Jesse woke up. He felt as if he was sleeping for eternity. He couldn’t remember why he was there. Suddenly he noticed a gal was sleeping above him. He screamed. She woke up. When she saw him, she became stunned. Her finger was pointing at him and her hand was shaking. He looked back at himself and noticed that he was half transparent. His body was like a silver piece of transparent paper. He screamed even louder. The girl wasn’t sleeping above of him, but instead, he was floating.
Feeling terribly lost and sad, he sat at the end of her bed. He cried. He couldn’t remember why he was a ghost. He only remember that he was about to enter high school the very next day, but now, he is dead. He slapped himself very hard on his face, hoping that this is a dream, but instead, his hand went through his face. He felt nothing at all.
“Jesse? Is that you?” said the girl as she was moving closer towards him.
“How did you know my name?” he asked.
“You have forgotten? I was your classmate,” she said. Her face was wet with her tears.
“But, for the past six years I was studying, you wasn’t in the same class with me,” he said, puzzled.
“For the past six years? Jesse, how old are you? I’m sorry; I mean how old were you?”
“I’m going to be thirteen next January.”
“Thirteen? Jesse, you are, I mean, were seventeen.”
“What was your prove?”
She didn’t reply. Instead, she gets off her bed to her table and took a piece of newspaper. She showed it to him.
“A boy from the nearby high school of the neighborhood, Jesse Andrews, 17 years old was found dead in the morning by passerby. He was stabbed at his heart, which was the cause of his death. The night before, he was believed to be with a classmate of his in her house. He was killed about 100 meters from her house. Further investigation will be done to seek the murderer. Reasons of victim’s death are unknown at press time,” he read it loudly. He gasped. He started crying again.
“This was today’s paper,” she said. “Your funeral will be held tomorrow morning.” She was crying too.
“This is a dream, isn’t it? I couldn’t be murdered. I mean, I should have memories before I died too, didn’t I?” he asked. She didn’t reply. She was still crying.
“Everyone prayed that this will be a dream,” she said. “If you have any doubts, come to you funeral tomorrow.” She was crying terribly.
Suddenly, the lights were turned on. A woman rushed in the room and walked through him without noticing him. She rushed to that girl. Both the girl and Jesse stared at each other. Her mother didn’t realize that he was in the room.
“What wrong, honey?” she asked.
“Nothing, I thought of my classmate suddenly and I couldn’t help but crying.”
“I understand. His death was tragic. He was such a fine boy, well mannered and polite. But, there’s nothing you can do now. Just pray for him alright?”
Her mother stayed a little longer before leaving the room.
“She didn’t notice me. I felt warmness when she walked through me... I am really dead, isn’t it?” She didn’t reply again. Instead, she pinched herself hard.
“It wasn’t a dream,” she said while showing him her arm. It was now in a weird combination of blue black. “I had been pinching myself the whole day.”
Jesse floats towards her and tried to examine her hand but his hand slipped past her hand.
“It’s okay. I understand. I think it is best if you return to your family tonight. Who knows that you could talk to them and gave them comfort?”
He nodded and floats towards the ceiling. He vanished from her sight. She cried even harder. Out of the blue, he was staring at her, straight at her face, closely.
“I didn’t even get your name.” He smiled weakly.
“I’m Rachael.”
“Thanks,” he floats away again.
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