He located the folder and brought it downstairs. Somebody was downstairs with him... someone familiar... but this time Reginald didn't bother plying the Other Voice for information about the person. He opened the folder and discovered...

...he didn't remember any of this stuff. None of his notes looked the least bit familiar. He pointed this out to the Other Voice.

This is a problem, the Other Voice agreed.

Reginald figured he'd have to do this the hard way - sit and read the notes from beginning to end. And if he didn't understand anything, he'd have to find the missing information later.

Okay, start reading, but I might be able to find something relevant back here, the Other Voice said. Then it disappeared into Reg's subconscious.

So he found a chair to sit in and started reading. For the most part, it made sense. Reg was impressed; he took very clear notes.

And then there was a woman. She stood a lot taller than him; and she moved around the room and spoke to him and he watched her from where he sat. She talked and talked and he watched her. She picked up an object and put it in his hands and he ran his fingers over it, mapping it. It was soft in an intricate maze of grey-brown with black bump stitch netting, and the woman danced electricity food-scents in her own intricate hum spiral maze, her hair school worried five apart...

Sorry! said the Other Voice. Ignore that. I followed the wrong line.

The Other Voice tried to reclaim the memory, but Reg held onto it and examined it with curiosity. He wondered who the woman was and why she was so much bigger than him and where he and she were located. It was such a jumble that Reginald couldn't be sure what was real about it. But it felt at least a little bit real.

The Other Voice sent him a second memory. This memory took place in the house he shared with Zephyr. A section of the wall by the front door had been removed, and Reg could see new wiring. Then he saw a panel placed over the hole and plaster and spackle added to complete installation. Then he saw Zephyr sitting in the big brown chair, holding a laser pointer. Zephyr pointed the laser pointer at the new panel and Reg heard several electrical devices start up.

He wondered how much of this memory was real.

None of it yet! the Other Voice said. It pointed down at the notes in front of Reg. Reg looked at them. See? They match!

Zephyr's birthday present. Reg remembered now.

And also a prototype, the Other Voice added. You were making one for work, and you were going to give the prototype to Zephyr.

Reg remembered. He took that memory and put it alongside the first memory and looked at both of them.

The Other Voice wanted the memory of the woman back. You'll work more efficiently if you don't have to divide your attention.

Reg didn't care. He thought he could remember both at once. He examined his notes for the prototype and watched the memory of the woman replay repeatedly in his mind, and it was indeed difficult to accomplish much with one while running the other, but Reg didn't care. He stood up and located the half-completed prototype itself, and he looked at it while replaying the memory of the woman.

Then Zephyr was there. Zephyr touched his arm and spoke, so Reg allowed Zephyr into his awareness.

"...sure you're okay," Zephyr was saying. "Is there something wrong? Can you try to tell me about it? Do you hurt? If you have any pain, man, tell me where. Do you hurt? Pain? Reg?"

Reginald didn't hurt. But he thought if he shared the mysterious memory with Zephyr, Zephyr would help him understand it. Zephyr was good at understanding things that had to do with people and the other mysterious things in the world. Zephyr even knew about people who weren't there. He instructed the Other Voice to play the memory from the beginning so Zephyr could see.

Zephyr ignored the memory. "Are you okay?" Zephyr said in a voice that was quieter than before. "I don't know what to do."

Zephyr looked at the half-completed prototype and put his arm around Reg's waist and rested his head on Reg's shoulder. Reg listened to Zephyr's heartbeat; it beat more quickly, more sadly, and Reg wondered if he had made Zephyr sad by showing him the memory. Or was it the prototype that made Zephyr sad?

"What is it?" Zephyr said.

Reg was sorry he had made Zephyr sad. "I did bad," he apologized.

Zephyr said, "You did? It looks fine to me. I don't know what it's for or which account it's for... do you want me to take a look at it and see if I can help you find the problem?"

Reg wanted that. He played the memory again for Zephyr to see. Zephyr would know what it was.

The Other Voice interrupted with a revelation. Zephyr can't see the memory!

Reg couldn't believe that. Zephyr was in his head, and the memory was in his head. How could Zephyr not see the memory? It was right there in font of him!

I don't know, but it's true. Zephyr is looking at the prototype. He can't see the memory.

Reg wondered what he could do about that.

You're going to have to tell him in words, the Other Voice said.

The Other Voice gave Reg a few words to start with. "Zephyr, help. I see... I remember maze soft... soft..." The words were coming too fast. "Too fast," he warned the Other Voice. "Too fast. Too fast."

"What's too fast?" Zephyr said. "Oh, hi, Marsh! Didn't see you there. No, thanks. Okay, I'll be up in a little while. I know. Okay, man, I'm all yours. Can you tell me what's going on? Here, sit down, take your time, and tell me. No hurry."

Reg thought the speech synthesizer would make it easier to find the words. When Zephyr gestured toward the chair, he walked around it and pulled Zephyr to the network terminal where the speech program was installed. He sat in the chair there, and after a few seconds Zephyr pulled the other chair beside him and leaned against him, which pleased Reg. Now he could be sure Zephyr was really there. Reg brought the program up and navigated the word lists.

He found "I" and "remember" and then Zephyr said, "I remember..." Reg was surprised by this. He hadn't even needed to send the words to the speech function. Zephyr was quick. Even if Zephyr couldn't see the memory, Zephyr could see the words as he chose them. He didn't let himself get distracted by this unexpected turn of events... besides, Zephyr had always had very strange awareness.

He chose more words. "Woman. Talking. Electric pan meat food."

"A woman cooking?" Zephyr said.

Reg said, "Yes." He moved to choose more words; the Other Voice seemed to have an endless supply of them.

"Somebody you know? Your mother?" Zephyr said.

Reg was confused. He let go of the mouse while he tried to think.

"What does she look like?" Zephyr asked. "How tall is she? Tall? Short?"

Tall was one of the words. Reg navigated the word lists and chose, "tall."

"Tell me about her face," Zephyr said. "Her eyes?"

"Move blink," Reg chose.

"Her hair?" Zephyr said.

"Heavy," Reg chose.

"Her clothes?" Zephyr said.

"Dark," Reg chose.

"She's talking?" Zephyr said.

"Talking," Reg chose. Then he chose it a few more times for emphasis. "Talking talking talking."

"What is she saying?" Zephyr said.

Reg hesitated.

"What is she feeling?" Zephyr said.

Reg reached for the mouse but hesitated again.

"What does her heartbeat sound like?" Zephyr said.

Reg chose, "Fast. Worried."

"Ah." Zephyr seemed pleased. Zephyr's arm tightened around Reg's shoulder for a moment, and when Reg looked at him, Zephyr was smiling.

"I did good," Reg asked.

"Oh yes. You're doing very good. Is that all that's been going on? You're just getting memories?"

"Memories," Reg repeated. The word held a certain degree of unfamiliarity; he knew what it meant, but it felt very strange and good to say it aloud. Something about memories pleased Zephyr. Maybe Zephyr had only been sad earlier because he was blind to the memory.