My family owns a corner shop at the edge of town. We sell Memories and Emotions. We collect them ourselves, so in the dead of night, we journey to the howling forest, carrying jars that tinkle against each other in the swoosh of our bags.
“Gusty nights are the perfect time to catch them,” Papa explained to me and my sister, getting out a jar. We have collected Memories and Emotions hundreds of times, and know the drill.
“Celeste, look around the leaves of trees. Papa, check the tops of trees. Luna, look around the forest floor. I’ll organize them back at the shop,” Mama ordered, game plan set. Memories float around tops of trees, in soft shimmering colors, or around in the leaves. Emotions are found around the floor in pale, glowing shades. I climb a tree, my feet slipping against the wood, almost falling to the ground.
“Be careful! Do you want to scare the Memories away?” Mama asked.
“No, I don’t want to scare them,” I replied, and started climbing more cautiously. After becoming fully surrounded by leaves, I waited for an opportunity. To catch a memory, you have to be very stealthy, then open your jar and trap one inside. When I first learned how to catch Memories and Emotions, I thought it would be super easy. I did not catch a single one.
I became so deep in thought that I didn’t even notice the shimmery blue memory hovering in front of me.
“Ah!” I gasped, and it glided away, leaving me so startled that I almost fell off the tree. I barely managed to catch myself, and then readjusted my position.
“Careful,” Papa warned from the ground.
I sat in the tree and waited. Finally, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a sparkly lavender memory, which means it was a memory of an important person. I reached over to enclose the memory in my jar.
“Yes!” I cheered.

The next day, while Mama and I were restocking the shelves in the back of our store, a customer walked in.
“Hi, looking for anything in particular?” Mama asked.
“Yes. Which side of the store has Emotions?” she replied.
“Emotions are on the left side of the store, in pale colors,” Mama said, walking to where they were.
“Thanks” she said, surveying the jars. “Do you have…,” she racked her memory, “…delight?”
“Yes, we have delight.” I said, grabbing the jar with a pale yellow cloud inside and handing it to her.
“Thank you so much.” She paid and left our shop.
“Celeste, can you watch the store while I pick up something from the marketplace?” Mama asked.
“Sure!” I replied, happy to be trusted with an important job.
“Remember, do not leave the store without anyone running it. Also, if a person wants to buy Memories or Emotions, the key is downstairs to unlock the cases. Remember to lock them up after…”
“I know,” I interrupted. “Lock up the cases because Emotions and Memories are hard to get.”
I sit at the cash register, watching the door to see if anybody comes in. The clock ticks loudly. Maybe I should get the key from downstairs, just in case, I thought to myself. I hop down the stairs, grab the key, and come back upstairs, swinging the key around my index finger.
The door of the shop bursts open, and two men run into the shop, eyeing the key in my hand.
“Give us the key!” One man threatens. Fearfully I handed over the key, not thinking clearly. Opening the glass door, they reached in, and took two memory jars. Dropping the keys on the floor, they ran out, leaving me in shock. After a few seconds, when I came back to my senses, I realized what they stole.
“No!” I needed to get those back! I swung the sign to “Sorry, We’re Closed” and ran after them, my feet pounding on the cement. Not looking where I was going, I trip over my own feet and go sprawling across the ground.
“Ow,” I mutter under my breath.
“Are you okay?” a lady asks me, helping me get back up on my feet.
“Yes. Did you see two men coming from the Memory and Emotions Shop, holding two memory jars?”
“I did.” she said.
“I need to get those Memories back, or else Mama is going to be mad.” As I was saying that, I saw two men run across the street and dash into the antique shop. “Those were the men who stole the Memories! Can I call my Mama for her to meet me at the antique shop from your phone?”
“Sure” she said, handing me her phone.
“Mama, can you meet me at the antique shop in five minutes?” I spoke into the device.
“Okay?” she said through the phone.
“Thanks!” I said to the kind lady, walking to the antique shop. There, Mama was waiting patiently, and I explained everything in a rush.
“So, thieves stole the key, took two Memories, you chased after them, and now you need help getting them back,” Mama re-stated.
“Sorry.” I admitted sheepishly, looking away from the disappointment on her face. Just then, the thieves exited the shop and ran into Mama, freezing under her stare.
“Give me back the Memories that you stole!” she shouted, holding out her hand. The thieves shook their heads.
“Nope!” They tried to run but Mama blocked them from escaping.
“Now!”
The thieves reluctantly gave them back to her and left. “Let’s go to the shop and put them back.” We walked to the shop silently.
When we got to our shop, she opened the door and walked over to the shelves. We put the shimmering jars back in place, locking the glass door closed.
“I’m glad you called me for help, and did not stop them on your own. That’s what family is for. Isn’t that what family is for?” She enveloped me in a warm hug.