the ‘99 memorial

A shimmering cuboid matrix looms over the grassy western expanse of Everria’s flagship park. Etched in all capitals along the marble faces are the victims of the Otherworlds virtuality glitch. The Blinkout. Ninety-nine. The Great Sleep…

The names, backlit from within the cubes, are in random order and mostly too high up to discern with bare eyes, but I read all that I can see, giving each a fair glimpse of my attention. A chance at further memory.

…DANA KORMAN, MANUEL ZACARI, CAMILLA BUCHANON…

After nine hours of perusing, over the last three days, I haven’t seen the names of the distant family I know to be among the dead. Not yet. But I must end today’s search. There are over twenty million names to wade through, and I’m due back at the safehouse before dark.

From higher up on the slope, on my way out, I watch the visitors zip and wander through the rows. Some are on a mission to locate a loved one. Others, like me, are here for the air of tragedy. We all look so insignificant here, overshadowed and outshone by the dead.

I wonder, How many trees did they have to shred to install this hideous maze?