Glaring down at the figure writhing on the floor in drunken exhilaration, she shook her head. Once, she’d actually thought that she knew that boy. “Apparently not,” she grumbled dejectedly, scanning the room for someone at least partially sane, maybe even sober.
“Hey,” came a came a voice from behind her, “disappointed?”
Raising her eyebrows in surprise that someone could read her mind so easily, she turned. “Yes.”
When he only responded with a satisfied smirk, she elaborated. “They’re just all so desperate,” she sighed, motioning to her peers.
“Desperate for what?” he asked, cocking his head questioningly.
“Attention, popularity, love…I guess,” she murmured, suddenly acutely aware that she had no idea who she was pouring her heart out to. “Who are you anyway? I’ve never seen you at school.”
“You’ve seen me,” he explained, smiling sadly, “you just don’t recognize me.”
Before she could question him further, he’d backed away, disappearing into a mass of crazed students with a wink as a farewell.
Normally, she would have let him go but, as it was, he was the only sane person she’s spoken to all night. Whatever her reasons, she hurried into the crowd after him, hoping that her attempts at human interaction wouldn’t turn out to be in vain.
“I see you don’t know me,” he whispered from somewhere above her, “goodbye.”
But she did know him. She knew that voice. She knew the pain he had caused her. She knew him. She knew him.
“Wait!” she cried, needing to be heard, needing to be understood, needing to be forgiven, desperately needing to forgive. Because somehow she knew. Somehow she knew it was him. She knew him, knew him oh so well. “I know you! Please!”
The ghost didn’t grace her with a response. 1
It wasn’t your fault
It wasn’t mine
It was a horrible, horrible mistake2
Believing you were the cause of my tragedy,
You took your own life,
Only causing more pain, more heartbreak3
Lie peacefully now,
Knowing that it wasn’t your fault
It was a horrible, horrible mistake4
“Thank you,” his voice embraced her from the Heavens, “thank you for giving me peace.”5
6
Author notes
OPTION 1
A contest entry
- Good Writing Contest by Silverwit.
650 points, ended April 16, 2008, 30 entries
• next story in this contest, remove from contest
Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think.
Comments
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this was interesting!

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Sara, I really liked your story! Keep up with the great writing! I'll see you at track tomorrow =D


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Wow. This was AWESOME! I haven't had the chance to read short stories for a while... And this really caught my attention. I liked how you kept the story pretty enigmatic, but then explained who the ghost/person was and what had happened. (I get super annoyed when authors are very secretive, and leave endings too open to interpretation... I'm just lazy
) The part where the narrator is asking for forgiveness is poetic, even!



