Pagan: Juliet: Meeting Anna (part 3)

[k_a_webb]

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“I think it’s possible you might be a walk in,” Juliet said.

“What’s a walk in and why do you think I might be one?” Anna asked, looking a little uncomfortable, like the conversation was one she didn’t want to be having.

That wasn’t a surprise to Juliet and she knew she needed to be as gentle as she could. “Okay, a walk in is a spirit who choses to inhabit the body of another person, either because that person has chosen to walk away from that body or sometimes, with multiples, because sharing a body is better than having no body at all.” She smiled at Anna. “I think you are one because you’re not Charlotte. You pushed your hair back with a hand in a way that Charlotte never did, you’ve chosen a different name and…” Juliet ran her eyes down Anna’s body. “The clothes you’re wearing, while not that different, aren’t something that Charlotte would ever wear. She didn’t wear much black at all, preferring more colourful clothes.”

“My doctor did say he thought I’d lost everything, from the time I was a child to the crash, although he can’t be certain because children often don’t really remember anything before the age of about four.” Anna shrugged. “I have no memories of Anna, either, so I can’t say that your theory’s wrong, but…” She shook her head. “I don’t want to not be Charlotte. It means her parents will never get their daughter back, because she isn’t alive any longer, and there’s no way I can tell them that. At the same time at least it explains why I’m so different. I’ve seen pictures of Charlotte and her parents have told me so many stories that I feel like I know the girl better than I know myself, but even the way I hold myself is different.”

“Anna, if you wanted we could work on trying to get your memories back.”

“For me or for Charlotte?”

Juliet smiled. “For both of you. I know I’ve only just met you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help you, and if I help you work out who you really are it’s a way for you to let go of the girl you’re probably never going to be. It doesn’t matter that you want to be Charlotte, because, if I’m right, you simply aren’t. You’ll have some of her memories still, I think, which might be able to help you understand why she made the choice she did.”

“I can’t imagine wanting to leave everything behind.”

“Neither can I.” Juliet shrugged. “Charlotte must have felt like she had no other choice, but I don’t know why. I wish I did. I wish I could explain the choice she made to you, but it’s impossible, and I’m not certain you’ll ever know. It must have been a decision she made in the split second when the accident happened, so it could easily be a memory she didn’t make in her body.”

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

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And yes, accident victims frequently lose the last 5 minutes, and often more than that, due to the way memory encodes from short-term to long-term storage. Trauma interrupts the process and memories can be lost. But if Anna could recall the general situation Charlotte was in -- maybe something that Charlotte felt trapped or conflicted about -- that would be a hint as to why.