Georgie Corrigan. He had tried to put the name - his name - out of his mind long ago. It was associated with a bad time. A time from long ago which he did not care to remember. To remember was to admit to what had happened. And there was no way he was going to do that.
Georgie Corrigan joined the army so he could forget. He didn't want to remember the abuse his siblings had endured from the Stannings. He didn't want to remember how his brother Jimmy had looked when he found him dead. He tried to forget the small funeral he and his sister Kathy arranged - a funeral that doubled as a parting of ways for them. He didn't want to remember how nice the family that took Kathy away looked. Didn't want to remember that Jimmy never had that. He tried to forget that the Stannings were only sentenced to prison for four years. That was all they would pay for the death of a little boy.
Georgie Corrigan tried to forget that he had no family to go to. He tried to forget that since he was now of legal age, the police had decided not to find him a new foster home. He was determined to discard the memories of joining the army because he had nowhere else to go. He joined the army because he needed to take out his anger somewhere.
Georgie Corrigan deserted the army because it was too much, and at the same time not enough. The deaths of his comrades hit him like a spear to the chest. Every time he discovered one dead, it was Jimmy all over again. He would usually retreat, and when he returned to his tent, he would cry himself to sleep. Rumors spread rapidly about Georgie Corrigan. Rumors that he was a crybaby, a little girl. But these were not the only rumors. The Sergeants often were overheard telling the others about the soldiers Georgie Corrigan had killed. They said that when he killed, he seemed to have no humanity. His face was blank and expressionless. He usually would not even approach the body, but when he did, it was only to stand over it for a moment, before turning and walking away. There was no sympathy, and he had no problem killing.
Georgie Corrigan saw war as a game. Over time, the higher-ups began to worry about him. One Sergeant had come to him with his concerns, asking him what pleasure he took in killing, and reminding him that taking another human life is not something to be proud of. His reply: "If I kill those who have done me wrong, then it is justified. If the enemy has not done us wrong, then why are we fighting?"
Georgie Corrigan disappeared one day. He changed his name because he wanted to forget everything associated with it. He didn't care about being found by the army. Whatever they did to deserters if they were caught, he was willing to take. He didn't care much at this point. But in changing his name, he managed to escape anyway. Maybe for the better. Maybe not.
Georgie Corrigan was 22 when Mrs. Stanning was released from prison. Mr. Stanning had died. He read about it in the London paper the day it happened. He could almost hear Kathy's voice in his head, telling him to seek her out and talk to her. Just talk. Georgie Corrigan tried not to forget that. But he did.
Georgie Corrigan broke into Mrs. Stanning's apartment one afternoon. He held a gun to her head and told her he wanted to talk a little. Crying, she begged him to forget it. "The past means nothing now," she sobbed. "There's nothing you can do!"
Georgie Corrigan smiled. "But I can't forget. The past is everything, Mrs. Stanning." He unwrapped his pale scarf from his neck, walking around behind her. She looked up at him, evidently terrified, and he only twirled a lock of his hair around his finger. "There are so many things I can do, Mrs. Stanning. Things you wouldn't know I could do. I can fight back. I can defend myself. I can protect Kathy, and… And save Jimmy. No," his voice hardened. "I can avenge Jimmy."
Georgie Corrigan wrapped his scarf around Mrs. Stanning's neck and strangled her to death. No one was there to hear her screams. He felt no remorse as he put his scarf back on and took out his notebook, humming to himself. One note, left in the notebook which was subsequently abandoned, simply included two addresses. Another read, "Three Blind Mice". The last, pinned to the body, said, "This is the first".
Georgie Corrigan fled the scene as quickly as he could. For the first time in his life, he actually cared whether he was caught or not. This time, he had a task to complete. This time, he didn't want to forget.
But when he returned to his small secluded flat, Georgie Corrigan cried for a very long time.