This is the link to my second “interactive” story. It’s pretty linear but because it deals with changing memory I wanted to be able to show that happening in the text. There’s nothing to download, the story should work in most browsers.
In case you don’t want to go through the twine story I’m adding on a plain text version below.
Memory Box: A Walk to Forget
Most days I walk straight home from the office but some days I like to take longer walks. Meandering paths that take me up and down different streets of the city. Tonight, I found myself on the Red Light Street, a couple of blocks with a higher than average number of sex toy stores, pleasure hotels, and brothels. Of course, none of them had red lights out front and if you didn’t pay close attention to the signs you might not even notice. This street had picked up the name over the years by word of mouth. A few stores had actually moved to capitalize on the street’s reputation.
I noticed a new pleasure hotel had opened on the corner. The Dream Palace. A woman stood near the door swinging the cable to a memory box. I must have lingered a little too long reading the sign because she approached me with a smile.
“Hey gorgeous, you want an evening of fun? We have the latest in memory boxes. Perfect memory erasure. We guarantee you won’t remember the night.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to remember a night with you?” I asked.
“Any number of reasons. There’s no guilt if there’s no memories. Just a nice afterglow. The mind may forget but the body remembers.”
I start to walk away but stop mid stride and turn back to her and say, “Okay.”
She slips the plug into my jack right there in the street. I feel a wash of goose pimples all over my body.
<////////////////////////////////////////////>
“Couldn’t you have done that inside.”
“Mmm no. I really couldn’t.” She smiles wider. “I have to catch the memory of you deciding to spend the evening here or you’ll end up with a discontinuity in your memories.” She leads me by the cable into the building, past the desk clerk who nods to me. In her room, she sits me down in an overstuffed easy chair.
“Just relax this won’t hurt,” she says and presses a button on the memory box.
<////////////////////////////////////////////>
“What won–” I start to ask but then my brain begins to crawl with ants. My eyes close and I raise a hand to my forehead. The dizzying slide of memories ends and I’m fine again. “What was that?” I ask. I look back at … “Lindee,” I say.
“Hush now. No real names,” she scolds me with a wagging finger.
“Of course.” I glance at the date on my watch. “Three weeks. You could have pulled me in here sooner.”
“I could not. You hardly come around and when you do you are a stubborn woman. You only come when you want to.”
“Well I’m here now.” I stand up and lead Molly to the bed.
Some time later
In the afterglow of a lovely romp between the sheets, we laid close against each other.
“I love you,” I say. For a moment she doesn’t say anything, then she pulls back enough to look me in the eyes.
“No you don’t. You love spending time here. You love having sex with me. You love the idea of me.”
“No, really I love you. I want to see you outside of all this,” I insist.
“You know this is my job.” She pauses, rolls away for a minute. “What if I told you, I’m not the only one who has a memory cache of your memories in this house.”
“What?” She rolls back.
“You tell them you love them too and want to escape all this.”
“I don’t know…”
“It’s okay.” She leans over me and presses a button on the memory box.
<////////////////////////////////////////////>
“I love you,” I say.
<\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\>
I feel a shock in my head and the sudden void of memory. We’ve changed positions but I don’t remember moving.
“What was that?”
“Nothing you need to remember.” She kisses my forehead. “I love you too. Ready for round two?”
I can’t help but smile. “Sure.”
Much later
After more sex and short nap, we had showered and redressed. I sat in the same overstuffed chair I had started the night in.
“You have tonight recorded,” I ask. “It would be a shame to lose these memories forever.”
“Of course. This is my job not just a hobby,” she says annoyance tinting her voice.
“Okay, I’m ready.” She presses a button and the shock runs through me. I jerk upright in the chair.
<////////////////////////////////////////////>
“Just relax this won’t hurt,” she says and presses a button on the memory box.
<\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\>
“Is that it?” I ask.
“Yep, how do you feel?”
“Besides just getting shocked? I feel pretty good.”
She smiles and says, “See, it’s just like I said: the mind may forget but the body remembers.”
“Aren’t I going to remember this?”
“No, that was just the first stage erase to get rid of most of the night. I’ll give you one more in the street and it’ll be like we never met.”
“Oh. I’ve never been here before have I?”
“Of course not,” she said. She led me back outside to the street. “Look up at the stars and take a deep breath,” she says. I look up and hear her press the button. The shock is so small I barely notice it at all.
<////////////////////////////////////////////>
Most days I walk straight home from the office but some days I like to take longer walks. Meandering paths that take me up and down different streets of the city.
<\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\>
I let out a deep breath while looking at the stars. What was I doing? Walking? I glance at my watch. It’s late. I spent most of the evening walking, I guess. I don’t feel too tired. I feel relaxed and happy. I glance around and find I’m on the Red Light Street. These late night walks always seem to lead me here.
My apartment isn’t far and I walk the rest of the way home with smile.