For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been able to see them. One would argue that the paranormal does not exist, but my eyes have always told me otherwise. In all honesty though, they’re not as terrible as how the media portrays them to be. Sure they don’t look their best; I mean who would when you’re a lost soul merely existing because you can’t find peace to pass over. They’re just harmless entities following their human vessels like lost little puppies yearning for the recognition they so desire.

Every day as I walked to school, I’d be greeted with their solemn looking faces.  Whether it was the pale faced teenage boy with a basketball twirling in his hand as he followed his vessel who now an adult, drove a delivery truck or the simple pale faced twenty something girl, dressed in a plain white dress as she followed her vessel who now was a high end model. All of them had a dejected look that hung upon their face.

Funny enough, it was always the adults who had them, their own personal ghosts as I like to call it. I’d look at kids and see nothing trailing behind them. The adults on the other hand painted a different picture. No matter how much I tried to wrap my brains around it, I could never understand why. Either I was too young to understand the significance behind it all or either I had an IQ level which was a mere double digit. To be honest, I don’t usually tell people about my gift of extraordinary vision but it’s just something I thought I should before I reached Home.

I remember this particular day standing underneath a sheltered bus stop as the rain poured cats and dogs, just another regular so called summer day in Shillong. I was on my way back from school and had been caught up in it. I was cold and clammy and not to mention my school uniform was sticking to my body making me feel very uncomfortable. I tried my level best to dry myself as I waited for the rain to stop but failed at it miserably.

Surprisingly, the usually crowded bus stop just had me and this lady who was dressed in a black Armani suit waiting out the rain. Unlike all the other adults that I saw, she did not have a ghost trailing behind her. Obviously, it piqued my interest. She had strong features, dark shoulder length hair and cold, guarded, emotionless eyes that seem to stare into the deepest corners of my soul. For reasons unknown to me, I was so enamoured by her. Every single bone in my body told me that she was someone I should know, that the mere sight of her should have conjured up a memory. But my mind was a clean slate, I couldn’t remember anything.

“Didn’t anybody tell you that it was rude to stare at people?” She smirked wiping away a strand of wet hair from her face.

“I’m sorry.” I squeaked looking away from her, only realising now that I’d been staring at her the whole time.

“Sit.” She instructed in her low pitched voice, her hand gesturing at the empty seat next to her. I gulped down and timidly took it without saying a word, silently hoping that she wouldn’t berate me for something so insignificant. Those bright intelligent eyes of hers travelled down my body as she sized me from head to toe, making me feel like some sort of specimen being examined under a microscope. I squirmed in my seat a little and bit on my lower lip, waiting for her to break the awkward silence that hung in the air.

“I am so thankful that puberty hit me really hard.” She finally commented, a smile spreading across her face as her hand reached out to pinch my chubby cheeks but stopped midway, as if she remembered that I couldn’t be touched.

“Now that’s just being rude.” I retorted, loosening my school tie around my neck and undid the first button of my collar shirt. The sudden realisation of who she really was made it difficult for me to breathe.

“I thought you above all people enjoyed the idea of being rude through subtle gestures.” She raised her perfectly shaped eyebrow at me, her eyes staring straight into mine stirring up the anger and resentment I’d fought so hard to forget.

“I do, but that was not subtle at all.”

She let out a sigh as her gaze shifted to the pouring rain, her fingers entwined with each other, preventing herself from reaching out again. “In a world like this, it’s best to not be subtle about things.”

“Then there’s no reason why you should beat around the bush is there, so why exactly are you here?” I asked through gritted teeth, holding myself back from lashing out.

Her gaze shifted back to meet mine and instead of seeing the cold, guarded expression she wore, I saw the brokenness she’d kept so well hidden. “It’s pretty obvious don’t you think.” She replied in a rather shaky voice.

I gripped onto the hem of my pleated skirt as I sat there, trying to think of the right words to say. I’d been waiting for years for this moment but now that it was here, my mind was like a clean slate. I couldn’t conjure up anything.

“Why here? Why now? I’d been following you for years, literally years, staring at the back of your head. I’d even forgotten how you look like!” My voice broke as I stared back at her, my hands tightening on the hem of my skirt. “It’s all because of you I never got to do the things I planned out for myself, my dreams, and my passions. It’s all because of you I fucking exist in the first place!”

She remained silent her gaze now focused on the puddle of water that was growing at her feet. Her mouth moved to say something but I couldn’t hear over the battering rain on the tin roof.

“Why did you do it?” I asked wiping away a stray tear.

“To achieve what I wanted, to cope with the ever changing world.” She replied her voice barely audible, her eyes still fixed on the growing puddle.

I let out a rather exaggerated laugh as I heard her words. “Wow, so in order to cope up with the world you fucking killed apart of yourself. Tell me, how’s that working out for you?”

“In life we all have to make sacrifices; it’s the law of nature.”

“Please don’t act like some sort of martyr right now because you aren’t one. Sacrifices are necessary, but not at the cost of sacrificing yourself.”

Her lips parted just a little as a smile formed upon her lips. “A renowned Gynaecologist being yelled by her fourteen year old self, I like it.” She let out a laugh as she ran her hand through her dark hair. “You may be short tempered and not to mention stupid, but you always stood for creativity, morals and last but definitely not the least for love, the exact things that are missing in my life.”

I remained silent as the down pour began receding slowly. I ruffled my short hair and held back my tongue from making any snide comments as she took off her coat and folded it around her arm. “I repeat, why here, why now? You could have kept ignoring me like you use to.”

“Here, because this was the place where you’d sit and come up with the most amazing ideas.” She paused to take in a deep breath. “And now because I no longer want to feel empty.” She added.

I sat there and said nothing, feeling the anger and resentment dissipate into thin air. My eyes shifted to look at her only to find myself staring into familiar eyes that stared back at me whenever I looked in the mirror.

“I was stupid enough to think that I could survive without you and I was wrong, I’m really sorry.” She spoke in a soft voice as she wiped away a tear.

“It’s not automatically going to make things better you know.” I replied wanting to reach out and give her a hug.

“I know, but it’s a start.” She smiled through her tears which brought a small smile to my lips, something that hadn’t happen in years.

The blaring horn of a red fashionable looking car as it came to a halt in front of us made me raise our eyebrows. The windows rolled down to reveal a handsome man with sharp features seated behind the wheel which automatically brought out the fangirl in me.

“I’m sorry for making you wait long Bub.” He apologised in his seductive low voice as he smiled revealing a set of dimples which made my heart flutter.

“That’s definitely one thing you got right in your life.” I winked at her as she got up from where she sat.

“Our life,” She replied, her smile broadening into a grin. “Its fine Love.” she answered taking a few steps towards the car.

“Our life,” I mumbled finally feeling at ease after all these years. “I like the sound of that,” I added fading into the cosy familiar surroundings of what I’ve always called Home.