An Anthology of Blacks and Reds (One-shots)

Gone...

He brought his guitar out in the dark chilly night. His friends left him standing in front of that big creepy house that looked like the mansion in the movie, The Haunted Mansion. He looked as out of place as ever there with a tall stool. He thought maybe if he could play the right tune, sing the right sweet words, he could chase all the ghosts that were haunting that place away. His heart already was beating fast. He saw in his peripheral view a figure that just whooshed by. What in the world was that?? His heart beat even faster and he can feel the chills crawling up his spine, to the nape of his neck. Sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead. He took his red hanky instead of the white one to wipe it off. God, he almost wished he had not come there. But he remembered what his friends said, he remembered what he was supposed to do, he remembered and that gave him courage. Okay, man up. He thought to himself as he looked at the spookiest window of the gigantic place. He took the guitar in his rookie hand and began to sing. Here it goes.

"Baby, I know that it's late and you're supposed to be in bed," A white spotlight focused on that window.

"Tucked in your covers scared to death, come out."
The window creaked open with a hint of difficulty.

"Let me hold you and protect you from all these frenzied ghosts."
At last, it opened all the way with a burst of faint pinks and reds of light

"Come away, we'll ride away to forever, you and me, just us both. Wake up, sweet May, and hear our love."

And he thought an angel appeared. It was her. She was there, listening to him, her face: a sad smile.

"It's stronger than these forces; it's the brightest flame in this whole place. You have me cause I am yours truly only yours."

All she was doing was listening to him sing to her.

"Let me love you to forever, we'll chase the dawn."
Her heart fluttered. Her blues eyes shone like the gentle stars that night, tears were threatening to fall.

"Let's grow old together and make countless songs."

He finished his song with that strong note.

Then she vanished into thin air along with the pretty lights. The chills of the night disappeared, too, he noticed. He couldn't understand why. She was perfectly fine the last time he met up with her the other day. She wasn't sick. She wasn't feeling anything bad at all! May---She was---She was beautiful, inside and out. No. He didn't, he couldn't accept it.

Flashes of her running towards him afraid of the dark, of being alone jumbled in his mind.

Another flash of her face crying because she was scared.

Another flash of her smile and her pealing laughter whenever he tickled her and brought her roses ran through his mind.

Another flash of her blush, the taste of her honeysweet kisses, the way she'd chide him for being a tease.

A flash of everything: the up-all nights, the "I love you"s. He was on his knees now, the guitar forgotten on the ground. The ring: cold in his palm.

He heard someone come near him and he looked up to a familiar face in the night, "Bro, are you alright? Is something wrong?" He wanted to say all things were wrong but he couldn't. No one would believe him anyway, right?
So he replied, "It's nothing. Just nothing."
"Okay, if you say so." And the person left him. He wanted to grovel into the ground, pull out his hair, do anything, something.
He reached into his pocket needing his hanky. But the white one was gone. And that's all he could ever think.

She was dead. She left. All along.