QH Archives: Scent Memories (Patreon)

Her nose suddenly twisted and her eyes narrowed.  Something was amiss in the room, and her senses were just catching on to it.  He could see it in her face and it was terrifying.

"Hey," she said.  "Something smells...funny in here."

"Oh?" he said, hoping that his face wasn't blushing as much as he imagined that it was.  "I...don't smell anything."

She shrugged and went back to watching the television.  Nervously, he glanced to the corner of his bedroom where his trash can sat, containing a diaper that had to be discarded after being used for far too long.  He had intended to put it in a plastic bag and throw it in the outdoor trash can.  Of course, he had kept telling himself he'd do that later. But that was hours ago, and now his best friend Casey was over.  

A few minutes passed, and he continued to see  her sniff at the air suspiciously. She seemed perplexed by it, and she didn’t look like she was able to let it go. "Are you sure?" she asked again.  "I swear that I smell something."

"I don't smell anything weird," he said again. Playing stupid, he added: "What does it smell like?"It's...familiar," she said, "It reminds me of, like, when I used to babysit my little sister or something, but I just can't place it."

His heart raced, and he struggled to focus on the television.  He kept carefully glancing at her face, watching as she mulled over whatever memories the scent of his dirty diapers triggered, possibly coming closer to solving the mystery.  

“M-maybe I’ll take the trash out,” he finally said. “You know...just in case that’s what it is…”

It was at that moment that she felt a lightbulb going on above her head. It all came back to her - the smell of old stale diapers in the baby’s diaper pail. It was a mix of old dampness, mixed with a little baby powder. But...there couldn’t have been a diaper in his trash can, could there be?

She watched him get up and rush to the garbage can to gather it and take it out, his face flushed crimson red.

She wanted to know more. She wanted to ask questions and get confirmation of her suspicions. But she decided to let it go. For now.

Someday, she thought, she’d have to say something.