful in resolving my problems.
My father and mother have already moved on, to another world, so even if I wanted to, I can't meet them, only a stone with their names carved on it.
Maybe I forgot it but I do not ever recall meeting my elder brother, I have been told that he is overseas busy managing a part of our family's businesses. I do not have any way to contacting him either.
My elder sister Jean on the other hand, lives in the same mansion as me. Lately she has been buzzing around our estate managing this and that and making major changes all around. I guess she got over whatever had her couped up in her room before.
I gotta say, although my trust in my memories have dwindled, from what I remember Jean has changed a lot, very quickly. Perhaps… she too has experienced something similar to me which caused about her abrupt change.
As I thought that, I twisted open the door lock to leave and to find Jean, but the moment I opened it, Jean came flying at me.
"Awww, My cute little Mauwk. Did you miss me? —Mwah,Mwah— I certainly missed youuuu. I'm really happy with how you are progressing, do let me know when your ability awakens, alright? I will give you lots of kissies for being such a good boy, byeeeeee."
Jean spoke uncharacteristically and winked after saying the last sentence before she began to leave for her next task.
There she goes again, I could swear she never talked to me like this before and she most certainly wasn't this clingy until a few days ago.
I still vividly remember how Jean ignored me at every possible moment like the mean, uncaring elder sister she was.
When she was studying at the mansion, she ignored me, before she left for college, she ignored me, at our father's and mother's funerals, she ignored me.
Even a few months before, when she confined herself inside her room she ignored me and my existence just like always.
And now… just a few days after leaving her room for the first time in months, her attitude towards me completely flipped?
Something isn't adding up, some thing really isnt adding up here. And whatever it is, I feel that it's responsible for the strangeness surrounding my memories. So believe me when I tell you, I will get to the bottom of this!
I grabbed her hand to prevent her from leaving and spoke.
"Sis… Jean, I want to talk to you."