After the Eraser Erased Me, My Parents Went Mad with Regret

On New Year's Eve, my little sister, Joy, begged me to play hide-and-seek. The moment I covered my eyes and counted to thirty, the eraser in my brain moved again. I stood frozen in place for a few seconds. Then, I turned around, went back inside, and started watching TV. An hour later, my mom knelt in front of me. "Elena, where is Joy?" Joy? I blinked. "I don't have a sister, do I?" My mom's expression shattered instantly. Everyone abandoned the New Year's Eve feast and rushed out into the heavy snow. But they couldn't find Joy anywhere. My mom raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face, her eyes bloodshot. "Did I not tell you to watch her? To stay by her side and not leave her for a single second?" "Where is she now?! Which way did she go? Tell me!" She shoved me hard, and I fell onto the freezing, snowy ground. "Why couldn't it be you who got lost, you idiot! You don't remember anything anyway!" "This time you forgot your sister. What's next? Forgetting your father and me?!" My mom wanted to rush at me and hit me again, but my dad held her back. They wouldn't stop crying. I felt so bad, too. Yeah... Why wasn't it me, the stupid one, who got lost? My dad tightly grabbed my mom's hand, stopping it just inches from my cheek. "Enough!" My dad's voice was hoarse. "She's sick, Clara. She's sick, don't you get it?" "It's because she's sick that I told her not to take Joy out of the house!" My mom wrenched her hand free, but she didn't come any closer to me. She just stared at me with those bloodshot, furious eyes. "She is only four years old... It's freezing and snowing like crazy. Where could she have gone?!" Four years old? I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. There was absolutely nothing in my mind. Except for the cartoon that had just replayed on the TV, and the snowflakes dancing in the wind. Hearing the noise, the neighbors started gather around. "Let's look again. A kid can't run too far. Maybe she went to a friend's house?" My dad pulled my mom up. "What are you doing sitting here? Get up and help look! You can't talk sense into her anyway!" My mom's eyes cleared for a second. "Right! I need to find my Joy..." Without looking at me again, she grabbed a flashlight and rushed outside. The crowd of neighbors followed, shouting my sister's name. I stood alone in the dark, my mind completely blank. "Joy... isn't Joy my name?" My memory drifted back to when I was three. Back then, my mom and dad used to call me Joy, too. "Elena! What are you standing there for? Get moving and help find your sister!" Elena. Why did my name change again? Whatever. I couldn't figure it out, so I stopped trying. Just as I stood up, I heard shouts in the distance. "We found her! Joy is here!" Everyone rushed toward the Old Oak Tree at the edge of town, where there was a shallow pit partially covered by snow. My sister was inside. Her face was purple, and her hair was frosted with icicles. My mom let out a agonizing scream and threw herself over her. "Joy... My baby, Joy!" As if sensing something, my sister opened her eyes. But she looked straight past our mother and stared at me. "Elena... why didn't you come find me?" She started to cry. "You promised you'd come find me when you counted to thirty. I hid so well. I was waiting for you the whole time..." My mom snapped her head around to glare at me. Then, she gently set my sister down and walked over. Slap! The blow landed anyway. My left ear rang instantly. "Are you happy now?" My mom's voice trembled with pure rage. "Are you happy seeing her almost freeze to death?" "How did I give birth to a monster like you?" "This disease... this goddamn disease! It makes you forget your sister, forget us. Are you going to forget who you are next?!" Her tears finally spilled over. "Or... did you do this on purpose? Pretending to forget, just to leave her to die in the freezing snow?" "Enough." My dad finally spoke, but he only wrapped Joy tighter in his coat. "Let's get Joy inside to warm up. The ambulance is almost here." No one stood up for me. I didn't even know how to defend myself. It was my fault, after all. My mom gave me a hateful look. "You stay right here. Feel exactly how cold and terrified your sister was just now!" They turned and walked away. Seeing this, the neighbors didn't know what to say and headed back to their own homes.The snow fell heavier and heavier. I slowly crouched down, curling into the shallow pit just like my sister had done. The icy snow instantly soaked through my clothes. So, this was how cold it was. I deserved this. How could I have forgotten something so important? But I was just sick. The doctor said it was a rare, progressive memory disorder. It was like something was slowly eating away at the hippocampus in my brain. New memories couldn't stay, and old memories were disappearing one by one. My mom called it an eraser. But I didn't know why there was an eraser in my head. I only knew that I could remember something in the morning, but by noon, it would be gone. My mom said I was an idiot. Maybe I was. The sky grew darker. In the distance, the town lights flickered on, and I could hear occasional festive poppers. It was time to go home. I tried to move my stiff legs. But the moment I stood up, that familiar, empty feeling washed over me again. I blinked, looking around. The trees were white. The road was white. I turned around, then turned back. What... what was I supposed to do just now? Go home. Right, go home. But where... where was my home? My heart suddenly raced. I pressed my hand against my chest, gasping for air. Think. Today is New Year's Eve. My sister wanted to play hide-and-seek. Then my mom slapped me... And then what? I couldn't remember. Whatever. I'll just wait here. They will realize I haven't come home, and they will come find me. Just like they found my sister. I hugged my knees in the pit, counting the distant fireworks. One, two... by the time I reached seventeen, I forgot what came before. Finally, the midnight bells began to chime. Fireworks exploded in the sky, lighting up the entire world. It was so beautiful. On past holidays, my dad would light sparklers for me and tell me to make a wish. But what did I wish for? I forgot that, too. I curled myself tighter. I knew I was supposed to be freezing, but suddenly, I felt incredibly hot. I took off my coat, then my sweater. But the heat was unbearable. By the time I was down to just my T-shirt, I felt like I was floating. With another blink, I was back home. The cartoons were still playing on the TV. My mom was sitting on the couch, holding my sister, feeding her warm milk from a spoon. "Good girl, Joy. Take another sip. It'll warm you up." My sister's cheeks had regained their color. Wrapped in a thick blanket, only her eyes were showing. "Where is Elena?" my sister suddenly asked. My mom's hand paused. "Don't talk about her." "But she isn't back yet..." "She deserves it! Let her feel what it's like to freeze in the snow. She's old enough to know better, yet she can't even look after her own sister." I wanted to walk over and say I was sorry, but I floated right through the coffee table. I froze. "Elena isn't back yet," my dad said, standing by the window, looking out. "The snow is getting really heavy..." "Now you're worried?" My mom didn't even look up. "What if something really happened to Joy today? Huh? What would we have done?" My dad remained silent. "She did it on purpose! She's jealous of her sister, so she pretended to forget! That disease... who knows if it's even real? The doctor said they'd never seen such a strange case..." "The doctor said it was a physical brain lesion," my dad whispered. "A brain lesion that only makes her forget her sister but nothing else? She remembers to watch TV, but forgets to look for her sister?" My mom's voice rose sharply. "She just hates us for having a second child! She hates that we gave our love to Joy!" Frightened, my sister shrank back into our mom's arms. My mom instantly softened her voice, patting her back. "Shh, don't be scared. Mommy isn't mad at you... My sweet Joy..." My dad stood there for a long time before finally turning away from the window. "When she gets back, I need to have a serious talk with her." "Talk about what? How she almost killed her sister?" My mom scoffed. "If you ask me, we should just put her in a care home. She can't remember anything anyway. What difference does it make where she lives?" My dad didn't answer. I stood beside them and opened my mouth. "I..." No sound came out. I reached out to touch my mom's shoulder, but my hand passed straight through her body. Ah. I was dead. Well, that was fine. This way, I wouldn't have to forget anything ever again.My dad sat up all night, but I never returned. My mom walked out of the bedroom. "That brat isn't back yet?" My dad sat at the table, smoking a cigarette. "I asked the neighbors this morning. No one has seen her." "She's definitely hiding somewhere to throw a tantrum," my mom said, throwing down the dirty laundry. "Isn't that her favorite trick? Whenever she messes up, she plays the memory-loss card so we'll feel bad for her." "She almost killed Joy this time, and she's still playing games? Just wait till she gets back. I'll teach her a lesson she won't forget!" My sister was playing with blocks on a stool. She looked up. "Mommy, don't hit Elena." "Joy, sweetheart," my mom immediately said softly. "Your sister made a huge mistake. She almost let you freeze to death. She has to be punished when she does something wrong, okay?" My sister nodded half-understandingly and went back to her blocks. My dad sighed and put out his cigarette. "The town is only so big. Where could she run? She probably felt sorry for herself and crashed at some neighbor's place last night." Before he could finish, Mrs. Gable's loud voice echoed from the front yard. "Arthur! We need to gather at the Old Oak Tree for the New Year's Town Blessing!" My dad stood up. "Everyone has to be there for the town blessing. When she shows up, I'll make sure she learns her lesson!" My mom untied her apron, then noticed a half-sewn ragdoll on the couch. It was my doll. My mom had made it for me. A few days ago, my sister had ripped its arm off, and the stuffing was spilling out. My mom had promised she would fix it for me. But the next second, my mom marched over and ripped it apart with both hands. Rip. The fragile fabric tore completely open. The cotton stuffing spilled out all over the floor. My entire soul trembled. I wanted to stop her, but my body passed right through. Right. I was dead. I could only stand there, watching my mom throw the ruined fabric into the trash can. "How old is she, still playing with this childish junk? All she does is play dumb, putting this doll above her own sister!" The doll's button eye fell onto the floor, rolled a few times, and stopped near my sister's foot. My sister picked it up and squeezed it in her small palm. "Let's go," my dad said, walking toward the door. "She might already be hanging around the Old Oak Tree to watch the ceremony." "Good! We cannot let her off easy this time. Doesn't she love forgetting things? I'll hit her until she can't forget this lesson for the rest of her life!" They locked the door and walked toward the town square, holding my sister's hand. "Elena isn't back yet?" a neighbor asked on the way. "She's completely spoiled!" my mom complained immediately. "Just because we scolded her a bit yesterday, she ran off and stayed out all night! She's a teenager now, but she has absolutely no sense of responsibility!" "You have no idea. That illness of hers... who knows if it's real? She forgets what she should remember, but remembers the things she shouldn't." "Last time I scolded her, she forgot about it a second later and asked me what was for dinner with a smile. Can you believe how frustrating that is?" "Well, the girl is sick. You should be more patient..." "Patient?" My mom's voice rose. "If we're any more patient, she'll walk all over us! She has to learn her lesson this time!" I followed quietly behind my mom, my tears falling silently. So, this was what my mom really thought of me. A crowd had already gathered under the Old Oak Tree. Red ribbons were tied to the branches. An altar was set up, and incense and candles were smoking lightly in the morning light. My mom's eyes searched through the crowd, her face growing darker by the second. "Why isn't she here?" "Maybe she's too scared to show up. We'll search house by house after the ceremony. I don't believe she could have vanished into thin air." I blinked. Mom, Dad... I'm right here, in the pit behind this Old Oak Tree.The New Year's Town Blessing began. The town mayor read the blessings, and people stepped forward to light candles. My mom bowed half-heartedly, her mind elsewhere. When the town ceremonial poppers were brought out to the center of the square, stretching a long red line across the snow, and someone was about to light them— "Wait!" my mom suddenly shouted. Everyone looked at her. "My Elena isn't here yet," she said, her voice sounding a bit dry. "For such a big town event, our whole family needs to be here." I narrowed my eyes. My mom still cared about me after all. "Maybe she's watching from nearby? Let's start first, we don't want to miss the blessed hour." "But..." "Mommy." My sister suddenly tugged at her coat, pointing her other hand toward the shallow pit partially covered by snow nearby. "Was Elena... there yesterday?" My mom looked in the direction she was pointing. There seemed to be something at the bottom of the pit. My dad saw it, too. Frowning, he walked over and brushed away the thin layer of snow. It was my sweater and coat from last night. They were frozen solid. My dad's hand froze in mid-air, and my mom walked over, too. She stared at the pile of clothes for a few seconds, then suddenly looked around. The vast, snowy field was empty. My sister squeezed the button eye in her hand and whispered, "Elena took off her clothes... isn't she cold?" My dad picked up the sweater, standing completely still. "What does this brat mean by leaving her clothes here? Is she trying to play the victim to make us feel guilty?" My mom snatched the sweater from his hands and shook it. Ice crystals showered down. "She thinks if she leaves her clothes here, we'll get worried and search the whole world for her? In her dreams! Even if she freezes, she brought it on herself! So childish!" But my dad's face had gone pale. "Did she... spend the whole night here last night?" My mom froze for a split second, then threw the sweater to the ground with even more force. "A guilt trip! This is definitely a guilt trip! She just wants us to worry, to make us regret yelling at her yesterday! I bet she's hiding in some neighbor's warm house right now, laughing at us!" My sister let go of my mom's hand, ran to the edge of the pit, and started digging like our dad. Suddenly, she pulled something small out of the snow. It was my hair tie. My sister placed the hair tie and the button eye together on her tiny, frozen hand. She looked up at her mother, then at her father. "Elena's." My mom snatched the hair tie away, her knuckles turning white. The neighbors noticed something was wrong and gathered around. "The girl left her clothes here, and she's missing? She didn't come home last night?" "It's freezing. Where could she go in just a T-shirt? Could she..." "Don't talk nonsense!" my mom interrupted sharply. "What could happen to her! She did this on purpose!" But I could see her hands shaking violently. Without a word, my dad began searching around the Old Oak Tree. Sensing something was terribly wrong, the neighbors joined in. My mom held my sister in her arms, and my sister whispered to her, "Is Elena hiding, too? Like I did yesterday, hiding in that pit." My mom heard her. She froze, her gaze slowly dropping to the pit. "Elena... don't play with me. If I find out you're lying, I will seriously beat you!" Even though she said that, she let go of my sister and took a slow step toward the pit. Then, she began to dig with her bare hands. "If you're playing a trick on us, I'll disown you! I'll make sure you forget us forever..." Before she could finish, a patch of pink fabric appeared. Then... my face.