Leave {z.m.}

Fourteen

When I was fourteen years old, my mother had taught me how to make spaghetti. 

I had been so excited to finally be able to do something she could do. I had felt left out for most of my life. I preferred to be alone, but I was also frightened by the idea of being alone for the rest of my existence. My mother beamed at me as I gathered all of the ingredients. 

Her hope for me was what had carried me on.

I remember very clearly what that day was like. It was finally sunny in England; blue skies and perfectly white, fluffy clouds. The sun was bright and it shone through the windows of our simple, four-room house. Where we lived was nothing special, but I had always felt completely comfortable there. My mother had left me in the kitchen as she went outside to tend to her garden full of various vegetables and fruits.

I hummed to myself as I took out bowls from the cupboard. I had not noticed the girl that entered the kitchen from the side door that I had used more often than the front door. I turned around and the wooden bowl slipped from my fingertips. I glanced out the window and saw that my mother was not aware of any of this. "What are-how did you- where did you- who-" I could not form words or phrases correctly. 

I had been in shock.

The girl smiled at me and twirled her long, curly brown hair between her skinny fingers. She owned a very sweet, calming voice. She told me to not fear her. She needed me to pass on a message to someone. I was the only one who could do it.

"What is the message?" I wondered as she shimmered within the sunlight. 

Her hazel eyes were glittery; she seemed very pure and innocent. 

"Tell him I love him but I must move on." 

"Tell who? Why can't you tell him?"

Her smile faltered a bit, "He does not see. He won't see me anymore." 

"Why not?" 

She sighed softly and tucked her hair behind her ears. "He is too far gone. I need you to tell him though. You will be safe. He cannot hurt you."

"Who? Who are you talking about?" I demanded. 

Who was this girl? Why did I have to tell him? Who was he? 

"My love, Louis. Just tell him I love him. Bring him back. You must save him. He cannot save himself."

 "Where is he? Who are you?"

She smiled once again and her hand reached forward to caress my cheek, but I could not feel it. I did not know why. 

"You will find him someday. I know you will." She began to fade slowly. 

"Who are you?" I repeated again and again. 

She whispered a name that I could not hear.

 My mother entered the house and eyed me cautiously. "What are you staring at?" 

I pointed towards the girl in front of me, but she was no longer there. A loud sound that came from outside of our house caused me to jump.

"It was a car accident," my mother told me. 

"It's not the vehicles that are dangerous, it's the people driving them that are." 

Later that night, news traveled throughout the town that the car accident had been the second major one in our town that day. The first one had happened early in the morning.

The only fatality had been a young girl named Eleanor. 

That was the first time I had encountered a specter.