I was looking through some MOTHER related stuff and saw some artwork of the forgotten man that you find in Magicant. I was instantly reminded of Garry. So here's this.
Time wasn't something that could be measured in this realm, but Garry was certain that some amount of years had passed since he was banished here. Even though he somehow managed to live this long—if this was called living—his sanity suffered most of all. Ib was gone, and so was Mary for that matter. The only ones left were him, and the various works of art that lacked any sort of humanity. Nothing suitable for satisfying the loneliness that tormented his soul.
At least, that's what he had come to believe. No one had ever set foot into the gallery since those events. But when Garry stumbled upon a man dressed in blue, his curiosity boiled over. When did this man arrive and how long had he been here? In an act of desperation, Garry approached the man, and even though his footsteps were heavy, the man didn't seem to notice them at all... almost as if he was ignoring them.
"Hello?" Garry called out to him. He wasn't exactly sure what else to say. The lack of conversational partners had caused his people skills to become rather reclused. After a long, ear-deafening silence, Garry decided to speak again. "Who are you?"
The man didn't turn around. "I am a forgotten man. I'm not really here. You didn't have to notice me..."
There was a sort of bitterness in the man's words. His monotone voice was laced with a hint of annoyance. The man's negativity only pressed Garry on to further interact with him. If he was a forgotten man, like he claimed to be, then surely he'd like to have some company.
"But you are here," he responded matter-of-factly. He couldn't deny the very clear existence of the man before him. "And I'm very curious as to how you came to arrive here."
"Please ignore me. I am a man who does not exist." Again, the forgotten man spoke with the same tone, completely ignoring Garry's inquiry. He was beginning to grow a little frustrated, but still tried to encourage the man to at least look at him.
"I'm not going to ignore you. You're the first person I've seen in years," Garry explained, of course, he wasn't too sure if it really was years, but it sure felt like it.
"You talk so kindly, I don't know what to do." The forgotten man continued, still refusing to turn around. "If I miss people, I cannot live alone anymore."
To this, Garry quirked a brow at his unusual statement. It was like he wanted to live alone. Such a thought was unfathomable to the lavender-haired man. Ever since he had been abandoned in this hellish realm, all he wanted was to be reunited with the people he knew in the real world—especially Ib... his promise was long overdue, but better late than never, right?
"Why would you want to live al—" Garry's tongue stumbled over the last syllable when the forgotten man turned around, finally making eye contact. His expression was blank, and very much matched the tone of his voice.
"Why do you insist on talking to me? Are you a forgotten man, too?"
The question certainly caught Garry off guard, and he found himself thinking about how he should answer. How could one person be forgotten? Surely everyone is known to someone. The more he dwelled on it, it was possible that memories of certain people could very well be engulfed in the haze of great despair or great joy. But what of people that one cared deeply for? Could they be forgotten as well?
Did Ib remember who Garry was?
Garry never forgot. His sanity was questionable and his humanity unstable, but never could he forget about Ib and the promise he failed to keep. In fact, he often hallucinated she was really there, so no. Garry remembered every little thing about his brunette companion.
Yet, after all this time, Ib never came back. She never made any sort of attempt to look for him. There was no sign of her left, and as he mused to himself, Garry realized how clear it was. Ib had forgotten him...
"I.. guess I am," Garry responded, halfheartedly. His eyes left the forgotten man's and drifted to the floor. It was always in the back of his mind, that Ib had forgotten about him, but the realization was just now becoming clear.
"Don't give me that garbage," the forgotten man spat, turning his back on Garry. "Just leave me alone."
Garry stood still for a moment, dumbfound and unsure of what to do next. Ultimately, he decided to heed the man's request and walk away in silence. If he wanted to be alone so bad, then so be it.
Even after he had separated himself from the negative-mannered man, Garry still played the conversation over and over again in his mind. It still boggled his mind that someone would so desperately seek isolation like that. After Ib left, Garry wanted nothing more than some form of companionship. Why would anyone want to be alone like that? Unless the forgotten man had never encountered a single soul prior to running into Garry... but that couldn't be...
If he had never met anyone, then he had no one to miss and nothing to look forward to. No promises to make, no reunions to look forward to... nothing. From what he said, Garry could quickly determine that the forgotten man would quickly block out their interaction, for the sake of remaining alone like he wanted. Because if he remembered someone, that would stir a desire of reuniting.
It was a difficult concept to grasp, but Garry had felt nothing but an anguish in his heart, desperately hoping for Ib to return. His encounter with the forgotten man changed his view point, and he decided to take this way of living in a different direction. Perhaps if Garry forgot about everyone he ever knew—forgot about Ib—he could forget his troubles, and simply become a forgotten man himself.
It shouldn't be too hard. Ib had forgotten about him. People have the power to forget.