“Why do they get to move on and I don’t!?” the nymph screeched.

“They were deemed worthy. You are not yet worthy,” the priestess explained simply.

“But why!? I shared a story, just like they did!” the nymph complained.

“Maybe it’s because of that bad attitude of yours,” the fairy chimed in.

“What did you say!?”

The priestess sighed. “You cling too much to the past.”

The nymph just mumbled bitterly to herself, crossing her arms with a huff. The fairy looked satisfied, turning back to the circle with a smile. “I’d like to tell a story today, if I may.”

“Go ahead,” the priestess agreed. The other spirits ceased their idle chatter to listen as well.

“This story is about a ghost,” the fairy began.

“Oh great,” commented the nymph, “this time we’re starting with the protagonist already dead.”

A few spirits around the circle stifled chuckles at the remark.

“Shut it,” the priestess warned. “I will not tolerate interruptions today.”

All the spirits fell silent as the fairy continued on with her story.

Long ago, a young woman wandered the world as a ghost, but she couldn’t remember anything about her past life. Her name, her family, how she died; it all remained a mystery to her. But strangely, the woman was not unsatisfied with that. Her heart never felt heavy, and she was content to drift from place to place.

She figured that her past life must not have been so great if she couldn’t even remember it. The days went by like that for a long time. Time meant little to the ghost, so she didn’t know how many years had passed when she came upon someone who could see her.

At first, she was startled. She had seen many creatures and humans alike, but they always looked through her. They could never see her face no matter how close she stood, and they could never hear her voice no matter how much she shouted. So when she was walking through a busy town square, she was quite surprised when a man approached her.

“Excuse me,” he called cheerfully.

The woman wasn’t sure that he was talking to her until he looked directly into her eyes. She felt her still heart jump in place. She had forgotten what that was like, to be seen.

“Are you talking to me?” she asked softly. If she could blush, she was sure her cheeks would be tinted red from embarrassment. He was quite the handsome young man, after all.

“Yes, I am sorry to disturb you, but you don’t look familiar. I thought you might not be from around here,” he said.

“I am not,” the ghost replied.

“Where are you from?”

“I have traveled so long, I cannot remember my home,” the ghost admitted sadly.

“Then where are you heading?” he asked.

“I have no destination in mind.”

“Are you lost?”

The ghost thought about that for a moment. Was she lost? She had no origin and nowhere to return, so how could she be? And yet, the word ‘lost’ stung deeply in her heart, so she realized it must be true.

“I suppose I am,” she said.

“Then why don’t you stay here a while?”

And so, the ghost made herself a home in the small town. The man who saw her ran an inn, and that is where she stayed. But only the innkeeper could see the friendly ghost, though she tried to keep that fact a secret. She would only come to the man when he was alone, but the other guests began to take notice of the empty room that was never rented out.

Soon, rumors spread that the inn was haunted. Though it was not technically wrong, the ghost felt sad. She was not malicious or troublesome, yet her very presence was disturbing even to those who couldn’t see her. The innkeeper was confused. There was a very real guest staying in that room, after all. He didn’t know why others thought it was empty.

The inn began to suffer from the rumors. The number of guests that came to stay began to dwindle. More rumors surfaced, like footsteps in the empty room, objects moving on their own, or the owner talking out loud to no one in particular. After those rumors spread, very few people wanted to stay there anymore.

The owner begged the ghost to show herself to the other guests, to prove that she was real and put an end to the nasty rumors. But every time, the ghost lied and said she was too shy and scared of people to go out. She knew that no one besides the innkeeper would be able to see her, and she didn’t want to ruin his reputation any further.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

One night, she sat by the window in her empty room, staring up at the moon in longing. She felt selfish, and shame burned through her. There was an obvious solution, but it was one that she was reluctant about. She could simply leave, and the rumors would gradually disappear over time.

But a large part of her didn’t want that. She was tired of being alone. She was tired of wandering aimlessly. The weary ghost had finally found a home, and someone that she could talk to. It was too cruel to go back to how it was before. Being invisible was painful. But was this, too, not cruel?

If only she were alive again, she could prove her existence and not have to leave. No one would think the innkeeper was mad, and she could have as many conversations as she wanted. As she was lamenting upon the windowsill, mind nearly made up, she heard a voice from just outside the window.

“Your wish can still come true,” a deep voice said.

Startled, the ghost looked around, but did not see anyone. Suddenly, a pair of glowing green eyes blinked open from the darkness, surrounded by a void of inky black.

“What do you mean?” the ghost asked. Most beings would be frightened, but the ghost was not afraid. She had not known fear in many, many years. After all, she was already dead. What more could happen?

“I can help you regain new life,” the voice told her. “It’s okay to be selfish sometimes. I know you are tired.”

“How can you help me? And why do you want to?”

The ghost was not afraid, but she was still cautious. She knew that if that voice belonged to a magical being, she needed to be careful. But still, her dead heart ached with the possibility of her dream being realized.

“I could tell that you are troubled. I ask for nothing in return. All I need is your name in order for the spell to work,” the being explained.

“My name? But I do not remember my name,” the ghost confessed.

“Ah, I see. That is why you have yet to move on. Luckily, I know a way to help you remember. If you allow me into your mind briefly, I can awaken your memories.”

The ghost thought about it. It could very well be dangerous, but again, the ghost felt no fear. She had nothing to lose at that point. In her mind, no fate could be worse than returning to her silent roaming, forgotten and unseen by the world.

“Okay,” she finally agreed.

A row of sharp, jagged teeth appeared from the dark, twisting into a sinister smile. “Very good.”

In the next moment, the ghost felt like she had been transported. Her body felt heavier, and she could feel the push and pull of air in and out of her lungs. Every sensation was overwhelming. A beam of sunshine through an open window splashed warmth across her skin. She had never felt anything like it. Was this what it was to be alive?

She looked around and saw that she was sitting at a kitchen table in an old wooden house. It was almost cabin-like, but still quaint and nicely decorated. The window was cracked open and a soft breeze blew through the sheer curtains. The smell of spring hung in the air. Outside, a field of grassy hills as far as the eye could see greeted her.

Suddenly, a cat hopped up onto the table. Its fur was shiny and black, and its eyes sparkled like emeralds. It looked at her knowingly, and despite its feline face it appeared intelligent.

“What is this place?” the woman asked. Yes, woman, because at that moment, she was no longer a ghost.

“It must have been your house,” the cat replied. Its voice was deep and gravelly, just like the being from before.

The girl stood up and walked around, examining the various objects around the small house. Maybe there would be a clue about her past life, and she would finally be able to remember. On one of the counters sat a worn frame, and she leaned in closer to get a glimpse at the picture inside. It was her in the middle, surrounded by three others.

One was a boy with short brown hair, smiling brightly. Another was a girl with long red hair. She was also smiling, but she appeared shy, lips pressed tightly in a firm line. The last was another girl, short chestnut hair chopped into a bob. She was playfully sticking out her tongue with a wink.

As the woman looked at the picture in the frame, she felt overwhelmed with emotion. “These were my… friends,” she said. “I remember. I had friends.”

“What happened to them?” she asked the cat.

“Why do you think I would know?” the cat replied, narrowing its eyes.

“I’m not sure. I just… have a feeling.”

The cat sighed. “They perished in a car accident.”

“Car?” the woman asked, confused. The word was new, and yet felt familiar on her tongue at the same time.

“You really don’t remember a thing, do you?” the cat grumbled. “You must have been wandering so long, that you even crossed times and dimensions without realizing. Maybe that’s why you also can’t remember anything.”

The woman glanced around the house some more. “Is that really possible?”

“It is, though I’m not quite sure how you managed to do it,” the cat answered.

Suddenly, there was an interruption. “Does such a thing truly exist?” the fox spirit asked.

“Of course,” the priestess answered. “How is it that you think we all gathered here?”

“Then that cat is also an interdimensional being?” the fox concluded.

“Most likely, now stay quiet,” the priestess scolded. She had said she would not tolerate interruptions, but she hadn’t expected the story to be quite so complicated. Quickly, she gestured for the fairy to continue.

Back in the story, the more the woman thought about it, the more it made sense. There were a lot of things in the house that she swore she never saw before, but she didn’t think twice about them because some part of her brain recognized them as familiar. For example, she knew that the large metal box next to the sink was called a refrigerator. And the picture in the frame was too clear to have been a drawing. It must have been taken with a camera.

She had no idea how she knew those things, but it was like her brain was beginning to fill in the gaps. As she continued to look around, she noticed a small piece of paper stuck to the fridge. She went up to examine it closer, and saw that it read, Meet me at the crossroads at sunset.

She looked out the window and it appeared that the sun would be setting fairly soon. So, she took the piece of paper and turned to the cat. “I think I am supposed to be meeting someone.”

“Then let’s go,” the cat said, hopping off the table and leading the way out the door.

There was just one long, dirt road that went in a single direction. The cat walked along with sure steps, so the woman followed behind without question. The cat seemed very knowledgeable, and hadn’t shown any open hostility so far. Besides, they were in a memory now, so nothing could happen that hadn’t happened already.

Soon, they could see a crossroads in the distance. Another parallel road intersected their current one, and split off in four different directions. However, just before the crossroads was a railway track that ran over their current path. As the woman went to walk over it, her body froze in the middle, right between the rails.

She tried with all her might, but she couldn’t move. She was no longer in control. This was a memory, after all. No matter how much she screamed and cried, no matter how much power she tried to summon to her limbs, it was useless. The cat didn’t help either, just staring at her from the other side of the tracks with a blank expression.

The lights of the railway sign suddenly started to blink, and the bell began to ring. The woman could feel the tracks beneath her feet begin to shake, and she looked up to see a black train rattling towards her at high speed. Just before the train reached her, she heard the calm, eerie voice of the cat directly in her ears, clear even over the rumbling of the train.

“Even death cannot save you from a promise. You should have just met me instead.”

With a jolt, the woman opened her eyes, and she was once again on that windowsill at the inn. The feeling of a frantic heart beating in her chest faded away back into that hollow emptiness she was so familiar with. Reliving the memory only made her crave life more.

“Do you remember now?” the deep voice asked. Only it was no longer disembodied in the blackness of the night. The ghost looked down to see a black cat sitting beside her.

“I do,” she answered with a wavering voice.

“Then tell me your name.”

The ghost opened her mouth, name slipping past her lips quicker than she could catch it. And then it all faded to black once more.

All the gathered spirits were quiet, even after the story ended. Many looked to be deep in thought. The fairy just stared at the ground in the center of the circle wistfully. Surprisingly, the nymph was not the first to speak. Instead, it was the priestess.

“Your soul is not your own,” she said darkly.

“Yes, I’m afraid so,” the fairy agreed.

“That will make it tough for you to move on,” the priestess added, looking displeased. It was the first time she seemed unhappy after someone had shared their story.

“I remember who I am,” the fairy said with determination. “I believe I can do it.”

The priestess nodded. “I will do my best, as well.”

Then, they stood, hand in hand, and disappeared into the depths of the enchanted forest. The other spirits began to get up as well, saying their goodbyes and going on their way. Only one made no effort to move. There, the nymph sat, eyes narrowed in the direction the fairy and the priestess had left, rooted to the spot in contemplation.