H A U N T E D

f o r t y - e i g h t

"Hey, love", I whisper while mustering a smile that hardly reaches the corners of my lips. My hand hesitantly reaches for his, for the hard skin that feels like the art of Michaelangelo, to touch the gods. My fingers hardly linger in the air, before Jack takes two strides forward, ignoring my hand and grabs me in a tight embrace. My head is pressed against his shoulder, where I lean into the crook of his neck. His hand goes to hold the back of my neck, pulling me closer, impossibly so.

"We-"

Jack raises his index finger to my lips, hushing me for the moment. My eyes flit up to find his, and notice the hesitance in his eyes, which are eclipsed by the awe in his eyes, adoration that reflects what I feel for him. At times, I wish I could bottle this feeling and keep it in my hands for Judgement Day, where I will offer it to the gods for salvation.

"Just...just let me soak this."

And I allow him to. I am changed, and I don't want to take him down with me, digging our heels in roots to stop ourselves from falling into a hole that will never allow us out. A few minutes later, I pull away from Jack, my hands trembling against his shining skin.

"Let's go, I want to take you somewhere."

-

The beach looks different from how it did, back in September. Back then, people were rushing to feel the last bit of summer sun, soaking in the heat before the cold came down the mountains. The rocks no longer look black in the salty waters of the ocean, but a dusty gray similar to rain clouds. The sun reaches the golden sand, where a little girl runs down the dunes, with a plastic spade in her hand. Another person, a woman, chases after her, their laughs filling the air with a beautiful sound that sends my heart to jump. Jack turns in his seat, hearing the spike of my beating heart.

"You okay?"

I nod towards the beach, watching the scene replay. Just as the mother reaches the child, it starts all over again. Residual energy. From the moment you are born, you create energy, you are energy, and when you die, you continue to exist.

Jack seems to realize what I'm nodding towards, and what I've seen. His eyes search for the spirits, a futile attempt.

"Oh."

He lifts the palm of his hand for me to see, and I notice white sparkles start to form on the base of his skin. It rises from his hand, but doesn't take shape, waiting for the command.

"Do you ever get sad seeing them? ", Jack asks while the shape dips and rises again, repeating the action. My eyes wander back to the spirits, who are running down the hill again. The mother reached her hand out to grab the child, and just as her fingertips reaches the child's windbreaker, they appear at the top of the hill.

"I guess so. Right now, it's a mother and a baby girl, running down the hill", I vaguely gesture to the windshield, watching the shape of two figures form in Jack's palm. One is taller than the other, and I watch the two running hand-in-hand down the hill.

"No, the mom is chasing the girl, but she never catches her. The moment she reaches her, they start all over again, and it fucking sucks because that's how it will be forever", my tone sounds pressed and frustrated, the words tight around my vocal chords. I wonder how they passed on, and who missed them. Their clothes look more modern than the woman I saw many months ago, but I'd say the mother and daughter probably passed away forty years ago, back when not many things were tolerated.