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“Now we are stuck here. Two cozy lovers beneath a clear blue sky after a rainfall. We should be at the movies right now with some popcorn and ice cream. If only I could just remember where I dropped those damn tickets.” Dere smacked his forehead lightly. He was mad at himself for misplacing their movie tickets. It was supposed to be a fun weekend packed with adventure. First, it was the rain, and now the tickets.
“Dere! It is fine. We can go some other time. Besides, this isn't all that bad. I'm starting to love it like my grandma did after it rains. Do you smell the sand? I can almost taste it as I draw in the cool fresh air.” Lara propelled her legs forward as she let her body go on the swing.
“You want to know what's sad? What is sad is wanting another taste of her muffins and not being able to make one. I would give anything in the world to just have a taste one more time.” Lara slowed down on the swing. Sadness slowly filled her brown eyes. “Last night, I was missing Grandma Willow so much. I came down to make her favorite recipe but I just couldn't. She had taught me that recipe over and over again like a song but I'm ashamed to say that I do not remember a thing.” Lara was sobbing now.
Dere got off his swing and held Lara’s hand. He then cupped her face in his wide palm. Lara felt like a child. He squinted and muttered, “Now that is sad.”
Lara playfully struck him on the belly with her knee. Dere had succeeded in putting a giggle on her face.
“You know, it has been two years since Grandma passed but it still feels like yesterday. Right here in this garden, she would tell me tales. Tales that made me laugh. She had a very different approach to life. Sometimes she was all up in her head too.” Lara began to smile. “Now that I think about it with the muffins and all, Grandma had a lot to say about memories. She would often say, “Lara, memories are like paths to a place forgotten in time. If you do not walk the path often, it gets lost forever. However, you can follow the prints of the bunny if you wish to remember.”
Lara and Dere exchanged glances. “Just let it out already,” Lara rolled her eyes. Dere then let out a huge outburst of laughter. He had been holding it in all the while Lara was speaking.
“Your grandma was really all up in her head.” He chuckled some more. Here went back to his swing and an episode of silence ensued. The cool breeze was soothing and Dere began to smell the sand too. The sound of crickets and birds singing began to consume the air. Dere thought that the atmosphere had slightly changed. He thought he saw something twinkle in the foliage. Then came a fluffy white bunny hopping around the garden looking for some carrots. It had an unusually large size.
“Oh oh! Here comes our bunny Lara.” Dere teased. He was now making jest. As the bunny hopped, Dere noticed that it left little bright yellow footprints on the sand. “What was that little tale of your grandma’s again?” he got off the swing and began to follow the footprints. “Come on Lara. Let's follow it. I see a pattern.” The bunny was now stepping on a straight path as though he was creating a passage.
“What are you doing? Are those footprints?” Lara was startled at first. Then she also got off the swing and began to follow behind Dere. Curious, Lara placed her foot on one of the footprints, and Instantly she felt herself elevated. A thrill surged through her. Imprint by imprint, she began to follow the path left by the bunny. With every step she took, the prints gave off a white glow.
Lara took the lead while Dere followed. As they moved further into the garden the foliage began to change from fresh bright green to withering pale gray. The earthy smell of the sand was replaced by the smell of old wood. The singing and chirping of birds had stopped and bellowing filled the air.
“Okay, what is happening and where are we right now? Is it me or did that bunny just get really huge?” Dere blurted out. “We were just in your garden a minute ago.”
“Welcome to Memory Lane. A place forgotten in time.” The bunny, now triple in size, turned back to speak. He then pointed toward a huge old wooden house that looked extinct and abandoned.
“There is no way that bunny just spoke to us right now.” Lara’s eyes were wide open now.
“Listen, I do not have time for the little acts of shocks and surprises. If you are here in memory lane right now, then you deserve a chance at recovering one precious memory. Don't ruin it. Now follow me.” The bunny continued.
Like robots, Dere and Lara followed the bunny without any more questions. Soon they found themselves inside the house. In front of them were these tiny round globes with moving images on them arranged on massive shelves that reached the ceiling. Some of which twitched like an old television without a signal. They saw hundreds of bunnies carrying crates of these globes and placing them on shelves. Others were being taken down and carried away. Their images seemed to be fading away.
“Those are forgotten memories that will never be remembered again,” the bunny said. He brought Lara to a shelf that had her name inscribed on the top. Lara was short of words. There was a series of globes with images of her memories playing before her eyes. Right from her days playing in the sand as a child to as early as minutes ago. She found several globes with memories of her grandma singing and dancing. Lara didn't realize she was crying already. She stretched her hand to pick one of the globes.
“Wait. You can only recover one memory so choose wisely,” the bunny said.
Lara remembered the muffin recipe and how badly she wanted to taste it again. However, the memory of her grandma singing and dancing was one she wanted to keep forever. She then closed her eyes and went for the globe. As she held it in her hand, the image slowly turned into ashes that disappeared.
“Lara, This is some sort of warehouse for memories. I found all of the memories I thought I had forgotten right here. I even found the tickets. I forgot it in my coat last night.” Dere peeked from a shelf behind. The globe he held slowly withered away too.
“It's time for you to leave now. You have had your chances.” The bunny announced and with a wink of its eye, Lara and Dere found themselves back on the swing in her garden. In front of them was the white bunny in the foliage. The bunny looked at them and winked.
“I'd rather keep grandma's memories forever,” she muttered as she closed her eyes revisiting the memory she had just recovered. “Wait! The song! It's the recipe.” Lara opened her eyes. She was full of joy and excitement.
Well, now we can enjoy our movie over Grandma Willows's favorite recipe. I can't wait to taste it.” Dere smiled at Lara.