Forgotten

A while back, I found a little writing prompt. I didn't think I would get far with it without turning it into some weird sci-fi. Luckily, I conquered it without aliens and weird creatures X3

An old amusement park, long since abandoned and forgotten, yet it still stands before me. Much of it had already fallen to pieces, but some of the sturdier rides remain intact. They would probably be functional if there were some power source. I was certain that it must not have been operational for a couple decades based on the odd plant growth shooting up in random places among the rides. I couldn't believe how much trash littered the area.
 
Why was I here? Well, I needed some time to get away. I wanted to find somewhere peaceful away from the hustle and bustle of the world. I doubt anyone would find me here. No one has been here in a long time, I'm sure. I took a deep breath of the fresh air, only to smell something rather odd. At first I assumed it was the garbage that littered the park that I smelled, but it couldn't be. This smell was too...alive. I saw something moving out the corner of my eye. I turned to look for it and saw something unimaginable.
 
That's when I realized that the park wasn't abandoned at all. It was inhabited. A whole world made of what our world had discarded, creatures included. It took me a while to come to this final conclusion, but I had suspected it immediately. It was only confirmed by what I saw afterwards.
 
I rubbed my eyes, unable to believe what I was seeing. Young children playing with animals while older folk looked after them were hidden in various places, completely surrounded by debris. It couldn't be possible. I knew almost everyone in town, but no one here looked familiar. A small dog approached me, sniffing cautiously around my feet. I knelt down to check its collar.
 
"Stanly. 6854 N. Reginald St."
 
6854 was the house three doors down from my apartment building, but I've known the Peters family for years. They never had a dog named Stanly. In fact, Mrs. Peters is allergic to dogs. I flipped the tag over to see if the date was engraved in the back, no luck. A young girl shyly walked up to me, her hands fidgeting in front of her.
 
"Excuse me, but that's my dog," she said softly. "Grandpa said so."
 
I looked up at her. She couldn't have been more than four or five. We stared silently at each other for a minute. The Peters also don't have a daughter. They have three teenage boys. I smiled politely at the girl.
 
"Who would your grandfather be?" I asked. She turned and pointed to an old man nearby.
 
"Grandpa Henry is over there."
 
Henry was the name of the elderly man that lived in the Peters' house before they moved in. The problem was: Henry had died twenty years ago. This had to be a coincidence. I stood up and approached the elderly man, letting the little girl run off with her dog.
 
"Excuse me sir, but you wouldn't happen to live at 6854 N. Reginald St., would you?" The old man smiled.
 
"I do, with my little granddaughter Lissy and the dog I bought her last year," he said. His voice was familiar, even though I hadn't heard it since I was just a child.
 
I thought back to my childhood, searching for a logical answer. I remember playing with a toddler named Alissa, but she died in a car accident with her aunt the year after old man Henry died. I remember because I went to the funeral. Thinking back, the girl had a dog with her that day, and I never heard what happened to it. Something was definitely wrong. An old man, his granddaughter, and a dog--all who were supposed to be dead, yet stand alive in front of me. The only explanation I could think of was ghosts, or I, too, was dead.
 
"Hey kiddo, are you all right? You look like something is bothering you," the old man said, interrupting my thoughts.
 
"I'm fine, but where are we?" I responded, suddenly feeling rather odd.
 
"A place where the sun never sets and all things forgotten live on," he replied. He said nothing else, but seemingly disappeared.
 
I was alone again. The smell of life was gone, as were the people and animals that once filled the area. I stood still trying to make sense of it all. That's when I remembered what this amusement park once was. This was the place I would come to as a child. This was the place where I rode my first roller coaster, where I had my first date, where some many other amazing memories happened. Twenty-six years ago, this amusement park shut down. I don't remember why, but I do remember being disappointed by it. Another park opened up a few miles away, and soon this old park was forgotten.
 
My memories brought this place to life again, even if only momentarily. I closed my eyes, letting the memories take me through time. After waiting several more minutes, I left, but I left a different person. I wouldn't take anything for granted any more. I gave myself the project of cleaning up this old park. While I doubt it will ever be operational again, maybe I could come here for the memories sometimes. Either way, it makes a nice distraction from the busy life. At least here, my memories will never die, even if the best ones can never be repeated.

Reviews

[GalaxyGhost]

The ending was nostalgic and I really like that. It's like listening to a bunch of oldies music (from the '90's and back) and feeling sad for some reason. It's also like thinking about past memories with family and friends that are untouchable, but we still like contemplating back then and secretly smiling at the good times.

[Star Angel]

That's what I was going for :3 Thanks for reading.

[GalaxyGhost]

You're so welcome!

[LastMonth]

Great story.
Somewhat sad,
But also optimistic in my opinion.

Keep up the good work.

[Star Angel]

Thank you :3