Chapter Three: The People We Forget

Xinghe held up the bell. “If I help collect the melodies, will I learn the truth?” YES. YOU MAY ALSO LOSE THE PERSON YOU LOVE MOST. “I've already lost her.” Wanzhao spoke from behind him. “But she isn't the only person you love now.” Silence. She looked away first, the tips of her ears red. Xinghe did not press her. Together they established new rules: never provoke a nightmare; obtain consent before feeding; preserve memories in recordings, photographs, and writing. The first volunteer was Chen Du, a retired professor. After his wife, sick with cancer, died, he dreamed nightly that he pulled the plug on her ventilator. Recently he had begun forgetting her voice because the hospital nurses played “Don't Fear the Dawn” on repeat.