A Ghost in the Darkness

Darkness is all I used to see. I couldn’t distinguish between night and day, I just had to trust my body and instincts. I woke up; darkness. I walked around; darkness. I ate food; darkness. Nothing had changed in the first 17 years of my life. I never knew what anything really looked like. I went by feel and what my friends told me. They told me these fantastic stories. Stories of these things called colors: Magnificent greens like the grass beneath our feet, vibrant reds like the blood in our veins, and majestic blues like the sky above our heads. They tried to describe them to me but it was nothing I could wrap my head around. It’s just one of those things that I had to leave to my imagination. Oh, what an imagination I had, my heightened senses helped me recreate my version of the real world in my mind. I would go there when I’m alone, just living in my head, I was never bored. I could go anywhere in town, I had it all mapped out in my head. I had visited every square inch in my 17 years but every day there was always something new. And 3 days before my 18th birthday, something changed my life forever.

I began the day the same as any other: walking past stores with their rough brick walls. Beautiful plants sitting at the entrances with soft leaves and flowers with an amazing aroma beckoning me inside. Grass between the walkway and the road that would tickle the bottoms of my bare feet. The dingling of bells as shop doors opened and closed. The chatter of people and the hum of cars driving slowly through the town. I can feel people looking at me, but I don’t care, I never did. I was only ever focused on one thing: the scent of the bakery getting closer and closer as I continued down the street. The smell was always so amazing I could taste it.

I had the route memorized, I could get there from any part of town. Every day I would go buy a fresh bun from the bakery. I would always break the hard outer shell right under my nose revealing the soft warm interior. Ah the smell of freshly baked bread, so clean and slightly sweet, filling my body with warmth. I would always eat half the bun right there and put the other half in my pocket for later. I would then walk to the street corner, away from the craziness of the town, and take a deep breath of the fresh air. It is much more peaceful on the corner. Although I could still hear the sounds of the town, it was fainter. The smell of people and cars was gone, replaced by the smell of woods.

The woods began just across from the street corner. I had never gone in, not because I didn’t want to, but because I wasn’t allowed; it was full of too many unknowns and everyone was afraid I’d get lost. Looking back, with me only seeing darkness, I don’t blame them. But back then I was stubborn and I loved to experience new things to fill my imagination. Every day I stood at that corner, the fresh scent of pine needles and dampness of moss on the earthy floor begged me to go explore. But, every day I would turn around and head back home. Back past the bakery and the flower shop, walking on the soft grass always wondering what the forest floor felt like on my bare feet. This particular day however, 3 days before my 18th birthday, I no longer had to wonder.

I was standing on the street corner as per usual, breathing in the fresh piney air when I suddenly heard a screech coming from the forest. It was a scary sound and gave me the shivers like when I hear the sound of nails on a chalkboard. Thinking back, I probably shouldn’t have gone into the forest searching for the source of the sound. But I was naive and always looking for a new adventure. So in I went. For the first time in my entire life, I crossed the street and stepped into the forest.

My body filled with chills instantly as the forest completely surrounded me. This was uncharted territory, and for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t confident with myself. The unfamiliar sounds and smells surrounding me almost made me backtrack, but I heard the piercing screeching sound once again. So nervously, I ventured forwards; I had to know what the sound was coming from. Tip toeing one foot in front of the other, squishing into the soft, undisturbed earth. The soft crunch of pine needles cushioning my bare foot from the harm of rocks and critters crawling around. My arms outstretched feeling around blindly like a zombie, grabbing onto overhanging branches and fending off the mysteries in the darkness. Then all of a sudden, a piercing shriek stopped me in my tracks. It was close, really close.

I thought back to ghost stories that my friends would tell me and I realized that could be happening right now. I’m alone and vulnerable, heading who knows where, chasing a mysterious shrieking sound. An ideal situation for a ghost to attack me for sure but I continued on. I could hear my heart beating in my temples, the soft earth cushioning my feet. I could feel the darkness of the forest swallowing me, absorbing every sound I made like I was walking through an endless tunnel. Then it stopped, the dark looming sensation just disappeared and I felt like I was able to finally breathe again. I could feel the heat of the sunlight on my skin and a slight breeze blowing through my hair. The soft earthy floor had changed into a harder, rocky surface. I had stepped out into a clearing.

Then a loud screeching sound, right in front of me. It rattled around in my head, echoing in my brain. I moved forward. I had to catch the ghost. I was so close, I could feel it. One small step at a time, arms outstretched, reaching for it.

That’s when I hit something hard with both hands. I’ve never been more confused in my life; I thought I was in a clearing but here I am hitting something hard right where there was supposed to be nothing.

What was it? This question swirled around my brain as I moved my hand gliding across the structure. I ignored the mini stabs from splinters digging into my skin and the faint feeling of peeling paint rolling on my fingers and turning to dust. I’m beginning to grow scared of what may lie on the other side of this wall. I could feel myself spirling, doubting every decision I have made up to this point. But I kept my hand dragging on the wall until my fingertips hit a hard frame. I followed it around and was suddenly encompassed with warm, musty air. I kept one hand on the frame with hope of staying upright as I stepped through the entrance. The warmth surrounded me. The soft tickle of sawdust brushed the bottoms of my feet as I walked through. I heard it again, the screech. The sound pierced my ears. The harsh long screams repeating like a fire alarm, getting louder and louder, closer and closer. Without warning, an immense force hit my square in the chest knocking me off my feet.

My head hit the ground with a sickening thud. Meanwhile a sharp pain dug into my skin leaving ragged cuts covering my face. Instinctively, my hands shot up to protect myself, but they came away drenched with my blood. The blinding pain made by my head against the concrete caused a muddled sensation of shock. My mind began to race; I didn’t think ghosts actually existed! I could feel myself losing it as I began to get very dizzy. While my mind started to fade, I subconsciously went into a bright white light past my usual darkness. I started imagining the colors my friends have described to me. They waltzed around in my head over and over again. The reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues and purples created a performance of a lifetime. I tried to reach out my hand, I wanted to feel the passion of colors surrounding me but no matter how badly I tried, I couldn't move. A single tear fell down the side of my cheek as the colors started to fade to black. Before I had a second to mourn, they were gone. In despair, I closed my eyes and faded back into the darkness I had forever known.

I was awoken to the sound of sirens and hushed chatter from the E.M.T’s. They huddled over me with their flashlights and loud questions. I didn't answer them. I just lay there silently, not wanting to move. One of the E.M.T. 's spread my eyelids open and shined his white light into my left eye. I jumped back. I saw him! I actually saw him! His icy blue eyes stared into mine. I memorized each feature of his face. From his silky ash brown permed hair, down to his gentle smile. I looked past him into the rafters above, and there, staring back at me were the wise eyes of a barn owl. The ghost that had attacked me in the darkness.

The E.M.T. reached out his hand, as though to welcome me to my new life. I took it and sprung up from where I was laying. I’ve never felt so alive! The adrenaline was masking the pain in my head. I can see, I muttered to myself. I can see.