Remanence_StephanieChan

//When attempting a withdrawal from the Bank of Memory, kindly please bring with you your designated passbook and all necessary identification. You must bring [[your own vessel|vessel]]. //

The first and only time Miriam had been to the Bank was when she was a young child, aged 7 and a half. Her father brought her with him so he could make a deposit. He held her hand tightly the whole time. He was dripping with drink and a scent she would later learn to identify as grief. After they left, he never spoke again about [[her mother|crimeofpassion]].

Today is Miriam's second and last time to the Bank. She isn't here to make a deposit. She isn't here to make a withdrawal. She's here to [[steal|steal]].

She's imagined it countless times. She tries to tell herself it doesn't scare her, but now it doesn't matter if it does or doesn't. She has no choice but to go. With her, she'll take: The [[sonic lock pick|lockpick]]. The [[augmented facial distortion mask|mask]]. The [[tranquilizer gun|gun]].

(set: $haveLockpick to true)(set: $lockpick to "lockpick") With the lockpick, they'll never even know she was there. It buzzes silently when she tests its controls, its insides swirling with hills and valleys like some secret landscape. Satisfied, she slips it into her pocket. In front of her, the Bank's arches pierce clean through the clouds like knives. She takes her first step, and then [[another.|entrance]]

The mask pulses gently at her temples when she puts it on. It tingles all along her scalp, letting her know it’s ready to make her whomever she wants to be. In front of her, the Bank's arches pierce clean through the clouds like knives. She takes her first step, and then [[another.|entrance]] (set: $haveMask to true) (set: $haveIdentityAnger to true) (set: $mask to "mask")

She imagines she can hear the gun ticking quietly, waiting for her to squeeze the trigger. Grimly, she slips it into her pocket. It weighs near nothing but she can still feel it, warm against her hip. In front of her, the Bank's arches pierce clean through the clouds like knives. She takes her first step, and then [[another.|entrance]] (set: $haveGun to true) (set: $gun to "tranquilizer gun")

[Take another step.]<firstStep| (click-replace: ?firstStep)[She is in front of the Bank. It’s made of a strange gray stone that shifts with the colors of a bruise: blues and purples and deep subterranean green. [Take another step.]<secondStep| (click-replace: ?secondStep)[She is in the Bank’s lobby. Smooth, mirror-like columns flank her on either side, reflecting her face back at her. [Take another step.]<thirdStep| (click-replace: ?thirdStep)[She is at the Bank’s inner doors. Beyond the frosted glass, she can see the distant shapes of the counters and tellers. [Take another step.]<fourthStep| (click-replace: ?fourthStep)[ [Hesitate.]<hesitate| (click-replace: ?hesitate)[She reminds herself [[why she is here|reason]]. ]]]]]

//Please be advised that some patrons may experience disorientation when first entering the Bank's atrium. This is a common side effect caused by entering the anechoic field, which dampens all sound, vibration and radio waves. The Bank provides this for the privacy of all [[patrons.|atrium]]// (set: $exploreTellers to false) (set: $exploreAtrium to false) (set: $guardGone to false) (set: $stolenItem to false) (set: $guardCheck to false) (set: $guardSleep to false) (set: $stealPapers to false) (set: $haveIdentitySad to false) (set: $guardFace to false) (set: $haveKeys to false) (set: $hurtArm to false) (set: $shortTime to false) (set: $shorterTime to false) (set: $guardDead to false) (set: $mimeticVisited to false) (set: $deepVisited to false) (set: $repressedVisited to false) (set: $lockbox to false) (set: $visitLounge to false) (set: $speakMan to false) (set: $speakGirl to false)

(if: $exploreAtrium is false)[As Miriam steps into the inner chamber of the Bank, a curtain of silence falls all around her. A sudden, vicious vertigo sweeps over her. It's like being underwater, like suffocating. The entire atrium is sleek and seamless, a white so bright that it almost hurts her eyes. The exception is a small lounge area, lush with cheerful vivid green plants. She sees a few people [[waiting there|fellow patrons]].] (set: $exploreAtrium to true)

(if: $haveLockpick is true)[It takes her a moment to find the keyhole—a small pinprick. She slips the lock pick in and feels it buzz in her palm. When it falls still, she knows that it's done its job. The door [[opens|enter door]]. (set: $doorOpen to true)](if: $haveGun is true)[She fumbles with the keys, scratching them along the smooth surface of a door labeled "Staff Only," hoping that it's the right one. She tries not to think about him lying on the floor. Finally, she finds the keyhole, a small pinprick in the seam of the door. The key slides in. The door clicks [[open|enter door]]. (set: $doorOpen to true)]

(if: $speakMan is true)[In the time she took to speak with the man, it seems the girl has left the bank. It's just the two of them now. [[Leave the waiting room|atrium visited]]](if: $speakGirl is true)[In the time she took to speak with the girl, it seems the man has left the bank. It's just the two of them now. [[Leave the waiting room|atrium visited]]]

(if: $haveMask is true and $haveIdentitySad is true)[When Miriam reaches the counter, she smiles. It feels foreign, like wearing someone else's clothes. The electronic teller's voice drifts through the thick silence of the atrium on a different frequency, like a message from a distant star: "What can I help you with today, Ms. Lewis?" "I'm making a [[withdrawal|withdrawal]]," she says.](if: $haveMask is true and $haveIdentityAnger is true and $haveIdentitySad is false)[When Miriam reaches the counter, she smiles. It feels foreign, like wearing someone else's clothes. The electronic teller's voice drifts through the thick silence of the atrium on a different frequency, like a message from a distant star: "What can I help you with today, Mr. Rodrick?" "I'm making a [[withdrawal|withdrawal]]," she says.]

//The shelf life of a memory is variable, depending on when it is deposited. The Bank encourages all patrons to follow best mimetic practices. In brief: //Do// deposit in cohesive declarative units. //Do// provide an entire sense profile. //Do// prioritize olfaction and somatosensation if possible. If followed, these guidelines will preserve memories for full retrieval at a later time. In some edge cases, [[depreciation|behind the door]] may occur.// (set: $deepVisited to false) (set: $repressedVisited to false) (set: $mimeticVisited to false)

She follows the teller past a gleaming glass wall that recedes into the ceiling and hangs like a shining guillotine. In a silver room with silver walls, the teller retrieves a lockbox and sets it in front of Miriam. Once it leaves, she immediately heads to a door in the back marked "Staff Only." It [[opens soundlessly|door unlocked]] at a touch. (set: $lockbox to true)

(if: $mimeticVisited is true or $deepVisited is true or $repressedVisited is true)[The nameplate on each door gleams in the ambient light. [[Mimetic Imprints|mimetic imprints]] [[Repressed Memories|repressed memory]] [[Deep Storage|deep storage]]](if: $lockbox is true)[When she shuts the door behind her, all she can hear is her own breathing. Away from prying eyes, she feels the mask prickle as her stolen identity dissolves into static. Her eyes adjust and she sees that she's in an entryway to a number of doors. Only one of them could possibly hold the memories she's looking for. [[Mimetic Imprints|mimetic imprints]] [[Repressed Memories|repressed memory]] [[Deep Storage|deep storage]]](if: $mimeticVisited is false and $repressedVisited is false and $deepVisited is false and $lockbox is false)[When she shuts the door behind her, all she can hear is her own breathing. (if: $haveMask is true)[Away from prying eyes, she feels the mask tingle as her stolen identity dissolves into static. She rubs her jaw and feels a spark of residual electricity. Once her eyes adjust, she sees that she's in an entryway to a number of staff-only doors. Only one of them could possibly hold the memories she's looking for.](if: $haveGun is true)[The gun is still warm to the touch in her pocket. She twitches her fingers away from it. Once her eyes adjust, she sees that she's in an entryway to a number of staff-only doors. Only one of them could possibly hold the memories she's looking for.](if: $haveLockpick is true)[Once her eyes adjust, she sees that she's in an entryway to a number of staff-only doors. Only one of them could possibly hold the memories she's looking for.] [[Mimetic Imprints|mimetic imprints]] [[Repressed Memories|repressed memory]] [[Deep Storage|deep storage]]]

The door is strangely warm to the touch. It opens easily and then she is inside [[the vault|into the vault]]. (set: $deepStorage to true)

In the late 1950s, a psychologist named James Deese conducted an experiment on false memory. He recited a list of words to his test subjects. Something like... // [bed]<bed| // (live:12s)[When asked if he had said the word "sleep," 44% of the subjects mistakenly [[remembered that he did|doesn't exist]].(stop:)] (live:7s)[ (replace: ?bed)[[night time]<night|] (stop:)] (live:8s)[ (replace: ?night)[[alarm clock]<alarm|] (stop:)] (live:9s)[ (replace: ?alarm)[[yawn]<yawn|] (stop:)] (live:10s)[ (replace: ?yawn)[[]<blank|] (stop:)]

People wanted to remember the names of the street signs of their old neighborhoods, to listen to one-hit wonders on the radio, to gaze at tree lines long [receded.]<receded| (click-append: ?receded)[ So the government began to study how to capture so-called 'mimetic imprints'—the memories of the spaces a person has visited many times. The schoolyard paths traveled almost purely on muscle memory, the thousands of times a tea kettle is set on the stove, the arguments a million people have had a [[million different times.|posterity]]]

Miriam can think of a few mimetic imprints that she needs to purge. The little silences that stretched first over family dinners and weekends, and then over a period of years. Should she delete those pointless arguments and compress time, fold the lost years up neatly in her palms and present them like a gift? [[Enter|mimetic imprint vault]] (set: $mimeticVisited to true)

What year did it happen? It was after her birthday. After Mother's Day. On a fine blue day in June. [She remembers.]<rememberTwo|(click-replace: ?rememberTwo)[Everything was so blue. The sky, the water, her mother's eyes. [She remembers.]<rememberThree|(click-replace: ?rememberThree)[She wanted to steer the boat. [She remembers.]<rememberFour|(click-replace: ?rememberFour)[[[Her father let her.|found memory]] ]]]

[They didn't see the line.]<delayedLinkOne| (live: 3s)[ (replace: ?delayedLinkOne)[[It wrapped around her mother's ankle like a noose.]<delayedLinkTwo|] (stop:)] (live: 6s)[ (replace: ?delayedLinkTwo)[[She cracked her head on the side of the boat.]<delayedLinkThree|] (stop:)] (live: 9s)[ (replace: ?delayedLinkThree)[[There was so much blood.]<delayedLinkFour|] (stop:)] (live: 12s)[ (replace: ?delayedLinkFour)[Miriam remembers it [[all|gets the memory]].] (stop:)]

When she finds the right case, she touches the wall. It acquiesces with a hum and a slot appears. She slides her father's access card into the slot. The mist inside curls around her fingertips, lapping at it like a tidepool. The card glows and she begins to search through her [[father's memories|father's memories]].

The long dark corridor before her looks markedly different from the rest of the Bank. Lamps overhead create islands of golden light. On either side of her, a fine mist roils and billows inside the glass walls. Glowing panels are embossed every dozen feet or so, and she scans each one quickly, hoping she'll find the right entry in time. As she begins walking, [[she remembers.|she remembers]]

A young girl in her teens is reading a magazine. The front of the magazine exclaims, "//Ten Ways to Get to a Better You!//" Every so often, she reaches up and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. Across the room, a young man paces, his shoulders tight with tension. He scowls at the perfect green plants around him as though they are a blight. She feels drawn to the girl's [[sadness|sad]]. The young man's [[anger|anger]] calls to her. She has no [[time|atrium visited]] for them.

Even with her face buried in a magazine, Miriam can tell the girl is distraught. [[What happened?|what happened]] [[Talking about it might help.|talk about it]] (set: $speakGirl to true)

"What're you in for?" Miriam says. "She erased me," the man says immediately. He's apparently been waiting for an audience. [[Who?|who]] [[Why?|why]] (set: $speakMan to true)

The doctors say that her father's neurodegeneration will only get worse. They say that the only way to prevent complete memory deterioration is to do a total system reboot. They say that after they upload from backup, he'll remember [everything.]<reboot| (live: 8s)[ (append: ?reboot)[ This is her last chance to do what needs to be [done.]<openTheDoor|] (stop:)] (live: 12s)[ (append: ?openTheDoor)[ She [[opens the door.|open]]] (stop:)]

"My wife." The man pats his pockets, looking for a smoke, then seems to realize where he is. "I lost custody and the bitch just erased me! What kind of person wants their kids to forget their father?" That's [[awful|awful]]. What did you [[do?|motive]]

"Why?" Miriam asks. "What do you mean 'why'?" This seems to anger the man even more. "You think there's a good //reason// for her to erase me from my kids' lives?" Miriam is quiet. She thinks: He must have done something. She thinks: Some things are better forgotten. (if: $haveMask is true)[She feels the mask shimmer, scanning his expressions and storing them away deep under her skin. (set: $haveIdentityAnger to true) Just in time—the man seems offended by her reaction and storms away to mutter more at the plants. [[Go back.|right lounge]]](else:)[The man seems offended by her reaction and storms away to mutter more at the plants. There doesn't seem to be much else to do here. [[Go back.|right lounge]]]

"That's awful," she says. (if: $haveMask is true)[She listens patiently as the man continues to rant. She feels the mask shimmer, scanning his expressions and storing them away deep under her skin. (set: $haveIdentityAnger to true) It seems cruel for his wife to take away those memories. She feels a shiver of guilt travel up her spine, but it's too late. She's already here. [[Go back.|right lounge]]](else:)[It seems cruel to take away those memories. Even if the man is a little unpleasant—standing too close, talking too loud, gesturing wildly. There couldn't be a justification for that. She feels a shiver of guilt travel up her spine, but it's too late. She's already here. [[Go back.|right lounge]]]

"What did you do?" she asks. "What do you mean?" the man says. He narrows his eyes. "You think it's my fault? It's okay for her to just get rid of me like I never existed?" "It's not that..." she says. (if: $haveMask is true)[She feels the mask shimmer, scanning his expressions and storing them away deep under her skin. (set: $haveIdentityAnger to true) Just in time—the man seems offended by her reaction and storms away to mutter more at the plants. [[Go back.|right lounge]]](else:)[The man seems offended by her reaction and storms away to mutter more at the plants. [[Go back.|right lounge]]]

It's strangely easy to lure the guard away, and she does so as though in a dream: asking for help, leading him to the lobby, squeezing the trigger and unloading the Hummingbird's sting into his back. Then she awakes from her sleepwalking and her stomach turns sour with nausea. She searches through his pockets and finds his keys. She tries to ignore how still he is. She [[runs|left door]]. (set: $guardSleep to true)

Strangely, the door feels like worn wood to the touch. It opens easily and then she is inside [[the vault|into the vault]]. (set: $mimetic to true)

If she presented her father with a list detailing their lives, he still wouldn't remember her mother. He wouldn't be able to connect the dots. She wonders if he recognizes himself, incomplete and so unmoored without those memories, the little [whys.]<whys| (click-append: ?whys)[ [Why does he prefer white wine to [red?]<why1| (live: 1s)[(append: ?why1)[ [Why does he avoid the cornerstore?]<why2|](stop:)](live: 2s)[(append: ?why2)[ [Why does he sleep only on the left side of the bed?]<why3|](stop:)](live: 3s)[(append: ?why3)[ [Why does he hate sailboats?]<why4|](stop:)](live: 4s)[(append: ?why4)[ Why does June 24th fill him with an indescribable sadness?](stop:)]]<reasons| (live: 6s)[(append: ?reasons)[ [[She wonders|understands]]. ]]]

The door is strangely cool to the touch. It opens easily and then she is inside [[the vault|into the vault]]. (set: $repressed to true)

By not deleting everything, all he has left himself is a trail of clues, leading him back to a version of himself that doesn't exist. Should she delete all the memories of their family, the good times and the bad? Should she delete herself? [[Enter|repressed memory vault]] (set: $repressedVisited to true)

Doctors can occasionally prescribe a long-term memory deposit. This is usually in cases of extreme post-traumatic stress disorder or, sometimes, due to the controversial practice of personality re-programming. Unlike the standard Bank policy of requiring patrons to check through deposits on a biannual basis, memories in deep storage are left under lock and key unless they are going through a medical procedure that [[requires it|requires it]].

Some people can apply for space in deep storage after a violent or unexplained death in the family. But there's nothing unexplained about her mother's death, and yet he applied, and he was permitted, and he forgot. A long time ago, he decided by himself that he wanted to forget her mother. Miriam thinks that he should forget a lot more than that. [[Enter|deep storage vault]] (set: $deepVisited to true)

(if: $repressed is true)[Seeing his memories reconstructed and made whole makes it hard to remember what he'd left behind and what he hadn't. Did he remember meeting her mother? Or did he forget all of it? When she spoke about her to him, he acted as though she was recounting a stranger. After she deletes everything, it will be as though they are all [[strangers|delete it all]] to each other.](if: $deepStorage is true)[Their trip out to sea had been a consolation prize after he'd forgotten about her birthday. He wasn't home very often, and she [[hated him|vengeance]] for it.](if: $mimetic is true)[Seeing the years laid out before her like this, she thinks about all the time they've wasted. Now she can take back all the things she's always wished she'd [[never said|reconciliation]].]

Touching the memories feels like swimming through moonlight. They chill her and though she hasn't deleted them yet, she already feels like a ghost. Almost reluctantly, she fishes out the memories and prepares to [[surrender them|surrender]].

Touching the memories feels like swimming through moonlight. They chill her, like the sudden rush of anger after someone has said something deeply painful but true. It takes her some time, but she finds the years she will [[rob from him|revenge deletion]].

Touching the memories feels like swimming through moonlight. They chill her, they make her feel like her feet are lifting from the ground. She finds the moments, the thousand tiny cuts that ruined their [[relationship|thousand cuts]].

There were all the times he was never home. There was that time he missed her volleyball practice and her school play and her recital. There were the silent, angry family dinners. There was that time when he was home for once, and she said "Wow you made it for dinner" and he said "Just stop," and she said "Why aren't you ever home?" and he said "Miriam, I have to work, you know that" and she said "Well good for you, you forgot it's my birthday again" and he said "I'm sorry, I should've gotten you something" and she said "Yeah right, thanks for nothing" and he said "I'm not happy with your tone" and she said "Oh I'm sorry, does that bother you?" There was the time after her mother died and she threw every wine glass they had onto the floor and he kept asking "Why are you being like this?" because he didn't remember anything, even though he wanted to comfort her, and she was so angry that he had no idea and this wasn't something they could share, and that she wasn't allowed to forget, that it had to be her alone. [[Delete|Delete]]

In her father's memories, she sees her mother: windswept hair, feet dusted with sand like sugar. She is holding a bottle of Chardonnay that catches the sun and shimmers and dances on her skin. And Miriam hears [herself say, "//No, let's go on the boat!//"]<revisionist| (live: 12s)[(replace: ?revisionist)[her father say, "//No, let's go on the boat!//"](stop:)] Just seeing her is painful. Remembering her is painful. It was even more painful being the [[only one who did|begin revenge deletion]].

There were all the times he was █████ home. There was that time he missed her volleyball practice and her school play and her recital. There were the ██████, █████ family dinners. There was that time when he was home ███ ████, and she said "Wow you made it for dinner" and he said "████ stop," and she said "Why aren't you ever home?" and he said "Miriam, I have to work, you know that" and she said "Well good for you, you forgot it's my birthday again" and he said "I'm sorry, I should've gotten you something" and she said "Yeah right, thanks for nothing" and he said "I'm not happy with your tone" and she said "Oh I'm sorry, does that bother you?" There was the time after her mother died and she threw every wine glass they had onto the floor and he kept asking "Why are you being like this?" because he didn't ████████ anything, even though he wanted to comfort her, and she was so angry that he had no idea and this wasn't something they could share, and that she wasn't allowed to forget, that it had to be her alone. [[Delete|Delete2]]

There were all the times he was █████ home. There was that time he missed her ██████████ practice ███ her school play and her ███████. There were the ██████, █████ family dinners. █████ was that time when he was home ███ ████, and she said "Wow you made it for dinner" and he said "████ stop," and she said "Why ██████ you ever ████?" and he said "Miriam, I have to work, you know that" and she said "Well ████ for you, you forgot it's my birthday █████" and he said "███ sorry, I ██████'ve gotten you something" and she said "Yeah █████, thanks for ███████" and ██ said "I'm not happy ████ ████ ████" and she said "Oh I'm sorry, ████ that bother ███?" There was the time after her mother died and she █████ every ████ glass they had onto the floor and he kept asking "Why are you being like this?" because he ██████ ████████ anything, even though he wanted to comfort her, and ███ ███ so angry ████ he had no idea and this wasn't something they could share, and that she wasn't allowed to forget, that it had to be her alone. [[Delete|Delete3]]

There were all the times he was █████ home. There was that time he missed her ██████████ ████████ ███ ███ ██████ ████ and her ███████. There were the ██████, █████ family dinners. █████ ███ that ████ when he was home ███ ████, and she said "Wow you made ██ ███ dinner" and he said "████ stop," and she said "Why ██████ ███ ever ████?" and he said "Miriam, █ ████ ██ ████, you know ████" and she said "Well ████ ███ you, you ██████ it's my birthday █████" and he said "███ █████, I ██████'ve gotten you something" and she said "Yeah █████, thanks for ███████" ███ ██ said "I'm ███ happy ████ ████ ████" and she said "Oh I'm sorry, ████ that ██████ ███?" There was the time █████ her mother died ███ ███ █████ every ████ █████ ████ ███ ████ ███ █████ and he kept asking "Why are you █████ ████ this?" ███████ he ██████ ████████ ████████, even though he wanted to comfort her, and ███ ███ so angry ████ he had no idea and this wasn't something they could share, and that she wasn't allowed to ██████, that it ███ to be her alone. [[Delete|Delete4]]

There were all the times he was █████ home. There was that time he missed her ██████████ ████████ ███ ███ ██████ ████ ███ ███ ███████. There were the ██████, █████ family dinners. █████ ███ ████ ████ when he was home ███ ████, and she said "Wow you made ██ ███ dinner" and he said "████ stop," and she said "Why ██████ ███ ████ ████?" and he said "Miriam, █ ████ ██ ████, you know ████" and she said "████ ████ ███ ███, ███ ██████ it's my birthday █████" and he said "███ █████, I ██████'ve gotten you something" and she said "█████ █████, thanks ███ ███████" ███ ██ ████ "I'm ███ happy ████ ████ ████" ███ ███ ████ "██ ███ ██████ ████ ████ ██████ ████" There was the time █████ her mother died ███ ███ █████ █████ ████ █████ ████ ███ ████ ███ █████ and he ████ ██████ "███ ███ ███ █████ ████ █████" ███████ ██ ██████ ████████ ████████, ████ ██████ ██ wanted to comfort her, and ███ ███ ██ █████ ████ ██ ███ ██ ████ ███ this was███ something they could share, and ████ she wasn't ███████ ██ ██████, ████ ██ ███ ██ ██ ███ alone. [[''Confirm Deletions?''|DeleteFinal]]

There were all the times he was [home.]<home| (live: 3s)[(append: ?home)[ There was that time he [missed her.]<missed|](stop:)] (live: 6s)[(append: ?missed)[ There were the family dinners when he was home, and she said "Wow you made [dinner"]<dinner|](stop:)] (live: 9s)[(append: ?dinner)[ and he said "stop," and she said "Why?" and he said "Miriam, [you know"]<youKnow|](stop:)] (live: 12s)[(append: ?youKnow)[ and she said "it's my birthday" and he said "I've gotten you [something"]<present|](stop:)] (live: 15s)[(append: ?present)[ and she said "thanks I'm [happy."]<happy|](stop:)] (live: 18s)[(append: ?happy)[ There was the time her mother died and he wanted to comfort her, [and]<notAlone|](stop:)] (live: 21s)[(append: ?notAlone)[ this was something they could [share,]<finalAlone|](stop:)] (live: 24s)[(append: ?finalAlone)[ and [[she wasn't alone|reconciliation end]].](stop:)]

She slides the access card back into her pocket. (live: 4s)[She doubts for a moment whether she's done enough.](stop:) (live: 8s)[She wonders if he will know who she is without all her sharp edges.] (live: 12s)[She thinks that she has come a long way and there is a long way to go [[yet|reconciliation end screen]].](stop:)

There was the bright spring day in their garden, bursting with basil and wreathed in tomato vines. There was their second anniversary. There was the move to a small cold town with an unfriendly pallor. There were the endless work trips and lonely dinners, just her and her mother. There was the silent phone, the missed birthdays, the empty seat at the volleyball games and recitals. There was the perfect June day like a jewel, the blood blooming in the clear water and haloing her mother's head, kissing her cheeks. There were freezer lasagnas and drink and crying relatives and there was the Bank. [[Delete|Revenge Delete]]

There was the bright spring day in their garden, bursting with basil and wreathed in tomato vines. There was their second anniversary. There was the move to a █████ cold town with an ██████████ pallor. There were the ███████ work trips and lonely dinners, just her and her mother. There was the ██████ phone, the missed █████████, the empty seat at the volleyball games and recitals. There was the perfect ████ day like a jewel, the blood blooming in the clear water and haloing ███ mother's head, kissing her cheeks. There were freezer ████████ and drink and crying relatives and █████ was the Bank. [[Delete|Revenge Delete2]]

There was the bright spring day in their garden, bursting with basil and wreathed in tomato vines. There was their second anniversary. There ███ the ████ to a █████ cold town with an ██████████ ██████. There were the ███████ work █████ and lonely ███████, just her and her mother. There was the ██████ phone, the missed █████████, the █████ seat at the ██████████ games and recitals. There was the perfect ████ day like a jewel, the blood blooming in the clear █████ and haloing ███ mother's ████, kissing ███ cheeks. There were ███████ ████████ and drink and crying relatives and █████ was the Bank. [[Delete|Revenge Delete3]]

There ███ the bright ██████ day in their ██████, bursting with basil ███ wreathed in ██████ vines. There was their ██████ anniversary. There ███ the ████ to a █████ cold ████ with an ██████████ ██████. █████ were the ███████ work █████ ███ lonely ███████, just her and her mother. There was the ██████ phone, the missed █████████, the █████ ████ at the ██████████ games and recitals. █████ was ███ ███████ ████ day like a jewel, the blood blooming in the clear █████ and haloing ███ mother's ████, kissing ███ ██████. There were ███████ ████████ and █████ and crying █████████ and █████ was the Bank. [[Delete|Revenge Delete4]] [[Stop|Stop]]

It's too late to [[stop|Revenge Delete4]].

█████ ███ ███ ██████ ██████ ███ ██ █████ ██████, bursting ████ █████ ███ ████████ ██ ██████ █████. █████ ███ █████ ██████ ███████████. █████ ███ ███ ████ ██ █ █████ cold ████ ████ ██ ██████████ ██████. █████ ████ ███ ███████ ████ █████ ███ lonely ███████, ████ ███ ███ ███ ██████. █████ ███ ███ ██████ █████, ███ ██████ █████████, ███ █████ ████ ██ ███ ██████████ █████ ███ ████████. █████ ███ ███ ███████ ████ ███ ████ █ █████, ███ blood ████████ ██ ███ █████ █████ ███ ███████ ███ ████████ ████, ███████ ███ ██████. █████ ████ ███████ ████████ ███ █████ ███ crying █████████ ███ █████ ███ ███ Bank. [[Delete|Revenge Delete6]] [[Stop|Stop2]]

What would her mother think of [[all this|Revenge Delete5]]?

[[Delete All?|Final Delete]]

█████ ███ ███ ██████ ██████ ███ ██ █████ ██████, ████████ ████ █████ ███ ████████ ██ ██████ █████. █████ ███ █████ ██████ ███████████. █████ ███ ███ ████ ██ █ █████ ████ ████ ████ ██ ██████████ ██████. █████ ████ ███ ███████ ████ █████ ███ ██████ ███████, ████ ███ ███ ███ ██████. █████ ███ ███ ██████ █████, ███ ██████ █████████, ███ █████ ████ ██ ███ ██████████ █████ ███ ████████. █████ ███ ███ ███████ ████ ███ ████ █ █████, ███ █████ ████████ ██ ███ █████ █████ ███ ███████ ███ ████████ ████, ███████ ███ ██████. █████ ████ ███████ ████████ ███ █████ ███ ██████ █████████ ███ █████ ███ ███ ████. (live: 3s)[There's only one thing [[left to do.|vengeance end]]](stop:)

Miriam retrieves her father's access card and inserts her own. (live: 4s)[She sifts through the glowing threads of her past.](stop:) (live: 8s)[She scrolls to the very beginning.](stop:) (live: 12s)[She hits [[delete|vengeance end screen]].](stop:)

//Please kindly note that during all Bank transactions, temporal restrictions may apply. Please consult your doctor before beginning any significant memory reintegration process. The Bank waives all liability for any damages or injuries you may incur upon withdrawal.// //End.//

There was the bright spring day in their garden, bursting with basil and wreathed in tomato vines. There was their second anniversary. There was the move to a small cold town with an unfriendly pallor. There were the endless work trips and lonely dinners, just her and her mother. There were the apologies and the meager Christmas presents. There was the perfect June day like a jewel, the blood blooming in the clear water and haloing her mother's head, kissing her cheeks. There were freezer lasagnas and drink and crying relatives and there was the Bank. [[Delete|Surrender Delete]]

There was the bright spring day ██ █████ garden, bursting with basil and wreathed in tomato vines. There was their ██████ anniversary. There was the move to a █████ cold town with an unfriendly ██████. There were the endless work trips and ██████ dinners, just her and her mother. There were the apologies and the meager █████████ presents. There was the perfect June day like a jewel, the █████ ████████ in the clear water and haloing her mother's head, kissing her ██████. There were freezer lasagnas and drink ███ crying relatives and there was the Bank. [[Delete|Surrender Delete2]]

█████ was the bright spring day ██ their garden, bursting ████ basil ███ wreathed in ██████ █████. There was their ██████ ███████████. █████ was the move to a █████ cold town with an unfriendly ██████. ████ were the endless work trips and ██████ ███████, just her and her mother. █████ were ███ apologies and the meager █████████ presents. There was ███ perfect June day like a jewel, the █████ ████████ ██ the █████ water ███ haloing her mother's head, kissing her ██████. There were ███████ lasagnas and drink ███ crying █████████ ███ █████ was the ████. [[Delete|Surrender Delete3]]

█████ ███ the bright ██████ ███ ██ their garden, bursting ████ basil ███ ████████ ██ ██████ █████. There ███ their ██████ ███████████. █████ was ███ ████ ██ a █████ ████ ████ with an ██████████ ██████. ████ were ███ ███████ work █████ and ██████ ███████, just her and her mother. █████ ████ ███ █████████ and the ██████ █████████ ████████. █████ was ███ perfect ████ day like █ █████, the █████ ████████ ██ the █████ █████ ███ haloing ███ mother's ████, kissing her ██████. █████ were ███████ ████████ ███ drink ███ crying █████████ ███ █████ ███ the ████. [[Delete|Surrender Delete4]] [[Stop|StopSurrender]]

█████ ███ ███ ██████ ██████ ███ ██ █████ ██████, ████████ ████ █████ ███ ████████ ██ ██████ █████. █████ ███ █████ ██████ ███████████. █████ ███ ███ ████ ██ █ █████ ████ ████ ████ ██ ██████████ ██████. ████ ████ ███ ███████ ████ █████ ███ ██████ ███████, ████ her and her mother. █████ ████ ███ █████████ ███ ███ ██████ █████████ ████████. █████ ███ ███ ███████ ████ ███ ████ █ █████, ███ █████ ████████ ██ ███ █████ █████ ███ ███████ ███ ████████ ████, ███████ ███ ██████. █████ ████ ███████ ████████ ███ █████ ███ ██████ █████████ ███ █████ ███ ███ ████. [[Delete|Surrender Delete5]] [[Stop|StopSurrender2]]

Her eyes burn as she watches the memories [[fade|Surrender Delete4]].

█████ ███ ███ ██████ ██████ ███ ██ █████ ██████, ████████ ████ █████ ███ ████████ ██ ██████ █████. █████ ███ █████ ██████ ███████████. █████ ███ ███ ████ ██ █ █████ ████ ████ ████ ██ ██████████ ██████. ████ ████ ███ ███████ ████ █████ ███ ██████ ███████, ████ ███ ███ ███ ██████. █████ ████ ███ █████████ ███ ███ ██████ █████████ ████████. █████ ███ ███ ███████ ████ ███ ████ █ █████, ███ █████ ████████ ██ ███ █████ █████ ███ ███████ ███ ████████ ████, ███████ ███ ██████. █████ ████ ███████ ████████ ███ █████ ███ ██████ █████████ ███ █████ ███ ███ ████. [[Confirm Deletions?|surrender end]]

It's hard but it's the right thing to do. This way he can truly [[move on|Surrender Delete5]].

She slides the access card back into her [pocket.]<pocket| (live:4s)[(live: 4s)(append: ?pocket)[ She wonders if she should delete her own memories of [June.]<june|](stop:) (live: 11s)[The thought is too painful.](stop:)] (live: 18s)[She will just have to remember for [[all of them|surrender end screen]].](stop:) (live: 6s)[(replace: ?june)[[her father.]<forget|](stop:)] (live: 7s)[(replace: ?forget)[[her mother.]<mother|](stop:)] (live: 8s)[(replace: ?mother)[[their garden.]<garden|](stop:)] (live: 9s)[(replace: ?garden)[[her family.]<family|](stop:)] (live: 10s)[(replace: ?family)[their lives together.](stop:)]

She pushes the [[door open|door unlocked]] and slips in like a ghost.

Remanence by Stephanie Chan [[Begin|Start]] //<a href="www.stephchan.com">www.stephchan.com</a>// //<a href="www.twitter.com/sweijuchan">@sweijuchan</a>//

(if: $haveMask is true)[There's no point in waiting any longer. She might as well get it over with. With a new face, Miriam heads over to the [[tellers|available teller]].](if: $haveLockpick is true)[There's no point in waiting any longer. She might as well get it over with. Miriam heads over to a small white [[door|left door]].](if: $haveGun is true)[There's no point in waiting any longer. She might as well get it over with. Miriam spies a guard pacing the length of the atrium and heads in his [[direction|guard]].]

"What happened?" Miriam asks. "I don't want to talk about it," the girl says, staring stubbornly at her magazine. After a few more moments, she tentatively offers, "I just turned 18." "Happy birthday," Miriam says. So she must have seen her [[memory trust|memory trust no detail]].

"Talking about it might help," Miriam says. The girl hesitates. She puts down her magazine. "I turned 18 yesterday," she says. "I just saw my [[trust|trust]]."

If a parent deposits their child's memories when the child is still a minor, the child must be allowed to access them freely when they become a legal adult through a mandatory memory trust. Sometimes people put their children's happiest moments in the trusts, like a time capsule from a fleeting childhood. Miriam doesn't think this girl just saw happy memories. "I almost [[drowned|drowned]]," the girl says.

It's hard to completely get rid of bad memories. Seeing whatever was in the trust must have awakened something in the girl, a terrible knowledge that she already suspected. Miriam wonders if that's what it's like for her father, if the sadness still lives inside him, a persistent sense of something missing or [[lost|lost]].

(if: $haveMask is true)[She feels the mask shimmer, scanning the girl, her downturned eyes, and storing her face away deep under Miriam's skin. (set: $haveIdentitySad to true) Quietly, she leaves the girl alone. [[Go back.|right lounge]]](else:)[She looks at the girl's downturned eyes and quietly leaves her alone, hoping that her painful memories would soon fade. [[Go back.|right lounge]]]

"It was bad. I always wondered why I was scared of water," she says. "I guess that's why." Miriam nods. [[Do you wish you could forget?|forget]] [[What are you going to do now?|next step]]

"Do you wish you could forget?" Miriam asks. "Yeah," the girl says. She shrugs. "I don't know. What's the point if I'm still going to know somehow? It's left a mark." She fidgets, then returns to her [[magazine|lost]].

"I don't know," the girl says. "Seems like the easy way out." She hesitates. "Maybe I'll join the swim team." The thought makes the girl lose color. She shakily returns to her [[magazine|lost]].