Memory Restoration

Lighting things on fire without magic was not uncommon. The people knew that friction, focused sunlight or even lightning can set things on fire. But the sight of a simple strip of aluminium connected to a crudely made fancy axle lighting a cotton ball on fire seemed like sorcery.

“What sorcery is this? A new spell?” Shannon eyed the flames out. Meanwhile, Minichi was glimmering with joy. “This is called electricity!” She almost sang with a contagious smile. We looked at the flame as if she were a proud sister.

“I’ll be back!” she dashed out of the workshop suddenly before Shannon could ask anything. She returned with a thin rectangular brick: black on one side and cerulean blue on the other side. She put an iron rod through a wooden plate and wound copper wires around it. She connected the coil to the generator and put her phone on it.

“Do you know any spells that can rotate it? Fast?” she pointed to the axle.

“Well there’s this spell that can..” He is as confused as ever.

“Nice. Can you do it at around two-hundred rotations per second? I need a high voltage for this to work.” she blurted out something Shannon had never heard of before.

“Okay… what’s volt..uhh?”

“Uhh voltage? Hmm…hmmm.. ” she put her palm on her cheek, “It’s like energy but not quite. But that’s now important. I’ll explain later. So, would you please?” she was grinning again. Shannon sat beside the axle and hovered his palm over it. It started to rotate with a soft purple glow. She pressed a button on the side of the brick. “It’s my phone,” she blurted out. “Phone?” Shannon got distracted. “Oh, sorry!”

“It has memories from my world” she wore a gentle expression.

Memories from another world? Will I be able to see it as well? Will this actually work? Shannon is suddenly very curious. “Welp, you just leave the rotation to me, Miss Minichi!”

Even after some time, nothing seemed to happen. Minichi couldn’t understand what’s wrong. She started moving it around slightly.

“Is something the matter?” Shannon asked. She didn’t reply.

Suddenly, something happened when she pressed the button again. The screen lit up; it was charging.

Minichi gasped. “Shannon. It worked. It worked. Shannon, it worked.” Minichi clapped and jumped like a child. “What what?” Shannon stopped to look. “Don’t stop Shannon! This is finally working. Keep going. Yatta!!” She was jumping and clapping her hands. “But Miss Minichi, would you tell me what you’re doing?”

“Hmm? This? This is my phone. It is from my world. The battery was dead when I woke up so I couldn’t use my phone at all. I have loads of beautiful pictures in my phone; pictures of my friends, my band, all sorts of stuff. I’m suberexcited to show ‘em you all.”

“I don’t think I follow but how long do I have to keep spinning it?”

“Ya yes, wait. Let me check.” She turned her phone on. The lockscreen showed the time left.

“Thirteen hours and eighteen minutes”

Thirteen hours and eighteen minutes? I have to keep spinning it for thirteen hours?

“But three hours should be fine for now. I’ll modify this later.” Minichi said.

“That’s better I think?” Shannon found himself in a situation he didn’t want to be in.

“Umm mm.” she swayed her head. “I’m sorry for troubling you. But you know, it is very special to me. Thank you again. I’ll make sure to pay you back for this, okay?”

“Uhh, okay I guess?” Shannon is so lost. “I hope she does pay me back, this is quite the work” he mentally sighed.

After 3 hours

“Yes, forty-percent. Should be fine.” Minichi picked up her phone. “Yes. Let me just unlock and... Camera, camera…” She was hyperactive from enthusiasm. “Finally it’s done.” Shannon stopped.

“Smile!” Minichi screamed, pointing the phone camera at Shannon. “Done. See!” she turned the screen towards him. “Look. This is you!”

“This.. how did this.. paint me so fast?”

“This is not a painting. It’s a photo. This camera can capture the light falling on it; like our retina.” Minichi showed him the camera system. “It stores that information and shows it as a photo. My world might not have magic but this is no less than that, what do you say?”

Shannon’s eyes were sparkling with curiosity. A device from another world that can paint pictures in seconds. That must be so convenient. You don’t have to pose for extended hours, you can capture exact moments, clouds, birds, animals. You can even draw an artist's impression of criminals in seconds. This must be so convenient for them. “Can you make these yourself, Miss Minichi?”

“What? No. These are made in large factories with huge machines. I mean if I..” she was interrupted.

“Minichi, there you are. Oh what’s that?” Mobi came looking for her.

“Mobi Mobi, look. My phone!” She ran to him. “I’ll take a picture of you too.” She pointed the camera at him and clicked. “See.” She showed him his picture. “How did this…”

“Ask Shannon, he’ll explain. I have to show others too!” She ran away.

“Saito? Lilith? Cicilia? Where are you all?” She went back to her room while looking for them. “Saito. There you are. C’mere Saito. I have something awesome to show you… Now, smile!”

“Do you have pictures of other people too?” he asked.

“Yes, yes. Pictures of a lot of people. Sit here.” She opened the gallery app. In the second row, there’s that picture, a selfie taken in the car. “Ms. Telly, look here” she had said.

“Who are these?” Saito asked. Minichi felt like she got sucked into the picture for a moment.

“These are my friends. She’s Rimi and she’s Hataki.” she pointed. “And she’s Ms. Telly. She was like a mother to us.” She paused. “They were my family. I miss them so much.”

“Big sis, why are you crying?” Saito looked at her face.

“Huh? No? What are you saying, Saito? I am not crying.” she says while wiping her tears.

“Saito, have you woken up yet?” Cicilia entered the room. “Ah Minichi? What happened? Why are you crying? Oh!” she came running to her and found Minichi and Saito looking at the photo. “Is this a painting? Are they your friends?” she bent down to look.

“This is not a painting”, she wept, “and yes these are my friends.”

“Oh poor girl. It will be alright.” Cicilia sat down beside her and gave her a hug, “Don’t cry, sweetheart!”

“Yes,” she gulped, “I think I should take a walk. I will show you more later, okay?” she patted Saito’s head.

In a club, an elf had put up a performance for his friends. “Gentlemen, here’s a good one. A young lady walks into a bar…” Before he could continue, the door opened. A young lady with stark black hair enters the bar. Everyone turns around to look at her. “What?” the girl asks. “Woohooo, a live demonstration!” Someone shouted and everyone stared at him. “Watch it! She doesn’t seem to be having a good time.” It lasted a few seconds but everyone got back to what they were doing. That girl was Minichi.

She went to the counter and asked for a beer. The bartender served her a glass and asked if something was the matter. She swayed her head. “But it looks like you just wept a lot, dear?” he asks.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. Gimme a beer” Minichi smiled and sat at the counter. Next to her, she could hear two women chatting.

“Are you listening? Why did you get so stiff all of a sudden?” the woman sitting further from her asked her friend.

“Huh? No, I’m fine. Stiff? No. Not at all? What were we talking about again?”

“Well, you mentioned that energy was the primary bottleneck for transportation magic and that external energy input can help teleport heavier objects even farther.”

Minichi was suddenly hooked. She found herself sitting so close to a potential solution. The excitement consumed her so much that she forgot she was weeping. She immediately turned to them. “Excuse me. Were you discussing teleportation magic?”

“Hmm? Yes. Do you also work on it, miss?” the first lady asked. Her friend was the nervous one.

“I won’t say I know about it but I want to listen. Would you mind if I join?” Minichi pulled her chair towards them.

“Yeah sure. You don’t mind. Right, Marnie?” she asked her nervous friend. But she was already hyperventilating.

“Huh? What? Yes, sure. It would be incredible, right?” she blurted.

“Incredible might be too high praise for me.” Minichi shied.

“No no, I really mean it. Do you want a drink? Waiter!” Marnie shouted.

“It’s fine. You don’t have…” Marnie breathed heavily and collapsed before Minichi could finish.