The Lost and Found Girls

Part 2: Chapter Six: The Meeting

As I get ready to go to school, I ponder over the dream I had last night and I wonder how I will get to Lot 54 to meet Miaoli like I promised. I not only have to worry about the possibility of getting caught, but how I will explain my absence to Nainai. I don't think, "I had a weird dream where a ghost told me to meet her in a construction zone and I decided to listen to her" is going to help me or sound reasonable.

I'm pondering this as I finish my breakfast before leaving the house when Nainai makes a surprise announcement.

"I will be out late tonight running errands and helping a customer, so I won't be coming home tonight until after 7 pm. I expect you to be able to take care of yourself alright," she tells me.

I'm surprised by this development. I didn't expect Nainai to come home late. However, this does give me an opportunity to stop by Lot 54 on my way home. Hopefully, I won't be gone too long so Nainai will not realize anything is amiss.

"Yes Nainai, I will", I promise her.

I spend the rest of the day eagerly awaiting the end of school so I can head to Lot 54. When the bell rings to signal the end of the day, I head straight to the lockers, grab my books, and head to the bus stop. As I ride the bus, I pay attention to the stop near Lot 54. I know it's not near our home, so when the bus passes by our stop, I know I'm heading in the right direction. I get off one stop past my usual stop, then head in the northward direction to the construction zone. As I head to my destination, I get an eerie sense that I'm being watched or that there's something off about the situation. I can't help but feel that Nainai's earlier warnings about not using my powers to see or attract ghosts were meant to protect me by not encouraging me to follow them to strange places.

The lot/construction zone is a large abandoned area with a lot of rubble and old building debris, such as wood, concrete, and bricks. Since it was never formally used for any purpose, it became a garbage dump as well, so people started to throw away their old trash or junk here as well. I guess you can also say it's a junk yard or scrap heap. The area is cordoned off with yellow tape and makeshift barriers, along with signs stating, "Keep Out" to ward off potential wanderers. Part of me wonders how many people actually take the signs seriously as I gingerly step around the barriers and tape. I quickly look around to make sure no one is watching me or that I'm being followed, before I head into the abandoned lot, making sure to keep a low profile as I whisper quietly, "Miaoli, Miaoli, it's Lingpo, are you there?" I look around to see if there is a ghost or apparition that looks white and is wearing old-fashioned clothes, like what I saw last night.

I feel a cool rustle, almost like a breeze, down my back. I turn around, there's no wind blowing in the lot. I wonder if it's Miaoli, trying to send me a signal.

"Miaoli, is that you", I ask quietly, trying to locate where she might be.

There's another cool rustle, even though there's no wind blowing. This time it directs me to the left side of the lot, near a pile of construction debris. It's almost as if I can hear it saying, "Here, here." I head in that direction, stopping when I get to the pile of broken wood and bricks.

"Miaoli", I called out, "there's nothing here but building debris, where are you?"

I hear the wind whistle again and I look towards the direction it is sounding and I see a rustle of leaves and paper scraps near what appears to be a tiny hole or opening at the base of the pile.

She can't be serious, I think to myself. She can't seriously expect me to be able to crawl into there to meet her. What if I don't fit, or what if it falls and collapses once I crawl in, trapping me?

"Are you expecting me to crawl into there", I ask. "You can't be serious."

As if in some sort of reply, I hear another rustle and feel a stronger breeze this time, blowing towards my back, pushing me towards the opening. Okay, so she is expecting me to somehow crawl into there or get in somehow. I guess that's the only way for her to meet me if she's trapped then, considering she might not be able to come out. Or are ghosts nocturnal? I take a deep breath, crawl on my hands and knees, and carefully climb into the hole, hoping that I will fit and praying that nothing collapses on or around me.