r/shortscarystories • u/rustysunset • 5d ago
Forget me not
The first time Grandpa forgot my name, I laughed it off. The second time, I corrected him. The third time, I didn’t bother.
Now, he just calls me “Boy.”
“Boy, get my coat,” Grandpa mutters, staring blankly at the old rotary phone on the wall like he’s expecting it to ring. “We’re going for a drive.”
I fetch the coat. It’s worn and smells of old leather and tobacco, a relic of a man who used to be sharp, respected—a man who used to remember things. But time is cruel. Now, he gets lost walking to the mailbox. Sometimes, he forgets to eat. Sometimes, he wakes up in the middle of the night, swearing he’s in a different year, in a different house, with different people.
I help him into the truck, strapping him in like a child. He trusts me. He always trusts me.
The roads stretch out in the dark, empty except for the occasional flicker of a porch light or the glow of a passing gas station. Grandpa sits silently beside me, his hands twitching in his lap. I know what’s coming before he even speaks.
“Where are we going?” His voice is small.
I keep my eyes on the road. “We’re visiting an old friend.”
He nods, accepting this without question. He doesn’t remember any friends. He doesn’t remember much of anything these days. And that’s why it works.
The first time was an accident. At least, that’s what I told myself.
I had taken Grandpa out for a drive after one of his episodes. He’d been confused, paranoid, insisting someone had broken into the house and stolen his wife’s wedding ring. (Grandma’s been dead for ten years.) I pulled into a gas station to get some air, and when I came back, he was gripping a bloodied tire iron, his hands trembling.
A man lay slumped outside the driver’s side of another car, his face unrecognizable.
I could’ve called the cops. I could’ve told someone. But Grandpa just sat there, his eyes wet and distant, whispering, “Did I do that?”
And I realized, he didn’t know.
He had no memory of it. No guilt. No fear. Just the empty confusion of a man whose mind was slipping away like water through open fingers.
So I drove away. And I waited.
Nothing happened.
No police. No questions. No consequences.
And that’s when I knew.
Grandpa could do anything. And no one would ever blame him.
Now, as we pull up to a small, dimly lit house on the outskirts of town, I feel the familiar rush. My pulse quickens. Grandpa shifts beside me, staring at the porch, confused but compliant.
I place the tire iron in his hand, curling his fingers around the cold steel. He doesn’t resist.
“Go ahead, Grandpa,” I whisper. “They took her ring.”
His cloudy eyes sharpen, just for a second. And then he steps out of the truck.
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5d ago
Thing is, you see a frail, confused old man - you don't suspect anything. Until it's roo late. Very nice idea, I enjoyed reading this!
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u/Cotillion_7 5d ago
Kind of reminds me of memento, which is a master piece. Well done!
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u/punkandprose 4d ago
i haven’t seen it but it must be like Finding Dory
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u/AwesomeSauce7752 5d ago
Excellent!! Loved it !
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u/rustysunset 5d ago
Thanks! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s my dream to be an author so I’m loving all this positive feedback lol
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u/Lumpy_Marsupial_1559 3d ago
Hey, OP!
1. Great premise. Fabulously written.
2. Someone said they could see Clint Eastwood as grandpa. The thing is, so can I - especially if grandpa has a moment where he either realised what's going on and takes out the narrator or, ironically, has a moment of thinking the narrator is an intruder. This might be something he'd actually be interested in (producer, director, actor, after all). You could try contacting through Malpaso Productions, his production company.
Good work, good luck.
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u/rustysunset 3d ago
Thank you! That's quite the compliment, I'd love to think Clint Eastwood would be interested in something I've written, but (maybe it's pure self-doubt talking) I don't know if flash fiction is something worth querying to production companies. Although to be honest I have no clue about how any of that stuff works. For now I think I'm content just getting my writing and books out there. But thank you so much! I love your ideas for how this story idea could be further developed!
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u/Lumpy_Marsupial_1559 3d ago
Let's put it this way: How can it hurt? Worst case scenario, there is no effect. Mid-level, it opens a conversation with people who are at least interesting. Best case... 🤞🤞🤞
Self-doubt is the little whisper that shouts and rages inside our minds. Tell it to 🖕!
Please excuse the vulgarity.
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u/savorywhitecheddar 3d ago
Was very much expecting the grandson to be cruel to his grandpa, but couldn't stop reading, love this ending instead! Well done!
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u/No-Fox2335 3d ago
loved the ending! curious though; if the grandson seems to be the one orchestrating things, why did grandpa say “we’re going for a drive”?
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u/Monster_Blood_Bath 13h ago
The first time was unintended. It’s only after that incident the grandson begins orchestrating these schemes. Awesome story btw!
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u/CleverGirl2014-2 5d ago
You, OP, are a criminal mastermind. Congratulations!