[-g-] Search her memories. You know them to be true.
------------
Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath. You try to banish as much of your conscious thought as you can. The smell of the air, the hum of a nearby transformer, the feeling of cracked concrete beneath your feet… You try to banish it all. Instead, you focus inward, searching out those memories trapped in the corner of your mind.
Initially, they do not come, as they seem to have been locked away, deep within. However, you slowly begin to feel the foreign presence once more. As you continue to slowly breathe in and out, the gears in your throat whir, clicking and clacking noticeably as the rest of the world grows silent.
"Come on… Come on out…" Raising your left hand up, you grip the side of your head. "I need the answers…" The foreign memories start to slink away the moment you try to touch them, but you continue to chase after them, heading through the depths of your mind.
Still, you are faster. They have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. You are a master of your own dominion, and you will not let them escape. You know what you are, and there is nowhere that these memories can slip away and make themselves part of you. They are distinct and separate. They are hers.
No matter how slippery they prove, you do find them. Your mind may not be the quickest, but it is by no means slow. Eventually your thoughts race fast enough and they catch up to those stray thoughts, allowing you to wrap yourself with the memories.
As you fade away into the light, you feel a cold hand grip your shoulder.
------------
Opening your eyes, you smile at the sun high above you. It is so pretty, escaping from London for a day or two at a time. The cobbled streets are home, but it is so much prettier out here where the light of the sun is clear and unaffected by the soot and the smoke of the factories.
Batting your feet in the water, you cling to dolly as you lie up and stare at the sky. "I wanna live out here someday, Dolly. Maybe we can get a place for ourselves!" Giggling, you lay there, enjoying the cool water as it passed between your toes.
Idly sitting there, she pulls out a piece of grass and waves it about as if it were a baton. "Too bad we have to spend it here at sister's… She's no fun at all. Always wanting to chat about strangers and go on and on… Stupid. She don't even know how to read!" Pouting, you turn to Dolly, looking down at her cloth face. "I'm no good at reading either, but at least I want to learn! They don't even seem to care…"
Placing the grass down on the back of the dolls head, you can't help but laugh some more. "We should probably go, though. Mamaw is probably worried to the dickens. We don't want to make her think we've caught a cold by staying out too long." Smiling, you pick your shoes and stockings up and pull your feet out of the creek. Standing up, you turn around and start walking back.
Opening the door, you look down at Mamaw. "What was it that you needed, Mamaw?"
"Close the door, Margaret." Nodding and doing as told, you sit down opposite of her as she folds her hands in her lap. "So, tell me, have you given thought to your future prospects? You didn't bother to answer me the last time, so I am asking you once again."
Frowning, your one hand goes to your pocket, where your favorite doll always remains. "I am still not too sure, Mamaw. I could see myself working as a seamstress, but not in London. I am not nearly proficient enough right now to match others in their quality. I cannot even approach you." The comment earns you a small smile, but Mamaw stays silent as you speak. "I'd probably have to move to the countryside to find a place where I could do such a thing."
"Indeed. But what about working as a schoolmarm or a tutor? You're well enough educated, even if it is mostly through my work and some of your father's." Tilting her head, she continues to think out loud. "Even if it was just to school young children before they enter their education proper, or tutoring those who can afford such a service…"
"I know, Mamaw. But I'm not making a decision until I know what he is doing."
Sighing at your abstinence, Mamaw purses her lips. "Why does that little alley rat always factor in to your equations, Margaret? You follow him around like a lovesick puppy."
Ears burning at the remark, you cross your arms over you chest. "I do not! He's my best friend, though. What else would I do without him?"
"There would be plenty of things, Margaret. Although I doubt you would care for them." Sighing, Mamaw pinches her nose. "I will look around and see if there is a sewing group your age you can join. Perhaps then you might meet some proper ladies and learn how much you enjoy sewing at the same time."
"…Yes, Mamaw." Sighing, you close your eyes. Opening them back up, you grin widely. "Ten! Ready or not, here I come!" Dashing out from behind the trees, you giggle as you hadn't done in what feels like years. When was the last time you played a game like this? It had been too long. You had been forced to act the adult so much recently… It was nice to be a child, even if for a little bit.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are, Alice!" Smiling, you bob and weave between the trees on the forest's edge, skirting by mossy stones and the occasional fairy ring as you go. "I'll have to remember to be careful here. Might want to pin the horseshoes above my doors…" Frowning at the thought, you shake it out and resume to chasing about that child.
Surely enough, you find the little girl hiding behind an old rotten log, from where she giggles up at you. "Aww. I thought I had you this time…" Grinning, she reaches for your hand. "Come on, I want to show you something."
Frowning a bit, you glance up through the thick limbs of the forest above you. "I don't know if I should. I need to head home soon. It's getting late…"
"It will only take a little bit." Her smile innocent, she motions for you to take her hand. "Besides, once you find it, you'll never want to leave…"
Not having any desire to do otherwise, you reach forward and take her hand. "Alright then. But only a little bit more."
He squeezes your hand as you shake, and he pulls you closer once more. "Shh, calm down. I'll be back soon enough. You know that I will be."
"…Still doesn't make me feel any better. Why do you have to go all the way over there? Fighting the Russians for no reason at all?"
"That's not my job to take care of. I'm just a soldier now. I fight for the empire." Leaning down, he kisses your forehead. "Don't worry . Hopefully I'll have enough pay after this so that I can leave. It should only be a few years…"
"You know that's wishful thinking, right?" Chuckling weakly, you wipe something damp from your eye. "I mean, I'll do as much as I can to help. Then we can do something, maybe…"
Nodding, he pulls you tighter. "That's right. Then we can settle down out of here, by ourselves. …Won't be a little urchin taking up bread from the poorhouse then." He falls silent for a few seconds, and you remain quiet as well, merely listening to the beat of his heart. "We have tonight, though. Let's make the most of it."
Smiling a little bit, you nod at him. "Alright, love."
------------
Blinking rapidly, you finally return to reality. Although, you find yourself staring at an odd stone pathway, quite unlike any you've seen before. "Wait a second, why is it strange? All roads are dirt or stone, so they have to be…" You shake your head, wondering what is going on. "No, this can't be… Why am I here? This… This is a strange town. The country but… not?"
You suddenly burst out laughing, your voice shattering the relative silence of the streets as your mirthful barks echo along the darks houses surrounding you. "Why am I surprised, this happened last time… Wait. What happened last time?" You don't recall there being a last time. You've never even seen a town like this before, so why would you have expected it?
"Maybe I should find a stranger and ask for directions." Blinking, you shake your head. "No, no. I know where I'm going. Looking for Tokiko and Amsterdam…"
"…Who are they?" Frowning at the odd names, you are reminded of something. "Wait, where's Dolly? I don't feel her in my pocket…" Eyes widening in alarm, you begin to comb your pockets, searching for where she might be. "…No, no. I am not Margaret. …Well, who else would I be? That is the name my mother… Damn it. I am I, not her… Not me? Not her…"
"I think he's lost it, Robert." You don't even react as two people walk up behind you, the sound of their steps barely intruding on your gibbering. "Either escaped from the madhouse or high."
"Probably the latter. Nearest asylum's a hundred miles from here. Although the bastard does seem like he's walked a bit." You hear the sound of wood smacking flesh as they both walk up behind you. "Go ahead and cuff him, Dewey. We'll take him down to the station and stick him in a cell. Good thing we got the call from one of the neighbors here."
"Definitely. I'd be worried if a man started freaking out on the sidewalk, too." As you begin to curl up, both of your hands now on your head as you try to shake the conflicting lines of thought out of your head, he reaches forward and tries to pull your hands down. "Damn, strong bastard. You want to help me here, Robert?"
A second later, the second man grabs your hands and tries to pull them down. "…Wait a second. Have you taken a look at this guy?" They finally yank your hands down, as you are still trying to get your head straight. "Look at his hands… …That can't be normal."
"They're both probably just some sort of Halloween costume. Some sick thing he thought of to try and scare some kids." Sighing, the first man places a cuff on one of your wrists. "Maybe we should ship him to the mental hospital once we're done. Just to let the men in the white suits check him out."
"Don't the inmates wear the white suits?" The other casually forces your left hand down and slaps the cuff on that wrist as well. "Still… This isn't fake, Dewey. I can see through the joints on this wooden hand."
"Then how can he move it? You must be seeing things." Grumbling, he grabs the scruff of your neck. "Now, let's get the crazy man in the back so we can call it a night."
"…I'm… I'm not crazy."
[ ] Break out,
now. You don't have the time for this.
[ ] You still have your music box, right? Although, you're not sure if that will work.
[ ] Try to make them believe that you're not crazy.
[ ] Obligatory Write-In Option.
------------
>>166371 Well, there was a right one and wrong one. I'm just asking if I have to tell you whether to assume or not. Also, if you want to cross post to another board, I'm pretty sure you have to put in the name first. As such:
>>/forest/27264 Write-ins are allowed at any time, but I reserve the right to throw one out for any reason.
