Ghost of You

Miss Stephan's living room was crammed with police officers, two EMTs, and neighbors who had come to see what the heck was going on. Miss Stephan was making steady trips from the kitchen to the living room, handing out cups of water and tea. Everyone around whispered the same name, his name. Gordon.

The EMT in front of me pulled back, water dripping from the bun that was pulled up tightly on the back of her head. Miss Stephan came over, huddling together with the three police officers standing off to the side of the couch, all eying the EMT, who then turned to them.

“There's no sign of a concussion from what I can see. I would keep an eye on him though, monitor him while he's sleeping.”

Miss Stephan nodded, motioning for the EMT to follow her. “Come dear, let's get you and your partner some tea,” she said, the two EMTs trailing behind her into the kitchen.

I bent down and picked up Bonjoe, Miss Stephan's orange tabby cat, and set him gently in my lap, my hands shaking as I stroked his fur. An officer sat down on either side of me while the other one squat down in front of me.

“My name is Officer Ridley,” he said. I continued to pet Bonjoe, who was mewing beneath me. “Tom, look at me. Hey,” he said softly as I glanced up at him, “no one here wants to hurt you. We want to do the opposite and protect you. But I need you to tell us exactly what happened, okay?”

I looked back down at Bonjoe again and nodded my head slowly. I opened my mouth, trying to speak, but only incoherent noises came out. I shut my mouth and whimpered.

“I was at the library,” I finally began.

“And what were you there for?” the officer to my left asked me, taking out a small white notepad and pen from inside his uniform and scribbling on it.

“I just... I was reading books.”

The officer nodded as he continued to write. “And then?”

“I went to my brother's grave. I was there and then... I tripped. When I got back up, he was standing there, a few headstones away. I screamed and started running. I could hear him running behind me, and when I came here, I told Miss Stephan and blacked out.”

The officer to my left started flipping back through his notepad. “Miss Stephan said there wasn't anyone around except you, before or after you blacked out.”

“So,” I whispered.

“So,” Officer Ridley began, “is there any possibility you could've been... imagining him?”

My head snapped up then. I narrowed my eyes, my entire body shaking. “You think I'm lying,” I said, my voice dripping with venom.

Officer Ridley shook his head. “Tom, listen. We just find what you're saying difficult to process. If you say you heard him behind you, yet Miss Stephan saw no one when you ran onto her lawn...”

“Look, I don't know where he went!” I shouted, everyone in the room growing quiet. Bonjoe made a small noise as he jumped from my lap to the floor. “Why would I lie about seeing him? Why would I make up being chased by the man that nearly raped me, that threatened my mom?!”

“Tom,” the officer to my left said as I stood up quickly, the room spinning as my stomach churned. The two officers sitting on the couch each grabbed one of my arms and gently pulled me back down.

“I wanna go home,” I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut, a nauseous feeling sweeping over me.

“Okay,” Officer Ridley said. “Okay.

Outside, a crack of thunder rippled through the air.


Officer Ridley pulled up outside of the Listings' house, the windshield wipers that had been dashing back and forth furiously coming to a halt as the engine was shut off. Officer Ridley sighed as he leaned back into his seat, taking off his cap and running his hand through his blonde hair.

“Tom,” he began as he replaced his cap.

“Just leave it,” I said, cutting him off as I let myself out of the car.

“Tom!” he shouted. I could hear the driver's door slam as I hurried through the muddy grass up to the house.

The front door swung open then, a bewildered-looking Mr. Listing standing in the archway. Mrs. Listing stood up from the couch, a hand over her mouth, as I hurried through the front room and to the stairs, mud tracks running along the floor behind me. I could hear Mr. Listing and Officer Ridley muttering to each other, their voices escalating to shouts quickly as I fled up the stairs.

“Tom?” Georg asked and I looked over. He was standing in the doorway to Sarah's bedroom, Sarah huddled closely behind him, peaking around his leg. Quickly I stepped into the bathroom and slammed the door, pushing shut the lock behind me.


I rubbed myself down with a black towel until I was nearly dry, pulling a white fluffy bathrobe around myself and tying it tightly in the front. I picked my muddy shoes up from where I had thrown them next to the bathroom door, running the white bottoms quickly through the warm water still falling from the shower head. I watched as the mud emptied down the drain before shutting the shower off completely. I crept over to the bathroom door as I pulled my dreadlocks up into a towel, listening. The house was deadly quiet. I flinched as the lock made a click sound as I pulled it back. I took a deep breath and waited five seconds before I flung the door open, the hinges creaking.

I hurried through the hall and into my room, slamming the door behind me. I pressed my back to it, shutting my eyes as I reminded myself to breathe. I didn't hear any other movement in the house. Sighing, I hurried over to my bed and dropped face-first onto it, exhausted.