"Oh, it was so long ago," she begins, though her eyes do lower for a moment as she considers. "I'll admit, when you were bedridden and I'd come to visit, I would sometimes remember them. But it doesn't cause me pain. I was so young then, and now I mostly just have regrets that I can't remember more of them." Even their faces have faded with time, but she's talked to others in the clan about them, and been reminded what they looked like.

"People in the clan say I look just like my mother, only she had redder hair. My father had freckles." She exhales a soft sound like a laugh. "I'm surprised I don't have them. I burn so easily in the sun." If only she could recall more times with them, instead of just snippets; quick images in her mind.

"Do you visit your father often? Talking about this makes me think about how important it is to cherish the time you have with family."