Chapter 3

I ran to the house in the graveyard as soon as Skylar exited.

" Merari,Merari " and waited for that voice which would definitely be angry that it was bothered.

" This better be good or else I'll smite you" the voice said. Just as I'd anticipated. " What is it?" he frowned

" It's the human. The human kid, the one I was to meet today"

" Mhn, I swear this better not be all" he said, raising his arms in the air with his hands and index and thumb together. A pattern which indicated I was about to get what I deserved.

" Wait" I held both hands up. " Wait,That's not all. He said I didn't die a natural death and that's why I haven't moved on". I told him. His ascended arm dropped to his side effortlessly.

" What else did he say?" the Keeper asked.

" He says there are three reasons why ghosts don't move on to the next life" I answered. The Keeper looked at me and shook his head as if I was a kid who just spilled milk. He ushered me to get close to him. Patting me on the back,he sat me down. As he began, I knew I was about to listen to what I called one of the bedtime stories of my life.

" Listen kid" he began " The human was indeed right. There are three reasons why ghosts still lurk on in this world. I presume you already know the three?". I nodded my head in response to his question. He continued

" It's a surprise how the boy is able to see you. He's particularly termed as a Ghost Seer. There are only a few people like him born this way. The others are specifically chosen by the highest to see them especially when there is a mission"

I cocked my head as he kept on preaching.

" Does that mean humans are selected by the supreme ghosts for a purpose?" I asked,already getting excited to know about my nature. I wondered why I had never asked those questions till now.

" Yes " he replied. "There's more you need to know. The humans chosen in the beginning were to help the ghosts - especially those who never moved on - find out about their background". My mouth curved into an O,letting out a small Oh as he said so. I interrupted him as he kept on.

" Are there other things I need to know about being a ghost?. Um.. so I don't break any ghostly rules and get The Sleep anymore". I mean I just got a friend. I wasn't going to do anything to get The Sleep and rest for a month or more . What if he came looking for me?

" How do I say everything if you keep interrupting me?"

" I'm sorry" I responded,sitting patiently, waiting to hear whatever he had to tell me. I didn't care if it had to take all night. I just had to know.

" As I was saying" he continued. " We also have some do's and don't. We can't cross the graveyard. Actually I can but you can't for some reasons. Your story is different. The most important of all the rules scribbles down to possession. A ghost can possess a human only and only if the human is vulnerable or the human allows the ghost to. Which is rare since not all humans can see us.

Possession which is not an agreement can lead to a lot of disrupt between the balance of our two worlds. Ghosts as we may look,have a lot of power beyond imagination. Our powers get depleted the most when we over exert it outside of our boundaries. That's the graveyards. Our powers can suddenly grow incredulously. About that part,I'll tell you later; when the time is right.

Like I said before, a human and a ghost love isn't entirely forbidden but it has its consequences. The human may not feel the same way as you. It will end up being one sided love. So, don't run on your emotions. We're ghosts, changing clothes is an exception. We can't actually change clothes. That's something we haven't figured out how to do yet. It happens we get to wear what we wore on the day of our death for life" he pointed at my clothes.

That's when he noticed that I was no longer in my old clothes but in something more boyish, as old people described it.

" What happened to your purple sleeved dress?" he wanted to know

" Well,this human found a way of changing my clothes"

" Fascinating" the Keeper smiled. " Could you explain further?" he made a signal with his finger as if prompting me to enter the endless pit.

" He sort of found a way. He burnt pairs of dresses and somehow,they magically appeared onto my body".

" Hmm" he nodded his head in affirmation. A question popped into my head.

" How is it that you're still here with me in this very house built by the town's people a little over 40 years ago?" I smiled sheepishly.

" That's because I'm not your Keeper alone. But I'm a guardian,posted here by tye superior's to nurture lost and wandering souls like you,stupid".

"Moreover,I was supposed to leave exactly 30 years ago but you sprang out of nowhere. You were the worst among The Lost and wondering souls that I'd ever met. You couldn't even remember how you died. So hopeless. Out of pity due to your state" he sighed

" I used the last of earth powers to help you regain your memories. But what did I get out of it?" he asked no one in particular. " I got a naive teenager,pretty but stubborn. One who never made me rest till this day,always giving me a headache and a real pain in the ass and someone really sweet all together" he answered his own question with a satisfactory tone.

I smiled when he was done with what he had to say.

" You know you love me as much as I do you" I said. He only gave me a stoic expression and retired back to the house,the eye mask still in hand.

I walked on the footpath, trying to recollect the Keepers sweet words.I sat doen in the grass as nighttime arrived, slowly drifting to sleep.

..........

I couldn't believe it was happening again. Did I have to see this nightmare over and over again?.

The painful memory of my death . I saw myself gasp for air as I struggled on the ground to get a grip of the chair by my table. I swarmed my hand over the table looking for my pills. Once again,I fell to the ground on my side with the very same dying expression I had every time in this particular dream before passing out.

I shot my eyes open as tiny rays of sunlight hit my face. It was just a dream, it was just a dream I repeated to myself as I looked around me. It really was just a dream. But how could it feel so real every time I had it?. I wiped the tears which had somehow appeared beneath my eyes and sniffed a little. I looked around me once again and thanked God it was just a dream. I never wanted to have that dream again, ever. It irritated me the most because it never really gave any clue about my death except that I turned 18 that day.

My stomach rumbled,indicating that I was hungry. I know what you are thinking. A ghost getting hungry?. Sounds funny. Hey,I may not have a body but I do have a good sense when it comes to delicacies. My favorite being chocolate. I clutched my rumbling stomach, running towards the keepers abode.

" Keeper" I shouted seconds away from the house. He came out wearing a look which meant I disturbed him.

" I'm hungry " I explained,holding my stomach. He conjured a bowl of sloppy noodles from the Air. I grabbed the bowl in my hands and immediately scooped a mouthful.

" So much for using all of my powers on you" he heaved before going back into the house