We both watched as our parents buried our bodies. They complained about having to dig so deep, about how it would have been better if they made someone else do it. I barely heard them—I was too distracted by the surroundings, on how our bodies felt cold and numb as if we don't belong here. Yuki, on the other hand, was always the curious type unlike me. She listened, even though she knew it would hurt her more. Curiosity can help you in many ways, but it also forces you to learn bitter truths, it doesn't get served covered in sweet honey, it is bitter like a bitter guard if eaten. I already knew it all. But I didn't stop her curiosity, if I stop her. She would have nothing but an empty feeling inside. I tried to escape reality in different ways yet it only ever worked for a moment—nothing more, nothing less. This is my fate. I can't fight it or was it always the human mind that created such illusions of fate.
"You're already crying," I told Yuki as a tear slid down her cheek. Was the truth really that harsh? It seemed so to me.
"I doubt they even talked like they cared about their children…" I glanced at Yuki. She nodded.
"Yeah… I thought they cared. Why? Why did they kill us? They took care of us—they were our parents. I can't believe this… Did they even care to begin with?" Yuki broke into sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks.
I had no choice but to comfort her, we only had each other now. A lost soul—just thirteen years old—murdered by her own parents, unable to move on yet has no idea why. What could be worse than that?
My mind drifted back to where it all began. The time I could never forget. February 20, 2021. Just another normal morning, right? Dad was reading the newspaper. Mom was braiding Yuki's hair for school. Yuki stole my toast, my poor PB & J and blamed it on the cat afterwards, poor Mono became the victim. I should've noticed something that morning, something odd—the way Mom's smile was a little too wide or maybe, nervous? the way Dad's hands trembled as he passed me the jam. How did such a normal day end so terribly?
That night was chilly. I came home with dumplings and called out, "Yuki! Guess who got dumplings!~" No reply, no noise heard, no footsteps approached. The silence was strange. I took off my shoes—and then a scream shattered the weird still quietness. Whose scream was it? Yuki's scream.
Before I even processed what happened, I was already running. Guess this is what she meant by the body moving in an instinct rather than the brain actually knowing what just happened.
The sight stopped me cold. Dad was slamming Yuki's head against the wall, the noise...what noise? My ears were ringing; the sight was unbearable, disgusting… no amount of words to explain what I had witnessed. Her head was bleeding as one of her arms lay on the floor, severed. I stumbled back, my body moving before my mind could catch up. Then Mom grabbed me from behind. A flash of metal—pliers. Pain exploded as they dug into my left eye. I screamed in agony, I shout as my vision went black. My neck snapped—or maybe sliced. I got no idea but my neck was paining at that moment. My vision blurred further. The last thing I saw was Yuki's lifeless body being dragged away. I failed to save yet another person I deeply cared about.
I should have realized earlier—just a week ago, they insisted on building a soundproof room in the guest room. Such a lame excuse of saying that it was for a 'theatre room'; we did get one but that exact room became the spot we died.
At first, I couldn't believe it. Who could?
The ones who tucked you into bed, who read bedtime stories,
who held you when you were scared because of some stupid monster under your bed that you believed to exist…
they could also be the ones holding the knife that cut your throat. Death doesn't always scream. Sometimes it creeps in quietly—sudden, but slow. You knew it would come yet you don't know when. Such thoughts came as I stared at the starry night, a pretty one yet a horrible one, filled with screams of agony.
I snapped out of my thoughts. Our bodies had already been buried eight feet deep. In just an hour?! Hold on a minute but whatever I could think of the answer would be a yes. They buried us around 1 a.m., probably finished by 2:30 or so. No sign of them now. Most likely cleaning the house, erasing the sole evidence, ugh.
I looked at Yuki. She'd stopped crying about half an hour ago or so, lost in thought. I poked her cheek lightly. She jumped.
"Huh?! Yuna, don't do that—you scared the living soul in me which is me!" she scolded, half annoyed.
"Fine, fine. I won't—for now," I teased her.
She huffed, used to my banter. "You and your cheerfulness! We literally got killed by our own parents."
"We- no. You wasted an hour or so crying over the fact those so called parents killed us when they didn't even care," I replied.
"But still—we cared for them!"
"Maybe. But did they? If they did, why kill us then?"
"I don't know! But come on, you really turned the saddest moment into this! A goddamm banter!"
"No depression for now. You should be thanking me and that doesn't sound that bad to me."
"Gosh!" she groaned, clearly irritated.
"Oh, shush. I just saved you from sinking into useless sadness and those bastards don't deserve our mourning or care anymore." I stood up, stretching my arms. Yuki followed, probably tired of sitting too long.
"I want to try something," she said suddenly.
"And what is that 'something'?" I asked.
"Normal ghost stuff, y'know." She walked straight through a tree. Her face lit up like a light bulb. "The go-through-objects one!" she exclaimed.
I chuckled. "The first thing you do as a ghost is test that thing? Its cliché and one of the normal things ghosts could do but like seriously?"
"Yep! No harm, no issue. Then why not?"
A thought struck me. "What if we haunt our house? Not in a scary way of course—we're too chill for that. But still, it would be fun. I don't want to be a homeless ghost."
Yuki immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. "Don't even ask. We're haunting that house as chill ghosts."
Chill ghosts, huh? Maybe that's what we were. No vengeance. No grudges. Or at least, that's what we thought but that doesn't matter now, we both were sure…sure that we won't hurt a soul while haunting that house.
"Alright," I said, letting her drag me along. "Lead the way, your ghostness."