Lost

Being alone in the dark is not scary; knowing that there is another person with us in the dark is. Upon hearing the voice, the hair on the back of my neck that I thought I had lost stand up.

"Damn it, Eliseus! Don't mess with me!" I exclaim in annoyance.

There is no response from behind me, so I wonder if the speaker was really the ghost of this forest. Just when I am about to conclude that to be the case, Eliseus confirms that the owner of the voice is her.

"... You are not like Vibiane." Slowly, I feel Eliseus walks beside me. "I thought you were as easily scared as Vibiane is."

"Didn't you hear my exclamation earlier? I think that represented my fear quite well."

"Yes, it did—nonexistent."

Blinking my eyes at how hard it is to make her believe that I was really scared, I remember how expressionless I have become. I sometimes forget that, and still believe that I am as expressive as before.