I don''t know how long I cried. Time had a weird sense of presence here. It felt like days, but it was also over in a moment.


    Curled up in a fetal position, my eyes felt like they''d been through a marathon of hay fever and fists.


    I blinked my eyes open and made to stand up, before realising I couldn''t see anything.


    That''s right, I''m not even sure I have eyes. I thought, a phantom feeling of glancing down at my body. I''m not even sure I have an.. anything.


    It wasn''t just the ''who'' I was struggling to keep track of in my situation, but ''when'', ''where'' and ''how'' all lacked any significant answers.


    Might as well add ''what'' to that list, too. Am I even human?


    All of my memories felt human. At least, the majority of my memories had a consistent personality behind them. They just felt so distant, and vague. Despite the strong sense of ownership over those memories, I couldn''t parse any actual details. It seemed like I wasn''t allowed to know who I really was. Maybe that was the point.


    It was moments like these it felt like I was supposed to reflect on the memory I''d just been through, short and sweet as it was. After getting swept up in the aftershocks of the experience, I seemed to get a grace period where I could actually think without penalty.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    That''s an odd thought. Penalties.


    Why was I here, just to suffer? I felt a dry chuckle escape my lips, though I''m not sure I heard any sound.


    Instead, I found myself pondering my own situation more and more. The recent memory was just too painful. What a horrible thing to give someone only to take it away. Punishment made the most sense, in that context.


    At the same time. Her arms were so warm. I paused.


    Apparently I wasn''t done crying just yet.


    Despite the overwhelming feeling of loss, it was strangely cathartic, crying over something I probably never had. I couldn''t remember another memory brimming with so much ... love.


    Wherever they are, I hope they''re still happy. They felt like they deserved as much.


    A growing sense of approval suffused the space around me, I wasn''t sure it came from me, but I couldn''t wipe the feeling of a smile from my face. Remembering the lovebirds and their contentment to while away their mornings.


    Slowly, the recent experience shifted from something I had had, and then lost, into something more like a piece of art. Viewing it gave me all of the same impressions, and was just as vivid, but I no longer felt directly involved. I could witness their love from the outside.


    The building sense of separation was bitter sweet.


    Who wouldn''t want something like that. I thought. But at least I know it isn''t something I''ve lost.


    All too soon a sense of tiredness overcame me, and my awareness was beginning to slip. Apparently I had learned what I was supposed to and was being made to move on.


    Hopefully no more memories of things I never had. I felt my awareness spike for a moment, as I desperately tried to recall where that feeling had come from. I felt so sure of the notion, I just had no idea why.


    As the nothingness took hold, I struggled to figure out if I could truly remember anything about myself. Whoever I was.