I think I’m ‘bout as happy as I am confused and amazed. By now you know me, Hannah, Merritt, an’ Kent came to Virginia Beach to meet the versions of us that shifted there in 1984. Now, they are older. The me born in 2005 shifted back to 1984 and is now 59.
Merritt said he’d post about us meeting, so I’ll pick up from then until the… grandkids came.
We talked about their place here. There’s 4 separate units; 2 on each floor. Me an’ Hannah are gonna stay upstairs left tonight an’ Merritt an’ Kent upstairs right.
They showed us around and helped us move our overnight bags in. After that, we went over to Merritt and Emma’s unit and sat in the living room.
Right away, the topic of sharing memories come up, and I want to go into that.
The old Merritt did most of the ‘xplaining. “Well, your memories are linked with ours back in 1984 and with the other groups back in 1880. It started for a little before Thanksgiving 1984, as it did for you this year. Well, since Thanksgiving of this year, things for us now are…”
Old Hannah replied. “Confused.”
Old Merritt nodded and went on. “Somehow, the three groups of us are linked at certain points in time. Each day you live in 2024 gets added to our memories, but not in the present. Back in 1984. By now, we’ve forgotten most of the little things…”
Old Emma spoke up. “I still remember the Halloween party. That was one of the first vivid memories I discovered.”
Old Hannah smiled. “Well, my first vivid memory was the week you pretended to date Devon!”
Hannah smiled and nodded. “He’s a sweet guy.”
Old Merritt continued. “So, as you 4 do things now, they go into our memories back in 1984. So, our past is changing with each day that your 2024 memories add to the… shared memory bank. Your new memories going in back then… changes our past…
Young Merritt shook his head. “So, can you tell if anything is different?”
Old Emma smiled. “We don’t know for sure… but… well… Not long after getting to Graddy Creek I thought things with Merritt were going toward marriage. Then, in the middle of Nov., 1984, us two were walking back to camp and I said, ‘Do you think Merritt and Emma in 2024 will get together?’ We’d already started noticing memories, so we thought Merritt was with Hannah.”
Young Merritt looked at Young Hannah, and they smiled real sweetly, then Old Emma went on. “Right after I asked that, we both realized we had the most amazing memory. The rag doll! Merritt, that was so sweet! Right then, in Nov. 1984, we remembered your first kiss!”
Old Merritt added, “Nov. 16, 2024… First, Last, and Only… I teared up.”
Old Emma then said, “He looked at me and said, ‘I wish I had said that to you.’ We knew then we’d marry each other. But… we can’t tell if that memory changed any details. It’s just there, now. Part of our past.”
“But,” Old Hannah added, “our past changes every day as what you do goes into what Merritt calls the shared memory bank.”
We talked about it a lot, though and it’s got to be hard on them.
Another way to think of it is that our consciousness is linked to their consciousness in 1984 and to the others in 1880. Each day that passes moves our consciousnesses forward together.
For old Emma, in 1984, her present was getting memories from me in the future and me in the past. For me, my present is getting memories from 1984 and 1880.
The 1880 versions would have passed on before they started getting memories from the 1984 versions.
I can’t imagine what it’s like. Getting memories from 1984 and 1880 is surprising enough. Having them show up 40 years after they happened… I just can’t imagine.
Old Merritt summed it up. “Memories showing up in 1984 probably won’t change our 2024. But, they did change our 1984… and after as they were coming in. Having a vision of the future through your memories… Emma’s actual memories of growing up in the 21st Century… Well… you can tell we invested wisely…”
Old Kent then said, “That will be a conversation for after the kids leave.”
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