Chapter 3: Becoming a Ghost like Her Too

Uncle in his suit, tie and attaché case came home a little over seven and when we showed him the velvet slipper, he just loosened his tie and sat at the ivory coloured leather sofa as if lamenting the death of the footwear.

“Sigh… Where… Where could this possibly come from?”

FROM THE REALM OF THE GHOST! I wanted to scream in a smart response, but of course who’d believe me? I mean, I didn’t even know the girl when she was still alive and breathing.

“Appa welcome home!!!!”

“Welcome home Appa!”

The kids rushed to him but uncle wasn’t responding as he normally would to his children. No lifting them in the air or pinching their succulent cheeks.

“….”

He just silently went to his room and stayed there in silence, turning the knob in the door with a soft Click.

My Omma got so worried when he wasn’t coming out after half an hour, so she knocked and went in, pretending to do so in lieu of dinner getting cold.

“Yeobo”

“Yeobo”

Jessica was on her heels as well, sitting at the right of uncle, while my mom stayed at his left. He was still clutching the slipper firmly in his hands.

“I... I thought I had given away everything of “her”’s…” Uncle said with a drop of tear trickling down his right eye.

“That’s all right Yeobo, it’s nothing to upset yourself over.” My mom, ever the consoling woman, caresses uncle’s slouched back, hands still clutching the source of grief.

“….

Yeah… you’re right.” Possibly wanting to console Omma’s worried look himself, uncle slowly placed the slipper on Jessica’s side of the bed and took my mom’s hand; the ghost’s vision looking down on her forgotten remnant.  

“After she passed away, no matter where I looked, everything in this house reminded me of her. So I donated much of everything away. I kept her room the way it was however, but I never went near it.

Guess she never went away didn’t she?”

Uncle asked and I heard every word clearly as I hid behind the door and listened intently at the conversation. Ahhh now I know why, as much as I searched I couldn’t find a damn thing in this house that is of hers. But wait… so her room is still intact?! Is it the room I’m staying now?

“And sometimes…

…I felt as if I could hear her breathing…

It was almost as if she was still…”

I saw the glimmer in Jessica’s eyes as she, looking up from the slippers, stared lovingly at my uncle, happy to have heard what he said.

Could it be?

Gasp! Don’t tell me…

WELL THAT’S CAUSE SHE IS!!! I wanted to scream at the two right this moment, but I knew I couldn’t, it wasn’t my place to intervene so I just buried my nails deeper into the wooden framings of the door. Extremely anxious to what he had to say.

Cause she’s still here…

I bit my lips and wondered why I get so worked up over that ghost?

“but….” he continued.

But… what?

“But, it’s not like that now… I couldn’t be any happier” Uncle lifted up his head and looked over at Omma with such tenderness confusing me whether to get pissed off or feel thankful for him and his love for my mother.

ARGHHH!!!

I went with the former as I see Jessica hung her head down and detached herself from uncle, fully hearing the conversation just now.

But she’s right there, beside you. Come on now…

Can’t you sense her presence at all? Shouldn’t you feel her presence just as much as that “happiness” of yours?!

“HEYYYYY  NOONA!!! STOP BEING AN EAVESDROPPER AND COME TAKE A LOOK AT MY PIKACHUU!!! LOOOOOKKKK AT MY PIKACCHUUUU!!!!”

WHAT_THE_HE------

“Unnie are you having fun, gripping at the door like that?” Accompanied by the loud Minho, Sulli innocently asked while her brother continuously tried to pull me by the arm and show me his PSP console.

“….”

Oh I do hate kids sometimes.

“Go away! Kids should be off playing in the field somewhere!” I tried to shook the two off away and refocus myself on what’s happening between