ello! ello! this story kind of came out of nowhere. wasn't even planning on putting out anything else this year. i'm trying to work on other things (debut next year??). i wanted to tell a really short story that wasn't super complicated, but i'm not sure if i accomplished that lol. maybe i can't necessarily be "simple." this story went through a lot of alternate versions/endings, so i think i made the best one. the only disclaimer i have for this one is minor language. i believe that's it. hope you enjoy :)
hello, friend.
MONDAY.
*buzz* *buzz* *buzz* *buzz*
*buzz* *buzz* *buzz* *buzz*
My phone’s alarm won’t let me get a moment’s worth of peace.…
I pulled the little strength I had and got out of my bed. I went to my parents’ room and saw their beds empty. I looked around the one floor house and neither of them were anywhere to be found.
It’s true. It’s really true…they left me here for the entire spring break week…
I understand that they’ve been saving a lot of money, and sacrificed a lot, in order to afford to take the full week off for their 25th wedding anniversary, but I just wished that they would’ve taken me with them, or, at least, gone for a couple of days. I know they would probably want some alone time, but……
Your typical teenager would probably think, “Oh hell yeah! No parents! I’m all alone! Let’s party!” but not me. It’s scary for me to be here without my parents. When I’m here by myself, my anxiety is cranked up to 1000. Every little noise is just as loud as thunder. Every movement in the shadow sends chills throughout my nervous system. It especially doesn’t help that I’m not fully adjusted in this town. At times, I feel like I can hear whispers tip toeing around the house.
Sometimes, it feels like someone is whispering my name...
I like spring break and all, more so for the fact that I can breathe from being away from school. The only thing I hate about it is the fact that I can’t see my closest friends, Tixel and Christene. It sucks that they don’t live within walking distance and none of us have a car, so our only form of communication right now is via phone. The phone is fine, but sometimes it doesn’t feel the same as an in-person interaction.
Bored out of my mind, I decided to call Tixel. He’s my main guy when it comes to anything video games, comic books, and anime.
“Hello?” he asked.
“Hey, bro,” I said. “You wanna get on the sticks and play some games. My dad just got me that new fighting game the other day so I can finally show you who’s the king of gaming, which is me if you weren’t aware already.”
“...uhhh, sorry, Miles. My family and I just arrived at the hotel at PCB. We’re going to be here all week and they have an air tight itinerary. You know how my parents are when it comes to time and schedules, and they don’t really want me using any electronics while we’re here.”
“Oh…it’s fine, bro. I don’t want to intrude. Um…have fun with your people.”
“Yeah. Enjoy your spring break, man. And hey, the minute I get back home, we can play whatever so you can lose to me for the hundredth time. I didn’t think you had that kind of kink going on, but, hey, I’m not judging.”
“Oh my--haha. Whatever, bro. Enjoy your vacation…”
I wonder what made his family bump up their vacation this early…but that’s neither here nor there. I’m pretty sure he has one of his consoles on him, but I don’t want to cause any problems with his folks. Damn this sucks.
I quickly decided to hit up my other friend, Christene.
She’s so dope. We talk a lot about the supernatural and ghost realm, and even random conspiracy theories. I want to know what her thoughts are on the U.S. government and weather control.
I sent her a couple of texts and even called, but she didn’t respond.
98% of the time she says something within 5 or so minutes. I don’t want to blow her phone up, but I hope everything’s okay…
With limited options, I hopped on to different social media platforms for a while.
I hate going on them sometimes, mostly because of the lawless anarchy, but I honestly stick around for the memes.
After some scrolling, I came across some photos and posts that came from some old elementary and middle school friends online.
It feels kind of weird to see them again, mainly because of how long it’s been. Those people were my homies back in the day. We used to have so much fun, making ninja stars, getting into class fights, and trying to compete with each other by either racing across the gym or seeing who can jump the highest off of the swing set.
I went to their profiles and tried to send a message, just wanting to say hi and chat a bit, but every time I deleted it and stepped away.
On top of being considered kind of awkward and shy, I don’t necessarily feel good about reaching out to someone I haven’t spoken to in years only because of rejection from people I actually wanna talk to. Plus, I don’t even know if the kids I knew then are the same ones now. People change so much, it’s hard to keep up.
I’ve also tried online social groups before, but I don’t do those anymore. I can’t really remember why or what happened, but it’s probably best for me to avoid it all together. The Internet is a very weird space, even in spaces “fit” for you.
At the end of the night, I heated up some leftovers and sat on the couch, with my “best friend” being the t.v.
That still doesn’t help fill the large lonely hole in my heart. It might even be increasing. Some of my favorite memories include watching amazing tv shows and movies with my family, especially with my parents. It sucks that we had to move across the country, but my dad said it was a job offer he couldn’t refuse. I miss them right now. I mean…it’s not like I’m super close to my aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family, but any sense of comfort will do.
A sudden couple of knocks entered my ears, giving me a startle. I quickly turned the tv off.
Who could be here at this time of night?
Soon after, this eerie presence weighed on me like a heavy and wet coat. I quickly got down on the floor, in case they could see my shadow through the blinds. I slowly crawled towards the door and lightly pressed my ear against it, trying to hear if they’re still there.
Waiting for the next knock feels like waiting for traffic to clear up. I’m not sure if I can hear their breathing pattern behind this door. Maybe it’s my own. Maybe it’s all in my head.
Coming back to my senses, I got up, walked to my room, and got under the covers.
Whoever out there will sit out there. Maybe they went to the wrong house or something. Then again, who would be coming over to someone’s house this late unless it was for certain reasons, but no matter. I would look insane if I invited someone in and potentially helped them get closer to whatever insane plan they might have.
TUESDAY.
I woke up seeing my typical room hazily.
I called and texted my friends again, but no response.
I can understand Tixel. I was kind of hoping I could catch him early in the morning. I still don’t understand Christene, though. Is she ghosting me or something?…
I don’t see the point of even leaving my bed, honestly. There isn’t much for me to do. The things I try to do aren’t helping much. Everyone’s out living their life and I’m…just stuck here.
I tossed and turned for hours and hours, trying to sleep the day, but I couldn’t get any more rest. I barely got any last night, especially from that weird event.
Restless, I got up and went to my parents’ room and sat on the corner of their bed, really missing their presence here.
Looking at their photos on the medium sized dresser, I gave up and video called my mom. A long ring went by, and eventually she answered.
“Hey, baby,” she cheerily said. “What’s up?”
“Hey, mom…,” I said. “How are you and dad’s anniversary trip going?”
“It’s going amazing, sweetie. We just left the resort and we’re chilling by the beach.”
“Oh okay, cool…where’s dad?”
“He went back to the car cause he forgot the sunscreen--oh, here he is.”
“Hey, bud,” my dad said. “How you’ve been holding down the fort?”
“Well, you still have somewhere to come home to, ha ha. When did you guys say when y’all were coming back?”
“Oh, um, aiming for Saturday evening. Why? Everything’s okay?”
“Yeah yeah, it just…sucks not being around you guys for this long…”
“I know, but you’re going to be fine, Miles. Your mom and I have sacrificed so much just to afford doing something like this. You’re 16 now. I think you’re perfectly capable of being by yourself for a little while. Is that why you called?”
“...……”
“Miles, you’re a big boy,” my mom said. “I know that this is essentially your first time being on your own, but it isn’t the end of the world. We’re not trying to push you away or anything. We just want some wifey and hubby time. Trust us, you’re going to be okay. Watch. As soon as we get back, you’re going to wish we were gone longer.”
“I doubt it, but okay…sorry for interrupting…you guys deserve it. You really do.”
“Thanks, baby. And, don’t worry. We’ll be back before you know it. Call us if it’s an emergency, and we’ll see you soon. And hey, why not try seeing if you could make some friends around the community or something. Maybe try going to the park and see if you can find someone there.”
“......okay, sure. I’ll…I’ll give it a try…see you guys soon…”
They both said bye and hung up the call.
I understand what they’re saying, but it hurts to be this far from them. I don’t want to sound like a baby, but I’ve never been alone this long before, and I don’t necessarily like this feeling, and I can’t explain why.
After a lengthy mental debate, I stepped outside to see the same misty, grey, dry neighborhood I’ve been seeing for a while now. It honestly drains the little energy I barely cling on to just from looking around. I also don’t like the fact that a large graveyard site sits right across the street from me.
I looked at our front tree and spotted a singular dark colored raven, sitting on a lone branch, staring directly at me, almost as if it’s spying on me. With every movement I made, its eyes stayed locked on me.
Feeling even more uneasy, I walked a bit faster, heading down a few blocks to the neighborhood park.
The thought of meeting and talking to new people always makes me feel super uneasy. I never really know the right words to say. Ever since we moved here right before I started eighth grade, kids have been picking on me simply because I don’t act like them. Although the bullying has gone down significantly in high school, it still doesn’t feel good when it happens. I’m sorry that being my own person is considered a crime against humanity.
The park doesn’t have much, other than a kiddie playground, a decent sized pavilion, and a pretty big grassy area where the majority of fights happen after school.
I looked over to the pavilion and spotted four teens sitting under it, around the picnic benches, talking.
They don’t look familiar to me. Although I am a junior, I still don’t know a lot of people. They could be new, so maybe this could be a way to introduce myself to them.
Inhaling the entire galaxy in my body, I stepped over to them, standing relatively close.
“......hey, guys…m-my name is Miles Harper. I don’t live too far from here. I go to Jumper High, and I don’t have a lot of friends, but you guys seem cool, and it would be nice to get to know some more people…”
None of them responded to what I said.
Matter of fact, none of them even looked in my direction.
I get it. I’m not someone to stop traffic for, but…it doesn’t feel good to feel ignored like this.
Their conversation continued to flow like a river, completely paying no attention to me.
“Uh…guys….I don’t think it’s cool to pretend I’m a ghost or something.”
Their conversation and eyes stayed fixated on each other.
Annoyed, I started to reach out and touch one of them when the dark sky opened wide and cried all over the neighborhood.
Standing in my house’s front door with the sky’s tears attached to my ’fro, skin, and clothes is probably one of worst experiences I will ever have. The distance between my house and the park is a solid 15 minutes.
I can’t believe I mustered all my energy to put myself out there in front of complete strangers, to end up not only being truly treated like a non-existing person, but also shadowing that shame and humiliation by running home soaking wet.
After taking a more proper shower, I hung out in the living room, and tried to watch some random movies and tv shows. I even tried to watch some cartoons I used to watch as a kid, which lately have been random episodes of Danny Phantom. Even with watching things that I enjoy, that hole isn’t getting much filling.
Later on that night, I sat in the kitchen eating some barely warm noodles when I heard a series of knocks on the door.
Again? Who could that be? It honestly doesn’t even matter because I won’t open the door for anyone. I won’t be a part of some set up.
Trying to go back to eating, there it was again.
*knock, knock* *knock, knock*
My body is a boulder in this chair.
A tiny part of me wants to know who that is, but I’m too scared to let any outsiders know I’m in here.
Just stay put. Perhaps it’s some person trying to sell me something. Hopefully they’ll get the message and head over to another hous--
*knock, knock* *knock, knock*
Concerned, I quietly snuck to the couch that’s next to the front door and tried to peep through the blinds, and I can’t really see anyone. Although the angle isn’t a money winning shot, I could slightly see a dark shadow that looks somewhat human like. I wish I could see more, and I wish our door had a peephole, but I don’t want whoever’s out there to see I’m watching them.
*knock, knock* *knock, knock*
Very annoyed, I ended up going to the front door and cracking it just enough to see.
There’s nobody there. Nobody at all…
Was it some kids pranking me? Was I seeing and hearing things?
Suddenly, an overwhelming rush of wind bulldozed in the crack, pushing me to the floor and swinging the door wide open.
While there wasn’t anyone there, I felt this dark, menacing, and intense energy standing over me, and it felt like it was multiplying as the seconds rolled over. If this energy could kill, I would’ve been sliced up and tossed near the dumpster of a chain restaurant.
As if I could see it, it extended its hands towards me and I quickly got up, shut, and locked the door.
With my heart in my knees, I hurried to my room and pulled the cover over me, trying to process what just happened.
What was that?
Was that even real?
Am I going insane?
WEDNESDAY.
I tried reaching out to my people again, but the results remained the same as before. I don’t want to keep bothering them, but to feel ignored feels worse than them responding in annoyance.
I started to randomly scroll through my photos, and I came across multiple photos of times I spent with my parents and my friends. Family games nights. Vacations. School field trips. The few times where we skipped class. Memories that can never be replaced.
I love these people so much. I can’t really think of a dull moment with any of them. Even when we were just sitting in silence, it was peaceful, like witnessing the sunrise. Selfish as it may sound, I wish I could have them here with me…all of them…
I went through some boxes in my closet and found my old kindergarten folder.
Such memories.
In the folder, I found Tyrone, my first ever “friend.”
I remember being super shy around the kids and whenever play time happened, I felt super alone playing by myself. I ended up cutting up some paper in the form of a human and named him Tyrone, in honor of one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite childhood cartoons of all time. We had the best of times. I’m surprised I still have it, and the quality doesn’t look too bad, especially considering it’s been like a decade or so.
Inspired, I decided to grab some supplies and cut out some people that represented my parents and my best friends.
For several hours, I played with those paper figures like I was five again. Playing a game of house. Dancing. Singing some of my favorite songs. Watching and laughing at movies and tv shows. Talking about the kids in school and some of the people in the community. It felt like pure bliss. I haven’t felt this good in a long time.
I feel so alive…
……
……
Wait a minute…
What the heck am I doing?...
……
I think…I may have gone a bit too far…
Immediately regretting my actions, I take the items and dump them in the kitchen trash.
In all my life, I would’ve never thought I could go so low and do that, especially at my big age. If those school kids just saw what I did, my reputation would be deep in the abyssal zone
Later that night, I laid down in my bed, trying to get some sleep, but several tosses and turns later found me getting up out of my bed. I extended my arms out, trying to find the light switch in peak darkness, but I couldn‘t seem to find it.
I soon after felt this low rumble sound, rustling in the air. The room turned so bitingly cold, I could see my breath ice skating along the air.
As if I was watching a movie with subtitles, the sentence, “How dare you discard us?” flew across the dark walls, followed by multiple ghostly voices.
I turned around as I saw the paper figures, but life-sized, staring directly at me. That same dark energy I felt the other day flooded the room.
This…isn’t real…
This isn’t real…
Wake up…
Wake up…
WAKE UP!
I rose up in my bed, seeing my darkened room, just as I left it before going to sleep.
Why was I dreaming about those? I got to get rid of those things. They’re starting to cloud my mind.
I went into the kitchen, grabbed my dad’s lighter and went to the garbage can to permanently end them.
When I took the garbage top off, they were gone. Completely vanished.
I scrambled through the garbage like a starving racoon, but all I found was empty cartons, cans, dried up food, and lottery scratch-offs. I looked all around the house, none of them were around…
Where could they have possibly gone?
THURSDAY.
I went around the house one more time just to see if I overlooked anything, and they still were a no-show.
I just don’t understand. The last place I put them was the trash can. How could they just vanish into thin air? Nobody broke in. I’m the only one here…
To clear my mind, I watched some more nostalgic cartoons until I got bored and started to look at what’s going on in the news.
“The 4 p.m. local news is starting right now. Hi, hello there. My name is--hi, hello--hi, hello--hi, hello--hi, hello--hi, hello--hi, hello--hi, hello--”
The television started glitching out, constantly repeating those same two words. I grabbed the remote and tried to change the channel, but it wouldn’t change to anything else.
“Hi, hello--hi, hello--hi, hello--hi, hello”
I tried to turn down the volume, but the sound level remained the same.
“Hi, hello--hi, hello”
I hit the power off button on the remote, but the t.v. wouldn’t shut off.
“Hi, hello…”
I got up and went behind the t.v. and pulled the plug from the wall, gaining success.
Quickly after, a calm, but eerie voice spoke directly in my ear and said, “Miles…”
I immediately jumped and looked around and found no one in the room.
I think I’m starting to lose my mind.
Getting more nervous, my first thought was to either call my parents, or my friends, but I hesitated.
What’s even the point? It’s clear that they don’t want to really talk to me…and I doubt they’ll even believe me…
To calm my nerves, I grabbed a book and tried to read in the living room when someone whispered, “We will not be ignored, friend.”
In the upper edge of my right eye, I spotted long, sickly fingers grip the edge of the wall that connects the living room to the hallway. The sounds of cracking fluttered in the air as more fingers came about. Its head slowly poked out and its face was covered by a sad theater mask. Soon after, the cracking intensified as their head rotated like an owl and revealed a happy mask. With short, quick, bursts of innocent laughter, it made its way towards me, like a predator with its prey.
Terrified, I quickly jumped up from the chair and bolted to the front door and outside. I turned back and waited for that thing to follow me, but nothing came out.
Am I actually losing it? Do I have ghosts, or something else, harassing me?
I reached into my pockets to get my phone and call the police, but, after some searching, I realized that my phone was still on the living room couch.
Of all the times to not have my phone attached to my hip, and I’d be a mad man if I went back in when that thing is probably still in the house.
I don’t really know my neighbors well. Or at all for that matter. I guess this’ll be a good time to introduce myself to them.
I went to a few of the neighboring homes and knocked, but not a single person answered.
I can’t 100% blame them for not answering, though. I wouldn’t open the door for anyone I don’t know either.
Too frightened to go back in the house, I sat in the grass and watched the door until my eyes shut like blinds and my body grew weak, eventually collapsing onto the ground.
FRIDAY.
I woke up to see the cement colored and misty sky in my face. Gathering a tiny amount of courage, I carefully entered back into the house, checking every corner of every room. Not a trace or sign of it.
Was that really in my head?
With grass stuck in my hair, body’s a popsicle, and smelling like the inside of a belly button, I went to the bathroom to take a quick shower.
The heat and steam never felt so good.
Only a couple more days…
Just a couple…
It’s going to be okay…
Everything’s going to be okay…
My ears picked up footsteps and multiple muffled voices, circling the outside walls of the house.
Not again. Please. What did I do to deserve this?
I tried calling both of my parents. Neither of them answered.
I tried calling both of my friends. Neither of them answered.
I feel like my mind is cracking by the day.
Why are the ones I love turning me away? Why am I going through these unexplainable events? What’s going on?...
*knock knock*
*knock knock*
*knock knock*
*knock knock*
A series of knocks hit the front door, getting louder with each series.
Just ignore it…just ignore it…it’ll go away soon…
*knock knock*
*knock knock*
*knock knock*
*knock knock*
Please go away…please!...Let me be…
*knock knock*
*knock knock*
*knock knock*
*knock knock*
“Get the hell away from me!” I yelled out.
The house began to shake violently while a flock of ravens flew around the house, constantly hitting the windows.
Looking for some sense of mental stability, I ran back to my room, locked the door, and sat in a corner with my hands tightly covering my ears.
The noise didn’t cease, so I went online, and tried to listen to some calm and soothing videos.
In a tranquilizing voice, the person said, on repeat, “Feel the light and puffy clouds in the bright blue sky…”
“See the clam waves rising up on the beach…”
“Taste the soft and savory ice cream…”
“Hear the birds’ chirps, cheers, and beeps in the air…”
The knocks and noises soon began to fade out and the words and voice felt as if they manifested into someone and started massaging my shoulders and brain.
“Ignore all outside noise…”
“Everything outside is static…”
“Be present in the moment with me…with us…”
“You love it here, and we love you, friend…”
I suddenly felt a soft, wet, icy lick, grinding against the left side of my neck, almost reaching the inside of my ear.
I quickly got up, turned around, and saw one of the black paper cut-outs, the size of a female adult, staring at me with pairs of cut-out soulless eye holes and creepy cut-out smile.
With my blood on ice and skin turned ghostly pale, I bolted out the room and tried to open the front door, but for some odd reason, the door wouldn’t open.
Did the hinge break? Why isn’t it letting me out?!
I turned around and saw the entity quickly waddling towards me, whispering my name.
“Miles…Miles…Miles…Miles…Miles…”
Panicking, I violently stomped on the door until I created a big hole in the middle, immediately getting filled up by a similar pair of cut-out eyes and smile.
I quickly backed up until I bumped into the other one. I ran around them and tried to run back into the hallway until I saw another human sized cut-out slowly poked itself out into the living room. The front door flew off the hinges as two more came in.
Barely assessing the situation, the four cut-outs waddled their way towards me, backing me into the living room corner. I grabbed every object in my path and threw them at the entities, but it looked like I threw practically nothing at them. They were completely unfazed.
I don’t understand…what’s happening? What’s going on?...Someone….help me…..please……
“LEAVE ME ALONE!!” I screamed out. “Please! Get away from me! I can’t deal with this anymore! Somebody! Help me! Momma!...... Poppa!..... Tixel!..... Christene!......”
“Why call for them when your real community is standing right here with you,” one of the entities cheerily said.
Their voice is so ghostly and dry, it turns my spine upside down.
“My community? Y’all aren’t anything to me! Just paper. How am I even having a conversation right now? This is a dream. This has to be!”
“No, this isn’t a dream.”
“This is all in my head! A figment of my imagination!”
“That’s not that either.”
“Stop talking to me! All of you! Stop…talking to me! Wake up, Miles! Wake up, Miles! WAKE UP!!!!!”
“Miles…you need to finally accept your reality.”
“......what? What are you talking about?...”
“This place…you’ve been so in your head that you really believe this reality is still real to you…”
“...this reality…what do you mean?...”
The cut-outs morphed down into ghostly regular human people. Two women. Two men. Hairs unkempt. Clothes distressed and stained.
“......Charlene…Ulyssa…Leonel…Tommy…?”
“Yes…it’s us! You remember now? I know you’ve been distant since we died, but you can’t pretend like those days weren’t the best of your life--”
“Died?......”
“Yeah…a year ago. I believe in a few days will be your, well our, death anniversary.”
“No…no-no-no-no…there’s…no way…there’s no way I’m dead…”
“You don’t remember the online group chat, the multiple conversations, the meetups?… We had such fun and great bonding for those three days… Clearly that meant a lot to you. If I remember correctly, you felt so alone. You felt like all of your loved ones abandoned you and you just wanted to feel wanted. We took you in and made you a part of our family. You can imagine our surprise when you kept crying for them when we ended up here. You cried for them so much you took those last few memories of your human life and created all of this. We’ve been trying for a whole year to get you to wake up, but it felt like the more we attempted, the more walls you put up.”
The memories flooded my eyes like a tsunami. It felt like a dog finally finding their lost buried bone. Tears slid down my face.
“I remember…,” I said softly. “How could I have been so blind?...Why did I let myself get to that point?...”
Charlene bent down and put her hand on my shoulder.
“Listen, I know that your other people meant something to you, but what about us? We made a pact to be there for each other no matter what. Let me ask you this. If your other people really cared about you, would they’ve made you feel that way? From what I recall, all of our shared memories weren’t anything less than fellowship, relief, and bright smiles. Honestly, I’m kind of glad they did what they did. If they didn’t, we wouldn’t have you. Our family was already a solid bunch of little gifts, but you are the ribbon that wraps us up in a neat little bow. That’s why I believe all of our paths crossed into each other. We’re all lonely souls that just wanted to feel included. To feel wanted. To feel…accepted. You can only live in this false world for so long until it really twists your mind. That’s why we’ve been trying so hard to reach you. You’re OUR family now and we made you the happiest person in the universe and we knew our quickly attained bond could grow even closer beyond the stars and planets. We love you, and we care about you so much. Please, Miles… The sooner you let go, the sooner you can hold our hands and ride the cosmic waves of eternal freedom.”
….
….
….my mind is completely speechless…
I just can’t wrap my head around everything that has occurred and where I am now…
…Part of me wishes I could take it all back…never looked at random places for some sense of belonging…waited things out…maybe even found some comfort being with myself…but, unfortunately, I can’t……
You know…these people really did come pick me up when I felt alone…I was the small boat in the Pacific Ocean, and they were the lighthouse, giving me a sense of direction. I can’t deny the pure bliss that ran through my body whenever we interacted. I was normally never really open to talk to new people like that, but they were so welcoming. They really treated me like one of them and always made sure I was never blue.
I love my mom, dad, and my best friends so much. They mean everything to me. I will never forget the limited amount of time we spent together, but now I have a new family to spend infinite time with.
It’s crazy, in retrospect, how much I pleaded to be around them. Now, it feels good that I don’t have to really do that anymore. I’m pretty sure I’ll have my moments here and there, but at the end of the day, I’m going to be okay without them. Someday, they’ll die and then all of my loved ones can all be in one space where we don’t have to worry about this or that anymore. We can just…exist and we can exist…as one.
“......okay…I think I’m ready to move on now,” I said. “You promise everything will be okay?”
“With our bond, nothing can ever pull us apart.”
I rose up and grabbed their hands. Quickly after, the walls and furniture peeled away like an old banana.
In unity, we walked out of the house and saw a vision of our corpses, rotting and being picked off by dark colored ravens. I gave a small smirk, knowing that I’m in a better place now.
I will forever appreciate my friends and family for being there for me, and now it’s time for me to enjoy my new loved ones. I can’t wait to see what this new life will bring for us.
We stepped over our corpses as those and the rest of the world continued to peel away.
A series of lights flashed different colors in front of us. We all looked at one another and smiled in comfort, conviction, and connection, as we walked into the unknowns of life’s big red curtains.