The Memory Police

by Yōko Ogawa

And even if a memory disappears completely, the heart retains something. A slight tremor or pain, some bit of joy, a tear.”

But I’ll be happy if I can help delay or stop this decay in your hearts even in some small way.

The box exists without any doubt and it’s right in front of us. The music continues to play, before the disappearance and after. It plays on faithfully, as long as the key is wound. That’s its role, now and forever. The only thing that’s different is the hearts of those who once heard it.”

But in a world turned upside down, things I thought were mine and mine alone can be taken away much more easily than I would have imagined.

‘Men who start by burning books end by burning other men,’ ” I said.

They may have burned the novels, but your heart did not disappear. We know, because you’re sitting here next to me right now.