For I shall already have forgotten you

Intermission: America

i.

When Canada disappeared, suddenly everyone remembered his existence. America had called England and France first about Canada's disappearance. They already knew.

Why would they remember Canada after just having forgotten him earlier that day? Then he got calls from countries that didn't even attend the world meetings: Ukraine, Cuba, Netherlands. They all wanted to know: where's Matthew?

America found it bitterly ironic that it took Canada disappearing entirely for the world to notice his absence.

Almost every country searched for Canada, for the one who wanted to be noticed yet never could. America was surprised that even countries Canada hadn't been very close to, participated in the search for him.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government was relentless.

Canada's phone never turned on again after that day in the hotel. But even so, America was reluctant when he scrapped it. All he had left now was Canada's glasses.

He promised to return them when they met again.

ii.

America never gave up. One by one, the countries had abandoned their search, until he was the last. He searched in his own country; he searched in Canada's. Yet he never found a trace of his northern neighbor.

He was desperate to find Canada. What if he forgot him again? Forgot that a personification of Canada had ever even existed? America's search brought him to someone unexpected.

It was Canada's bear. Kumajirou. America recalled how Kumajirou was always with Canada. If he found Kumajirou, then his owner could not be far behind.

America's search took him straight into polar bear territory. He was expecting a cub, not a full grown adult. He had been threatened by another bear when this one appeared to protect him. If that wasn't enough to convince him it was Kumajirou, his capability of human speech did.

"Who are you?"

That familiar question, but an unfamiliar voice. It was no longer a childlike voice, but a mature and deep one. Kumajirou seemed as if he wanted him to be Canada. The bear was disappointed when he revealed himself to be otherwise.

Clearly Canada had not been here either. Despite himself, America came back. Kumajirou was another remnant of Canada, a hope that Canada would return.

Yet bears do not live as long as humans. How then could they live as long as a country? Without Canada, Kumajirou began to age. Every year that America visited, he'd be older. His fur became shaggier, his movements more dull.

America was no stranger to death. None of the countries were. But Kumajirou's death brought with it a pain he thought long gone, back when he had only just started to understand what mortality truly meant.

iii.

Eighteen years passed like this. After Kumajirou's death, America officially retired his search for Canada. None of his wanderings had borne fruit. Kumajirou had been his last lead, and even that had ended in failure and disappointment.

The mention of Canada was a sore topic among the countries. His disappearance left too many unanswered questions behind, like why he had disappeared in the first place. The personification was gone, but the nation itself did not simply cease to be.

Even his presence at world meetings, or rather lack thereof, inspired guilt among the countries. America most of all.

How must Canada have felt, being ignored by those who were supposedly his friends and allies? America thought of this, and realized he never truly knew who Canada was.