A Spirit's Wish

Prologue

Prologue.

If flowers can talk, they would thank her for watering them with her glistening tears.

It was sunny. Rays of the Sun were peeking through the gaps of the leaves on the tree. The sky was clear and the bluest it could ever be. The students all around the campus were laughing in harmony while cherishing every moment of freedom. Even the birds hummed the most beautiful tone to match the energy of that day. 

It seemed as if that day was only filled with happiness... well, except for one person.

In the deepest and most hidden part of the University lies a girl sitting under a tree. Holly.

Holly was alone in the University's garden; she was sitting down as she hugged the lower part of her body. Her head was leaning onto her knees so no one, not that anyone even could, would see her crying eyes, runny nose, and red cheeks. She chose that specific place knowing that it was an unpopular spot of their campus. She knew students rarely go there because it was also too far from the buildings. That's why she was confident she could go there to unleash her hidden feelings-- the pain she'd been carrying secretly.

She felt safe because she knew no one would go there... or at least she thought.

Because the person who's looking at Holly felt an ache when they realized she was crying her heart out... silently.

They walked up to her and tapped on her shoulder. Holly froze on the spot. Someone was with her. 

She really thought no one would go there because she had been going there for a long time already. This is the first time someone else went except for the gardener. 

"Are you okay?" A masculine voice asked. Holly didn't have to look at him to know that he was a guy. Holly didn't look up because she felt embarrassed about how she looked. She knows how messy her face is at the moment. But she felt another slight tap on her shoulder. She didn't want to, but she still raised her head up a bit, enough to see a hand that's offering a yellow handkerchief. 

"Okay lang ako, thank you." Holly tries to deny his offer.

"Kuhanin mo na, mukhang mas kailangan mo." He insisted. Holly hesitated but decided to accept it. Holly kept her head down while she wiped away her tears. 

After a couple of seconds, Holly finally raised her head up to thank the stranger again but to her surprise, he was no longer around. Holly scanned her surroundings, trying to see if the guy was still there but he really left. 

Holly took a deep breath in and decided to go back to their classroom. But before she could even stand up, she saw a yellow folded note with a rock on top of it in front of her. 

Wala naman 'yan kanina no'ng pumunta ako dito, ah? 

She picked up the paper and unfolded it to see if there's something written on it.

dial 444

That was the only thing written on the front part of the note. Holly was left confused but she also thought maybe someone else had dropped it and it wasn't really for her. However, when she turned it...

P.S You can keep the handkerchief

She confirmed the note was from the guy who gave her his handkerchief. Holly was really confused; the number was so unfamiliar and she didn't know what it meant or what it was for. 

Should I dial the number? Baka importante. Holly thought. 

But before she could even try, she hears someone's voice calling her. 

"Holly! Andito ka ba?" She yelled. Holly stood up and walked outside of the garden. Jules saw Holly and sighed out of relief. "Teh, kanina pa kita hinahanap. Saan ka ba galing? Layo ng inabot mo-- Umiyak ka ba?" Holly wanted to laugh at how Jules reacted. Holly shook her head as a response.

"Hindi ako umiyak. Napuwing lang. Tara na, start na ata class." Jules looked at Holly suspiciously. Then her eyes went to the note Holly was holding.

"Ano 'yan?" Holly looked at the note too but instead of showing it to her friend, she scrunched it up and hid it in her backpack's pocket. 

"Wala. Kalat lang, napulot ko." Holly ended her questions by walking away. Jules couldn't ask her about it because Holly refused to answer her questions. 

The whole day have passed and class was finally dismissed. She had been thinking about the note the whole day, it bothered her and broke her peace of mind. So once Holly got home, she immediately took out the note from her bag and read it again. 

dial 444

Holly hesitated to call it because what if it was a number of a hacker? What if it was a number of a scammer? What if the number tracks her location down? What if she suddenly becomes a target of a group? Holly thought almost all of the worst possible case scenario... almost.

But Holly was a curious person. Her own assumptions couldn't stop her from feeding her curiosity. She risked all of the possibilities she had in mind by deciding to still call the number. Her heart was pounding and her hands were sweating. Wala naman masamang mangyayari 'di ba?

*Ring Ring Ring*

The number rang. But not even half a second have passed, her heart skipped a beat when the ringing stopped. 

"Hello...?" She talked first even though she was shaking out of fear.

The next thing she heard was something she never thought of hearing.

[ Connected. ]

"Hello, You've reached the Spirit World. Welcome to Spirit's Service!"

As soon as Holly heard what the woman said, she immediately hung up. 

Knew it. It's one of those prank call numbers. Hay.

Holly blocked the number and put the note back into her bag. She left her phone on her nightstand and left to clean herself up.

Disappointed, she decided to never trust strangers again.

...

Little did Holly know... the line between the World of the Living and the World of the Spirit actually connected. 

*Ding*

From: 444

You've been connected to the Spirit World. Pick up the call to continue.

There's no turning back now, Holly.

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Thank you for reading! ^___^ <3