Never Forget

Donna stared out the window of her living room at the garden. She felt an intense sadness pour over her for no reason. That happened sometimes, mainly when she was alone or late at night when she lay awake listening to the slow, rhythmic breathing of her husband beside her.

Shawn passed by the window and waved at her. Donna forced a smile for him and waved back, but the minute he was out of sight the smile crept off her face unnoticed.

The day lilies on the windowsill had just been watered. The droplets of clear liquid glistened in the sunlight as they rolled off the petals and dripped onto the soil.

"Day lilies. They're said to represent forgetfulness." A voice ran through her head. A man's voice. Donna was sure she's never heard it anywhere before, and yet… it seemed so familiar. She snapped out of it as she heard the door open. She told herself it was one of those subconscious things. Shawn came into the living room saying he had something for her and she forgot about the incident entirely.

"Hello, Donna. This is a dream."
"I know it's a dream. I'm sleeping."
"I miss you, Donna."
"I miss you too. Who are you?"
"A friend."
"Do you have a name?"
"Everyone does."
"What is it?"
"It would kill you, Donna."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Oi! Don't get all mysterious with me. You're my dream!"
"Yes, I suppose I am."
"Well… you said you were!"
"I said I was a dream, not your dream."
"Oh."
"I was real once."
"And why aren't you now?"
"Day lilies, Donna."
"What about them?"
"They'll make you forget."
"Forget what?"
"Water the lilies, Donna. Don't be sad."

Donna stumbled out of bed the next morning feeling more exhausted than she had when she'd gone to sleep. It was because of her dream.

"Hello, beautiful." Shawn kissed her and she kissed him back. "How'd you sleep?"

"I had a strange dream."

"What was it about, love?"

"I… I can't remember. I forget…" she trailed off.

"Well that's often the case with dreams."

"Good point. I think I'll take a day off work today. I'm exhausted."

Shawn frowned and instantly turned into an over-protective husband, leading his wife to the couch, tucking her in and making her tea.

"Now you just take it easy. I'll call your office and tell them you won't be in today."

Donna smiled the sweet smile that only him and her grandfather could coax out of her. "Thank you, my love. Have a nice day! I love you!" she called after him as he left the house.

"I love you too!" she heard him say back.

Donna settled back and watched him walk down the small garden path to the blue car in the driveway. She really did love him, but she still felt like something in her life was missing. Like there was a hole in her heart that could only be filled with the thing she had lost. But she didn't know what she'd lost: if she did it would be much easier to find it.

Her eyes swept across the garden and stopped on the day lilies in the box on the windowsill. They were Shawn's favorite flowers, but she'd never really liked their strangely shaped petals with crumpled edges.

"Forgetfulness…" she whispered. She got up and walked over to the window. "Day lilies are for forgetfulness. That's what they're said to represent," she explained to the quiet, empty house. She touched the soil lightly, and finding it slightly dry – the flowers having not been watered yet –, she went to fill a watering can. She had never been one for gardening and didn't know why she was doing this, but she hummed a little tune while waiting for the can to fill up. She stopped suddenly. Where did she know that tune from? She didn't just make it up… did she? It was a sad tune, one that, if sung by the right voice, could force tears from even the toughest warrior.

"Shhh, Donna. It's fine. You're safe."

Donna jumped. "Who said that?" she asked the air.

"Calm down."

She frowned. Where did she know that voice from? A memory slowly struggled its way to the top of her mind and burst through the surface.

"Day lilies."

It was the voice from yesterday.

"Day lilies."

It was the voice from her dream.

"Day lilies."

It was John Smith's voice. The man who had been visiting when she woke up the day after there were supposedly planets in the sky four years ago.

But why him? She remembered his messy brown hair and his chocolate eyes and his kind but worried smile. He'd only introduced himself. How could she hear him saying all these words? She didn't even know how he pronounced them!

She looked down and noticed that she was still holding the watering can and the water was still flowing. She shut off the tap and went to the window, as if in a trance, then she doused the flowers in water.

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw movement in the garden, but when she looked again there was nothing.

Nothing but the dirt and the flowers and the leaves.

In a blue box somewhere out there, a sad man sat in a greenhouse and watered his plants. When he came to the day lilies, he whispered, "I miss you, Donna. Be happy."

Then he sat down the watering can, having finished, and wandered back to the control room.

It was time to pay the Ponds another visit.