Memory Echoes

"So let me get this straight," Yuki said, perched on the edge of Akira's desk like a particularly skeptical bird. "A mysterious, devastatingly handsome man shows up claiming to investigate attacks on your patients, somehow triggers actual emotions in you for the first time in years, hints that he knows your mysterious thief personally, and then vanishes like some kind of supernatural drama queen?"

Akira stared at his computer screen, where he'd been unsuccessfully trying to research "Kael Memoriam" for the past hour. Every search came up empty—no government records, no professional credentials, not even a social media profile. It was as if the man didn't exist.

"That's... an accurate summary, yes."

"And you're sitting here googling him instead of calling security because...?"

"Because what if he's right about my patients being in danger?" Akira's fingers hovered over the keyboard. "I've been checking their files. Three of them have missed appointments this week. That's unusual."

Yuki's expression shifted from skeptical to concerned. "Which patients?"

"Mrs. Chen, who just recovered her childhood comfort memories. David Park, who got back his ability to feel safe after his attack. And..." Akira's stomach clenched. "Sarah Martinez. She recovered her capacity for trust last month."

"Have you tried calling them?"

"Mrs. Chen's phone goes straight to voicemail. David's roommate says he's been 'acting strange' and sleeping all day. And Sarah..." Akira pulled up her file. "Sarah's sister called this morning. She said Sarah suddenly can't remember why she ever trusted anyone. She's convinced everyone is plotting against her."

The color drained from Yuki's face. "That's exactly what Kael said would happen. Re-theft targeting recovered memories."

Before Akira could respond, his office door burst open with enough force to rattle the diplomas on his wall. A woman in her fifties barreled in, her graying hair wild and her eyes bright with manic energy.

"Dr. Sato! Thank goodness you're here. I need to speak with you immediately about the conspiracy."

Akira blinked. "Mrs. Nakamura? Your appointment isn't until—"

"The pigeons, Dr. Sato!" Mrs. Nakamura interrupted, gesturing wildly. "They're working with the memory thieves! I saw them this morning, lined up on the power lines like little feathered soldiers. They're reporting our movements!"

Yuki covered her mouth to hide a smile. Mrs. Nakamura was one of their more... colorful patients. She'd had her childhood memories of feeling safe stolen during a demon attack five years ago, and while they'd successfully helped her recover most of them, she'd developed an unfortunate tendency toward conspiracy theories.

"Mrs. Nakamura," Akira said gently, "we've discussed this. Pigeons are not in league with supernatural entities. They're just... pigeons."

"That's exactly what they want you to think!" Mrs. Nakamura leaned forward conspiratorially. "But I've been watching them. Taking notes. And I've discovered something very interesting about that handsome young man who visited you earlier."

Akira's blood ran cold. "What about him?"

"He doesn't cast a shadow, Dr. Sato. I watched him walk past the window, and there was no shadow. And his reflection in the glass was... wrong. Fuzzy around the edges." Mrs. Nakamura pulled out a small notebook covered in illegible scrawlings. "I've been researching this. Do you know what it means when someone's reflection is unstable?"

"That you need new glasses?" Yuki suggested hopefully.

Mrs. Nakamura shook her head vigorously. "It means they're not fully anchored to this reality. Memory demons exist partially in the space between thoughts and dreams. That's why their physical manifestations are sometimes... glitchy."

Akira and Yuki exchanged glances. Mrs. Nakamura's theories were usually harmless delusions, but this one hit uncomfortably close to home.

"Mrs. Nakamura," Akira said carefully, "even if that were true, what would you suggest I do about it?"

"Salt circles," she said immediately. "Iron filings. Holy water if you can get it, though I know you're not religious. Oh, and you should probably check your patients. If there's a memory demon skulking around, they might be targeting people who've had recent recovery work."

The words sent ice through Akira's veins. "What makes you say that?"

"Because that's what they do. They're like sharks following a blood trail. Fresh recovery work leaves psychic residue—it's like a neon sign advertising 'vulnerable memories here.'" Mrs. Nakamura's expression turned deadly serious. "Dr. Sato, if that man was really a memory demon, and if he's been watching you, then everyone you've helped is in danger."

"I'll... keep that in mind," Akira managed.

After they'd escorted Mrs. Nakamura out (with promises to discuss enhanced security measures at her next appointment), Yuki turned to Akira with wide eyes.

"Okay, I officially hate it when Mrs. Nakamura makes sense. Should we be worried that her paranoid delusions are lining up with mystery man's warnings?"

Before Akira could answer, his computer chimed with a new email. The sender was listed as "K.M." with no other identifying information.

Subject: Time Is Running Out

Dr. Sato,

Another of your patients has been targeted. Check on Maria Santos immediately. The attacks are escalating, and I fear they're being used to draw you out.

We need to meet. Tonight. The longer we wait, the more people will suffer.

Moonlight Café, Fifth Street. 8 PM.

—K

P.S. Mrs. Nakamura is correct about the shadows and reflections. She's also correct about the pigeons being surveillance tools, though not for the reasons she thinks.

Yuki read over his shoulder and made a strangled noise. "Did he just confirm that pigeons are spying on us?"

"Yuki, Maria Santos." Akira was already pulling up her file. "She recovered her ability to feel maternal love last week. Her daughter said she'd been doing so well..."

Akira's hands shook as he dialed Maria's number. It rang once, twice, then went to voicemail. He tried her emergency contact—her daughter Elena.

"Elena? This is Dr. Sato. I was calling to check on your mother... What? When did this start? ...I see. No, don't bring her to the hospital yet. I'll be right there."

He hung up and grabbed his jacket. "Maria can't remember why she ever loved Elena. She's convinced her daughter is trying to manipulate her and won't let her in the house."

"That's exactly what happened to Sarah," Yuki said quietly. "The recovered memory isn't just gone—it's been replaced with something toxic."

"I have to go to Maria's. Will you—"

"I'm coming with you. And then we're both going to that café tonight."

"Yuki, it could be dangerous—"

"More dangerous than letting a memory demon pick off your patients one by one while you sit here being noble and self-sacrificing?" Yuki grabbed her purse and the tire iron she'd apparently started carrying around. "Besides, someone needs to be there to hit him with automotive equipment if he tries anything sketchy."

An hour later, they stood outside Maria Santos's small apartment, listening to Elena sob on the other side of the door.

"Mama, please. It's me. It's Elena. I'm your daughter."

"I don't have a daughter!" Maria's voice was sharp with paranoia. "You're one of those manipulative people trying to trick me. I know what you want!"

"What do I want, Mama?" Elena's voice was breaking. "Just tell me what you think I want, and I'll prove you wrong."

"You want to control me! To make me soft and weak with fake emotions. But I'm not stupid. I know love is just a tool people use to hurt each other."

Akira closed his eyes, recognizing the pattern. The stolen memory hadn't just been taken—it had been corrupted, twisted into something poisonous.

"Mrs. Santos," he called through the door. "This is Dr. Sato. We've worked together before. Can you let me in?"

There was a long pause, then the sound of multiple locks being undone. Maria opened the door just wide enough to peer out, her eyes wild and suspicious.

"Dr. Sato? What are you doing here? Did she send you?" She jerked her head toward Elena, who was standing in the hallway with tears streaming down her face.

"No one sent me. I came because I was worried about you. Elena called me because she's concerned."

"Elena." Maria spat the name like it tasted bitter. "That's not even her real name. She made it up to sound more trustworthy."

"Mama, you named me Elena. After Abuela Elena. Remember? You told me the story about how she used to sing to you when you were little, and you wanted me to have that same gentle spirit."

Maria's face contorted with confusion and rage. "Lies! All lies! I never had a mother who sang to me. I never had anyone who loved me. Love is a fairy tale people tell to make themselves feel better about being alone."

Akira stepped closer, his voice gentle but firm. "Maria, what do you remember about last week? About our session in my office?"

"I remember you trying to convince me I had some kind of 'maternal love' that was stolen from me. But that was just therapy nonsense. I never loved anyone. I'm not capable of it."

"But you brought Elena pictures of her as a baby. You told me about how you used to sing her to sleep with the same lullaby your mother sang to you."

"I... I don't..." Maria's voice faltered, and for a moment, Akira saw a flicker of the woman he'd been treating. "There were pictures?"

"You kept them in a box under your bed. You said looking at them made you feel warm inside."

Maria's hand went to her chest, as if trying to find that warmth. "I... I think I remember... but it hurts. It hurts to think about it."

"That's because someone took that memory and poisoned it. But we can fix this, Maria. We can get your love back."

"You can?" Elena stepped forward hopefully. "Mama, please. Let Dr. Sato help you."

For a moment, Maria seemed to waver. Then her expression hardened again. "No. This is a trick. You're all trying to trick me."

She slammed the door, leaving them standing in the hallway.