1st Puzzle | Text

[solvethepuzzle]

I realize there may be other matters of importance being dealt with, but does it disturb no one else that the world as a whole appears to have lost memory of the days between January 2nd and 5th? No one has spoken of it. [AKA, the kid with an eidetic memory is missing days in his mind and it's really bothering him. Also, way to not introduce yourself, Nathan. A+]

[Private to Lazarus]

[But Nathan does remember a few moments of that time, during which he had seen the number tattooed on Lazarus' hand. That at least has stayed in his mind properly.]

I do, however, remember one thing of January 2nd. The question is, do you remember anything of that day yourself?

Comments

[Text]

[scarlet_devil]

Actually, yes.

I've asked, but no one seems to know. Not one soul.

[Text]

[solvethepuzzle]

And there are no news reports documenting those days. Reports made on those days should still exist whether or not they are remembered afterward. But they do not.

[Text]

[scarlet_devil]

So we're left with more questions and no answers.

[Text]

[solvethepuzzle]

[Nowhere to even look for answers, it seems. That's even worse.]

So it seems. From what I've been able to gather, this is something that has not happened before. There are no references to it in the network backlog I've managed to go through. [Implying that yes, he's a new number on the network.] If something important happened during that time, not remembering it will be troublesome.

[Private Text]

[dead_black_eyes]

Nathan.

I didn't know if I'd see you again, but I do remember... something. A fragment, like a dream.

Where are you? Are you safe? We can talk more, but I want to ensure that you are not currently in a precarious situation.

[Even if it's one he's been dealing with for long enough that it's become Nathan's new normal.]

[Private Text]

[solvethepuzzle]

[He's relieved to hear that Lazarus remembers something, honestly. It would have been awkward to have to explain everything. He's . . . momentarily taken aback by just how much concern Lazarus is showing. People are rarely so concerned for him.]

I am home. And fine. You don't need to be this concerned for me. [Home isn't in a very good neighbourhood. But he's inside and safe as he ever is. That's all he can ask for.]

[Private Text]

[dead_black_eyes]

[People are rarely so concerned, but in the last odd year, Lazarus has come to care about a lot of things. At the heart of it are people like he remembers Nathan being; remarkable but frail, requiring a touch of gentleness or a guiding hand.]

Knowing what I need and don't need doesn't change how I feel. And just because it is a feeling doesn't make it any less important or valid.

Is your home a place I could come? Or do you live with someone who might object to me coming over?

[Private Text]

[solvethepuzzle]

[When you're not accustomed to such a thing, it's baffling, difficult to accept even if you want it.]

I live by myself. It's fine. [And what follows is an address, complete with apartment number.]

[charcoalfeather]

There's nothing much to say. Nobody knows how it happened, or really what happened.

[solvethepuzzle]

I would think something like that would be a cause for concern.

[charcoalfeather]

It is! But, no one knows anything about it or how bad it is.

so no one knows what to do.

1/2

[solvethepuzzle]

Normally, theories would at least be proposed. There has been nothing, unless it has been discussed off-network and I am therefore unaware of it. One would hope that there has been some effort put in.

2/2

[solvethepuzzle]

[... Immediately after he sends that, he's not sure he likes the way it sounded. So.]

I apologize if I've come off too harshly. I am merely rather unsettled by the situation.

Text;

[evowhisperer]

That's very strange. I'd assumed it had something to do with my own status as a Numbered, but it hadn't occurred to me that this might be a widespread occurrence.

Can you tell me what you remember? When do your memories stop and resume?

Text;

[solvethepuzzle]

[Nathan's red flag had come when he'd realized that there hadn't even been any news reports on events from these days. Since when does the news take breaks? A gap in his own memory is disturbing enough, but something on this scale is far more worrisome.]

I remember only a few moments of one day. Meeting with someone, fleeing a danger. The rest of that time period is blank.

Text;

[evowhisperer]

I remember a hazy encounter, but everything else is a gone. When did your memories stop and begin?

Have you ever experienced anything like this before?

Text;

[solvethepuzzle]

I do not even remember waking up on the second. Save for that window of a few moments, everything is a blank until I woke up on the sixth. I cannot give a more specific time. [He has no reason to be awake at midnight, after all. That would either require having friends or work that actually engages his mind. He has neither.]

I have never experienced blackouts. [His memory is extremely reliable, thank you. That's why this whole mess is frightening.]

[ursoreckless]

weird stuff is going to happen
even weirder stuff will happen
i won't be surprised if i was to find out this is all nothing more than a book written by an insane person in the middle of a horror game at this point

[solvethepuzzle]

[He's not sure if he should feel humbled or insulted.]

So I am aware. Regardless of that, or whether this may all be some demented story, we still live it. The memory of a whole world blanking out for a few days simply seems to be something of a strong thing to just brush off, despite previous strangeness.

[ursoreckless]

considering what has happened, it doesn't worry me that much
it could be the world trying to reset itself or some dumb stuff like

[solvethepuzzle]

Then I commend your calm.

[He honestly does. Nathan is a terribly anxious person and hardly even knows what being calm feels like in a normal life. This not knowing is going to bother him on one level or another for some time.]

[wastingtime]

All things considered, I almost think of it as a mercy for them.

[someone might have liked to forget a few things, himself.]

[solvethepuzzle]

Why would you say so?

[wastingtime]

They do not understand enough of what is going on - not yet.

To only have those fragments would sow chaos.

Eventually, they will know, and they will know in full...but to only know that, combined with everything else...

[solvethepuzzle]

[He has to frown thoughtfully at that. There's an undeniable weight to all of those words, a sadness that comes across even through the medium of text. But he doesn't know how to address it.]

I am frankly surprised that there has not been chaos from the lack of knowledge itself.