the ones left behind

by saveclarkegriffin

have all but forgotten

And the ones left behind are

A boy of fifteen who long ago met a man who knew his story as well as he did, and saved him from the depths of a murky lake, taught him Led Zeppelin was cool, and disappeared.

And the ones left behind are

The sheriff of an old town with a skeleton or two in the closet, bodies buried in the yard outside the house she now resides in, and a failing memory of two boys fading into the distance.

And the ones left behind are

A young woman in a coffee shop, hacking into yet another video game, this time to change it into the story of two boys who fight monsters.

And the ones left behind are

A mother at her son's graduation, cheering from the crowd, who does not remember.

And the ones left behind are

A son working in a garage, not quite remembering why he loves cars so much or who taught him how to fix an engine.

And the ones left behind are the ones who have all but forgotten.

But maybe it's better that way.