╔═══════════════════════════════╦════════════╦═══════════════════════════════════╗ ╔═════╗ ║ To the Office of Mr. Remember ║ 2025 08 03 ║ Fiction, Strange, Wacky Adventure ║ ║ <<< ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════╩════════════╩═══════════════════════════════════╝ ╚═════╝ ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ Another quiet day in the office for Mr. Randall "Remember" Clyde. The time is 2002 May 13 06:42. He wonders why nobody has ║ ║ visited for the past couple of years. It's been quiet, and business has been very, very slow. He finds an old Newton's cradle ║ ║ and pulls back on one of the beads, then listens to the rhythmic clacking of the metal spheres. ║ ║ ║ ║ After a minute he gets up and opens a filing cabinet. He sifts through the files, so numerous the files don't seem to ║ ║ realistically fit in the cabinet. He takes one out and heads back to his seat and reads. ║ ║ ║ ║ *** ║ ║ ║ ║ Drinking a cup of coffee, Brandon stands just outside a shop next to a busy street. ║ ║ ║ ║ The downtown is loud with horns and as dirty with litter as ever. Brandon doesn't mind, as last night he saw someone giving a ║ ║ talk on a news station emphasizing the beauty of the dirty streets, and how they give off a warm feeling of culture or ║ ║ something like that. Whatever that meant, someone liked the trash. ║ ║ ║ ║ Brandon heard rumors about a weird guy who has the leverage over everyone in the city. An acquaintance he ran into the other ║ ║ day said he'd go visit him. He told Brandon that it's hard to reach his office. He said that anyone who looks for "Mr. ║ ║ Remember" should better keep their eyes peeled for people who want to thwart their schemes. He told Brandon that he'd wait for ║ ║ him at the coffee shop after he's found him. Brandon hasn't heard back from that acquaintance ever since. ║ ║ ║ ║ With his curiosity of who this Mr. Remember character was, and with nothing better to do, Brandon decides he can have a go at ║ ║ looking for the man's office. ║ ║ ║ ║ Brandon finishes his cup and throws it away. He starts walking down the street. Knowing absolutely nothing about where to go, ║ ║ he enters a bus conveniently stopped at the same time his idea came to be. He takes a seat next to a man reading a newspaper ║ ║ up to his face and wearing dark shades. ║ ║ ║ ║ The newspaper guy puts his paper down and turns his head to Brandon, "Lookin' for somethin' kid?" ║ ║ ║ ║ Confused, as he was just minding his own business, Brandon responds, "Yeah. I guess you can say that." ║ ║ ║ ║ "Lookin' for somethin' ya don't know about findin'?" ║ ║ ║ ║ "As a matter of fact, I don't know where I'm going." ║ ║ ║ ║ "But ya know what ya're lookin' for." ║ ║ ║ ║ "Yeah." ║ ║ ║ ║ The newspaper guy shows Brandon a page of the newspaper while glaring around the bus, apparently watching out for anybody. He ║ ║ then points to a small advertisement on the paper. ║ ║ ║ ║ "See this, kid?" ║ ║ ║ ║ The advertisement says "MR. REMEMBER" then says below it "Forgot something? Want to learn something somewhen? Visit today!" ║ ║ ║ ║ "Yeah." ║ ║ ║ ║ "That what ya lookin' for?" ║ ║ ║ ║ "Well, yeah." ║ ║ ║ ║ The guy with the newspaper looks over the newspaper and spots an angry businessman, glaring back at him. The newspaper guy ║ ║ flinches and covers his face with the newspaper. He resorts to whispering in Brandon's ear. ║ ║ ║ ║ "Listen, kid. I'm with ya, not against. Ya outta take this map I got here." ║ ║ ║ ║ He hands Brandon an old paper map, apparently of the city. ║ ║ ║ ║ "Keep ya're eyes peeled. They don't want ya to get to him." ║ ║ ║ ║ Before Brandon can express his acknowledgement through nodding, the newspaper guy remarks, "Oh! Take this too," and hands ║ ║ Brandon a small spray bottle. He looks closely and it reads "Hand Sanitizer, Grapefruit." ║ ║ ║ ║ The bus stops. The newspaper guy pushes Brandon out of his seat and pretends to not notice. He utters a "go" and Brandon ║ ║ leaves. The businessman with the beige trenchcoat and annoyed look on his face abruptly stands and walks out of the bus, and, ║ ║ of course, follows Brandon. ║ ║ ║ ║ Brandon stops and studies the map, ignorant to the man pursuing after him. Before Brandon starts walking, the businessman, who ║ ║ looks really mad, grabs Brandon by the wrist. ║ ║ ║ ║ "Hey!" ║ ║ ║ ║ "You're comin' with me." ║ ║ ║ ║ Brandon shoves the map into his pocket. He remembers the hand sanitizer and pulls it out. Trying anything in this awkward ║ ║ situation, he sprays the man's hand. ║ ║ ║ ║ "What are ya doin'?" the businessman says, his anger mixed with genuine confusion. Brandon is confused as well. ║ ║ ║ ║ Brandon then raises the bottle and sprays the man in his eyes. He lets go of Brandon's wrist and yells in pain (and anger). ║ ║ Brandon runs away. Across the street is a tall man in a dark suit, staring at Brandon. He runs through the traffic and starts ║ ║ running for Brandon. ║ ║ ║ ║ Brandon looks back and sees the man running after him. Then he looks forward. A man in a striped gray suit pushes a cart out ║ ║ of a grocery store. Seeing Brandon, he pushes the cart in the middle of the sidewalk in hopes to stop him. ║ ║ ║ ║ Unable to run into the street or go around the cart and man, Brandon turns left into the grocery store and hides behind a ║ ║ display of apples. The men run into the store. Brandon hears their footsteps. ║ ║ ║ ║ After several minutes, he hears them walk out, and hears one say they'll "find him later." He heads to the back of the store, ║ ║ just to be safe, and exits out the back. ║ ║ ║ ║ Looking at his map, he is close to the apparent location of "Mr. Remember." At this moment, he questions why he got himself ║ ║ into that danger, but at the same time he travels through the alleys and finds the building that the office is supposed to be ║ ║ in. ║ ║ ║ ║ He enters the back entrance to what looks like an old apartment complex. All the doors are old offices. He walks down a hall ║ ║ of doors until he meets finds another hall that branches off to the right, and a pile of junk leaning against the wall to the ║ ║ left. ║ ║ ║ ║ "Where the hell could this guy be?" Brandon asks himself. He didn't want to go to the front desk. They'd probably be ready to ║ ║ jump him, whoever they are. He looks at the doors. They're labeled 151, 152, 153, 155, etc. Except he notices 154 is missing. ║ ║ It should be where the pile of junk is. ║ ║ ║ ║ Brandon moves the junk out of the way and finds old wallpaper hastily stapled to the wall, covering something lumpy. He tears ║ ║ the wallpaper and finds a door labeled "154." ║ ║ ║ ║ *** ║ ║ ║ ║ The day was nearing its end once again. No customers again. No calls, nothing. Mr. Remember hears something on the other side ║ ║ of the door. The sounds of paper ripping emanates through the walls. The frosted glass of the door now illuminates. ║ ║ ║ ║ A young man opens the door. ║ ║ ║ ║ "I have so many questions," he says. ║ ║ ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝