This post was inspired by a writing prompt in the Worldbuilding Community - "Tradeable Memory".
It's also a call back to a relatively minor (but very important) character from a series I posted a while ago, Malacadra Valla. She first appear in Worldbuilding Prompt #504 - Death is a Lifechanging Experience and her big moment was in Worldbuilding Prompt #517 - Fedric, Saviour of the Universe but it isn't necessary to rad either of those to enjoy this post 馃檪
Image by Andreas Lischka from Pixabay
"Why do you do that, Malla ?"
"Do what ?"
"Burn a candle every first of the month as soon as you get in from work ?"
Kellam had a look of perplexed concern on his face. Malacadra knew he was a good man, but they'd only been together for a few months and were still in that phase of a relationship where they were getting to know each other.
She thought for a while before answering. Perhaps it was time to admit the truth.
"There's something I haven't told you," she began, as the look on his face deepened to worry.
"You know how we met when I was out with friends celebrating a big promotion. I haven't told you just how big, and what happened for me to get it. Don't look so worried, you haven't done anything wrong. It's me... there's a piece of my life I don't want to forget. And I'm terrified that I will forget it."
Moving to the kitchen of their apartment, she pulled a bottle of Safedian red wine from the cooler and poured two big glasses. Then she gestured for Kellam to follow her to the living room. Once she was comfortably squashed into a corner of the sofa nursing her glass in both hands, she began.
"When the Slavers attacked Tharwell, I was involved. I mean, I know we all were, but I was more involved than I told you. There was this man, Fedric. He had something in his head that ASP needed to use to defeat the Slavers. But they assassinated him. This ASP guy came to me and asked if they could implant an image of Fedric's consciousness into my head temporarily. He asked in a way that meant I couldn't say no, but I know he didn't mean it like that."
Taking a swig of wine, Malacadra continued.
"It was weird. Like being two people at once. Took some getting used to. We both knew everything the other knew, had each other's memories. I don't think ASP knew what they'd got, it's a new technology for them or something, or maybe the first time they'd tried to merge two people this way. But even though Fedric was this old guy who'd been a tax official forever, somehow we clicked. We worked really well together, one or other of us in charge depending on what was needed."
Then her face fell, and she felt tears welling up.
"But it was only for a while, the merge couldn't hold forever. When we'd done what we had to, Fedric just kind of faded away. It' like he'd done what he needed to and couldn't stick around any more. Dammit, he was a hero. A real one. Just an ordinary guy, but he saved all of us. ASP thought that was the end of it. But I haven't told them that when he faded, he left all his memories inside my head. I can picture all the places he ever went to, all the friends he had, all the people he loved. He's not here, but a piece of him still is. I need to remember it, I don't want it to fade like he did. So I burn a candle. It helps me fix it all in my head."