I had overturned the whole room by the evening of that day; Not that there was much to overturn anyways. At the moment, I was in the process of restoring the things to their original places. With the bleeding colors of the beautiful sunset came the voice of cawing through the open window: wide enough to escape in emergencies. Aunt Stella once told me that she had a window in her ancient abode which was actually supposed to be a backdoor. The wideness of the window and the fact that the bricks were bare of any cement covering- signifying that later changes by soft and untrained hands were made- strengthened my opinion.
To think that Aunt Stella did it because she was weary of it? The very thought is revolting...
Two soft hands were calloused by the hardships of this world while trying to fight their way through the obstacles. Apathetic to the luxuries, those hands took in numerous of their own kind and sheltered them with care.
I looked outside the window that opened to the west of the house. I strolled near it and pulled the wooden stool right under it, because-
Ahh! This body is indeed too short!
I scolded the owner of the body for not taking a good nutritional diet. But then, maybe such is the fate of the children surviving on their own without a guardian to look out for them. There might not be children who need to live alone when they loose their parents anymore , but what about the kiddos whose guardians are incapable themselves? I felt really happy that Aunt Stella picked me up or else I would have suffered more than just the mental trauma.
Well then, would I actually have had time to pay attention to my grief if I had been struggling to earn a bread for each meal?
I wondered if such a life would have been better...
Caw Caw Caw
Unexpectedly, I heard the caw of a fledging that has fallen on the ground. I looked at the trees which were standing a few meters away from the window. There was a nest on one of the trees from which it fell and now, the poor bird was struggling to get up. A fear crawled its way on my spine and I shuddered.
What if the hunter became the hunted?
I didn't care whether it was the hunter or the hunted I just wanted to save the innocent life. I was going to descend the stool but before that I saw a crow reaching up to the poor guy. It held the lil' fledging and flew to the nest. The little guy jumped again but this time it flapped its wings so that the fall would be lighter.
Again and again the little fledging falls until one day it finally learns to flap its wings and then to fly. It is, in the end, the power of will and fear of falling that keeps it from giving up to a fate that no one can see but is already planned. But I was different; in a negative way that is. I long gave up flapping my wings and submitted to a fate that has no face.
I was totally immersed in my thoughts and failed to notice a weird feeling that was creeping on my body. Yesterday I was too panicked to notice anything but today I could see and feel more clearly. Although later, rather than sooner, I did notice the weird feeling that I can guarantee that I felt yesterday but somehow failed to notice clearly: like now. Is that even possible?
Maybe I have become slow after transmigrating or just that my memory is beginning to tail off.
Memory being fading before the age, reminded me of the fact that I had forgotten about the mirror. I combed my hair in the morning and didn't notice the ghost so maybe the ghost is gone after seeing that her host is not coming back, or so I hoped.
Just how careless can i get?
Prayers of the god and goddess that I know by heart began to come up to my mouth like a response to some stimulus. My whole body stiffened and I looked back at the mirror. The room was ebony since I hadn't lit the lamp by then. I slowly walked towards the mirror. The sound of my shoes was the only noise that could be heard around the room. Sometimes, I feel relieved that the house lies on the outskirts of the village while other times I wish it was near the most lively places out there in the village. Right now was one such time when I was facing this dilemma.
I lifted my face which was facing the ground all this time and slowly and not a all steadily lifted my head as if I were a shy girl –or a boy- trying to face her –or his- crush. I looked up and smiled politely with my eyes closed.
"Hi! I see you are still here?", Said I in my pitchy-girly voice, with a weird hope to scare the she-ghost standing in the mirror or at least, astound her.
There was no sound; an eerie silence engulfed the room after my voice ceased to echo. I was too afraid to open my eyes and with stiff steps moved forward in the hopes to break the mirror. As if i could not see the girl-ghost, she won't be able to stop me from damaging her... home? Adrenaline was rushing in my veins which prepared me to fight or flight or maybe to get ready to be chewed alive. My fidgety feet felt a sudden movement near themselves and stepped back. It was a reflex which gave me no time to analyze my surrounding and I stepped on something at the back and landed on the very hard and very uncomfortable brick bed i.e. the dear floor.
"Argh I really miss the carpeted floor right now", said I. My long hairs were cascading around my face and covered my source of right peripheral view of 130 degrees i.e. the dramatic name of my right eye as well as- ahem, In short, I was alone in a room with a she-ghost, with my long hairs covering-
Wait! And no not another dramatic name or summary but, did I just say long hairs?
I touched my hairs and traced them back to their end. The hairs were soft and fine and very real.
Did my hair just grew in a day, or no, an evening?
Was it the doing of the female ghost? She is trying to make me like herself like KuchiSake Onna*!
But I don't want to become a ghost or an onryo! She is not ugly like kuchisake onna but still!
I made every wild guess I could make and tried to crawl my way out to prevent any mishap. My hand touched a solid cardboard like texture. Being a curious cat I momentarily forgot about my predicament and started fiddling with it. (In my defense other than my own reasoning and the mirror there was no other sign of the ghost). I realized that the cardboard like thing was the weak back of a photo frame. I tried to squint at it and under the light of the half moon I gazed at Aunt Stella. To be specific, the young version of my old Aunt Stella. I could not mistake this photo, well because it was a part of Aunt Stella and mine, The Memory Lane (The name of one of the many photo albums).
But wait, there was something odd. Very odd.
"Ah huh!", finally the bulb of my slow brain ignited and I hastened to light the sole lamp of this big cottage.Then I made my way to the mirror and bravely looked in the eyes of the ghost or shall I say,
"Aunt Stella"
So, is that she-ghost Aunt Stella? Is she here for my help? Does she know what has happened?
For the first time I looked at the she-ghost (or Aunt Stella?) for more than a split second. I blinked and continued to stare like a weirdo. Surprisingly, so did Aunt Stella. I raised my hand and so did Aunt Stella. I opened my mouth in an "O" and so did Aunt Stella.
I lifted my right hand and the left hand was lifted by Aunt Stella. I pointed my finger at the mirror and then at myself and then back at the mirror and,
"Oh, So it is my reflection and not of a ghost or Aunt Stella"
I said in my pitchy-girly voice with proud as if I have made a noble prize worthy discovery. I totally forgot how scared I was just a few moments ago.
"Anyways, at least now the voice suits the body"
I shrugged it off and began to clean the room. I stopped my movements and pulled my hairs while screaming like a lunatic. I ran in circles around the room as if I was trying to run away from the reality itself, which dear reader, as you know, is impossible. And so i screamed and screamed and screamed my heart out.
"So am I Aunt Stella now?"