The Guardian

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"I just saw the ghost again," Reeny whispered into my ears as she clung tightly to my shirt. I could feel her body against mine, trembling and soaked in sweat. The anxiety in her voice reminded me of the first time I sensed something uncanny about our new home. Something about the building made me uncomfortable, though I couldn't pinpoint it until the night I had seen the ghost myself.

I held Reeny's tiny hands and brushed my fingers through her brown, brittle hair. I didn't want my little cousin to experience the kind of anxiety that had plagued me since my mother and I moved in three months ago. I only wanted her to enjoy the holidays with us without any scare. But I also needed to be the big sister who understood everything better than anyone else, so I couldn't dismiss what she had seen.

"I believe you, sweetie," I said calmly.

"Because I saw it too."

"You did?" she asked with a shaky voice.

I affirmed with a nod and pulled her closer to my side of the bed for a hug.

"Come here. I'll tell you one thing - it's not going to harm you - ever, and I'm right here with you," I said with confidence, hoping she wouldn't see through the thin veil covering my fears.

"Then why does it keep coming?" she asked again.

I looked at her with wonder. Her eyes shone bright, and I knew she was eager to get a response from me. Right there, I realized that the curiosity of a child never truly died. Not even in the presence of fear.

"Maybe it lost something valuable," I said after a short pause.

"If you don't pay it any attention, it leaves faster."

"Okay, Mandy," she replied with a faint smile on her lips.

I smiled back at her and let out a heavy sigh as I prepared to put her back to bed. I felt satisfied that I had handled the situation well. Beyond that, I felt seen.

For months, I had watched a ghost crawl up my window at night. Each time I tried to utter a word, it disappeared. I tried to convince myself that the reason I saw it was because my windows were transparent, so I began shutting them and drawing the curtains to a close, even during the day. But this didn't change anything in the way I had expected. Rather, it made things worse. Its presence felt stronger in my room, as though it needed a space to freely exist and feel at home for reasons I could not understand.

I had so many questions, yet answers never came. Some nights, my anxiety climbed to the height of a roof and I would pray to stop seeing it. Other times, curiosity got the better part of me and I wished for the courage to call out to it, to ask it to come sit beside me and tell the story of its relentless wandering.

My mother never really believed my stories but Reeny seeing the ghost in my presence was all the proof I had needed to know I wasn't making things up. I wasn't crazy. The ghost was real.

I finally put Reeny to bed, and in no time, my mother came to get her. It was her favourite thing to do with all the kids who paid us longer visits. She loved having them sleep in her room after they had spent the entire day with me. This time, I was grateful she didn't skip this routine because Reeny needed the comfort and safety of her arms, away from what she had seen in my room.

The next morning, sunlight slipped through my curtains and fell across my face. I opened my eyes, pausing for a moment to adjust to a new day. The air in my room felt different, as though I wasn't alone. Then, I knew it had come for a visit. I didn't need a prophet to confirm its presence to me. But what I could not understand was why it had come so early.

I wasn't filled with fear this time. Instead, I felt free to resume my daily activities in the presence of a strange being I couldn't see, yet. I stood up and moved towards the window, looking to see the meadows below. The butterflies hung on the petals of small flowers, before taking their flight again. The sight was beautiful, and I wanted to spend more time admiring the view, but it was already past eight on my wall clock and I needed to check on my mother and prepare breakfast for everyone.

"I've been here before," a voice said softly from behind.

The transient echo of those words sent chills down my spine and my lips trembled. That was the first time I had heard its voice. It was nostalgic.

"I once lived in this room," the voice continued.

"I leaned on the same walls, and walked the same tiles. This little room was my home, the first I ever knew. Now, I guard everyone whose soul inhabits it."

"You mean you were always present to watch over me?" I asked with a trembling voice.

"Why did you let someone else see you, then? She doesn't share this space with me."

I got lost in my thoughts until it spoke again.

"For truth to be revealed, there must be deeper signs that it exists beyond one's imagination. I come not to harm you, but to remain."

Those were the last words I heard as warm breeze brushed across my face. The room fell silent, and when I turned my back, it was gone. I was now alone.

But maybe I wasn't really alone. Maybe my guardian had simply withdrawn so I could reclaim my own moments. I just needed to realize that it was always near, even when I couldn't see it, and that sometimes, in moments like that, it only wanted to remind me of its unwavering presence.

THANK YOU FOR READING MY SHORT STORY.🤗