Short Stories

2. Ghosts

HEY GUYS!

Thanks to Ella Henderson - Ghosts for the inspiration!

I keep going to the river to pray

A little girl, only 5, wanders down to the river by herself in order to escape the abuse she receives at home and falls to her knees. Her hands clasp together and her eyes shut as she mumbles a prayer or two. As she does so, she feels as if someone is watching. She looks up and down the creek, listening closely to any noises but the only thing interrupting the sweet silence is the thumping of her heart. She pushes herself off the sandy ground and runs home to her parents, scared. Her parents agree that’ll be the last time she visits the creek.

'Cause I need something that can wash all the pain

The same little girl, much older than before, reaches the bank of the creek not far from her own home. She reaches the creek and sits down at the edge of the bank, allowing her feet rest in the cold, icy water. As she rests, leaves crunch behind her and she jumps, the water splashing everywhere as she stumbled to her feet. A boy stands behind her, a wide grin planted firmly on his face. The girl tilted her head to the side for a moment in deep thought. He was wearing a dirt brown, pointed hat and a white button-up shirt tucked into his light brown shorts. The young girl looked back to grab her shoes that sat at the edge of the sandy bank but as soon as she turned back, the boy was gone. She returned home that night, telling no one of her small encounter with the boy. She went straight to bed, skipping the delicious, tempting dinner her mother had made that night. She lay in my bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking of the boy from the river.

And at most I'm sleeping all these demons away

A woman, now much older, visits the same creek she would visit when she was a child. She crouches down and feels the grains of sand beneath the rough tips of her fingers. Her faded blue eyes travel up the creek as she lets out a deep sigh. All of the sudden, she feels a tap on her shoulder and turns to see the same little boy from her childhood. He holds out a hand, smiling down at his friend. The woman accepts his offer and with this, they walk toward to bright light that they call home.

But your ghost, the ghost of you

It keeps me awake