Shabah (شبح)

Maggie Morgan is a woman in her 30's with a successful husband and a beautiful, intelligent young daughter. To the outside eye, she has a life that other women envy. But in reality, Maggie's life has consisted of drinking, drugs, and psychiatric hospitals. During middle school, a bullied, foreign girl named Shadia Hussein committed suicide and Maggie was the one to find her classmate's body.

Maggie was part of the clique that tormented Shadia in school. Although, Maggie didn't like how her friends treated the girl, she, sometimes, joined in the bullying, just to fit in. She, also never tried to stop the torture. Ever since her classmate's suicide, Maggie has been haunted by Shadia's spirit. She sees Shadia everywhere, she knows that Shadia blames her for what happened and blames her for never helping her.

Since that fateful day, Maggie has tried to make Shadia's spirit go away by self medicating and even a suicide attempt. Therapy doesn't help, and no one can see Shadia, but Maggie. Everyone tells her that Shadia Huseein is dead and gone. They say that Maggie should just get over what happened and live her life.

But, what does Shadia want from Maggie?

Is Shadia's spirit real or is it a manifestation of the guilt that Maggie feels?

Will Maggie ever find redemption and peace of mind?

This story is inspired by a couple of incidents from my own life. The title "Shabah" is the Arabic word for spirit, or ghost.