Life As We Know It

Ghost

Dead. Gone. All life as we know it.

I live on, but yet I'm dead. I have been many names, and many faces. Reincarnated over many lifetimes. Nobody can see me as a ghost, nobody can hear me, nobody can feel me.

Sometimes I'm a ghost for days, weeks, months, or even years. I can't control it, because I don't know what 'it' is. I just wake up each time in another body, and in a different place. I'm always a girl though, and always 21 years old. I don't know my first life. I never know why I always remain 21, and while I have some theories, there is no one around to ask.

I just live on. The memory that I have though, is luckily intact throughout each body that I live through. The way I live, is somewhat unusual though. I live within a body of someone who's soul has already passed.

They died in a horrific accident but I'm able to bring their body back to life briefly. I live inside their body, and they become my shell. I live inside them until their loved ones are able to have peace, instead of them not being able to move on. When that time comes, I am gone in the wind once more.

Their body fades in a peaceful slumber, and their loved ones are better off than before. They aren't broken with the thought of sorrow, but instead have a meaningful purpose. They make the experience impact them by making them stronger. They don't crumble with the knowledge of loss of life, they celebrate them. They celebrate the life once lived, and cherish it for what it previously was.

Right now, even as a ghost, I still have a name though. My name is Lillie. Yesterday though, I was Cali. I don't know whether or not tomorrow I'll be someone else, but I hope it will be a while. I'm tired of always moving, and the waiting place is so serene. The waiting place is what I call this world I live in.

It's the same as the regular world, but instead, nobody can see me. The world also looks like it has this weird glazy like filter. I can interact with things and float if I'd like, but I can't interact with anything alive. I open up the door for my home and I take in my surroundings. I feel the warm breeze tickle my skin and realize how perfect a night it is to go for a walk.

As I walk through the wonderful city that I live in, I enjoy the breathtaking views. The city is ablaze with people, and the bright buildings of the city make the sky dance with light. I see all of the friendships blooming, or relationships crumbling, and I wish I could have even an ounce of interaction with these people. Before I can dig myself further down into a wallowing mess of despair for how lonely I am, the noise of my stomach whips me away from those thoughts. I decide to walk to the nearest corner store.

As I arrive at the store, a man appears before me, catching my breath. He is absolutely breathtaking. He flashes a smile my way and I almost fall to my knees then and there. I realize someone's behind me and crumble up the hopeful thoughts and ideas, that were trying to bloom. The hopeful thoughts and ideas hoped that there was some way in this world that this man could see us. Loneliness has overtaken all of my senses apparently, because the thoughts fester into the roots of my brain, and threaten to overtake my whole being.

This man was beautiful though. He had dark hair, that reminded me of pure midnight itself. His tan skin looked kissed by the sun itself, and his smile almost brought me weak to my knees when I saw it earlier. His white teeth were so blinding and perfectly straight that I felt he was sculpted by the hands of a god themself.

When I looked up into his eyes, time almost felt frozen. His eyes were a breathtaking hazel, but when they hit the light, specks of green could be seen. A perfect mixture of colors so vibrant, my heart started beating fast. It was like a pounding drum, and it was trying to maneuver its way back into line. It didn’t want to be heard, but it was somehow thrown into the spotlight, unable to find its way back. Unknown to me was the fact that my heart could even beat in this waiting place, to begin with.

His clothes were neat and plain. Casual wear but yet tight enough as to where his muscles shown through. Even something as simple as his plain white shirt and denim jeans, made my heart speed up. What was this guy doing to me? I didn't even know him. I nervously tugged at the strands of hair framing the front of my face, and tucked them behind my ears.

His name, age, everything, all unknown. I notice that the unknown man has already entered the store, and that there is no reason for me to continue standing outside, fantasizing about something that will never happen. I enter the store and look around, noticing that only the cashier, unknown man, and I remain.

This was a small store. So there was only an area for the cashier to ring people up and a couple of aisles of food, accompanied by a freezer section. I grabbed a drink and whatever I needed for dinner and walked past the guy at the register. I felt guilty for the fact I couldn't pay, but one pro of this waiting place was that I didn't have to pay when nobody could even see me.

As I walked out of the store, my mind jumped back to the handsome man. I wish I'll see him again, whether it be in another life or in this waiting place. I just wish he would be able to see me back.

"Hey!"