‘Audrey’s thoughts’
’Ryan’s thoughts’
__________________________________________
Audrey’s POV:
‘Why do I feel trapped in here?’ I asked myself. I was in the mental hospital. They kept me in this green room that had one window looking at the city, ‘do they think I’m dangerous?’
“Cool place.” Ryan said floating in through the wall. “I saw angry people, sad people and even people who looked fine. But there were psychopaths too.” He continued, grinning.
I shifted in my bed uncomfortably, I closed my eyes and tried to imagine he wasn’t there. After all, he was just a product of my imagination. ‘He isn’t real, he isn’t real, he isn’t real…’ I kept repeating in my mind.
“Hey Audrey, look over there, there’s an airplane. Wow….” Ryan pointed at the sky through the window. He craned his neck to see the airplane.
That made my blood run cold, ‘how did he know my name?’ I stared at him in shock. “What?” He asked looking at me. “How d’you know my name?” I asked in a shaky voice. “I hacked your system, of course I stole some data.” He replied coolly with his hands in his pockets. I furrowed my eyebrows at him. ‘What did he mean?’
“Sorry, I learnt these computer stuff from an Indian boy in Mumbai who was studying aloud.” He said, embarrassed. “What I mean is, when I entered your body, I could hear your mind too. I had access to your memories and stuff.” He shrugged. “S-so, does that mean y-you know everything about m-me?” My heart shuddered at the thought. He probably even knows my deepest secrets.
“No, not everything. Wait, let me see what all I know. Hmm…” he looked at the ceiling, trying to remember. “Your name is Audrey, you’re 20, your best friend is Irene, your brother’s name is Augustus, Stephanie is a car enthusiast, Tasneem is quiet, that boy is irritating, Professor Caitlyn is boring, and oh- who is this?” Ryan smiled with mischief. My eyes widened.
“What is it?” I asked. “Some guy.” Ryan said, still squinting at the ceiling. “Audrey, who is this?” Ryan asked smiling cunningly. I think he’s talking about my crush, Walter. Nobody knows I have such things in my mind, not even Irene. I have been crushing on him since middle school. Super secretly, super quietly.
Nobody knows about this, nobody should know about this, well, now he knows.
“It’s none of your business.” I said, hiding my face in my hands. “Don’t worry dear, I won’t tell anyone.” He said, smirking. “Well, I can’t tell anyone.” He said in a low, sad voice, looking back at the window. “Nobody can hear me.”
Augustus came in, “Audrey, are you okay?” He asked concerned. I ran and hugged him. He’s still as huge as ever. A giant between people.
He pushed me away from him, holding my shoulders, he asked, “the doctor told me you were hallucinating some ghost.” I nodded and hid behind him, pointing at Ryan. “Is he there?” He asked, I nodded. He pursed his lips while I hid my teary face behind him.
He then turned to me. “Audrey.” He said, seeing me shiver and cry, and then hugged me. “Is he trying to hurt you?” I shook my head ‘no’. “Then why are you crying?” He asked. “Because I’ve gone mad, Augustus! Mad!” I sobbed into his chest. “My life is ruined! I won’t be able to go to college anymore.”
“The doctor said you had no brain damage, and not a single broken bone even after falling from a two floor height.” Augustus said. “Of course! You landed on me! A fluffy cloud of cold air, of course you won’t have any injuries.” Ryan shouted, crossing his arms.
“But the doctors found out that you had just recovered from a seizure, I wonder what that is all about.” Augustus continued. “Oh, yes, the ghost got inside my body just before I hit the ground.” I said, shivering at memory of the experience.
“You got inside me! How was I to know you were gonna fall on me!” Ryan continued shouting. I covered my ears because of how loud he was. But Augustus didn’t hear him, he couldn’t understand why I was being like this either. “Audrey, what’s wrong?” He asked.
“H-He’s shouting.” I said in a shaky voice. Ryan was still bickering on how wrong I was about the fall.
He was getting under my skin now, I have to get rid of him. “STOP! STOP IT!” I screamed at Ryan. He became quiet at once. The whole room was quiet, just like how I liked it. I wish I couldn’t hear anything, I wish everything was just as quiet as I wanted it to be. “Audrey.” Augustus broke the silence. I broke down on the floor. ‘Why can’t I control myself? Why am I like this? I wish this never happened.’
“Hey, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Ryan came beside me.
“Go away.” I sobbed. “Audrey, are you okay?” Augustus kneeled down in front of me.
I wanted to be alone. I wanted silence. So I could think. Think for sometime.
“Sir, I think you should leave.” A nurse came and said.
“Audrey.” He cupped my cheek. Tears rolled down my eyes. “Should I call mom and dad?” I shook my head. I don’t want anybody to see me in this condition. “Audrey.” I looked into his eyes. “You’re gonna be okay. Understand?” He asked. I just cried, I wasn’t sure if I will be okay anymore. “Sir…” the nurse began. Augustus stood up and left. The nurse came and hugged me, “you’re gonna be fine ma’am, don’t worry.” She smiled, took me to the bed and left. I looked around, Ryan had already left.
Ryan’s POV:
I watched her brother comfort her. I didn’t get why she was crying this much. Why was she overreacting? She is weird.
‘She’s crying because of me. She’s crying because of me. She’s crying because of me…’ the thought kept ringing in my ears. ‘She doesn’t like me.’ But what did I do to her? I possessed her by accident. Why is she so scared of me? Scaredy-cat. So weird.
I left the building and floated in the sky, looking down at the city below my feet.
It’s so beautiful, this world, why can’t people enjoy it?
I floated down to the ground. People were busily walking past me and through me. None of them felt my presence. ‘She’s crying because of me…’ my mind went on. I quietened it and went to a clothe shop nearby. Hard rock music was playing in it. They were selling torn clothes there. I laughed. Who got the idea of selling old, torn jeans? People these days are so weird, they wear half torn shirts, half torn pants, half torn hoodies. I kept laughing. In my day, I would’ve been stared at if I wore such clothes.
You know what is weirder than the clothes? The prices. Ooof! I did not know worn and torn, cut up pieces of clothe have so much value. ‘She’s crying because of me.’ ‘Just shut up.’ I said to myself. I went out of the shop and stuck my head in a building nearby. There I saw a man cooking food. For himself maybe. Some kind of stew. Was he sick?
This person is too boring. I floated upwards. Over there I saw kids cooking. ‘Oh no, where is your mom?’ I went inside to look for their mom. She was sitting at the dining table and smiling at the kids. I let out a sigh of relief, their supervised.
And then I went upwards still. An old woman was watching television with sandwiches . ‘What must she be watching?’ I went in and saw her watching America’s Got Talent. Her husband’s picture was on the wall. Oh, sad. She must be so lonely. ‘She’s crying because of me.’
I sighed at myself.
I went outside again. The moon was out already. But the city was still bustling.
I went back to the mental hospital and floated up to her window. I saw her sleeping peacefully. I went over to her and sat on the floor in front of her, gently moving strands of her ash brown hair from her face. ‘She’s crying because of me.’ my mind rang again. Guilt washed over me. My heart felt a pinch of pain.
This was strange. I thought ghosts felt no feelings.
And here I was feeling sorry for the one person who can see me, the person I hurt.
