Written works.

Story - The Grieving Father

It was back again.

Once more, the creature sat at the edge of my bed. Even if there were still dim lights in the hospital room, the figure was still but a soft, tangible black silhouette. The only visible detail was eyes, a light and familiar blue. Its appearance was different from the usual Shadows, even if they weren't all too common in the first place. Some people say they're remains of dead people, usually bad ones that eventually take something from you under the guise of aide. They looked so friendly and even fluffy, holding wide eyes and quick to attempt helping humans.

But this one? It was taller than any Shadow I had ever seen online, with a masculine shape. It was always dripping wet when it came and stared sullenly at me, eyes welling up at times, only for the tears to bubble and float away. Though without a mouth, it would sometimes chirp softly and incomprehensibly.

Ever since recently, it's been coming to me. It wouldn't do much but somehow slip in during the late moments of visiting hour, as if it knew when to come. When it first appeared, I thought for a second that my dad had somehow gotten in.

The thought of him forced my head low and chest to constrict, suffocating me up from the inside.

If he were to be anything, it would have to be a Light. He was good. He did too much for me. Mom wasn't there to begin with, but he? Dad was tired and alone, but he worked so hard. He managed to get me all the way to the city's best college. He always told me how proud of his smart daughter, he was.

A dry ache sprung in my throat and I took a shaky breath, which caught the Shadow's attention, it's head raising to my face.

I had to wonder why I couldn't say it back. I couldn't tell him. I've wanted to tell him how proud I was, to have him. He was the best father I could ask for. I couldn't handle seeing the headline about the bridge, about the car that got crashed into and thrown over. If I had been doing any worse with my injuries, maybe I would've died too from all this pain.

I couldn't stop my lips from thinning, teeth starting to grit while my shoulders tightened and, finally, eyes began to water.

I hated it all. How I couldn't tell dad what I wanted to, how he was gone, how useless I was for not paying him back, how I just sat here while he was drowning in his own car- and how I started choking on my tears in front of the Shadow. It's solemn eyes widened, but I looked away as soon as I saw. I felt the bed creak and lighten as a slight weight was pulled from it. Did it get up? Was it going to leave? I hoped so because I couldn't stop. I couldn't do anything but cry for dad.

But I felt a gentle hand on my head. It stayed there for a moment while I did everything to at least silence my sobs. I didn't care. I didn't care if it finally wanted to take something at that moment. I couldn't bring myself to care for anything at that moment, not even my life. The hand slid down and settled on my shoulder.

Then, the Shadow pulled me into its arms. No matter how much I tried to slip away from it, the spirit stubbornly held me close in an embrace, chirping a soft, soothing tune. Somehow, some way, the pain started fading. I couldn't help but hold on as well. It just felt like hugging him and it was as if the despair was slipping away from me.

Eventually, all of it was gone except for the sad aftertaste of salty tear streaks. The Shadow drew back, looking upon me pitifully. Its eyes were lively with grief, its own tears pouring into large bubbles which drifted away.

It backed up, chittering once more while lightly nodding to me in the midst of it's own weeping. Before I could say anything, the Shadow turned away and collapsed into the ground, falling into a puddle of its own water, and disappearing.

It took a moment of sitting in that dim, sterile room to realize it.

He did take something from me.

He took my sadness.

- Written September 12, 2020