twice ; michaeng | goblin ✦

02 | the ghost

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"myouia mina, the headmistress wants you in the teacher's room!" the class president ran in with an uncontainable smirk plastered onto her smuggling face.

looking up from her nap, mina pulled out her earphones and faced the giggling group of girls with a defeating sigh. the sleeves of her school uniform were crumpled from her unplanned sleep as she stumbled out of her seat, pulling her hair back and avoiding the piercing gazes in her direction.

it was always like that, the others setting up mina for more trouble than she could afford. she wondered what they came up with this time as she heavily trudged through the building's corridors as rain started to pour outside.

staring upon the weather, mina realised that she didn't have an umbrella, but neither could she wait under some roof in hopes for the outburst to pass, since she was expected to be home. with another tiring sigh, mina dealt with the fact that she would have to drench through her skin and most likely catch a cold some following day.

but that aside, she hummed through the crowds of students alike until greeting an office that she was too familiar with. it responded with shades of worn down brown and gentle crimson that looked more horrid with each passing minute that she stood there, listening to scolding lectures about the misuse of alcohol and smoking on school grounds, in relation that she was still underage.

just one more year, mina calmed herself down. one more year and she'll be an official adult by age.

"myoui mina! you little disrespectful brat, listen to me when i'm talking to you!" the headmistress was on her verge of shouting as everyone around the room looked at the two of them.

mina bowed in apology, "i'm sorry, it would not happen again," she murmured in a small voice.

the older woman dismissed her with more collection of words such as 'disappointment' and 'disgrace' as the japanese girl stumbled out of the office with another warning on her shoulders.

mina often found herself hating the life she lives; no friends, no family (only a screaming aunt), no part-time job, no school achievements, and no girlfriend.

getting back to her original homeroom class, she was met with more sniggles from the group that set it all up. they were exchanging mutters between themselves, "yeah, she's the one who can see ghosts," they rolled their eyes and burst into spurs of laughter.

but instead of causing hysterics, mina smiled at them and proceeded to her seat. she felt better now that she saw their confused faces walking off home.

grabbing her school bag, she too - left the classroom in a hurry with expectations to run through the rain and reach her aunt's house without any more difficulties or paranormal encounters.

but luck was never on myoui mina's side, because just as she left the building with a tug of her hoodie over her head; she heard an unfamiliar voice call out to her.

"hey! you!" the young stranger girl stood by the sidewalk as mina ignored her and continued pacing.

fumbling downhill, she kept pretending the presence of the girl behind her doesn't exist. so mina pulled out her earphones and marched faster through the rain puddles by her feet.

"tsk! you need to help me! i know you can see me!" the voice called out her, the image of the girl appearing right in front of her.

but mina simply walked through her.

frustrated, the ghost simply tagged along, invisible to other eyes as she talked without a reply from mina's behalf.

"i've been hearing all sort of rumours since i died," she aimed to get a reaction, "i can tell you if you talk back to me," she tried.

scoffing, mina stopped by a traffic light and faced the dead girl with both a sad smile and irritation in her eyes, "if you want to tell me that i'm the goblin's bride, or the goblin's soulmate, or whatever, i swear i've been hearing it since i was nine years old when my mom died."

taken aback, the ghost's determination melted into a pouting face, "i didn't mean to make you upset. i just wanted to talk to someone, it's so lonely now, no one notices me."

sighing deeply, mina looked at the red on the lights and decided that she could stay a little and talk more, even though she was freezing cold and her clothes could be defined as wet mopping rags. "what's your name?" she asked instead of voicing her thoughts.

momentarily, the dead girl beamed, "i'm momo!" she wobbled from foot to foot, "i think i died last week.." she didn't seem to be sure.

"you don't know when you died?" mina let out a laugh.

momo proceeded to pout, her hairlocks falling by her shoulders (rain doesn't affect ghosts, so she was perfectly dry) as she muttered excuses about not being the smartest person with great memory in her living life.

mina shrugged it off and listened to the ghost as she walked home through crossing bridges and crowdless parks, all while momo told her stories about her life in japan and how she was an exchange student, living and studying in korea.

people eyed the living girl as she laughed by what seemed like by herself (for they weren't able to see momo's presence), and made up judgements about her unstable mind.

but mina was used to that, receiving odd looks and harsh stares as she'd smile at the invisible presence beside her or pat the air (which was in fact a ghost's shoulder or something).

she wouldn't admit it, but she was lonely too, and talking to these ghosts wasn't only a source of some-what friendship to them.

shuffling through pathwalks under drilling skies, momo was describing her love for her favourite food when she suddenly froze in her tracks and stared ahead.

surprised by her actions, mina wearily looked around the park they were in, but only saw a small girl with a black umbrella over her head downward by the huddle of trees beside the entrance gate.

"momo, are you okay-?" she turned to face the girl who's face went even paler for a usual ghost colour.

"i need go," momo whispered, and without any complications - disappeared into thin air.

letting out a scoff, mina couldn't believe that the dead girl just left her like that. "a thank you or a goodbye would have been more appropriate!" she called out to no one and hoped momo heard her from wherever she was.

shaking her head, mina bit her lip, her feet dragging her home through the fainting rain as her ice fingers tried to untangle her earphones.

pacing towards the park's gate, she walked by the girl with the black umbrella, and she couldn't deny that her eyes drifted to the shorter's figure almost forcibly.

the stranger had matching short hair in messy locks and a birthmark below her lips. her mouth was curved into a line and her eyes drooped with eternal sadness which mina was pained to see.

they shared a look between themselves and mina felt an odd shiver pass down her back as she couldn't seem to breathe for a split moment.

both girls could have sworn that they felt this before.

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written: august 25, 2017
published: october 22, 2017