And when she noticed how frightened the once-cheerful redhead had become, Sophia realized that Constantin was not getting better.
Now, reflecting on the subtleties of earthly life, she realized that she hadn’t watered her plant in a long time. Once, Sophia had seen her neighbor growing flowers on her balcony and decided to try it herself. She planted an avocado. It grew quickly, and the seed’s positive drive for life helped her adopt the right mindset.
Growing it in a glass jar filled with water and small river stones at the bottom, she found the process quite symbolic. The root stretched downward, while life simultaneously emerged from above. Could it be said that people, like the avocado root, make mistakes, sink to the bottom, yet continue to survive and sprout bright green leaves?
"What am I to do with you, Van…" Sophia thought.
The conversation with Elizabeth in the restroom left Ephor in a daze. She had examined all of Constantin’s lives, right up to the present day, and found nothing suspicious. There were no signs that he would begin experiencing such vivid flashbacks of his past life. Yet, given the circumstances, it was clear that some detail had been overlooked.
After extinguishing her cigarette on the wrought-iron balcony railing, Sophia returned to the room, clutching a stack of colorful sticky notes.
"Maybe if I visually assemble a map of his lives on the wall, I'll notice the missing detail… No, it would just make more of a mess."
She set the sticky notes aside and picked up another stack of blank paper.
* * *
With the arrival of morning, the scene in the apartment hadn’t changed. The box of documents had only grown larger, and the ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts. It was time to admit that her attempts to cope on her own hadn’t been successful. She needed to gather information from her colleagues.
Quickly getting ready, Sophia pulled a black cap over her eyes and headed to the clinic. Life within the walls of the "Sleeping Dolphin" was already bubbling like water boiling in a kettle, in stark contrast to the name of the establishment.
Every minute of the Ephor's day was scheduled. Each employee played their role with responsibility. For example, some escorted patients to the library, where they could read their favorite works, complete with pre-made edits in the texts. This alternative branch of events, inserted into a previously familiar story, helped the individual reconstruct their memory.
Thus, distracting him from the "discovered" memories.
Other Ephors guided their patients to the healing spring, where belladonna had been carefully added to the water. The sleep grass not only justified the ironic name of the clinic but also helped people dream less. Dreams acted as a binocular lens to past lives, and patients couldn’t be allowed to view them until that lens became cloudy once more.
In the garden, apple trees grew, their fruits containing amalfin. The Ephors had developed this poison to spray on the tree fruits in small doses, adding it to food as well. Once amalfin entered the body, it caused the person to think more slowly. Gradually affecting the hippocampus, the poison had a narcotic effect, and the patient would forget the very reason they had been urgently admitted to the clinic.
However, there were cases when patients did not respond to treatment. They often returned to the clinic and began to pose a threat to the Higher Realm.
