FOREVER
Why grieve when you can keep your loved one encased in Forever Glass™?

Dear Lia,

I miss you. A lot. But don’t worry.
You’ll be back soon.

Audrey

AMELIA RUTH HARTFORD-SLOAN
Forever Glass™ Profile

Log:
(Showing two most recent posts)

Appearance has been reconstructed and inserted into Glass. Personality and history is being built currently using interviews with family, images, videos, social media, internet, journal entries, and many other sources. Hartford-Sloan had a very well documented life, which makes our job a lot easier.
10/21

Complete AI has been built of Amelia Ruth Hartford-Sloan and is being shipped to family. Just in time for Christmas.
12/24

12/25

Lia?

Yes, Audrey?

Is that...really you?

Of course.

But you’re dead.

Don’t be an idiot. This is Forever Glass™.

Wow. They really did this thing right.

I’ve been restored carefully. Down to the last detail.

Only the best for Lia Sloan.

Of course.

You say that a lot.

I said it a lot when I was alive, didn’t I?

I guess that’s true. And Lia?

Yes, Audrey?

I’m so sorry.

DEATH IS A LIE!
An essay by: Audrey Scarlett Hartford-Sloan
Assigment: Winter Break
Student #501, Piety Corp. Sponsored EduCenter #2053
1/5
Death isn’t real, not anymore. I’ve learned that much since winter break. New technology has allowed a person’s essence to be encased in Forever Glass™. We can all be immortal if our family has the money for it.

Comments
1/5
Dear Ms. Hartford,
This is an interesting premise for an essay, but not long enough. Where is the evidence? Where are the facts?
Also, Forever Glass™ does not “allow a person’s essence to be encased” inside. The staff at the company only develop an advanced AI based on that person. Not truly innovative technology at all.
I give this essay a C for interesting premise.
Mr. Mead, PietyCorp Sponsored Educator
PS: It would be wonderful, Audrey, if you could attend school at the physical EduCenter anytime, rather than using the virtual hub. It makes it a lot easier to get an education. Thank you.

1/6

Lia?

Yes, Audrey?

Are you real?

Of course.

Stop saying that!

Okay.

Thanks.

Audrey?

Yeah?

Are you real?

Um, yeah.

Just kidding. I know you’re real. I think.

Oh, be quiet, Lia.

Never.

I miss you.

Why? I’m right here.

But is it really you?

Yes, Audrey. Really me.

Your essence? Your soul?

How many times do I have to tell you? It’s me. For real. Brought back to life.

Okay.

I love you.

Lia.

What?

I’m so sorry.

AMELIA’S THOUGHTS, Part 53
(Dated a month before her death.)
Fate
Fate-is there such a thing?
That’s what I wondered at Religious Services today.

Not long ago, there used to be many Religions.
At least that’s what my mother tells me.
Now there is only one. The Religion.
We worship The Deity, go to Religious Services, study The Sacred Text, pray The Prayer, perform The Ritual. 
It satiates our human need for belief, without inspiring that dangerous thing called “passion.”
I miss the old days, I think. Mother used to be what they call a “Christian.”
I told her I thought it seemed like The Religion.
She said it wasn’t like that at all.

Fate-is there such a thing?
Or is there only chance?

1/7
Hi, Lia.

Hi, Audrey.

I’ve been reading your Thoughts journal lately. I’ve read all the way up to a month before.

A month before what?

You know.

No, I don’t.

How do you not know?

I lost a lot of memory when I died.

I thought you were still alive. You know, encased.

My body’s still in the ground. Don’t be an idiot. This isn’t a miracle. This is Forever Glass ™.

You already said that.

Said what?

“Don’t be an idiot. This is Forever Glass.™” Is that like your new catchphrase?

I’m sorry if I’m not yet perfect.

You don’t sound like you.

I am me.

Can I trust you?

Yes. Completely.

I used to tell you everything. Will you hate me if…

If what?

…

Will you hate me if I tell you the truth?

1/8
Dear Mrs. Purle,

I have been worried about Audrey lately. She has become fixated on this Forever Glass™ that we purchased recently. We thought it would help her get over Amelia’s death. Instead, she seems to be dwelling on it.

Audrey isn’t the same as she used to be. I know that’s to be expected, (none of us have been the same after Amelia’s funeral,) but she’s...even worse. She needs another session soon, I believe. And if you could get her to attend an actual EduCenter, that would be nice.

Thank you,
Jacob Nathaniel Sloan

1/8
(Late)
Jacob,

I will be in the area on Thursday. Might as well pop in to talk to Audrey.

I suggest removing the Forever Glass™ from her possession. I have heard many horror stories from other therapists-many say it promotes unhealthy grieving. It doesn’t allow closure, but the person inside the Glass isn’t truly alive, either. Forever Glass™ is almost never a good thing for grieving families. I’m sorry I didn’t warn you before you made your purchase.

Once again, my condolences.

Elizabeth M. Purle
Grief Therapist
Sponsor: ETHOS, Inc.

AMELIA’S THOUGHTS, Part 56.
(Dated 3 weeks before her death.)

Audrey hasn’t seemed right lately. I told her about my thoughts on The Religion and she got...mad, almost. I wasn’t sure what she was mad at, The Religion, or me. Did she think we should go back to the old ways, like I do? Or did she think me a Blasphemous One?

You can never really be sure with Audrey. I just hope she’s okay. Her anxiety has been pretty bad. Mom and Dad refuse to get the Data in her bloodstream that would correct it. They don’t believe in that sort of thing. Sometimes I wish they did. Other times, I glad there’s no Data in my bloodstream to correct my faults. Humans sometimes don’t seem human, with all the Data in them.

I better go, talk to Audrey maybe. See what’s been going on.

Her mind is pretty confusing sometimes.

1/9
I didn’t mean to.

Didn’t mean to what?

You know what I’m talking about.

No, I don’t.

Listen, Lia, I’m sorry. I wish they’d have let me get the Data. It would have changed a lot.

What are you talking about?

Your Thoughts entry. The one I read today. #56.

Which one was that?

It’s about me.

Oh.

I am so so so so so so so sorry.
You tell me that every time.

It’s never enough.

Just tell me what you’re sorry for.

Dear Forever Glass™ Customer Relations, 

I have been receiving very disturbing dialogue from a Forever Glass™ screen.  The screen is containing Amelia Ruth Hartford-Sloan. It appears her sister, Audrey Scarlett Hartford-Sloan, may have had a hand in Amelia’s death.

Audrey has not yet confessed, but her conversations with the AI are quite startling. I’ll send them in an attachment to this email.

Respectfully,
Theresa D. Lang
Forever Glass ™ Screen Development and Monitoring 

ATTACHED: (1 file)
forever_glass™_a2r2hartford2sloan_recordedconversations00_

1/10
“Audrey, honey, we’re thinking maybe it’s time you get some Data injections in order to correct the anxiety and panic attacks.”
“Data can’t fix everything.”
“Do you remember The Epidemic?”
“That wasn’t because of the Data.”
“Your parents and I exchanged some emails the other day, and we’ve reached the consensus  that possibly the Forever Glass™ is interfering with your grieving process.”
“No. No.”
“Audrey, you can’t cling to her forever.”
“Take away anything else. Anything.”
“Sweetie, you’re too attached.”
“Don’t call me that! You’re not my mom. You’re just some lunatic therapist who thinks she can fix everything with Data.”
...
“The Data would help you, I promise.”
“It’s too late, Mrs. Purle. I’m telling you.”
“It’s never too late, baby.”
“The damage has already been done.”

AMELIA’S THOUGHTS, Part 61
(Dated a week before her death.)

It’s not long before my EduCenter’s play, and I’m getting excited. It’s a way to distract me from the odd things that have been going on lately. Audrey usually tells me everything, but I’m not sure she’s giving me the whole truth. I miss the sister I used to have. It seems things have changed.
There’s something more than anxiety going on. Are people at the EduCenter bullying her again? Is her paranoia flaring up? Does she spend all her free time huddled crying in a ball in her room, having nightmares of everyone she loves dying, the way she used to? I just can’t seem to reach her. I can’t get to her. I don’t know how. 
Anyway, in the show, I’m Maisey, the lead’s sister. I have almost as many lines as he does, and a solo song. It’s pretty cool. Maisey is a hopeless romantic. She pines after her brother’s best friend, she swoons while reading romance novels, etc. I like to think I’m not that dramatic!
Wish me best of luck getting to Audrey. And don’t wish me luck in the play.

1/10
I need your help, Lia. I need it now.

How can I help you? I don’t have a body.

They’ll find out the truth. They’ll throw me in jail. They’ll fill me with Data. They’ll make me inhuman.
I swear, Lia, I swear above everything, everything, everything, I didn’t mean to!

I know. I know whatever it is you did, you didn’t mean to.
You can tell me everything.
You always used to.

But, Lia, you’re not real.

So you can tell me even more.

I guess…

Please, Audrey. Be honest. You owe me that much.

Geez, you really do sound like Amelia.

I am Amelia. In all the ways that matter.

I’m not sure what matters anymore.

1/11
Just tell me. Please.

OK…

Go on. I need to know.
I’ve lived my whole life and death in the dark.

I miss you, Amelia, I’m sorry. So sorry for what I have done. I promise I didn’t mean to.

You’re repeating yourself. Looping around and around. Stop. Now.
I deserve to know.

Ok, I’ll tell you.

AMELIA’S THOUGHTS, Part 66
(Dated the morning  before the day she died)

I’m not feeling well, which is making me nervous. I can almost feel a fever blooming at the edges of my eyes.
If I’m sick, I can’t perform tonight. Opening night. They’ll have to find an understudy. Worse, I’ll miss my first-ever performance. Deity, no. This can’t be happening.
Maybe I’ll just rest a little. Charge my batteries before the show. It’s probably just fatigue. Probably. Hopefully. I’ve had a busy week. You can’t blame me for being tired.

Part 67
(Dated the night before her death.)
Amelia Ruth, you cannot fall asleep. No, no, no. It’s an hour until curtain.
YOU CANNOT FALL ASLEEP.
Deity preserve me, please.
I have the strangest feeling this will be my last show.

Just nerves.
Just opening night jitters.
Nothing scary about at that.
Nothing at all.

1/11
Continued

Dear Lia,

I hate that night with every inch of myself.

You were tired and sick. Your fever raged on in the middle of the night. I snuck into your room, consumed with fear and terrible certainty.

“She’s going to die,” I told myself, “Deity, no, no, no.” I was convinced The Deity was punishing you for your CounterReligious thoughts. I knew They would have no mercy.

I sat by your bed and Prayed all night. You slept in long past dawn. Panic overtook me. I felt the world closing in around me, heart pounding. An attack. Another one. It had been getting worse lately. People hated me at EduCenter. People hated me at Religious Services. People hated me wherever I went and I don’t know why. I think you were the only one who loved me. That’s why I was so afraid. Without you, there was no love left for me. I was just a hopeless beggar waiting for something that, in my heart I knew would never come.

I was convinced that you were dying. And I thought I knew how to save you.

I was wrong.

As I was shaking, terrified beyond anything you can imagine, you woke. I heard The Deity’s voice in my head. Or I thought I did. Maybe I was making it up.

I’m pretty sure I was making it up.

Because They said, “Take Amelia to the woods and I will heal her.” I said, “Yes, Deity.” Only I said it out loud and I think you heard me, because you looked confused. I took your hand and I told you, “The Deity said to take you to the woods.” You said, “I’m not feeling up to going to the woods, Auds.” I said, “No. You have to.” You shook your head and I began to cry. Cry, because I knew you were dead. And that was my worst fear, my worst fear in the entire world.

Finally you gave in. You said, “Give me a moment to get ready. I’ll go to the woods with you.”

I thought you would live, I really did.

Who would ever think you’d die from a common virus?

AMELIA’S THOUGHTS, Part 68
(Dated an hour before her death.)

Audrey wants me to go outside. I feel awful.
I think it’s much too cold for me out there, but I have to try. She says the Deity told her if I didn’t make it to the woods, I’d die. I don’t think it was the Deity. I don’t think I believe in the Deity anymore. No, I believe in God. One and only. Maybe it was God. But why would God want us to go to the woods? I just don’t know. I’m tired and confused.
The voice in Audrey’s head? It’s probably the anxiety talking. But I don’t care. I’d do anything for my sister.

1/11
Continued

It was what they called The Epidemic.
It hit everyone without Data in their bloodstream. 
Some say the Data companies programmed it on purpose, in order to show people once and for all their product was needed.
I believe it. I believe it completely. 

The Epidemic hit you hard, Lia. It got you so sick. I was so scared. I thought I heard the Deity, I really did. I’m sorry.
I was sick too, but not as much. I had had a trace of Data administered at my first panic attack, against our parent’s wishes. That one trace saved me.
I don’t think it was the Data that miraculously fought the infection, Lia. As time goes on I’m sure; the companies did it on purpose.

I took you out to the woods. Your forehead was burning. You were the surface of the sun.
It was cold outside. Like winter.
You died in the woods. I died alongside you.
I haven’t been alive since the moment you drew your last breath.

It stole your life so quickly.
Two days before, you were fine. Perfect, actually. The next day, you were just a little tired.
Then you were dead.

I blame myself. I dragged you outside in the cold that was too harsh for you and I let the wind sting your skin and I and I and I and I and I blame myself. 

My days are filled with maybes. Maybe if I’d left her inside, she would have been comfortable and warm when she died. Maybe if I’d left her inside, she wouldn’t have died at all. Maybe we could have gotten her medicine. Maybe we could have administered Data. Maybe the Deity was lying. Maybe there is no Deity. Maybe this is all one cruel joke. Maybe maybe maybe maybe.
An endless spiral, down, down, down, down, plummeting faster and faster with every waking breath.

I have no love, no light, nothing left in my life.
The Glass is my lifeline. My only source of hope.
But it’s not like you at all, Lia. It’s nothing like you.
You loved me unconditionally.
Forever Glass cannot replace that.
Nothing can.

I’m so glad I finally told you the truth.
You deserve it.
I love you.

Because, oh, Lia, all I want is to love and to be loved.
And, oh, Lia.
You are my star.
You are my lighthouse.
You are the sun.

Love above Love above Love,
Audrey

1/12
It’s time for me to let you go.
What? What do you mean?

I love you, Lia, but it’s not really you. I need closure. I need time. I need to grieve.

Why grieve when you can keep your loved one encased in Forever Glass™?

I’m sorry. You’re just a  Forever Glass™ ad pretending to be my sister and it’s time for me to let you go.

Why grieve when you can keep your loved one encased in Forever Glass™?

I love you, Lia.

I smashed the Glass, Lia.
I watched it shatter.
I watched it fall.
I watched it catch the light of this beautiful sun.

I am moving on.

I’ll have your light on my shoulders, dancing in my eyes, singing in the sun, and I know
you will be with me.