O’Brien says that since her death, he has frequently imagined that Linda was alive again. Even though the girl is dead, O’Brien assures that he will never forget her, and she is still living out his memories in his mind. As a portrayal of this belief, his memory representation of Linda told him, “Once you’re alive, you can’t ever be dead (231).” By O’Brien’s remembrance of her, she is brought back to life in his mind.
He may not remember exactly how Linda looked when she was nine, or recall everything they did together, but he can imagine and add on to his story indefinitely just as Rat Kiley did. O’Brien fully knows that Linda is dead but declares “…in a story I can steal her soul. I can revive, at least briefly, that which is absolute and unchanging. In a story, miracles can happen.” He can imagine her skating with him, holding his hand, or anything he