As they walked past the entrance to what looked like a grandiose concert hall, Charlie grabbed Jason’s robe and stopped him in his tracks. “C’mon, Mister, I want to show you something.” Jason could hear the faint sound of a grand piano coming from within. The gigantic building was lined with glowing lights and topped by a majestic neon dome that rose several stories into the sky. Holographic images of that night’s line-up flashed along the sidewalk lining the concert hall, in between fast-cutting images of hands stroking the keys of a piano and fingers gliding across the strings of a harp. Before he could steal a glance at the name on the marquee, Charlie quickly led him through the open double-doors. Rushing through the lobby, Charlie nodded to the usher standing by the entrance to the auditorium. The usher nodded back with a wink before pulling back the curtain and urging them through. As Jason approached the threshold, he suddenly felt an unexplainable rush of anticipation. His blood pumped through his veins as he left the bright lights of the lobby and walked into the darkness.
They stood at the back of a sprawling auditorium. It was very dim, and the entire audience sat transfixed on the performance that was being given on stage. The intense spotlight on the stage cast a strange glow on the faces of the people in their seats. They looked as if they were frozen in ecstasy. The stage itself was Spartan, completely empty other than the performer at its center. Jason’s ears focused on the music coming from the grand piano near the edge of the stage. Something about it was strangely familiar.
As he shuffled down the aisle, moving forward to get a better look at the pianist, he became utterly captivated by the performance on stage. Each step brought him closer, each step brought more and more details into focus. As he neared the first few rows of the auditorium, the pianist suddenly seemed to materialize in front of him in all of her glory. It was a teenage girl, around 15 years of age, working the piano keys with the refined elegance of a seasoned veteran. Her silky blonde hair was tied back into a tight bun, and she wore a long, flowing white dress. She paid no attention to her audience, or the man rudely standing in the aisle among them, but rather focused on the piano in front of her. There were no pages of notes that he could make out—the music seemed to flow freely through her fingers from memory. Her long, milky fingers glided across the keys, confident in every stroke. Each musical note was hit with such confidence and conviction that a chill ran down the back of his neck. Jason stood there, watching the beauty before him. The music rang through his ears, haunting him. He was mesmerized.
For a brief moment, the girl left her trance, turning towards him and allowing him to catch a glimpse of her magnificent blue eyes. They too were strangely familiar. A wave of awareness stuck through his entire body—he knew those eyes. He suddenly felt an indescribable feeling of pride as a wave of emotion flooded his body. His chest filled with air and tears of joy rolled down his cheeks as he watched the girl play. Yes, he knew those magnificent blue eyes. But with that proud moment came an unexpected feeling of emptiness and despair. His mind was drawing a blank, struggling to recall the name of the girl on the stage. “Lil—?” he thought to himself, before the realization struck him. He couldn’t remember.
Jason stuttered backwards up the steps of the aisle before bumping into Charlie, who had followed him to the front. He gave the boy a look of shock and confusion.
“Why…?” Jason stammered, searching for answers.
“I’m sorry, Mister, sorry to have to tell you this,” Charlie said sheepishly, once again putting his hands in his pockets, “but it was stolen. By a thief.”
“What was stolen?” Jason asked him, trembling. The astounding performance continued, the musical notes surrounding them, the audience enthralled.
“Your memory. Your memories of your daughter growing up. They’re lost.”
Jason recoiled in horror. That was impossible. He closed his eyes and concentrated very deeply, searching the device on his arm for the memory he so deeply cherished. After several minutes, he looked back up at the boy, exasperated. His face was drenched in sweat and anguish. There was nothing. Just a massive grey space where his memories of Lily growing up should have been. “It can’t be,” he said out loud, surprise turning into fear. “Is there any way to get it back?”
Charlie looked at him for a moment, and paused. “There is, Mister,” he whispered, their eyes locking, “but it will require a great sacrifice.”
“Tell me,” Jason replied without hesitation.
The boy grabbed his robe and led him out of the auditorium. “I’ll show you.”