“
We all have different stories. Do you want to hear them all?” the grumpy spirit asked Alfred. Obviously,
he was trying to be sarcastic. But when it comes to Alfred, all sarcasm is lost.
Alfred nodded eagerly. Sighing, the spirit began his tale of woe.
“
That day, the sky poured down on us. Relief for rain was short-lived. When the rain drenched us, the bricks
got heavier as the water would stay on the bricks. I did not have a good night’s sleep the night before, so I was
sapped of my energy extremely quickly. I collapsed so many times that I lost count… but it was because I
collapsed so many times that they sent a guard to watch over me. I was frightened. He held his whip so fondly
as if it was a pet. I was so freaked out. He told me if I tripped one more time, he would literally kill me. I tried
my best not to trip, but I was so scared that I fell flat on my face within seconds. The guard immediately threw
me onto the bricks, still alive. He immediately took a brick and put it onto me. I was suffocating.”
The spirit finished his story and stated, “And you are currently a few steps away from my body.”
Yao smiled sadly. “I am afraid there is not enough time to listen to all of our stories. This will be the end.
Goodbye. And thank you.”
They blew out the candles and left us in darkness. Dad took out his lighter to relight the candle stubs. There
wasn't really any need as the sky was beginning to brighten. We were all creeped out by this little episode.
Alfred enthusiastically jumped up and looked at his mother happily. “That was an AWESOME ghost story!
Let’s go find some ghosts!” he said.
His mother reprimanded him with a stern look. “Those ghosts are dangerous spirits Alfred. You cannot just
go rushing around this unstable wall with no adult supervision, we have to go back now.”
With an unhappy sigh, Alfred helped the rest of us pack up and then we all went to the car.
Once we put all our belongings into the trunk, Alfred slumped over and fell asleep at the drop of the hat.
Sighing amusedly at his ‘antics’, I gazed out of the window, one last thought circulating my mind – I wonder
will we ever meet again, spirits?
* * *