The Burden We Carry

"I'm telling you, it's stupid."

"You're not listening to me, Claire. This is our chance. This is the perfect opportunity. You understand that don't you?"

Claire pointed to the device. "I'm telling you that this is not the great idea you think it is, Em. My psychologist buddies-"

Emma scoffed. "Your psychologist buddies? This thing is a marvel of science. Real science. Made by the smartest people I could find."

Claire glared at her sister. They had been butting heads about this thing for weeks. They had conflicting ideas on the design of it for months. They argued about its possible existence for years.

Yet here it was on the dining room table of Emma's apartment.

"We have to exhume his brain." Emma stated.

"You're nuts."

Emma pointed to the black and white picture of their grandfather. It hung above the living room couch. Their grandfather wasn't old in the picture. He was young, built, and donned a hardhat and shovel.

"That man worked his ass off in those mines to make a fortune for this family. Hundreds of millions of dollars in gold are out there somewhere. Do you know where it is?"

Claire rolled her eyes. "Nobody does."

Emma put her arm down. "Exactly. Only Grandpa does. He told no one. That means the answer is inside of his head."

She gestured to the device on the table. "We have to find out."

"And I'm telling you it's a bad idea to go inside of people's heads. You don't know what could be in there."

Emma snorted. "You mean the hundreds of millions of dollars? Because I know it's in there."

Emma didn't understand why Claire was suddenly so opposed to the plan they had devised. This was exactly what both of them had wanted. But now that it was possible...Claire seemingly became hostile.

Claire never knew this day would actually come. She knew her sister was smart, but she didn't think the possibility would ever present itself in their lifetimes. Technology would move too slow, she thought. It was nothing but a fantasy.

But now it was real and in her face.

Claire grabbed her car keys off the kitchen counter. She didn't have time to argue with her sister about this. She had done the research. She knew better than anyone that it was a bad idea, even if it was theoretically possible.

Emma threw her hands in air. "Where are you going?"

Claire slipped her jacket on. "Home. Neil and I are supposed to be watching a movie together."

"Well tell him I said hello. Maybe he'll want to go inside of grandpa's head with me."

Claire glared at her sister. "Do me a favor. Shove that thing up your ass when you're done."

With that, Claire left her sister's apartment.

Emma rolled her eyes. She and her sister had been talking about this very idea since they were teenagers. But now that the idea had become a reality, Claire was suddenly out. What for? She knew it couldn't have been that stupid psychology excuse she had been giving. Going inside of someone's head wasn't something that was knew. Scientists had been using CAT scans and MRIs to measure brainwaves for years.

There was just something that Claire wasn't telling.

Claire was close with their grandfather just like Emma. Claire may have even loved him more than Emma truly did. It just wasn't like her to suddenly become apathetic.