Ghost

   I turned on my TV to the news channel, expecting to see a weather warning. As the first few words flew through the speakers of the TV, I immediately froze.

    There was a picture of my best friend, Isabela, with a caption reading "Girl Found Dead in A yellow Slug Bug, on the side of Willow Street,"

    My heart pounded through my ears, tears filling my eyes. I wanted to scream.

    And even though it was right in front of me; I couldn't believe it. The grief washed over me like a tidal wave. Big and unreal, then BOOM it crashes into me, I struggle to breathe -- drowning in my sorrows, tears running down my cheek into my mouth. Tasting like the salty water of the ocean.

    "This can't be real can it? This must be a dream," I convinced myself. But deep down inside, I knew it was real.

    I hesitantly turned the TV off and reached for my cellphone dialing the number I knew by heart. I had to see if this was real.

    Riiiiiiingg, Riiiiiiingg, Riiiiiing. No answer. I try again. Riiiiiing, Riiiiiiiing, Riiiiiing. No answer again. And just as I was about to try a third time, a name popped up on the screen. My mom.

    "Hello?" I questioned, I could hear sniffles through the phone speaker. "Mom?" I questioned again, but Still no answer. "Mom please answer me!" I semi-yelled through the microphone. a small "Hi, Honey," flowed through the scratchy speaker of my old iPhone 8.

    I remember that phone call like it was yesterday. I spent hours crying my eyes out with my mom. Prayed and prayed it would all just be a horrible, horrible nightmare. But this was reality.

    Well, kinda. It was a few weeks after Isabela's death, only a week after the funeral that I got the call.

    I watched as my phone lit up with her name, I was still in the midst of grieving so I thought I must be hallucinating. As I picked up I heard that familiar voice -- the one I had missed so much. I was in pure shock and couldn't understand what was happening.  

    She was talking to me as if everything was okay -- As if she wasn't dead, gone! Wanting to question her I stopped her mid-sentence. 

    "Why didn't you tell me you were alive?!" I interrogated

    I was confused when she started laughing,

    "I am dead you idiot!" she exclaimed.

    I thought this had to be a dream. There was no way she could be dead and talking to me right now. I was scared, shocked, but mostly confused.

    "But... if you're dead, how are you talking to me?" I asked, pinching my arm just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I wasn't.

    "I'm a ghost," she replied "I'm your ghost,"

    My ghost? The questions raced through my mind. Is she serious? This has to be an elaborate prank pulled by some teenage hackers. Ghosts aren't real. They are just a kids' tale, used to scare them on Halloween... right?

    "What do you mean my Ghost? How is that even possible? You died you're dead!" I cried,

    But she simply stated, "I am your ghost. You need me,"

    And then the line dropped. She left me. Again.

    After that, there were no more calls, only questions. I thought I must've gone mad because there was no way that she could've called me from the grave and then leave me forever. All she said was "I'm your ghost" leaving me stunned with a million questions to never be answered.

    For years I held on to that phone call, convinced myself that she really did call me. Until about a year ago I came back to that thought, "what if they were a bunch of teenage hackers?"

    That thought is what tormented me for many months until I decided to make a decision. Either, she really did call me and I talked to her ghost, or people just wanted to mess with me in my state of grief. I decided it was the latter.

    Although, a part of me still wanted to believe that she was watching over me; by my side through all my hardships.

    Even now, 7 years later, that little part of me still truly believes I talked to her one last time.

The end.