Ghosts Are Real

I wrote this short story for a contest on Gaia quite awhile ago. It was the inspiration for "The Flosera" though.

As she looked out the window in her bedroom, all she could see were the lights shining from the headlights of his car.  After a few minutes, the lights were turned off.  Quietly, she got up from her bed and walked over to her closet.  From her closet, she pulled out her favorite blue jacket.  She then walked over to her desk to pick up her purse.  As she did, her cell phone began ringing the song “Back At One”.  Automatically, she knew that it was Alex.  Quickly, as to not wake her parents up, she answered the phone, “Yes, my love?”

“You can come on out now, my angel,” came the reply from Alex.

“I know.  I saw the signal.  I was just grabbing my things and then I’ll be right out,” she told him in a quiet voice.

“Okay.  I love you, Rosealie,” she heard him say.

“I love you too, Alex,” she replied, hanging up the phone afterwards.  Then she quickly placed her phone back in her purse.  Slowly, she walked over to her bedroom door and opened it as quietly as possible.  After doing so, she looked around the dark hallway to make sure that no one was around.  Once she saw that the hallway was clear of everything except her cat Ginger, she quietly snuck down the stairs.  As she did, she tried to be as careful as possible not to step on her tail, knowing that would cause her to make a noise that would more than likely wake up her parents.

Slowly, she walked down the stairs and then came to stand in front of her.  It took everything that she had in her to extend her hand forward to rest on the doorknob.  She then quietly unlocked the door.  Just as she did, someone opened the door from the other side.  Rosealie quickly raised her hand to place it over her mouth so that she wouldn’t let out a scream.  Not long at all after she placed her hand on top of her mouth, someone else’s hand was on top of hers.  It was then that she realized she had closed her eyes after the door had opened.  After realizing this, she opened her eyes to see an unfamiliar young man in front of her.  This caused her to let out a scream.  Sadly, she didn’t hear it though since she had two hands on top of her mouth.

Quickly, she looked around for Alex but didn’t see him anywhere.  “I bet he parked around back,” she thought to herself with a sigh.

“Now,” started the stranger, “I need you to come with me… You have to realize something before it is too late.”

As he said these words, Rosealie could feel his hand begin to shake.  She knew that there had to be truth in his words.  Sadly, she had no idea what he was talking about.  After a few minutes, he began to lead her towards the forest which was across the street from her house.  Along the way, she felt something in her purse vibrating.  “Alex,” she thought to herself.  Somehow her phone must have gotten put on vibrate.

By the time that they had made it to the edge of the forest, she wasn’t as afraid as she had been.  Somewhere deep down she knew that she was in no danger at all around this young man.  Just a few steps into the forest, he removed his hand from her mouth which allowed her to do the same.  After doing so, he began to speak.

“By now you are probably wondering what is going on.  Unfortunately, I cannot tell you right now.  I will have to show you in a few minutes.  For now, I just ask that you please bear with me and know that I will cause you no harm.  We just have to figure out what is going to happen… and fast.”

“What does this have to do with me though?” Rosealie asked.  Before he had the time to answer, she thought of another question.  “And who are you?  You seem to know who I am.  Hell, you seem to know more about me than I do!”

“Calm down, Rosealie… Please, just calm down,” he said.  “All I can tell you know is that there is a lot about you that you don’t know.  That’s why I am here.  I must wait until we are with the others though before I can tell you anything else.  Besides my name, that is.  My name is Jason,” he told her.

For some reason, Rosealie felt at home when she was around him.  As he spoke, she believed every word that he said.  Still, she didn’t know what was going on but she believed him when he said that he would tell her soon.  She had so many questions to ask him but she knew that he, or someone else that he was taking her to, would answer all of her questions.  “Okay,” she finally spoke in a quiet voice.  “Shall we proceed now on our journey?” she asked, knowing that everything would be okay.

“Of course,” Jason replied.  “Very soon you will know everything that you want to know.  All your questions will be answered, I promise.”  After finishing these words, he gave her another quick hug.

They then slowly made their way into the forest.  Jason led the way with Rosealie right behind him.  As they traveled, branches would scrap across Rosealie’s arms and feet.  “I really picked a bad day for wearing something nice.  I wonder how Alex is,” she thought as she felt her phone vibrate again in her purse.  “Jason?” she asked.

“What is it?” he asked in a sincere voice, stopping and turning around to face her.

“Somehow I think that you already know this but… I was supposed to meet my boyfriend tonight and he keeps calling me.  Could I please call him and tell him not to worry about me?  I don’t know what else to tell him besides that.”

“Actually, Alex already knows about all of this.  He probably just wants to check up on you.  Go ahead and call him back.  Tell him that everything is going as planned and that I’m taking good care of you,” he replied.

Rosealie then opened up her purse and quickly dug around in it for her cell phone.  Once she had it in her hand, she pulled it out of her purse and felt it vibrating again.  “Perfect timing!” she exclaimed to herself in a quiet voice.  “Alex!” she said with enthusiasm as she answered the phone.

“Rosealie!  Is everything okay, baby?” he asked.  “I imagine that Jason has told you as much as he can for now.  I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.”

“Everything is okay.  Jason told me to tell you that everything is going as planned and that he is taking good care of me.  He told me that you already knew about all of this.  Where are you then?” she spoke, completely confused but still trusting of both Alex and Jason.

“I am waiting for you.  I am with the others that will meet you in just a little bit.  I really hope that you get here soon… Everything will be okay then.  And after you know about everything, life will be perfect, Rosealie.  I promise you that…” she heard Alex say, his voice growing quieter as he went on; then, the call ended.

So many questions were swirling around her head but something told her not to ask them just yet; something inside her knew that everything was going to be okay.  “How much longer until we get there?” was the only question that she actually asked Jason.

“Only a few more minutes, unless something goes wrong,” was the reply that he gave her.

Carefully, they made it through the forest.  After a few minutes of impatience, Rosealie was about ready to ask her question again when Jason spoke, answering her question before she even spoke it.  “We’re about to come to the clearing where the others are supposed to meet us,” Jason said, looking to his side at Rosealie.

Slowly, she nodded her head.  She was so thankful that all of her questions would be answered in just a few short minutes.  Just as he said, they came to a clearing in just a few minutes after he had last spoken.  Quickly, she looked around, amazed at all the people who were there.  Her eyes went straight to Alex though.  There was a look in his eyes though that warned her not to go near him.  Sadly, she continued to walk along side Jason.  He led her to a group of people who everyone else seemed to be gathered around.  The small group was comprised of what looked like the leader of the group, a female who looked to be a few years younger than Jason and an elderly lady.  Somehow she knew that Jason and herself were part of the group though.

“Ah, you have finally arrived,” the leader said, his voice like that of a long lost relative awaiting the return of someone.  “And you brought along Rosealie, just as planned.”

“Yes, I have done exactly as I was told.  And Alex was a great help, sir,” Jason told him, hoping that he would not get in trouble for adding that last part.

“Thank you, Jason.  Thank you both,” he replied, looking back at Alex as he spoke the second part.  Rosealie decided that would be an appropriate moment to look over at him as well.  As she did, she saw him nod his head and then, as the leader looked away, she saw him smile in her direction.  That gave her a reason to smile herself.  “Now then,” Rosealie heard the leader saw as she looked back at him, “it is time to accomplish what all of you have come out for on this lovely moonlit night.”  Once he spoke those words, a roar of applause came from what Rosealie assumed was the audience.

“Rosealie… We have something important to tell you,” Jason spoke.  As he did, he motioned for the female to come closer to them.  Once she did, he placed his arm around her shoulders and they both looked right at Rosealie.  “We know that this will come as a shock to you and that you might not even believe us but…” he began, taking a deep breath and pulling the female closer to him, “we’re your parents.  Jason and Marie Beisei…”

Once he finished, there was Rosealie felt… at peace.  As odd as it sounded, she fully believed what they said.  At first, there were was an awkward moment of silence.  That was followed by Rosealie slowly walking towards them.  Then, she reached out to hug them.  When she did, her arms went right through them though.

“That’s one of the other things that we have to tell you,” Marie said, her voice as soft as velvet.  “We’re… dead.  The ability to see the dead is something that runs in the family.  Also, it comes with another ability that varies that generation to generation.”

“Marie is right about that.  It comes from my side of the family.  My other ability is to read people’s minds, as you may have already guessed,” Jason told her, his voice as sincere as ever.  “Most of the people around you are you family.  All of them though, are dead.”

Rosealie had been okay with everything that she had been told so far, until now.  As Jason spoke the last words, she looked straight at Alex.  No longer afraid of anyone around her, she ran to him and tried to hug him.  Of course, her attempt ended in vain.  Slowly, the tears began to fall from her eyes.  “Alex… Why didn’t you ever tell me?” she asked him.

“Oh, baby… Please, don’t cry,” he replied, reaching out for her yet knowing that they couldn’t touch.  “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you.  I just knew that I wasn’t supposed to be that one to tell you.”

It finally made sense as to why Alex had never held her or kissed her before.  Sure, they’d only been a couple for about a month now but still.  Rosealie tried her hardest to stop from crying.  As she did, she held her hand up in the air so that her palm was facing Alex.  Once she had done that, Alex lifted up his own hand and placed it as close as he could to hers.  For just a split second, Rosealie could almost feel the warmth of his hand.  She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination or not but either way, it made her smile.

After a few minutes of standing like that, Jason and Marie walked over to where they were standing.  “The ability that we think you have is that to see the future.  This is a very important ability and we really hope that you use it to your greatest extent.  We are unsure of how the visions will come though.  They would just come at random, when you think about certain things, or even only when you dream at night.  At any rate, we fear that the first vision you have will be the worst.”

As she listened to them speak, everything was registered in her mind.  Also, she continued to stand there with her hand close to Alex’s.  Slowly though, she turned to her parents.  “May I ask something now though?” Rosealie asked.

“Of course you can, dear,” came the reply from Marie.

“Is there any way at all that I would be able to touch the dead?” was the only question that Rosealie had for them.

“Sadly, not that we know of.  As far as we know, you are only able to see the dead.  Only the dead are able to touch the dead,” her father replied, his tone was one of sadness for his daughter.

That was the response that Rosealie was afraid of.  “Okay then…”  Slowly, her eyes were filled with tears again.  She tried her hardest to hold them back but as she blinked, just a few of them feel slowly down her cheek.  As they did, she could see the pain in Alex’s eyes.  She could see that he longed to wipe away her tears and hold her close.  “May I go home now?  Well, I guess it’s not really home though…”

“Yes, you can.  I’ll take you,” Alex replied.  Rosealie was very glad that was what the answer was.  She felt kind of bad though because she was afraid that she was making it seem like she didn’t care about her parents.

Just as she thought that, Jason spoke up.  “Sweetie, you don’t have to worry about that.  We know how happy you are to know about us now.  We understand how you feel about Alex as well as all of the things that you have found out tonight.  Just go back home and try to sleep well tonight.  If you want, you can come back here tomorrow.  We’ll be waiting…”

Those were the last words that she heard him say before her and Alex headed back towards her house.  As they headed back, there were so many things that she wanted to talk about but it just didn’t seem like the right moment to ask them.  Sadly, the walk back to her house felt so much shorter than the walk to the opening in the forest.  The entire walk was done in silence though.  That was, until they made it to the front door.  As they did, Rosealie pulled out the key from her purse.

Slowly, her hand made its way to the key hole.  As it did, Alex spoke.  “Rosealie… I am really sorry that I wasn’t that one to tell you.  I really hope that you’re not mad at me.  I love you so much…”  After speaking, he turned around to leave the house.

“Alex, don’t go!  I’m not mad at you, I promise.  I could never be mad at you.  Actually, I just thought of something…” Rosealie said, a smile now spreading across her face.

“What is that?” Alex asked, his voice full of confusion but happiness.

“Well, since I’m the only one that can see you in this house, could you come up to my room with me tonight?” Rosealie asked, her face blushing as she did.

“Of course!” Alex replied, excited.  He then placed his hand through hers and turned the key in the key hole.  After doing so, he opened the door slowly and quietly.  Then, he held the door open for Rosealie.

Rosealie smiled even more as she walked through the door and into the house.  As she did, Alex closed the door behind them, handing Rosealie back her key.  Slowly, Rosealie led the way upstairs and into her room.  Once in her room, she walked over and laid down in the bed.  She then motioned for Alex to come over to her.  Alex then quietly made his way over to the bed after closing the bedroom door behind them.  He slowly pulled the covers over Rosealie and then sat down next to her.

“Goodnight, my angel.  I love you and sleep well,” Alex told her in a quiet voice.

“Goodnight.  I love you, too,” Rosealie replied, wishing that they could share a goodnight kiss.

                Surprisingly, Rosealie found herself falling asleep quite quickly.  As she fell asleep, she could almost feel Alex at her side.  Once again, she wasn’t sure if it was her imagination or not, but she didn’t really care.  As the night rolled on, a dream came into her peaceful sleep.  The dream was more like a nightmare.

                Rosealie saw herself laying down on the bed underneath her covers.  It was almost like she was seeing all of this from someone else’s point of view.  The person walked closer to her bed.  As they did, she saw something shiny in there right hand.  “I’m sorry that I have to do this, Rosealie… But you didn’t love me.  If I can’t have you, then no one can have you,” she heard the voice say.  For some reason, Rosealie wasn’t scared by this dream at all.  Maybe, it was because it’s what she knew she wanted deep down inside.  As these thoughts went around and around in her head, she sort of lost focus on what was actually happening in the dream.  Once she started paying attention again, all she saw was a knife coming at her chest.  While seeing this, she didn’t scream.  All she did was watch.  When she saw the knife hit her chest, she was surprised to actually feel the pain in her chest.  It was then that she yelled.  It was then that she realized that it wasn’t just a dream.  It was then that she had her first vision; a vision that was actually happening.  It was then, that she died.

Author's Note

Honestly, I think this is a pretty crappy short story. I felt like posting it anyways. If you were wondering, it did not place in the contest.

Reviews

[Joanna Maharis]

I was so drawn into this story from the first line. I'm enthralled with this story. I look forward to reading more to find out what happens to the girl next. This is a beautiful story. The judges of the contest you entered this piece in were fools not to award this piece some kind of prize. Great work here so far. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

[Gathering_Stars]

You have some good ideas here, but the writing is kind of cheesy. I like the mind-reading idea, but I also think that if you spent some more time on this it could be better. : )

[Drew Wade]

this was so romantic and tragic. I have to say, it was good. I think it could have used a few improvements, but it was a good concept overall.

[Aiden- Aiko- Kiyomi]

Wow. ummm, not really my style but if it were I would really like it. You know me though, dark, sadistic, sarcastic horror and philosophy. There should be a next. A question.

[Orahemae December]

That was really great. I wanna know what happens next!! if there is a next. there should be. It was awesome.