SAIRO

iv. imputation

Chapter 4 : Imputation

I immediately closed the door as I scooped up the air deeply. My forehead seemed bathed in sweat, my heart was racing as my sight struck the knife on the dining table. I went there as my frigid, trembling hands reached the chef's knife while I dare not to look back. I'm not dumb and I know the ghost won't hurt me. But just in case. It might be able to land its finger on my body.

Almighty father,
There may be evil forces around us
that we cannot battle by ourselves.
But by your strength and your power
we are saved-

I felt footsteps from afar approaching me causing me to cut off. It's not pomposity unlike a while ago. Before it could get close to me, I turned around as I pointed the knife at him. There was an electric shock to my chest when I found dad, eyes got widened, backing away and blocking his hands Infront of me.

"A-anak ng," he almost cursed as I huff out loud, lowering the knife as I averted my eyes away when I felt it's getting wet. "What are you planning to do? Huh? Killing your family?"

"I'm not!"

"Then why you're holding the knife?" he asked as it took me a while to answer. I hold back my tears as my chest grew heavier.

"Y-you scared me. You know I can't do that to you." I said, almost a mutter as the both of us fell silent for a moment. "T-the food by the way, i-it's in the pot," I said before leaving before I shed a tear Infront of him.

Next day, I entered the school wearing a rosary hidden inside my uniform. I didn't dare to sleep in my room. I slept in the room of Vien, Mei-mei and my parents, but it doesn't mean I slept well. I've got goosebumps everywhere, felt alternate heat and cold and all I can hear in insensate, mellow, crepuscular room is the ticking clock. In my family, I am the only one with own room. It would be nice and have privacy, but I don't want to be alone in my room. That will be the last time I'll step inside.

My vision trembled as I continued to lift my eyelids as it got heavier and heavier. My eyelids and head were about to fall when Mrs. Johnson called me on her recitation causing I lost my dormancy.

"Ms. Irvine, is there something you need?" she asked as I lowered my arm that had previously supported my head as my hair became disheveled. I fix my hair as I shook my head reason for her to continue. I turned to the blackboard and saw that I was in the humanities education subject. It seems like she was discussing a lesson a while ago, it ended up in the story because my classmates were entertaining her. They're really ingenious. "As I was saying, I knew the ghost was chasing me. I was alone in the old building running out and fortunately I met professor Smith on the hallway. Thanks to him, he accompanied me to get out of that building,"

"Yieee kinikilig si ma'am!" Ruby, one of my classmates yelped as they all tease Mrs. Johnson about professor Smith.

"Class, quiet," she reprimand while she can't help but let out a smile causing more noise envelop both my ears. We're talking about the ghost. Ano kaya ang nagpaparamdam sa akin? A ghost or a spirit?

I raised my hand causing them all to fell silent as Mrs. Johnson turned to me. Their eyes were on me as I just ignored them. "Yes, Ms. Irvine?"

"I was thinking, what is the difference between a ghost and a spirit?" I asked as the others starts gossiping.

"Tsh. What a dummy." Vince snort on his chair, doing his notes on his notebook.

I raised an eyebrow to him. "Pardon?"

He turned to me, fixing his spectacle. "Ghosts are tied to the location of their death, usually a sudden or tragic one, and they often don't realize that they're dead. In most cases, they have 'unfinished business' as the deceased person doesn't accept the way in which they died." he stated. "Spirits on the other hand, are discarnate entities, meaning that they're the soul that has survived when a person dies and no longer has a physical body in which to reside. They're free to move from one dimension to another and can return to us at free will."