Excerpt: Six Paths to Reminisce

If I took away the world’s memories, would we still be fighting?

A person is made of many things. Layers of experience, habits, interactions with others, likes, dislikes, genetics and all the subtle things that affect emotions have an impact on a person. What a person is taught as acceptable and true also creates the being he or she is. Their memories and aspirations impresses the array of their personality. What has shaped your character? Why did you develop a certain behavior? What more do you want, strive for, or simply dream of?

And what if this is taken away? Your experience stripped, what you were taught to accept gone but the rawest of facts, and even pieces of who you are, what made you who you are… These have been swept away like smoke in the wind. You are still you, but all the information that created you so has simply vanished into a fog.

How, then, will you interact with those around you? What will you do, oh mortal?

The pressure of power felt immense, squeezing on all sides of the mortals as they became more aware of their surroundings. It took some time for all eyes to adjust, and even then it was still no less alarming. They seemed to be on a disc floating in the middle of nothing solid, only the powerful presences pressing at their backs. But looking up over the disc to the other side, there was no shape to see. It was as though they were fuzzy-visioned ants peering up at a forest of massive trees, where fuzzy pillars of light and dark made up the entire world around the clear closeness of the disc they were seated at.

They barely had time to notice each other in their alarming new environment. The stone of their sturdy platform was pale tan. It formed two rings, one for the bench they sat upon, the other for the table their hands lay flat atop. All their hands were different—small and white, tan, large and green-tinted, black-taloned, short and calloused, long and slender. They all faced the middle, and in the middle was a glassy semi-sphere where dreamy clouds floated above the green and blue of their distant world. Alas, few of the group even recognized the planet as being a world, the rest not knowing what it looked like from so high above.

“Greetings, oh chosen ones!” The tenor man’s voice was loud and startling, feeling like a happy thunder was rolling through them. All eyes looked up, but there was naught to see but the shapeless light and darkness around them.

“Do not be alarmed,” a soothing woman’s voice sounded next. Unfortunately, her comforting voice had little effect on the nerves of the six gathered. “You are all here to fulfill a very special mission for us.”

“Of course, you are all probably a bit confused,” said the cheerful man’s voice once more. “That is normal. You see, we took away many of your memories. I imagine that can leave anyone feeling disoriented.”

The six mortals were even more alarmed. Before they had been mostly concerned with their sudden situation. Now doing a quick mental review, they discovered that, indeed, they had no recollection of events that led them to their immediate predicament.

“There is no need to be alarmed.” This voice was dreamy sounding, an airy sort of drawl from what may have been a bored adolescent talking. She seemed almost disinterested in the entire affair. “The memories are not destroyed. They will be returned to you if you do as asked.”

“This is correct.” The fourth voice was perhaps the most disconcerting. It was a bass, deep, and serious voice, as though from a man used to being in charge and never being questioned. “As you begin completing the task we have set before you, you will be rewarded with your memories.”

“Do not mistake our intentions,” the soothing woman’s voice noted. “You all have been chosen for this special task because you are exceptional examples, perfect for this higher calling we have arranged.”

“That’s right!” the cheery voice sounded again, filling their ears. “You all have different traits, different talents, and of course, you’re all different species. This is key to our goal, as you will likely learn! Oh, right, but we will not be telling you what the goal is just yet. You see, that would ruin the entire thing.”

“Unfortunately, yes, it would,” the one woman’s voice drawled. “You six would probably not even travel together if you knew all the implications. We can’t have silly prejudices and pre-conceptions getting in the way of progress.”

She was nearly cut short by the booming, commanding voice. “The six of you represent the ‘civilized’ species in this hemisphere. We have gifted you with the ability to speak the native language here and henceforth you will understand the tongue of the land, whatsoever your feet pass over.”

“It is an excellent gift to have!” the cheery man agreed to the silent, still-stunned mortals. “We could not stand to see things being too difficult for you.”

Again, the drawling woman lazily noted, “Your position is not negotiable, though. Your time and lives belong to us now. You should understand that, and it may become clearer later on.”

The compassionate woman’s voice interjected once more. “We wish we could explain things better to you, but it is as she says. Your lives are currently for this endeavor. Support it and pursue it to the best of your ability and all will become known to you.”

The mortals had no time to argue, the bass voice sounding out their instructions. “You will travel due North to the tree line. There you will meet a cohort. He will give you supplies and your next instruction.”

That was it. That was their only instructions before the high entities were suddenly giving them farewells.

“Have a good time!”

“Take care of yourselves and each other.”

“Be wary.”

“Perform as expected and you will have your reward.”

Suddenly the table in front of the mortals became less substantional, first seeming to turn to clay and then to a mere outline of vaque, thicker air. They were being pulled toward the center semisphere as though gravity had a sudden vengeance with them. The six mortals tried to hold onto something, but the whole platform was becoming less substantional, disappearing into vapor under their toes and fingertips. The insistent pull dragged them to the center, and all six fell over the edge into the wide world below.

And suddenly found themselves lying very still, looking up at the sky and grass fronds peacefully waving in the breeze above them. It was an abupt change. The power was gone, no longer squeezing at them. There were birds singing, quiet in the aftermath of the booming voices. Grasshoppers stared at them, distracted from their nibbling, and insects buzzed overhead. The gods were gone.

And the adventure of six strangers began.