Secrets I Whisper to the Stars at Night

the ghost

Once upon a time, there was a girl who is unnoticed by everyone. She just drifted here and there, no destination and no anchor to hold on to. No one really saw her; maybe she was just a speck or a shadow you see in the corners of your eyes. She was just fine with it, to lay low and not be the center of someone's attention. When people looked at her, she had this feeling that she wanted to just bury herself under six feet of soil and never come back up. She hated eyes on her; the anonymity let her be herself. So, she cloaked herself in shadows so thick that light couldn't penetrate it.

One day, she walked along the aisle of a library and she touched the spines of books as she passes by. She picked one and chose a chair to sit on. The library was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. She settled at a table near the very back and read. As she read about the scene when the protagonist would kill his arch nemesis, a voice disrupted her reverie. "Can I sit with you?"

The girl looked up at the boy and blinked a few times. Is he talking to me?, she thought. She looked left and right and at her back to see if the boy was speaking to someone. He cleared his throat and asked again, "Can I sit with you? The library is quite full, so . ."

Impossible, she thought. No one ever noticed her. No one would look twice and no one would talk to her. And yet, here he was. Talking to me. Asking me a question so simple yet it meant everything to me, her thoughts were scattering. She was in disarray. She just stared at the boy in front of her. A few minutes had passed by until she, at last, spoke. "Yes. You can sit."

She gestured at the chair across from her. He sat and smiled at her. "You like that book too, huh? The author is really a freaking wizard." He brought out his copy of the book she was reading. "I've read it already but I am gonna read it again anyway." He chuckled and asked her, "What chapter are you on?"

"Ch-chapter 30," she stuttered.

"Then, I guess, I'll read chapter 30. So, can I read this book," he tapped the book with a finger, ". . with you?"

She smiled and said replied, "Yes, you can read with me."

"Okay, then. Ready, set go," he smiled and immediately buried his nose in the book.

She also buried hers and couldn't help but sneak a look at him. She smiled again and suddenly, she realized something. She wanted to be this boy's center of attention. She wanted to be noticed by him. She wanted to be seen and it thrilled her.

One by one, she removed her cloak of shadows and let the light through for the first time. Suddenly, the world noticed the girl who is nothing but a speck; she was now whole.