Don't Ghost Me

Ever pondered the idea of a ghost? Is it possible that ghosts exist? A couple of months ago, Julie Molina identified three ghosts in her mother’s music room. Alex Mercer, Luke Patterson, and Reginald “Reggie” Peters began a friendship with Julie during a hard period. The trio gave her back her love for music, which was lost when her mother passed away. Two months went by instantly, from playing at school to their dream of playing at the Orpheum, before their deaths 20 years ago. Julie and the band played elsewhere soon after the legendary night. Now, something has changed and Julie, her brother, and father have been acting peculiar. “What’s happening, Julie?” Luke wanted to know. Julie gazed at him and the two other boys, who looked perplexed. She heaved a sigh, taking a seat on the leather sofa. “An old friend is staying with us. She lost both of her parents and it was her mother’s dying wish for her to be with people she knows and trusts.” “Does that mean we have to move out of the studio?” Reggie questioned, his eyes fixed on the ground. “I mean, it’s sad her parents are gone…” Alex, his annoyance growing, stated that Reggie should stop talking. “We understand if we have to leave the studio, Julie.” “Look, guys, I’m not asking you to leave. She’ll be in the loft and you guys can stay down here,” Julie said, standing to her feet. “I am heading off to school. She’ll be here soon.” Julie gave a wave goodbye and shut the studio doors, leaving the three guys quite bewildered. “Do you think Julie’s friend is nice?” Reggie asked, breaking the silence. Alex shrugged and sat behind his drum set and twirled a stick between his fingers. “I’m sure she is. Julie’s friends all seem pretty nice.” The studio doors swung open, and Julie’s father walked in, his heavy sigh echoing in the room. The boys halted their actions and gazed at Mr. Molina, tracking his movements as he explored the studio and eventually pivoted towards the open door. “There’s a bed up in the loft,” Mr. Molina said, as a girl around Julie’s age walked in. “Please make yourself at home and howler if you need anything. I’ll let you get settled.” With a sad expression, the girl nodded and dropped her bag, causing it to hit the floor with a loud thud. Mr. Molina’s face contorted with a mix of worry and sadness as he looked at her. “Julie will be home in a few of hours,” Mr. Molina said, resting a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right, Cait?” Cait nodded, her eyes brimming with tears as she refused to let fall. “Thank you for letting me stay here, Mr. Molina. I think I’ll get some sleep now.” Julie’s dad nodded in understanding before silently exiting, leaving her to contemplate her own musings. Cait looked around the room, her gaze unfocused, as tears threatened to spill from her vibrant blue-green eyes. Biting her bottom lip, she ran her fingers through her dark brown hair, then sank into the comfort of the sofa. “Do you think she’s okay?” Alex asked, leaning closer to Luke as the trio watched her fight back tears. Luke shook his head as Reggie knelt in front of her, resting his arm on the side of the sofa. Reggie watched Cait closely as she finally let go of the tears, her shoulders shaking with each sob. “No, Alex, I don’t think she’s okay at all,” he said, keeping his eyes on her. Right now, all he wanted to do was hold her tight and reassure her that everything would be alright. But that was a hard task to accomplish as a ghost, as no one could perceive your presence unless music filled the air. Cait took a deep breath and slapped her legs before standing up. “Time to get myself together and make myself at home, I guess.” She hurriedly picked up the bag she had dropped and placed it on the sofa, rummaging through its contents. Cait carefully placed a framed photo of herself and her parents on the coffee table, right in front of the sofa. “Awe, they look like a nice family,” Alex said, pointing at the photo. “I miss you guys so much,” Cait said, her voice filled with longing as she stared at the framed picture with tears welling up in her eyes. She grabbed the frame, its cool metal pressing against her palms, and gripped it against her chest. “How am I supposed to continue living without you two here? What is the purpose of my existence right now? Mom, you always knew what to say when I hit a brick wall. Your wisdom guided me gently, like a soft breeze, towards the right path. You always knew how to make me laugh, dad, even when I didn’t want to.” Reggie welled up with tears as Cait poured her heart out. With a pleading look, he glanced at his two friends. The one thing he wanted to do, he couldn’t, and the disappointment weighed heavily on him. The words he longed to express to her remained trapped within him. Stuck between two worlds, he felt a sense of helplessness creeping in. Reggie placed a hand on top of hers and pulled away quickly when she reacted to his touch. “Woah, did you guys see that?” Reggie asked Luke and Alex. “Guys, I think she felt me touch her hand.” Reggie ran his fingers through his hair in excitement as Cait placed the picture back on the coffee table and brought her things to the loft. “I’m telling you guys,” Reggie was saying. “She reacted when I touched her hand.” Luke was on the brink of blurting out a rude comment, but he bit his tongue at the last moment. “Wait, did you say you touched her hand?” They all exchanged glances and their voices overlapped as they excitedly discussed what had just occurred. Alex and Luke were excitedly talking about doing it again, but Reggie’s smile vanished when Cait came down from the loft. His gaze softened as he observed her settling onto the sofa with an acoustic guitar in hand. Strumming the guitar, she absentmindedly tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. Reggie’s heart skipped a beat as he witnessed her smile for the first time. Reggie knelt in front of her, entranced by the sweet sound of her strumming and the lyrics that escaped her lips. As she continued, a smile slowly spread across his face, matching the increasing volume of her singing. “Wow, she’s an amazing singer,” Luke said, watching her sing and play with his arms crossed. “Like an angel,” Reggie said, just above a whisper. He glanced down at her hand, that was moving effortlessly on the neck of the guitar. The words she sang were foreign to him, and he wondered if they were her own creation. “We have got to ask Julie more about her. Maybe she can introduce us to her.” “I don’t see how that will work, Reggie,” Alex pointed out. “Julie is the only one who can see us when we’re not playing music.” Luke’s hand rested on Reggie’s shoulder, his eyes moving between his friend and Cait. “Bro, I understand how much you want to talk to Cait. You want to be there for her and let her know everything is okay? But we’re ghosts and she could only see us if we play.” “Then we will play when Julie gets here so she can see us,” Reggie said, his eyes locked on Cait as she finished her song. Just then, the studio doors swung open with a creak, and Julie burst in, her footsteps echoing through the room as she hurried to embrace her friend. “I’m so glad you could make it here safely. How was your flight?” Julie asked, taking a seat at the coffee table in front of her. Cait shrugged, releasing a sigh of resignation, and carefully set the guitar down. “It was long and tiring, and I’m just glad to be here finally. You know how much I hate flying. I like your studio, by the way.” Julie smiled, her eyes darting around to take in her surroundings. She acknowledged the boys with a subtle nod. “Thanks. My mom loved music when she was here.” As Cait adjusted in her seat, she let out an audible sigh. “I am absolutely thrilled for you and couldn’t be happier. You’ve found yourself again with music.” Another sigh escaped her lips as she leaned forward, her elbows finding solace on her knees, and her fingers danced in a nervous rhythm. “Now it’s my turn to find myself.” “Julie, you have to introduce us to her,” Reggie said, his voice filled with anticipation. “I have this weird feeling that she needs to know we’re here.” Julie glanced at Reggie, then her gaze shifted to her friend, who sat there quietly, still fidgeting with her fingers. She looked back at the guys; her smile reaching her eyes as she nodded in approval. “I want to share something with you,” Julie said, standing up and walking to the microphone. “I want you to meet the people who helped me find myself at my lowest moment. And please don’t freak out.” Cait tilted her head in confusion, but then her attention shifted to Julie’s melodic voice as she sang one of her most popular songs.