Running Low

Ghost Town

      The newest member of the eternal greyness walked down the rocky path to the only light source forever - a large circle of streetlamps surrounding a water fountain. Everywhere was black, the floor, the walls, the ceiling. There was no change in pitch or shade, so much so that no one could tell if there even were any walls, or ceiling, and the only proof of floor was that they weren't falling. But who knew when it disappeared?

      So Leilani Holmes walked slowly towards the lights. 

      Waiting for her, on the massive circular bench round the spray of water, was a million ghosts over lapping, fading through one another, crowding together so they seemed to be a single body, a mass of shadow. Leilani couldn't tell any ghost apart from the next and stood at the entrance to the circle of light, staring. And then she noticed a more hurried movement from the right, or what she remembered was right. It could have been left, up, down, anything. Nothing mattered down here.

      A more distinctive shape started to form, one ghost parting from the rest. "Leilani?" It was Charlie's voice, she thought, and sure enough, the older girl was stood in front of her. "Why are you here? You're still so young."

      "I'm sixteen," Leilani said quietly, a whisper of a smile across her lips, "But any age is old enough to die." If tears existed in the shadow world, they'd have both cried in that moment. As it was, there wasn't much of anything there, so neither of them found that they could. Or perhaps, it was that they didn't remember how to. Everyone forgot everything, eventually.

      For a moment, they just stood there. And then Leilani asked, "Are you happy now?"

      Charlie smiled a little, trying to remember what muscles to use, "I was. Death was what I wanted, you know that. Since my parents died, it was all I ever asked for, every birthday and Christmas. Veronica, Brandon and Lora wouldn't let me.  They were so worried and they didn't realise it was what I needed. So last birthday, I gave myself the gift of death. I never got to see their reactions, I didn't get chance to make them feel any better about it, I even forgot to write a note. But they'll join me soon enough, because we have no concept of time here. I can only tell you came too early because of how young you look, I have no idea how long it's been. You learn to forget things, here."

      "So... Are you happy here? I'm scared," Leilani admitted to her old friend. Friend in the way that they knew each other, would recognise each other, but rarely spoke. And now they had forever together. 

      "To start with, I was very happy. It's confusing, landing in this darkness, isn't it?" Leilani nodded and Charlie continued, "But I realised fairly quickly where I was, and I rejoiced. I found my mum and dad, even Polka was here. But I couldn't stand to be with them long, and no, I'm not happy anymore. People forget things, remember? And it seems to be, those that knew most, forget quicker. See, Dad was sat by Mum but she wasn't responding to anything he said with anything more than a smile. She'd forgotten how to speak, how to react, and," Charlie almost choked up, being a newer ghost, before she found the strength to continue, "She forgot him. But you know my dad, he'd never give up on her, and he didn't understand either. It was such a hopeless sight, I just couldn't stay.. And neither of them recognised me." She turned away and led Leilani to a fairly lit spot on the floor to sit. "Polka recognised me, his memory made it the longest. I left before I could watch him forget dad though."

      Leilani was so upset she could have cried an ocean, but she couldn't remember how. "I'm sorry it's not as you imagined." 

      Charlie shrugged, turning away for a moment, "What's happening?" A orange cat, that could barely be called orange when it was as transparent as everything else, rubbed up against her.