Status: Complete.
Ghost of You
18 : Gravity
“...would you like some?”
“Hmmm?”
“Oh, now you respond to me?”
I sat up suddenly, trembling. My mouth had the taste of dirt in it. “What? Where am I...?”
I trailed off as I looked up at him. Him! His outfit was still the same, but his eyes looked different. They twinkled in the moonlight. He was sitting at a small table placed next to his cart, with a china teapot and some teacups scattered across the table.
“I've been sitting here talking to you. All you did was whine in your sleep.”
“How did I get here?” I asked, my voice shaking.
He shrugged, his pinky finger stuck out as he took a sip from a small teacup. “I was offering you some tea when you rudely interrupted the conversation.”
“Sorry?” I said, confused, trying to haul myself from the ground.
“NO!” he cried, putting his hand out to stop me.
“What!” I cried, gripping a handful of the mulch, frightened, sitting myself back down quickly.
“Don't stand up,” he said, shaking his head.
“What are you talking about?” I groaned.
He smiled simply at me, thrusting his cup into the air. Except, it didn't fall. Neither did its contents. They simply... hovered.
“The moon is out.”
I glared at him. “Gee, thanks for the memo, Captain Obvious.”
He sighed, shaking his head. “When the moon is up, the gravity goes down. If you stand, you will float. And I don't know how long you'll stay like that.”
“Hmm, how about until the sun comes up?” I snapped at him.
He laughed. “Who knows when that'll happen? I don't.”
I stared, puzzled. “But...”
“Was the sun up when you came here last time?”
I thought for a minute. “No.”
“Well then. Say, I can't even recall the last time it was up. I believe it was on the 250th.”
“You mean to tell me the last time the sun was out was 250 days ago?”
He looked at me, confused. “No, on the 250th. You know, the day after the 249th?”
“...No?” I said, shaking my head. “What? Whatever.”
I closed my eyes.
“...What're you doing?”
“Going home,” I said, my eyes still closed. “I'll wake up, back at the house.”
“Okay.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes. I peaked out, sighing. “I can't go home, can I?”
“I don't know, can you?”
I groaned in frustration. “What's your name?” I asked him.
“My name? What silly nonsense is that?”
“If you don't have a name, what am I supposed to call you?”
“What do you want to call me?”
“I want to call you by your name!” I cried.
“Then call me by it.”
“But I don't know it.”
“Well, neither do I.”
“Just tell me what I'm doing here.”
“Same as I.”
“And that is...?”
He shrugged.
“Don't you know anything?” I exclaimed.
“Yes, he dropped by yesterday! We had a chat. Fond of that chap, I am.”
“What?” I asked to myself, shaking my head. “No, I mean, don't you know why I'm here?”
“No.”
“But I thought you said... ugh!” I pounded my fists against the ground. “I just want to go home! Back to the Listings' house.”
“Who's to say you aren't already home?”
“Me! Okay, me! I'm not home, this isn't home. I don't even know where this is!”
“Everyone comes here.”
“Everyone?”
“Everyone,” he confirmed.
I looked at him. “So, if I found some random person and asked them have they been... here ... they would say yes?”
“Possibly.”
“Why would they say no?”
“Why wouldn't they?”
“You make no sense!”
“I'm afraid I don't have any change...”
“What? No! Ugh, never mind!” We both sat quiet for a moment. “I stood up before.”
“Hmmm?”
“Last time I was here, I stood. So did you.”
“Yes, but that was when the moon wasn't out.”
“The moon looks fake,” I said, glancing at it now.
“Who's to say it's not?”
“I'm not sure.”
“I know, you're Tom. Sure moved.”
I rolled my eyes, pulling my knees up to my chest and curling up into a ball.
“The best part of believe is the lie...” he sang.
“That's part of a Fall Out Boy song.”
“So, find out where belief lies.”
I looked at him blankly. “Okay.”
He smiled at me. “You can go now, if you want.”
“Hmmm?”
“Oh, now you respond to me?”
I sat up suddenly, trembling. My mouth had the taste of dirt in it. “What? Where am I...?”
I trailed off as I looked up at him. Him! His outfit was still the same, but his eyes looked different. They twinkled in the moonlight. He was sitting at a small table placed next to his cart, with a china teapot and some teacups scattered across the table.
“I've been sitting here talking to you. All you did was whine in your sleep.”
“How did I get here?” I asked, my voice shaking.
He shrugged, his pinky finger stuck out as he took a sip from a small teacup. “I was offering you some tea when you rudely interrupted the conversation.”
“Sorry?” I said, confused, trying to haul myself from the ground.
“NO!” he cried, putting his hand out to stop me.
“What!” I cried, gripping a handful of the mulch, frightened, sitting myself back down quickly.
“Don't stand up,” he said, shaking his head.
“What are you talking about?” I groaned.
He smiled simply at me, thrusting his cup into the air. Except, it didn't fall. Neither did its contents. They simply... hovered.
“The moon is out.”
I glared at him. “Gee, thanks for the memo, Captain Obvious.”
He sighed, shaking his head. “When the moon is up, the gravity goes down. If you stand, you will float. And I don't know how long you'll stay like that.”
“Hmm, how about until the sun comes up?” I snapped at him.
He laughed. “Who knows when that'll happen? I don't.”
I stared, puzzled. “But...”
“Was the sun up when you came here last time?”
I thought for a minute. “No.”
“Well then. Say, I can't even recall the last time it was up. I believe it was on the 250th.”
“You mean to tell me the last time the sun was out was 250 days ago?”
He looked at me, confused. “No, on the 250th. You know, the day after the 249th?”
“...No?” I said, shaking my head. “What? Whatever.”
I closed my eyes.
“...What're you doing?”
“Going home,” I said, my eyes still closed. “I'll wake up, back at the house.”
“Okay.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes. I peaked out, sighing. “I can't go home, can I?”
“I don't know, can you?”
I groaned in frustration. “What's your name?” I asked him.
“My name? What silly nonsense is that?”
“If you don't have a name, what am I supposed to call you?”
“What do you want to call me?”
“I want to call you by your name!” I cried.
“Then call me by it.”
“But I don't know it.”
“Well, neither do I.”
“Just tell me what I'm doing here.”
“Same as I.”
“And that is...?”
He shrugged.
“Don't you know anything?” I exclaimed.
“Yes, he dropped by yesterday! We had a chat. Fond of that chap, I am.”
“What?” I asked to myself, shaking my head. “No, I mean, don't you know why I'm here?”
“No.”
“But I thought you said... ugh!” I pounded my fists against the ground. “I just want to go home! Back to the Listings' house.”
“Who's to say you aren't already home?”
“Me! Okay, me! I'm not home, this isn't home. I don't even know where this is!”
“Everyone comes here.”
“Everyone?”
“Everyone,” he confirmed.
I looked at him. “So, if I found some random person and asked them have they been... here ... they would say yes?”
“Possibly.”
“Why would they say no?”
“Why wouldn't they?”
“You make no sense!”
“I'm afraid I don't have any change...”
“What? No! Ugh, never mind!” We both sat quiet for a moment. “I stood up before.”
“Hmmm?”
“Last time I was here, I stood. So did you.”
“Yes, but that was when the moon wasn't out.”
“The moon looks fake,” I said, glancing at it now.
“Who's to say it's not?”
“I'm not sure.”
“I know, you're Tom. Sure moved.”
I rolled my eyes, pulling my knees up to my chest and curling up into a ball.
“The best part of believe is the lie...” he sang.
“That's part of a Fall Out Boy song.”
“So, find out where belief lies.”
I looked at him blankly. “Okay.”
He smiled at me. “You can go now, if you want.”
♠ ♠ ♠
I didn't know what title to name this chapter, so I picked something random. x]Comments would be greatly appreciated.