Forget Me Not

Cam remembered hearing the whole story about how the new girl in Bluebell crashed her cart while on her way to the farm. The mayor of Bluebell, Rutger, and the mayor of Konohana, Ina, found the girl face first in the dirt by the mountains. Everyone found the story quite amusing after finding out that she was okay, but they never would've guessed that she would change their lives and the two towns forever.

It's been a few years since she arrived and she already brought the two towns back together and was very dear to all the villagers. Cam wondered why he was suddenly brought back to that moment.

But then he realized, he was having a sense of deja vu. It was because just this morning, the same girl crashed her cart again. The story traveled through both Bluebell and Konohana like wildfire. Except, the story had a different ending...

"What do you mean she's not waking up?!"

"Just give her some time..."

"She suffers from a concussion. There's a chance she could have some memory loss as well."

"She'll be out of the clinic in a few days, but we'll still have to keep a close eye on her until she fully recovers."

"What happened to her? Did anyone actually see her fall?"

"Please, Harvest Goddess, let her be okay!"

Everyone's reactions replayed in his head as he sat beside the unconscious girl's bed, holding a bouquet of get well flowers in his trembling hands. His head was down the entire time, hiding his face with his bangs. All the villagers visited her already, but Cam refused to leave her.

"Lillian..." He remembered mumbling her name under his breath. "It's my fault."

Finally, Dr. Ayame and Hiro convinced Cam to go back home and rest. Worrying and stressing over the situation might affect his health, after all. Cam gave her a week to rest up and he just continued on with his work in Bluebell like he usually did, except with a blank look in his eyes. He counted down the days until he could visit her again and she would be out of the clinic. When he walked into the clinic, he noticed the apprentice, Hiro, seemed slightly confused.

"What seems to be the matter, Cam?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering if Lillian is still here," Cam answered, not even bothering to meet eyes as he looked around and searched for her.

The young man placed a finger on his lower lip and his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "She left a few days ago. Did you not see her in Bluebell?"

In that moment, it felt like Cam's heart fell to his stomach. Wordlessly, he ran out the door of the clinic and through the tunnel back to Bluebell. He bumped into Ash and Cheryl, who surprisingly, looked just as shocked and confused as he did.

"Is she on the farm?" Cam demanded, and they already knew what he meant by it.

"No..." Cheryl answered, sniffling.

Ash's eyes met his friend's as he added, in a choppy rhythm and tone Cam wasn't familiar with, "Rutger just told us. Lillian didn't want any of us to know. She moved out yesterday... She doesn't live here anymore."

Cam couldn't accept reality. Cruel, cruel, reality. It was only now that he noticed how lost and empty he felt without her. He wouldn't get to see her every day or talk to her. He wouldn't get to tell her how much she means to him. He didn't even get to say good-bye or any final words to her. He wondered why everything had to change just because of one accident. What could have caused her to want to leave so suddenly? Where did she go and how would he bring her back?

It was like she was carried by a current again.

"It's my fault. It's my fault."

Cam felt his eyes sting, but he was never one to cry, especially in front of others. The pain and guilt swelling in his chest kept him silent and still. The only thing he could do was say her name to himself, as her name and his memories of her were the only things he had left.

"Lillian."

Like a fragile flower, swept away, without a single trace.

Gone.