Erasure

Kira sank into the chair. ‘What…what does that mean?’ ‘You can think of the dreams as a kind of virus. To get rid of them, completely, permanently, I’ll have to remove the root cause, which is Gideon.’ ‘How?’ ‘By making you forget everything about him.’ Kira lowered her gaze. After a long while, she muttered, ‘Could you…could I have some time to think about it?’ ‘Sure.’ Isabel squeezed her hand. ‘Take as long as you need.’ *** Kira was quiet during dinner. The twins were too excited about the upcoming holiday to pay much attention, but Austyn noticed her distraction, especially after she put a clean dish into the sink and the dirty one onto the rack. ‘What’s wrong?’ Austyn asked. He’d given the kids a bath and put them to bed. ‘Nothing.’ She wiped a rag absently along the kitchen counter. ‘Let’s go for a walk.’ It was not yet nine pm. Maybe the fresh air would clear her head. Kira let herself be led out of the apartment without protest. She pulled up suddenly when they were walking dow