We are the things that others fear

We may be insubstantial, yet we are the things that others fear. We are inescapable, and you can never outrun us. There is no hiding from us. We always know where you are, when you are alone, vulnerable. You carry us with you, without choice, for we always accompany you. We are many and varied, each one personalised to you and you alone.

Is there some indiscretion you would like to hide? Were you a naughty boy, fifty years in the past? Were you spiteful, cruel, or simply unthinking? Did you enjoy the misery of others? So many do. Whatever your crime, we will make you pay for it, pay for it many times over. You will pay till the waters of the Lethe finally wash us away. Memories are like that.