A Momentary Memory
Prologue
The young girl turned about suddenly. She looked around at the deepening forest that surrounded her and came to a sudden and frightening realization: She was lost. Twirling around again, she searched every side of the clearing as though a trail of bread crumbs might suddenly appear to lead her back to the palace. The trees seemed impossibly tall, wide, and foreboding. The fact that evening was swiftly setting in did nothing to help ease the child's fear. Exhausted from running about in circles all day, she finally collapsed into a heap on the moist earthen floor, awash in complete hopelessness.
She thought momentarily of all the stories her brother and his friends had told her. They were always horrific tales about people becoming lost in the forest, or desert, or even out on the open sea. And in almost every story, the ending was one that left her battling nightmares every night for weeks to come. No, things usually didn't end well for those poor lost souls, and Tifa didn't really expect her story to end much differently. She was cold, tired, hungry, and it would be almost completely dark within a matter of minutes. In the distance she thought she heard a wolf cry out, and she closed her eyes to block out the offending sound.
Her brother was probably looking for her right now, she thought. Ever since their parents had passes away, Cloud had become more the protective older brother than ever. It pained Tifa deeply to think how her brother would feel upon hearing word of her death. Although she was only eight, she knew what loss was and what it could do to one's life. Sometimes she honestly believed that being the one left behind was a fate that couldn't compare to even the most gruesome demise.
Curling up slowly like a cat before the hearth, Tifa pushed those somber thoughts from her mind. Laying her head upon her arms, she closed her eyes with a soft resigned sigh. Just before she drifted off into a deep, exhaustive sleep, she wondered briefly if he would mourn for her as well...