“All these people?” Annie asked, breaking the silence, bringing Rose back to the moment. “They all died? What happened?” Rose paused. “The world fell down,” she said finally. It was all she could explain, and it was the truth. The world had collapsed upon itself, writhing and folding into something she didn’t recognize anymore. “I don’t understand,” Annie murmured. She looked scared. Rose took a deep breath. “Some secrets cannot be spoken without undoing a lifetime,” she said. “But I know that when my memory dies, so too will the loved ones I have kept close to my heart all these years.”
