Ghosted [ONC 2023]

Upon the death of his beloved grandfather, Jake inherits a family heirloom, a ring that has been passed down through generations of his family line. As a final goodbye, Jake's family decides to stay at his grandfather's house for the summer, and he decides to honour his grandfather's memory by retracing their shared memories.

As Jake steps on the bus, that being one of the things he loved doing with his grandfather as a kid, someone catches his eye. Day after day, he spots the same person sitting at the same seat, and his curiosity about him grows.

When Jake finally builds the courage to approach the mysterious guy, the response is nothing he expected. With an allusion to invisibility from his crush, Jake's life is about to change for better or worse.

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[Open Novella Contest 2023] Prompt #75: You have a family heirloom, it's been passed way long before anyone can remember. You inherited this object and discover its secret. This secret will twist your life and change it forever.

Other Prompts Used:
• Prompt #20: You finally build enough courage to talk to that cute someone you see every day on the bus. Their face turns dark as they respond "You shouldn't be able to see me."
• Prompt #31: As an antiquarian, you frequent auctions as much as possible to grow your collection. After a mysterious invitation was sent to you about an underground auction, you were hoping for a usual win only to find that the items are otherworldly and the stuff of dreams - and the most dangerous item was sold to the last person that should have it.

Cover by @calistacyq
Images are chosen by @BoredSeung