The Festival of Remembrance

Written by: Carol Record 

This short story is dedicated to my first true love: Lucas. Despite not speaking in years I never stopped loving Lucas and it’s hard to believe he passed away earlier this year. This story was inspired by a dream I had about him in 2007. There will be more.

The town festival buzzed with energy, a patchwork of colorful lights strung between the aging rafters of the community center. The scent of funnel cakes and popcorn hung in the air, mingling with the sound of distant laughter and the faint strains of a cover band playing a classic rock ballad. It was the kind of evening that felt timeless, yet for her, it carried the weight of every year that had passed since she’d last seen him.

She wasn’t looking for Lucas—not really—but some part of her heart betrayed her. She wandered from booth to booth with a friend, scanning the crowd for a face she wasn’t sure she wanted to find. Her friend’s voice faded into the background as her gaze settled on a small table tucked away near the edge of the crowd. There he was, sitting with a couple of old friends, his easy smile exactly as she remembered it, his laugh cutting through the festival noise and piercing straight into her chest.

Panic hit her like a gust of wind. She turned quickly, ducking behind a row of booths, hoping to pass unnoticed. Her feet moved faster, carrying her away from him before her resolve could falter. But then she made the mistake of looking back.

He was chasing her.

“Wait!” Lucas called, his voice rising above the noise of the festival.

Her legs faltered, then stopped entirely. It wasn’t just his voice—it was the weight of the years, the echoes of all the things they never said to each other. She couldn’t move. She was frozen, her heart pounding as he closed the distance between them.

When he reached her, he didn’t speak right away. He simply took her hands, his grip warm and grounding, as if tethering her to the present. She felt the strength in his hands, but also something softer—a question, perhaps, or a plea for understanding. She wanted to pull away, to guard herself from the torrent of emotions threatening to spill over, but she couldn’t. Not yet.

Before either of them could say a word, a familiar voice cut through the tension like the crack of a brick hitting pavement.

“Everything okay here?” Her father’s presence loomed, his steady gaze heavy as it flickered between her and Lucas.

Lucas let go of her hands, the moment slipping away as quickly as it had come. “Yeah, everything’s fine,” he said, his tone respectful but tinged with something she couldn’t quite place. Regret? Hope? She couldn’t tell.

Her father’s expression softened, and with a slight nod, he stepped away, giving them space but leaving the air heavier than before. She turned back to Lucas, but the words she’d been searching for seemed to vanish like smoke in the cool night breeze.

“I didn’t think I’d see you here,” she finally managed, her voice barely audible over the festival noise.

“I didn’t think I’d see you either,” he replied, his smile gentle but full of unspoken things.

They stood there for a moment, the world moving around them, yet somehow distant. In his eyes, she saw fragments of their past—a kaleidoscope of joy, heartbreak, and everything in between. She didn’t know if she was ready to face it all, but for that brief moment, the weight of running lifted, and she let herself remember.

The festival lights flickered above them, and though the future was uncertain, she felt the smallest spark of bittersweet comfort: some connections, no matter how distant, never truly fade.

The dream that inspired this story.

2007 Dream – The Community Center

Last night, I dreamed of you. The town festival was in full swing at the community center, alive with energy and the hum of voices. I wandered through the crowd with someone, searching for a friend, when I saw you. You sat with a couple of familiar faces, laughing, just like I remembered. My heart skipped a beat. I didn’t want you to see me, so I tried to slip behind you unnoticed, but as soon as I passed, I broke into a run.

Something made me glance back, and there you were, chasing me. My feet froze, panic rooting me to the spot as you caught up. You took my hands, holding them as if to steady us both, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to do. Then my dad appeared, his presence as unyielding as ever, breaking the moment. You let go of my hands when he arrived, and I woke up, carrying the bittersweet weight of it all.