Hearts and The Heartless

Emily tucked her hair behind her ears, fighting against the angry wind. The pipeline of the ocean in front of her was raging. Everytime the waves hit the shore; they made loud sounds of something angry. Emily crossed her hands and hugged herself, tried to ignore the coldness she felt. Her feet was naked, as she stepped on the damp sand she left some traces on it. Her eyes neatly fixed upon the lighthouse opposite her. She had to do this. It had been 2 weeks now, since she last saw River in the beach house, since she knew that he was actually dead. Sometimes Emily wondered; whether she did imagining things, or those were just part of her memories that she had unaware of. Whatever it is, she wanted to know more about River, why did he die, where she was when he died, and everything. The lighthouse is the only memory she had right now, so she decided to start from there.
She walked passed the stormy sea by the shore, and then arrived right in front of the lighthouse’s door. She gripped open the doorknob and it was unlocked. Feeling slightly happy, she went inside. The inside was vacant, and its ceiling was so high that she even had to look up to glance at it. There was a spiral staircase leading to the top of the lighthouse. Emily gazed down to her eye level, and saw a room just across the hollow space where she was standing.
The room looked no bigger than her kitchen, and it filled with nothing but bookshelves. She approached to one of the bookshelves. Her eyes caught glimpse of a book entitled ‘Hearts and the Heartless’. She frowned and quickly took it out.

Some people have the ability to see them, and some are just denying it. The truth is, we all can see them. The difference is, where do we see them? In our dreams? In our mind? In the mirror everytime we look into it? Ghosts are something that you can call superstitious, but what if you really see them? Not in devil masks, not in demon appearance, what if you really see them in human figures? Then they’re not just ghost anymore, they are spirits. And spirits do exists, which in fact are not superstitious at all.

Emily blinked. She was meant to pick this book, she was meant to read it, and bring it back home. She tried to look for any other book that was smiliar to this, but there’s none. She hurried herself out of the lighthouse and went back to the beach house.

EMILY helped herself to the sandwich Ed had brought her. Ed visited her at the beach house every now and then knowing that New York and Miami isn’t very far compared to her folks’ home in Canada.
“So, how are you today?” he asked.
Emily swallowed her sandwich first, and then answered;
“I’m fine, Ed. I went to the lighthouse yesterday.”
“Yeah? What for?”
“Well, I thought that maybe I could remember anything else while in there.”
“Did you?”
Emily sighed, and shook her head.
“Emily, don’t give up that easily. I know River wouldn’t want that.”
She looked down to her feet.
“What was he like, when he was alive, Ed?”
Ed took a while to answer this. Until Emily looked up, then he answered.
“He was a great person, and a great doctor. He once did save mom’s life you know.”
“Then why does she hate him?”
“Mom doesn’t hate River. She just hates to feel like she owed him.”
“What happened?”
“Well, to be honest, she didn’t like the new you when you married him.”
“The new me?”
“Yeah, you’ve changed a bit since you married him.”
“I’ve changed?”
“You used to be her pretty little daughter, always under her nose no matter what you did, but then when you met River, you started to lie to her, came home late, she caught you making out with him outside the house.”
“Wait, how old was I that time?”
“23 or 24 I guess. Well, mom is a little bit overprotective you know. Besides, you’re the only daughter she has.”
“Then how did River save her?”
“Mom was dehydrated, so River was kind of the only doctor there, so he did what he had to do.”
“And she hates him for that?”
“No, she doesn’t hate him, I told you that…”
“Yeah, I know. So, where was I when she got dehydrated?”
“Oh, you were here.”
Emily raised her eyebrow.
“Here? You mean, in this house?”
“Yes.”
“What was I doing here?”
“I can’t remember, you were sick I guess.”
Emily nodded slightly. Now she knew why Dorothy despises her for only remembered about River. She stared at her brother for a short while; he was helping himself to a magazine he found under the coffee table. This house looked nicer than the first day she saw it. The furnitures even moved to a better spot, and the broken ceiling had repaired.
“So, tomorrow I have to bring you to the hospital again,” Ed spoke suddenly, broke the peaceful silence apart.
“Yeah, okay. I’m bored here anyway.”
“Oh, you knew how boredom feels?” Ed teased her while still flipping through the magazine randomly.
“Ha-ha. Don’t mock me River.”
Then she froze after she spoke those words. Her head spinning, trying to figure out why she mentioned his name. Her heart pounding fast, just like when she stared into River’s turquoise eyes.
“Emily, are you okay?”
She glanced around, Ed’s face looked worried.
“Yeah, why?”
“You’re sweating all over. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine Ed. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then she stood up, headed to her bedroom. As she closed the door behind her, she leaned against it. It’s only been five minutes when she started to realize that she was actually crying, and someone knocked on the door behind her.
“Em, it’s okay to miss him, you know.”
Emily didn’t answer.
“I have to go, I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at nine, okay?”
Emily nodded, though she knew Ed couldn’t see that.