The Eraser In My Brain Moved And My Sister Disappeared Chapter 08
Mom’s expression froze instantly.Â
Her mouth hung open, but no sound came out.Â
She only stared at Dad blankly, as if she had not understood what he had said.Â
“Did you forget about her illness?”Â
Dad’s voice was very quiet, but every word hit like a hammer.Â
“She remembered the comedy sketch from the New Year’s Eve countdown special. Maybe she remembered what she had for lunch yesterday. But could there have been a moment when sheÂ
suddenly forgot where home was?”Â
“Could she have forgotten how to stand up from that hollow and walk back along the road she hadÂ
known her whole life?”Â
Dad’s gaze moved past Mom and toward theÂ
figure lying in the bedroom, the one who would (Â
never answer again.Â
“It wasn’t that she wouldn’t come home. MaybeÂ
she couldn’t.”Â
Dad’s eyes reddened.Â
I raised my hand, wanting to wipe away the tearsÂ
at the corners of his eyes, but I could not doÂ
anything.Â
In all my life, I had only seen Dad cry twice.Â
Once was when I was diagnosed with my memoryÂ
disorder.Â
The other was when Sunny was born.Â
“She was alone in the dark, snowy field. She hadÂ
forgotten everything and didn’t know where to go.”Â
“She was cold, so cold that she startedÂ
hallucinating, and then she took off her clothes.Â
How scared must she have been at the end?”Â
Dad choked on the words and could not go on. HeÂ
covered his face with his hand.Â
Mom looked as if all the bones had been pulledÂ
out of her body. She slid down along theÂ
doorframe and collapsed onto the floor.Â
She stopped screaming.Â
She stopped arguing.Â
“That’s right. She forgot. So that was it. She hadÂ
forgotten.”Â
“I knew my baby girl wouldn’t fail to find her wayÂ
home. She had only forgotten.”Â
The older officer and the younger officer exchanged a look and sighed softly.Â
“Based on the evidence and our current analysis, accidental death from hypothermia is the most likely conclusion. Of course, if you still haveÂ
concerns, you can request a further autopsy.”Â
No one answered.Â
The younger officer seemed to want to say something else, but the older officer stopped himÂ
with a look.Â
In the end, he only said, “I’m sorry for your loss.”Â
Then he quietly explained a few follow–upÂ
procedures, and the two officers left in silence.Â
The house fell back into dead silence.Â
At some point, Sunny had woken up. She stood in the bedroom doorway, holding the broken doll inÂ
her arms.Â
She slowly walked over and gently set the rag doll she could not fix beside Mom’s leg.Â
Then she reached out with her small hand andÂ
touched the tears on Mom’s face with her coldÂ
fingers.Â
Mom’s whole body shuddered.Â
Then she lowered her head to look at the dollÂ
beside her leg, then looked at Sunny’s little face.Â
She reached out as if she wanted to touch Sunny’sÂ
head, but her arm seemed too heavy to lift.Â
In the end, that hand fell weakly and landed on theÂ
broken doll.Â
“I’m sorry, baby girl.”

