Venus (hiatus)

A Mint Umbrella

"Wait, hold on, I need need a minute to process this."

"I'll give you all the time you need." It- I mean Venus said.

"Okay, done. What the fuck is going."

"Right I almost forgot, lets start from the beginning shall we?"

I nodded encouraging her to continue.

"Its all very supernatural and shit, so try not to freak on me too much, okay?"

"Okay."

"Great. So it obviously started when I died."

I rolled my eyes at that.

"When I died, I didn't see who killed me, unfortunately. Thats why im here I guess. Unfinished business."

"Unfinished business?"

"Yeah, I mean like, finding out who my killer is. I think this is the first stage of heaven or hell. You know how u have to pass different stages to get to your destination? Yeah, that. Right now it certainly feels like hell though."

"And im the only one who can see you?"

"Nope. Im basically human, I can feel, I mean I have no heart and all, but I can sleep, and whatever I come in contact with I can feel it. I don't have any emotions though, sadness or regret. I think thats the worst thing about this."

"Thats.......wow."

"Yeah."

"Also, why me?"

"I know right? Why you? But apparently I can feel whoever wants to and is willing to help me and whos just as curious as I am. Theres basically a path that glows, and that path lead me to you. Creepy as fuck, I know."

"Oh. Fun." I smiled sarcastically. The fact of the matter was though, that I did want to know who murdered Venus. I was a very curious person, I have been since I was four or five. Mysteries. They just, draw me to them, like a moth to flame. And Venus was perfect. Not only was her story missing all the puzzle pieces, but the girl herself was an enigma. She was absolutely enchanting. I couldn't wait to get to know her.

"Earth to Ed, what are you thinking about?"

I was suddenly jolted back into reality. I think it was reality, after all there was a ghost sitting on my bed asking me to help her find her killer.

"What are you like?" I abruptly asked.

"Huh? What am I like?"

"Yeah."

"Why would you ask that?"

"You."

"Me? Me what?"

"You're a walking mystery. You're the epitome of stunning and warm, I want to know how I know that."

"Whats wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"Who even asks that? You want to know what I think of myself? You never ask someone that. Like how am I even supposed to know? Other people are the judge of that. Also who asks why they know you? "

"Listen, I want to know how kindness and warmth oozes out of you. I could sense it from a million miles away. Screw that, I could sense it from another planet. And secondly, what you think of yourself, is the most important opinion. It doesnt matter what others think of you, they arent meant to be the judge of you."

She looked at me with thoughful eyes and waited a minute before talking again.

"Well, in that case, Im, I guess, a kind person. I dont like seeing others hurt. I rather have a thousand arrows be shot through my back than see an animal or someone in pain. Its literally physically troubling."

"Wow, you're a great person then."

Im sure she would've blushed, if she was alive. But she couldn't so she just looked away, her eyes sparkling ever so brightly.

"So what about you, Mr. Im-deeper-than-the-ocean? What makes you so drawn to my murder?"

Funny how we've only known each other for an hour and we're asking questions which dig deep. Its weird, this is probably the deepest conversation i've had with someone for a while now.

"Umm, well, ever since I was a kid, I remember being infatuated with mysteries. They were always so endearing. Nothing real has ever been interesting. Its all a bore. But mysteries, they were puzzles, fragile, confusing, confronting, and most importantly real."

"Wow. I never thought of it that way. You're right. Nowadays we have digital cameras and reality shows to keep us entertained. Not just now, but in the past, we had some form of entertainment. This is pure and raw."

I looked at her with slightly wide eyes. Never has anyone ever understood why I love mysteries so intricately and purely. This girl, she was special. I think I knew that from the for time since I saw her picture.

"Thats pretty cool."

Venus seemed to have zoned out for a little bit because when I said that she looked up flustered.

"Huh? Whats cool?"

"The charm bracelet you were playing with."

She was fiddling with her charm bracelet with a few charms on it. I was curious. She had odd charms on it.

"Oh thanks." She smiled.

"Does every charm hold significance?"

"Umm, yeah, pretty much."

"No wonder."

"No wonder what?"

I smiled to myself a little.

"They're so oddly placed. The random, wildly different charms placed in an odd arrangement. Its still pretty though."

"Oh, thanks. You're very observant, you know?"

"I am well aware of my skills."

She rolled her eyes and continued,"Do you want to know what each of them signifies?"

"I would love to."

"Well, this one," she said pointing to her mint umbrella charm, "was given to me by my dad. He once took me to an amusement park as a, what he would like to call "pre-birthday" celebration. He was one of those people who loved birthdays and thought they held a lot of importance. He believes its super important because its the day a person enters the world.  They day a family, person, or whoevers life is changed forever. Its the day they arent alone anymore. But anyways, it started raining and everybody started to leave. We refused to leave even though it was pouring. We still rode all the rollercoasters with a mint umbrella over our heads. It was probably the best day of my life."

"Thats cute."

"It is."

"So what was the worst day of your life?"

"The worst day of my life?"

"Mmhmm."

"Umm I dont know, maybe the day I was murdered."

"Right, I forgot you were dead. Sorry."

"How could you possibly forget I was dead?"

"Because even when you're dead, you're so full of life."