"Reincarnation in thou;
the key to freeing oneself."

~J. G. BORIA.

✒️📡

She remembers well her pale lips trembling against the comforting cold of a gloomy fall night, while the gloves around her hands glided against the railing hanging on to dear life. She was afraid that if she let go the feeling against her chest would only cause her to collapse; so she kept them both firmly on it as she slowly made her way down. She had never felt anything like this before. Not even when her fish billy had died. This was far from it all. As the seconds passed she felt herself become cold and numb. Giving a broken exhale to the snow flurry around her she quietly took a seat on the freezing bleacher stair thinking over it all. Her heart thumped against her chest and her cheeks burned against the brace winds. This was the first time she had felt death. The first time ever she realized that her life wasn't what she always believed it was.

Bear thou loss, for thou, shall become stronger...

       She couldn't even forget of that day. Sometimes she wished that people didn't die and instead lived forever. But then forever would mean not being in peace, so she gave that thought a rest. What she really wanted was to for once truly feel like the did not have a worry of some sort in this world she lived on. To know that the norm of losing a soul in this earth was never common, but for her, it was like skidding over a books' page. She got all of the information, but they were all the same. All important, all words, all knowledge. The benefit of it all was the pleasant relieved feeling she got every time.

         Like every other day, she was quietly making her way down the crowded hallway of her school hands wrapped around a thick Shakespeare book. Not because of the book she had been recently reading, but because she just wasn't feeling as well. Feeling under the weather usually meant that something was going to happen, so she braced herself for another lost soul. She would just have to prepare for what would come.

"Well, maybe if you dipped the fries like a normal human being then just maybe they might consider being close to you."

       She remained silent at the figure's words, picking hungrily at the fries that were mostly covered in ketchup. Their apparition was as stubborn as how the person was before they died. She chuckled softly to herself.

"Hey! What's so funny? I wanna know too!"

    She should have stayed quiet. Nervously turning to look at the ghost young girl she stared her down before sighing and speaking up to the figure.

"This is exactly why I sit alone where no one can see me. You guys just pop out of nowhere and it's really unexpected. I don't always react this calm when another one of you pops up while I'm doing practically everything. There you have it. The answer you had been searching for!"

      The human emphasized 'answer' as she threw the girl a goofy smile and turned back to her food. They both sat quietly against the winds of December admiring the warmth of the early sun as it slowly cast towards them. Three weeks had passed since she had been seeing this little girl. Three weeks of the dull familiar feeling that engulfed her when she encountered a purgatory ghost.

"You know it's the second week of November yet I still can't find my mom and brother. I remember promising that I would make sure to leave with my last goodbyes before I headed with God, but I never really got to tell my last goodbyes. Mom kept crying the whole time which I always told her I disliked to see."

     The girl only shook her head, ignoring the apparition once more as she went to her own studies, along with the maple cherry tree.

"Some things happen for a reason, Adeline. Not everyone is expected to live their whole lives in the world. I'm also not telling you to consider it a gift.. because as much as I wish it were, it isn't."

     Young Adeline sighed still eyeing the ketchup with fries; because that is literally what she ate. The young ghost then looked up at the human eyes twinkling with a certain emotion that was unpredictable.

"You know, there's this other boy who I head of! He has been doing this too! I'm only bringing it up because you too would look soo good together. He might be your age too, actually!"

    The young whisperer inhaled hard and quickly regretted it as she began coughing profusely. What was this crazy child talking about? What had she apparently seen? Once she caught her break she quickly reached the class of ice cold water.

"Adeline, sweetie, I don't think that's right. There's no one in this desolate town who would do the same as me."

        Adeline knew the human was just being stubborn at this point. She then decided to take the opportunity to get her to understand what she meant. How might you one ask?... The ghost child was trickier than tricky can be. Quickly reaching for her fries, the older girl quickly gave a warning, but as late as she was, things all happened. The boy who was passing by now stood inches away from both of the girls, frozen in his spot... covered in the leftover ketchup and honey smeared fries. Adeline made a run for it before her guardian could protest and detain her she had whooshed into mid-air.

"I'm sorry! I'll take full responsibility for this. I'm so sorry... I was just-"

"I-it's fine..." The male voice replied, stuttering softly due to the current pressure of having all eyes on the two. He just glanced down at the mess that would permanently leave his clothing stained.

"It's not... and I'm sorry. I really hadn't intended for this to happen. And I'm certain that you didn't either haha.." The awkward laugh caused her to cringe. Talk about severe embarrassment..

Okay. Now she felt worse for the boy. Why did she have to be so awkward especially in the wrong times?...

"You don't have to worry about it. I have been through worse things here. Spitting screamed at, and a couple of other things I don't really feel like saying out loud."

The two were unconsciously making their way past the glaring eyes and to the small area to check out.

"I'm Christian. I just moved here last week actually. I'll discount your food for all your troubles." His sweet, low voice echoed past her as he scrambled past her and behind the cashier to get the discount going.

"I object! It's okay really. It was not your fault. I'm sorry. I will pay full price without anything. That's the least I could do..." Her mysterious brown eyes eyed him and he looked up at her confused with her reply. Instantly, deep heterochromia eyes stared back at her. There was so much she read in them; fear, loss, and the strongest of them all, hopefulness. She looked back down quickly and finished paying for her wasted meal.

"I never heard your introduction. Earlier before at least..."

She smiled before looking up. Might as well give him his first tire welcome to town.

"You have been plenty kind, Christian. I'm Indra Irozi."