Chapter 81: Memory Deviation
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The sudden appearance of a highly educated individual who unexpectedly chose to become a history teacher at the local public school was an unforeseen event and a unique opportunity for Duncan.
Nina was baffled by her Uncle Duncan’s quick consent to the new teacher’s visit to their home. However, she wasn’t one to question a stroke of good luck. It had been a while since she and her uncle shared a genuinely happy moment, so she eagerly embraced this random bout of good fortune.
“Dinner’s ready,” Duncan announced, jolting Nina from her thoughts. He had prepared a hearty fish stew and warmed the bread Nina had bought earlier. Although he found a package of onion rings and fries in the grocery bag, he had little interest in them. “Remember, you have school tomorrow. You’ll need to wake up early.”
“Alright, Uncle Duncan,” Nina replied compliantly as she took her seat at the table.
The enticing aroma of the fish stew filled the room as Nina settled in. She looked at her uncle in disbelief. “It smells amazing. When did you become such a culinary expert?”
“Is it really that good?” Duncan asked, unable to hide a smile. Compared to Alice’s unpredictable and often disastrous cooking attempts, Nina’s compliment was heartwarming. “So, you’re saying I used to be a bad cook?”
“It wasn’t just bad,” Nina replied with a hint of humor. “You used to cook as if the main goal was ‘not to poison anyone.’ You always made me your ‘taste tester.'” Her voice softened as she reminisced about past culinary disasters so dreadful even Duncan couldn’t stomach them. “There was one time when you cooked something so inedible that we had to throw it away. We ended up eating at the restaurant next door. When we got back, we found the neighbor’s dog retching by the trash can. Ever since, that dog would sprint away at the sight of you.”
As Nina continued, her voice grew even softer. “You know what, forget what I said. You never liked it when I brought up those stories.”
Duncan fell silent. The stories Nina shared weren’t among the memories he had retained over the years. His recollections were more focused on the happy times they had together. It seemed many of the quirky, more embarrassing moments had slipped his mind. Duncan realized he would need to tread carefully when discussing such sensitive subjects in the future.
Engrossed in her memories, Nina began tearing a piece of bread and dipped it into the rich stew. Seizing the moment, Duncan reached across the table and affectionately tousled her hair.
“Uncle?” Nina looked up at Duncan, her face marked with surprise.
“Don’t worry. My experiment with this new dish was a success,” Duncan declared, attempting to maintain a serious demeanor.
For a moment, they locked eyes, each trying to gauge the other’s sincerity. Suddenly, Nina burst into laughter. “Uncle, you look hilarious when you’re trying to be serious!”
“Respect your elders, young lady,” Duncan retorted, giving Nina a playful side-eye and a smirk. “Listen, I’m going to reorganize the shop over the next few days. If you come across any unfamiliar items, please leave them alone until I get back.”
Duncan was in the process of shifting items between his secret hideout and the shop to enhance Ai’s capabilities. Given the sensitive nature of some of these items, it was inevitable that Nina would encounter a few. Hence, he thought it prudent to warn her in advance.
Unaware of his underlying motives, Nina nodded in agreement. Duncan continued, “I’m also considering bringing in additional help for the store. So, if you see someone new around during the daytime when I’m away, don’t be alarmed, alright?”
Duncan was subtly preparing Nina for the impending arrival of Alice, a puppet doll he planned to integrate into Pland. Several challenges lay ahead—ensuring Alice’s supernatural qualities wouldn’t disrupt their world, ingeniously masking her joints to prevent people from realizing she was a puppet, and most crucially, figuring out how to keep her head from detaching at inopportune moments.
Nina’s eyes widened. “You’re actually thinking of hiring help? That’s quite a change, Uncle. Do you already have someone in mind? What are they like?”
Caught off guard by Nina’s question, Duncan struggled to find a suitable way to describe Alice. His mind drew a blank.
“She’s… diligent,” he finally said, settling on the most positive trait he could attribute to Alice.
Nina’s eyes narrowed, her expression shifting as she scrutinized her uncle. “A young woman, you say? Uncle, are you…”
Sensing where Nina’s thoughts were headed, Duncan cut her off, punctuating his words with a firm thump on the table. “Enough talking, concentrate on your dinner!”
Nina stifled a laugh, her amusement giving way to genuine surprise as she tasted the fish stew. “This is incredible!”
Grinning, Duncan tore off a piece of bread and set it aside for Ai. “Well, make sure you have your fill. There’s more in the kitchen if you’re still hungry.”
And so, they enjoyed a rare, warm, and congenial meal together—something increasingly uncommon in the antique shop.
After clearing the table and handling the leftovers, Duncan stopped Nina just as she was about to head upstairs to her room. He had an important matter to discuss, one that would likely set the stage for the next chapter in their lives.
“Nina, can I ask you something?” Duncan said, choosing his words cautiously as he thought back to information gleaned from cult members.
“What is it, Uncle?” Nina responded, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and attentiveness.
“Do you have any memories from when you were a child? Specifically, around the time you were six years old?” Duncan asked delicately, not wanting to alarm her but needing to probe for information.
Nina’s eyebrows knit together, puzzled by her uncle’s unusual line of questioning. Why would he bring up something that happened eleven years ago? “Well, my memories from that age are a bit hazy,” she admitted. “But I do remember a period of great upheaval. There was a lot of chaos among the adults—some said there had been a hazardous leak from a nearby factory. Others talked about some sort of mass hysteria happening on Lower Third Street. There were even rumors that parts of the upper city were affected. Most of what I know about that time, I’ve pieced together from accounts I heard later.”
“Did you ever hear about a fire?” Duncan asked, locking eyes with her as he carefully navigated emotionally turbulent waters. “A significant fire that I pulled you out from. Your parents… they didn’t make it out.”
Nina’s reaction was more vehement than Duncan had anticipated. “Fire? You’re saying you remember a massive fire from back then?”
“Yes, I clearly remember,” Duncan replied, a bit startled by Nina’s strong response. “Is it so odd that I recall a fire?”
“Actually, I remember a big fire too,” Nina blurted out, her tone tinged with agitated excitement. “But every time I brought it up with adults, they insisted I must have been confused or scared and fabricated the memory. They said there was no evidence or reason for a fire to have broken out in that area… As I got older, I even went through old newspaper archives to check.”
Nina’s voice trailed off as she shook her head in bewilderment. “But there was nothing. No mention of any fire whatsoever. The official records only speak of a chemical leak from a factory that supposedly led to mass hallucinations.”
Duncan looked at Nina, his mind racing. This was a revelation. It not only questioned the accuracy of their memories but also introduced a new mystery around the events of that time. What had really happened back then? And why were their recollections starkly contrasting the ‘official’ narrative? The gravity of this new information hung heavily between them, adding another enigma to the already complex tapestry of their lives.
Thanks for the chapter, as always!
Seemz like smth has a play here.