Chapter 2 - The Funeral

Remembering the past may be hard for some people, but for others, the past will always haunt them. For me? It would the second part because no matter how many times I try to tune out the past, I would always remember the funeral.

Aunt Di called my mom and dad, and like Uncle Chris had said, they didn’t bother to return to Greece to soothe my wretched soul. I didn’t talk to anyone after that day, for I was in mourning and was drowning in guilt. Aunt Di and Uncle Chris did all they could to help relieve myself from my solitude, but their efforts were worthless. Uncle Chris called the police to see if they could find Tyson’s body. But there was no hope. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months, and eventually, the police gave up searching for his body. So we had a funeral without his body. It was a horrid day, but yet, that was the day that I learnt the whole truth about myself.

Tyson was loved and blessed by all who knew him, so it was heartbreaking to see all his friends, relatives, neighbors, and teachers crying over a boy who was gone but his body was to dwell in the darkness of the ocean floor. His funeral was just a blur to me, as was everything else at this time, but what I did notice was that my mom and dad weren’t here to see their beloved son depart from this world. Of course, there were people gossiping about it and they all made sympathetic glances in my direction.

I was wearing my hair in braided pig-tails and a black dress, as what was called for in such an occasion as this. The dress reached down to my ankles. It was really frilly and it was making me itch. I was also wearing black laced stockings and black boots.

I was sitting in the corner hugging my legs and crying “woe is me.” I didn’t want to talk to anybody, nor did I want to see them, unless I had to. Tyson was the sociable one, not me. I was always the one who stood by his side and remained silent.

“Tyson…” I whispered to myself and hugged my knees tighter. “Why did you leave me?”

And it was at that moment that my life changed forever. That moment when I thought that my normal, lonely life wasn’t going to get wackier.

“Hellllllooooo!!!” someone screamed into my right ear, making me jump and fall out of my seat. The person laughed at me as I rubbed my ear gently. I stared at the person in anger for I hadn’t expected it but then I saw his face and froze.

“So how’s my little Apple?” the person asked me and sat down on my chair.

I couldn’t speak! I was in such utter terror that the little voice in my head seemed to have died! How could this have happened? How did he get here? I pondered to myself, too scared to say it out loud. He tilted his head and grinned, that same grin that I hadn’t seen in months. His long, silky blue hair seemed untouched and dry and his clothes weren’t tattered like I thought they would be.

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” he asked in that voice that I’ve missed sooooo much.

“H-h-how did you…” I stuttered, petrified.

“How did I… What?” he asked in a tone that always made me want to slap him.

“Y-y-y-you are s-s-supposed to be—“I didn’t want to say it… It hurt just thinking about it.

“Dead?” he finished and raised one of his eyebrows.

“No, I was thinking about you dressing up as a pig,” I said sarcastically and I blinked rapidly. This was the first time that I had spoken with such emotions in months!

“Of course, I thought you were dead!” I glared at him and the tears that were dwelling inside of me since that day fell again.

“I-I thought that I was going to be alone…” I said as I tried to dry my tears away. His grin disappeared as he looked at me sadly.

“Apple… I—“

“WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME, TYSON?!” I screamed as I started crying uncontrollably.

“Apple,” Aunt Di said and ran to me, “what’s wrong?”

“T-t-t-t-t-Tyson,” I stuttered and pointed in the direction of where he was standing. But as I pointed at him, I realized that he wasn’t standing. His feet weren’t touching the ground. Tyson was floating. Aunt Di stared at him, but it was like she couldn’t see him. I stared at her, mortified by the fact that she couldn’t see him.

“H-he’s just standing there, Aunt Diana! Can’t you see him?”

Tears started to form around her eyes; she kissed my forehead and pulled my shivering body in her warm embrace. Funny, I didn’t remember ever shaking, but as she held me in her arms, I realized that I wasn’t shaking because I was cold, but I was shaking because I was scared.

“Apple,” my aunt said as she hugged me and tried to muffle her tears, “you’re just stressed. It’s just the stress of whatever happened to Tyson, and your mind is finally allowing your brain to feel pain. He is dead. We have to accept that.”

Shocked? Yes. Stressed? Yes. Seeing Tyson because I was stressed? Hell no.

“But I see him!” I insisted as I kept pointing at Tyson, who was staring at me rather intently. Aunt Di shook her head.

“No, you don’t, honey, it’s probably just post-dramatic-shock.”

Post-dramatic-shock?! Do you think I’m crazy or something? Like I’m making this up?? I thought as I stared at my aunt like I thought she was crazy to even say that when I obviously can see him.

“Apple,” my uncle said as he entered the room, “good Lord! What happened to you, Apple? You look like you had just seen a—“Aunt Di’s glare made him swallow up his next word.

“A ghost?” I said and faked a smile, oh yea, as if seeing a ghost was normal. I mentally rolled my eyes at my stupidity to act innocent in front of my uncle and my aunt. Ever since that day near the cliffs, I’ve never looked at Uncle Chris the same way again. He definitely seemed different now. He shaved off his jet-black hair before the funeral and his ocean-blue eyes seemed to have turned lighter somehow, with no help from any contacts either.

He smiled apologetically at my aunt and he nodded to my choice of words. “An eight-year-old seeing ghosts, huh? Now that’s something new.”

“Christopher,” hissed my aunt as she looked at me and smiled, “Apple wasn’t seeing ghosts. It’s just stress. And I bet that we are all feeling stressed after a long day at a funeral home, so let’s go home and have some cookies, okay? And Apple, honey, you can help me bake them.”

I nodded reluctantly as my aunt kissed me again and walked up to Uncle Chris. She wacked his shoulder and his only response was “what”. Then after a minute or two of looking at each other, they started talking in Greek.

“Tyson,” I whispered so that the wind could carry my voice to wherever the dead might live. I wanted some answers, and I wanted them then. I didn’t want to think that I was crazy, or have anyone else think that. And I know that the only way to get those answers was to see if I can talk to Tyson again.

“You called?” answered my dead brother as he materialized right next to me. I looked at him and I tried to put my hand on top of his. And just as I suspected, my hand slipped through as if I was just touching regular air that felt like it came from the Atlantic Ocean because it was really cold and it made me shiver. Then I asked him the questions that would change my life forever.

“I’m not in shock, am I?”

He nodded his head.

“I’m not stressed out either?”

He nodded his head. I took a deep breath and tried to think of words that would be appropriate to ask the next question.

“You’re a ghost, aren’t you?”

He nodded his head.

“And I can see you?” I mentally braced myself for his answer. But he just nodded his head. No other words left my mouth as I stared at him, then back to my aunt and uncle, who were watching me pretty intently. I got up from my sitting position and when I stood up, my legs felt like they were made out of jelly. I looked down at the spot to where Tyson sat and noticed that he had disappeared.

“Apple,” said my aunt. I sadly looked up at her and, like I was being forced to do stuff against my own free-will, I walked over to her and faked another smile.

If I can see ghosts and am able to talk to them… Then what does that make me?

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