38 stab wounds. That’s what the news said, after a wordy oration of the stabbing. With punctures through the heart and lungs, Lena was judged to be a goner. That’s why, when Lena walked home about a week after the accident, she was labeled as a medical miracle. For about a month afterwards Lena took refuge in her room to avoid being hassled by reporters.
After that month, Lena invited most of her friends for a movie night at her place. It was unusual for Lena to host large gatherings–she most likely had a good reason for this one. Maybe she was offering an explanation, or she wanted to catch up. Honestly, I don’t know what I speculated about when I parked close to her house and met up with the other arrivals.
The day was just now giving way to night, but Lena’s apartment was already dark, and tinsel garlands still hung from every other wall. She hadn’t yet removed the Christmas decorations. Everyone was chatting with one another and Lena momentarily left and returned. To all of the guests’ happiness, Lena brought snacks and colas, and to their dismay, she turned on an old western movie.
I settled in among the other guests. They were each assuring that they and Lena were doing well. I rolled my shoulders, letting go of anxious energy. After several minutes, I slipped away and left the apartment. I was in the parking lot walking to my car, when I almost passed Lena. Surprisingly, she was already at her car, fumbling with her keys.
When I got closer, I could see why. She had a thin, fuzzy film over her eyes. Both of us jumped back, each a little spooked. She asked who I was.
Truthfully, I answered, “Isabella.”
“Excellent, I was looking for someone… is it alright if you take me to the grocery store for snacks?”
“I can get them myself, you don’t need to bother with that.”
“I’d like to pick them out myself, of course, if you’re fine with it.”
”..Okay.”
I entered her car, letting Lena enter the passenger seat before locking the doors. She was looking directly forward, focusing at nothing in particular.
I turned left, right. My hands gripped the steering wheel with unnecessary force. When Lena asked me questions, I resigned myself to smiling and nodding. Eventually, I let out a disturbed breath.
“Is it that infernal U-turn?”
“Yeah, that,” I said through clenched teeth.
After ten minutes, I stopped at a little mart.
“This one?” I asked.
“No, can we go to that farmer’s market? I’m dying for those apples.”
It was almost dark now, and I impatiently took her to her beloved market. When the sky lost the last of its color, things started going downhill.
Lena turned towards me. “Is it alright if I humor you?”
“Yeah, of course,” I replied.
“Do you believe in ghosts?”
I smiled and nodded.
“Its been so long since I’ve told a ghost story. I’d like to tell you about them, if you’re into ghosts.”
“Mhm.” Evidently, we were alone on the road now, and I took the opportunity to go 60 in a 40.
“Well, of course, starting from the beginning, you need a dead person to make a ghost.” She paused. “Ghosts have something they want to do. Need to do. Most of the time, its something simple. They might want to tell their family they love them, one last time. Or finish that wretched business report. In that case, the spirit will decay. Out with the old, I suppose. They will go from room to room, repeating the same phrases, actions. You’d think they were made of scraps.”
I stopped the car. Thankfully, we had arrived at the market. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to buy food. Too soon, Lena found what she was looking for and returned.
I didn’t turn on the radio, nor did I use my earbuds. Maybe I didn’t know any better. Maybe I just wanted to get it over with. I don’t know.
Lena continued her story.
“Some ghosts have complicated things they need to do, things that require a lot between the ears. They stay for longer. They can continue learning after death, they can memorize things, they can react to the things around them.”
A rosy hand helped itself to the water in the holder tray. Lena hadn’t needed water for a long time. She was letting her soft, low voice reverberate through the car.
So fucking dramatic.
“And every now and then, you see a spirit that is perfectly preserved. They continue to walk the earth.. they can continue to live after death. They are omnipotent. Some,” she said, “can repossess their bodies. They can be killed, again and again, coming back based only on mental fortitude.”
Lena turned towards me, grinning freely. She couldn’t contain her explosive smile.
“Are you afraid of ghosts?”
I didn’t nod. And I certainly didn’t smile.
“Its not that far of a stretch that some ghosts can possess other people. You would think that would be grandiosely evil, but it really isn’t.”
I was thirty, ten, five seconds away from leaving. After parking, I practically jumped out of the car and slammed the car door. I didn’t fight Lena when she tagged along to the apartment. Past the check-in. Into the elevator.
“Some people truly are evil. They kill, again and again. It can be used for good, you know. And all they want is to live. Just once.”
Lena wasn’t making any sense, but I understood well enough what she said.
Down the hall, and into the room. I opened the door. I nearly jumped. People were welcoming and congratulating me.
Lena gripped my arm. My vision was sucked out. The last thing I felt were groceries falling out of my hands before everything went black.