Ghost Sweepers The XXX that only I can understand

How to Touch Objects

Days later, Alfie woke up from his bed and prepared himself to go to school, his face seemed much more sorrowful compared to the first time I saw him. He went downstairs and grabbed a piece of bread in the living room, he tried to disguise himself with a smile. The bullying in school increased after the day Alfie was discovered talking to me...a ghost. From what I heard from Alfie, it looked like that thin boy talked about Alfie's strange behavior of talking to himself. Curiosity was always human nature, within a flash of time, Alfie's class or perhaps the whole school knew about Alfie. Although Alfie told me he didn't care much, I was terribly worried about him. Every time I saw him come back from school, he was always full of bruises and scars. I wanted to comfort him so I asked him what happened at school. Still, he never spoke about what happened.

One day, I eventually couldn't stand it, I went to school quietly to check on him. In the classroom, Alfie was having English lesson. The English teacher told the class to form groups to do a project. Quickly, many students joined in circles and started chattering. Alfie, on the other hand, was sitting quietly behind his desk alone. There wasn't anyone near him, no one seemed to notice Alfie was alone, as if he never existed. A few minutes later, most groups are settled, the teacher raised his voice.

"Is there anyone who doesn't have a group yet? If there is, please raise your hand." The teacher asked. The class remained silent, no one raised their hand.

"Good, that's settled, then------" The teacher continued but he was being interrupted by a voice.

".....Err.....I don't have a group....." said in a tiny, cracking familiar voice. It was Alfie, of course. Among the forty students in class, Alfie was the only one who raised his hand in the air. I was surprised that he could raise his hand, as if you did, you actually admitting you are being isolated. To students, school is a small community, everyone gathers along to find their own social circles. It's not a bad thing, its human nature, everyone just hates to be lonely.

I'm not human, I'm a ghost.

I don't really understand what is lonely or the importance of having social circles. But when I looked at Alfie, I kind of understood what lonely is. It was like you are being punched, you have wounds, but they are invisible.

I am not the one being isolated in class but I still feel pain. As for Alfie, I wondered whether it was hell.

"Alfie, are you sure you want to go to school?" I left my thoughts and asked Alfie, stopping him from opening the main door.

"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. Besides, going to school is the responsibility of a student." Alfie answered and forced himself to give a bitter smile. His face made my heart break in pieces. Sigh....in a matter of time like this, why does he still care about the responsibility of a student?

"Alfie." I called his name suddenly, Alfie turned his head and gazed at me, I lit up myself and continued, "I'll see you later. When you come back, let's play board games together." Alfie nodded his head and agreed, he waved goodbye and set off to school. Looking at Alfie's back, I determined I would find a way to help him. In order to do so, I must first find a way to touch objects.

"Hey, Snakey. It's me, again! Can we talk?" I shouted at a black shadow snake who was crawling around a tall lightening post, sleeping under the sunshine. I went down to the street to find Snakey in order to get some advice. I didn't spend much time finding him as he was very noticeable. I mean, there isn't many lightening posts who was circled by an enormous snake.

"Hisss?" The snake woke up and wiggled his enormous body, wondering why I came to disturb his nap. He was hugging the lightening post as usual. Snakey glared at me for one sight, he wanted to get up but he was too lazy and hugged the lightening post tighter.

"Come on, Snakey! Get down from there! I need to talk to you!" I shouted harder, Snakey was a bit bothered by my voice, he had no choice but to slither down from the post. As I watched him coming down, I still didn't understand his behaviors.

"Hey, Snakey. Actually, I want to ask you a long ago, why you love hugging lightening posts?"

"Hiss? I like........posts."

"Err.....I mean why you like posts?"

".....don't know....."

"Sigh.....you're such a strange guy."

"Never mind, let's go to the main point. I need your help, can you tell me how to touch objects?" I asked the snake.

"Hisss?.....objects?"

"Yes, objects. Do you know how?" I asked. The snake didn't say anything, he grabbed a stone on the road with his tail and held it higher.

"Object." Snakey said as he showed me a stone.

"No, Snakey....I'm not asking you to show me that you can hold objects. I'm asking you how to touch objects." I explained as I touched my other arm to show him what 'touch' means.

"Touch? Hiss....." The snake slightly nodded his head, he lifted out the stone and showed it to me again.

"Hiss.....this is how I touch objects...." He showed me the same stone again.

"No. I want you to explain in words on how you did that."

"Hiss?" Snakey was puzzled look, he didn't seem to understand what I meant.

"Sigh.....You don't understand me, do you?"

Suddenly, the snake sensed something and moved his head left and right, as if it was searching for something.

"Hiss.....!"

"What's wrong, Snakey?" I asked.

"Hiss....I need to go......." He said as he vanished in the air. The stone he was holding dropped on the ground.

"Huh? It's gone?" I felt strange and searched around. There was a snake shaped plain black shadow on the ground. That enormous snake transforms into a black shadow?! Feeling shocked, I saw the black snake shadow moved very quickly along the road and went away.

"Now what? My only lead has run away, why he is in a hurry anyway?" I questioned myself. Yet, I didn't understand and decided to leave. I took a step but my feet hit into something. I stepped on a stone, the stone that the snake touched earlier. My eyes widened, I froze, standing on the ground.

My leg touches a stone?!

Feeling surprised, I lowered my body and reached out for the rock. This time, my hand didn't go through the rock, I could touch it's rocky surface.

"I can touch a stone......! But why?" I couldn't even touch anything a few days ago but why now I can?

Wait---if I can touch objects, that means......