บท 18: Fade away...

"What's going on here?" Ken asked startled by the situation unable to comprehend it.

"Help me please!" I almost cry out for help!

"What's going on? Why are you... Like this?" even Margaret whose expressions were always so composed, were expressing confusion and worry

"I don't know, but I don't feel so good." I said on the verge of tears...

It was like an pulse, I kept fading and solidifying in a periodic manner, but like with every beat, I kept fading even more. It would be hard to differentiate between two consecutive pulse, but I knew it was getting worse by the second. I could feel it, with every pulse I existed a little less. .

"Do something please.." I almost cried.

"Marge! What should we do." Ken panicked and asked her. "Are we going to let her dissapear just like that?"

She maintained her calm expression despite being clearly worried as it was evident from her eyes. "We can't help her. I can't do anything. In a millennium of my death, I have never seen anything like this before. I have no idea what to in this situation." Margaret explained as calmly as she could.

"What should I do.. Why is this happening to me?" I desperately cried. I didn't know at this point who I was talking to, I just desperately wanted to survive this.

"Are we really not going to do anything?" Ken asked desparately to Margaret

Margaret pondered upon it for a while, before she suddenly said "Call her." As if she just had an epiphany. "Call the manager of junction point. She knows about death, more about us, more than anyone else I've ever met. Call her!" Margaret says screamed.

I was surprised she would say that, considering her aversion towards the manager.

"But, didn't she make you uncomfortable? Are you sure it's okay?" I clarify despite my situation.

"Just do it!! I don't like anyone! Forget about me! Do what I am saying!" Margaret shouts at me like an angry mom.

I guess Ken was right, she might care for me after all, even if she always pretends not to.

Recalling what the manager asked me to do I take a deep breath and say it out loud. "Manager, I'm ready to expirience whatever lies in the beyond."

I stood there waited for almost three pulses of my episodes to pass, but no response. Nothing. So I try again, which also fails to bring here herel. As I was about to disappear I close my eyes, take a deep breath and shout at the maximum level I could achieve. Soon after, I felt a gust of wind nearby me. As if there was another presence on the room. With hope I slowly opened my eyes and there she was standing right in front of me.

"I'm glad you decided to moves on finally. Well, let's not delay this further. Let's go." she smiled. In the background I noticed Ken and Margaret remained frozen as a statue. Meanwhile I remained partially faded as my pulses paused or something. Looks like she indeed stops the time around her.

"WAIT!" I ended up shouting. "Please first tell me what's going on."

"Hmm?" She looked at me, as if she was scanning me head to toe, and she properly analyzed what's going on.

"I called you so many times! Why did you respond so late?" I asked her in a very high pitched voice.

"You spiritual energy has significantly faded, probably that's the reason your call didn't reach me earlier." She sighed "It seems to me you are disappearing. Oh dear, I told you to be careful with your charm."

"I was careful! This shouldn't be happening! I took care of my charm really well. It was always with me. It's still with me!"

"So?" she raised her eyebrows.

"So what? It should mean I'm safe right, nothing could have affected my charm?" I asked her timidly.

"What makes you believe that? Honey you don't have a physical form, and neither does your charm. Their are methods to destroy it without actually ever touching it." she explains to me like I'm a naive child. I mean in this situation, of course I'm a naive child.

"What are you saying? Is someone trying to destroy me? Who could it be, why would someone want to do that to me?" I asked her getting more confused by the minute. I racked my brains but couldn't remember anyone who knows about me who would want me to disappear from my existence.

"You must have interacted with someone, someone who suspected your existence as a ghost, perhaps a priest? Maybe someone is trying to get rid of you." she shrugged. "But don't worry, since I'm here to take you away, it won't matter anymore." She smiled as she approached me.

"NOO!" I don't really want to go. I've finally found some connections. But I don't want to disappear either! Please help me!" I cried desperately. She said some human was trying to do this to me, right? Maybe that imposter woman was the one? Did she really suspect so much just by one interaction that she knows I'm back as a ghost? Although that sounded kind of far-fetched to me.

"I can't do that" she simply states.

"Please, I'm begging you! Please help me." I plead her.

"No, I mean I really can't help you. I don't really know how I can help you. If I knew, why would I ask you to be careful? I'll simply just go and stop ghosts from disappearing." she shrugged. "Except if you come with me maybe then you soul can be saved. You will lose this form for sure, but will not cease to exist." She shrugged.

"But, I.. I don't want to go now! I have to stay, I need to stay... If I do that, she gets away! My family doesn't even know I'm dead. At least I need to make them know that. Please not now!" I continued my crying.

"Well, then I'll leave you to it." she stated. "Oh another thing, you just lost your privilege to call me. Next time I won't be coming to get you" She said coldly.

"What...? But why?" I was shocked.

"You've taken undue advantage of calling me. I'm a busy individual, I do not have time for your, how do kids these days phrase it?, 'prank-calls'. I will not respond to your call anymore." She said as she straightened up. "In other words, you're banned from ever going to the junction point forever." she said and was about to leave when I yelled.

"Wait! " I called out. She paused but she didn't turn back, so I continued. "Try to understand my situation, I'm not in a position to make smart decisions!. Please forgive me just this once?" I begged her. Why? I don't know. I was disappearing anyways. It won't really matter I guess if I disappeared. But still, losing the privilege hurt.

She didn't turn back or anything and simply disappeared, and from that moment forward my fading pulse was back. Both Margaret and Ken moved as they looked at me curiously.

"Please tell me it was useful?" Ken looks at me.

I couldn't say anything so I just shake my head.

"I knew she is just a pretend-nice!! That old witch!!" and Margaret ended up cursing her with passion.

And that's the last thing I witnessed before everything went dark. But only for a while though. I kept coming back in the episodes of fully disappearing. Few more times and then everything went black for real this time. I didn't come back no matter how long I waited. There was nothing, no one was there. There was darkness all around me, infinitely. It was like I was existing in an infinite void. Or maybe that's because I wasn't existing anymore.