The Cemetery of the Reflexes

- I shall tell you a real ghost story! – Joy said and pulled me away. – Sit in your chair, Mister because in my stories there are real ghosts! – She then opened her eyes wide and walked around…1

- This way I won’t be scared. – I teased and she just said:2

- Shhhhhh…3

“Once in my travels to the east I arrived in a nation that was quite welcoming. Seriously, they had parties every week. They had a party for the first laid egg of the white chicks and one for the first laid egg of the non-white chicks. They had a party for the first word of the king’s baby and one for the last word of the king’s mother. They had a part for the first flower of the week and one for the first watermelon! And they had parties to rest from the other parties and parties to celebrate the tenth party of the year. I had such a great time traveling there…4

Well, but one day I arrived in this village and I was ready to party when I discovered everyone was sour and murky and no party was happening. I was so chocked! I went there and I asked if they did not like to party and…5

- Yes! We love to par-tee! But no good…Seriously, we can not party. 6

- Why? 7

- We have a problem. We can not party. 8

- Which problem? 9

- Our central garden, where all the parties happen is haunted. 10

I was silent, because a ghost? 11

- And why you do not party elsewhere? 12

-  Does not work. The ghost likes to party. He will go wherever the party is. 13

- The ghost likes to party?? 14

- Yes, he loved our parties when he was alive. He was blind, and therefore he liked to hear all the music and sounds…he always helped to raise the money for the parties…See, if you look in the central garden there is a statue of him! 15

- Oh, thank you. – I said and left the place. All I did not want are ghosts so I went to some place vacant and not noisy. Then I walked and I discovered a wonderful place. It was a park, very clean, with several mirrors facing each other. I walked among the mirrors and saw myself a hundred times. For minutes, I wandered, jumping from one mirror to another, seeing as many of myself as possible. That place had such calm that I even thought about camping there. But…I found the main entrance of the place and discovered what that place really was…Shhh, do not say. It was the Cemetery. 16

Yes, the Cemetery of the city. Do you ask me why? Well, they told me something: They believed that no one died until seeing his own dead face, to discover they are really dead. So, that is why they surrounded the graves with mirrors, as many as possible to make the dead people rest quickly. That is what they have told me, there was a ghost…He was blind and never could see himself dead. I, silently, started to leave that place. Step by step, just like I am doing now. Then I heard a sound and the air got cold. I froze in my place when an eerie man showed near…he walked a bit bizarre, I do not know if it was because he floated or because he seemed to be cautious of the objects in his way but he just passed thoroughly all of them! 17

I wanted to run, but I was still frozen, he grabbed on my arms and said:18

- Lets party! 19

And that was what we did. He was even fun, but I tell you, his hands are felt like ice and my arms started to freeze. I swear, if he held me for too long I would end turned in an ice statue! But he did not let me go! All the night dancing, singing, telling jokes. But worst was when he touched my face, his fingers were like darts…I got all befuddled every single time he did it and I was too tired to fight back… 20

He took me to the central garden and I was already thinking he would take me back to the death’s realm when the night would end. 21

- Let me go. – I demanded. 22

- Of course not. Don’t you like to party ? 23

- No! I want to rest and be alone! 24

- Rest ? But from what ? I feel so full of energy…25

- Of course do you feel like this! You are dead! 26

- Do not be so rude! I am not dead. 27

- Of course you are! 28

- Prove me! Can you do such thing ? 29

I was helpless. He looked at me with that dead boastful face and continued dancing. I was shaking with the touch of his hand when I noticed something…30

- Hey, Mister. Sorry, but there is someone else wanting to party with us. 31

- Really ? How nice. Where is she ? 32

- Here, follow my lead. 33

- Sure. – He said that but held me even tighter, such distrustful ghost…34

I took him close to his statue. 35

- Here, touch him – I moved his hand and it touched the statue. 36

- It is cold …- He said a bit apprehensive...37

- Touch his face…- I said and lifted his hand. He brushed the face with his fingers and touched his own cold stone face reproduced in the statue…38

- I am dead… - He said and vanished. 39

The next day there was a huge party in that town. I slept all day long.” 40

Joy stopped smiling and said:41

- That is what happened, don’t you believe me? 42

- Of course I do. 43

- So, why are you smiling? 44

- Because…it is a good story…45

- Ah, so you will write and never show me! 46

- Maybe…no, I will…here is it is…47

And I showed her the pages already written…48