THE LOST

to remeber the unforgettbale is to remember the lost.

The graveyard lay before me. It’s still the same as the last time I saw it, the same rusty gate, the untamed grass, the same old silence�"not a single person in sight. I creaked the gate open, the air still, almost haunting, the wet grass squashing under my feet as I walked in. Taking my camera out, I started taking pictures of the beauty in front of me. Ring, ring, ring. I knew it was Amber before I even glanced at the caller ID. She always calls when I am at the graveyard.

 

“Don’t tell me you are at the graveyard again. Gosh, isn’t it really creepy there with all the dead people and everything?” Amber's voice slightly echoed.

 

“No, I actually think it’s really pretty, almost unreal. There’s a beauty in everything,” I replied, still clicking pictures of the tombstones, the trees, and everything in sight.

 

“I still don’t understand why you go to these places. You know what they say about cameras, right? They say that humans can’t see spiritual beings like ghosts and spirits, but the rule doesn’t apply to cameras. They say once you capture a spirit on camera, you can see them in real life too. Do you think it’s logical?” she whispered.

 

I laughed nervously. “That’s not logical at all, Amber. These are just some made-up stories, and since when do you believe in this stuff?” I replied, my voice shaking slightly. Amber's tone shifted.

 

“Do you believe in them?”

 

I paused, staring at the rows of tombstones stretching before me, their names barely visible anymore, weathering away on the stones.

 

“Maybe I do,” I admitted. “Maybe that’s why I am here�"to remember the unforgettable.”

 

There was a moment of silence on the line. I glanced at my phone, making sure Amber hadn’t hung up. But the call was still connected. Shaking off the uneasy feeling creeping over me, I stepped further into the graveyard. I raised my camera, the click of the button breaking the silence. I took another step, capturing more of the scene, feeling strongly drawn to the stillness of the graveyard. As I reviewed the last photo, my heart skipped a beat. In the background of every picture I took, there was this figure, a girl about my age, dressed in black, her face not visible, covered by a veil.

 

I blinked, my heart pounding hard against my ribcage. The figure was blurred in the background like a memory that won’t go away, no matter how much you try to forget it. I turned to look, expecting to see someone standing there, but the graveyard was empty. Strangely, she was only visible in the camera.

 

“Amber,” I whispered into the phone, “are you... here?”

 

Amber chuckled softly. “You know I can’t be there, right? There’s no way I am there.” Her voice was low, sad, barely even a whisper. I stared back at the picture. I was somewhat scared, but there was this weird comfort looking at the figure. I knew I should be running away, but instead, I pushed forward, taking more pictures. Yet a part of me wanted it to be real, not an illusion. But with each shot, the girl reappeared, closer now but still too blurry.

 

Suddenly the weather was chilly, the wind blowing loudly, screaming in my ears. “Amber, do you know what I am seeing right now?” I asked, my voice shaking.

 

But Amber didn’t respond. The line was still connected, but there was no reply from the other side.

 

“Amber?” I called out again. Still no reply. I stopped walking and looked around, suddenly not feeling like I was alone. The girl was closer now, almost at the edge of the new row of graves. I tried making out her features in the picture, but her face was hidden beneath the veil. There was something about her�"something not quite human yet so comforting, like seeing an old friend years apart.

 

I took another step towards her. “Amber?” I called out. “You’re not... you’re really not here, are you?” There was still a great distance between us, but now she was clear, no longer blurry in the picture. I raised my camera to take another picture of the girl, eager to look at her face, and in the flash of the camera, she turned. The veil fell from her face.

 

It wasn’t Amber.

 

Her face was pale, almost translucent, her eyes hollow and empty. Now she was staring right at me. And in a matter of seconds, the game had changed. Now it was me being chased by her. My legs were shaking, my breath uneven, my lungs burning from trying to take in air. With every step, I was still clicking pictures, trying to see how close she was. Suddenly fog surrounded us, almost hiding her from me.

 

I took small steps back, but she was too fast. She grabbed my hand hard, bruising my skin as she opened her impossibly wide mouth like a crocodile, her sharp blade-like teeth sticking out like fangs. I lost all hope.

 

“I don’t want to die,” I whispered, barely able to find my voice. Tears filled my eyes as I stared at the creature. Suddenly my foot slipped on something hard. Falling down against the ground, I looked down, and my breath got caught in my throat. The stone read, “Amber Jones, a beautiful daughter, best sister, and the best friend. To remember the unforgettable is to remember the lost.” Her name. It stared back at me, creating panic in my mind. Amber�"my best friend. The realization hit me like a wave. She was gone all this time, and I hadn’t truly accepted it.

 

The spirit launched forward, her eyes narrowing with hunger. But something held her back.

 

“I remember you, Amber. I will never forget you.” For a second, the spirit paused, her face twisted with something like hesitation. So I ran, stumbling over the graves, my heart pounding with hope. As I looked back, the spirit stood by Amber’s grave. She screeched, a blood-curdling sound that echoed through the graveyard, but she didn’t follow me. Something or someone was keeping her there.

 

“You are safe... for now,” Amber whispered, her voice soft but distant. The line went dead. I stood there, staring at my screen, the cold wind wrapping around me. Amber was gone, but somehow, she saved me one last time.

Reviews

[Sophia E.]

This is a really great short story. I think you did well with the dialogue and character interactions. If I were you, I would add more sensory details about the setting and more details about the characters so that they become harder to forget. Overall, amazing job!

[Dallas O'Hara Brown]

Hey, I'm a young producer looking for material. Please get back to me at [email protected]

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

I love ghost stories, and this will be one i'm sure to remember a long time. the twists really work -- they don't feel forced and fits in snugly with the themes. i also thought it was very clever how you represented technology in the story. the bit with the camera revealing the ghost getting closer was very clever, and creepy. And how he checks the screen to make sure that Amber hadn't hung up... suggesting there was a real call, not a hallucination. this will be a great campfire story.