Read Online Ghosts of Infinity: and Nine More Stories of the Supernatural by Lara Saguisag, April Yap - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lara Saguisag, April Yap
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know more of her too. He wanted to consume her, to find intimate sanctuary in the grace of her build, to have her smooth, brown hands soothe the fear in his mind. One night her housemates went on an excursion, leaving the apartment in her care, and he asked her if they could go up to her room to watch a movie on DVD. She agreed, but when Dennis’ hand reached out for hers she shook her head vehemently. He decided to give it time. An hour into the movie Sarah began to shiver, and gladly he put an arm around her. She bolted away and rushed to the window, but before she could pull down the drapes he felt it, too, a jolt down his spine, and then something moved out of the corner of his eye. Sarah froze, and he followed her gaze.
There was a tall, long-limbed woman outside the window. The mass of her hair filled the night sky behind her. He didn’t see her face, probably he wouldn’t have remembered it anyway, because all he could think of at that moment was that they were on the second floor, and how could that graceful, beautiful woman with the fireflies crowning her hair be walking past?
It was then that Sarah told him she couldn’t see him anymore.
That was a month ago. He’d tried reasoning with her, standing for hours outside her house, sending endless text messages to her phone, but all she would say was that he needed to make the woman go away. And then all he could do was joke about not being able to decide whether to call a priest or a village exorcist.
He didn’t know what to do.
A custodian had turned on the light in the lobby behind him, but the light from the building melted in the night outside. The fireflies came. They floated some distance away, among the tall, slender trees that surrounded the building. The street was quiet save for the occasional passing of a tricycle, and the trees loomed over parked cars along the sidewalk. His cousin had told him they were having a conference again, a seminar; she had promised she would take Sarah to him no matter what. Neither he nor Sarah had told his cousin anything. The burden was theirs alone, he thought, as he tried to stare down the shadows around the building. The fireflies stared back at him with their pulsing, glimmering lights, and he wondered about what was really happening between him and Sarah. He needed to see her, to ask her. He glanced at his watch, then realized that sweat was forming along the lines of his palms, threatening to drip down his wrist. He wiped his hands on his shirt and wished the conference would end soon.
He had to make the woman go away, Sarah had told him, in her goodbyes. But he was no psychic, he had no gift, and that was why he needed her desperately. Only she could drive away the fireflies.
The echo of voices and footsteps drifted to him from inside the building. The conference was over, and in a few minutes the people would come out. One of them would be Sarah, trapped by Dennis’s cousin with whom he had pleaded for help. He wanted to talk with Sarah, see her large flashing eyes and hear her voice because he knew that even her anger would taste sweet, but instead of rising to meet her he stood and went around the side of the vending machine.
Her laughter came to him first. When he heard it he remembered how she had laughed at him, and how the last bursts of that laughter had changed into little sobs, just before she’d told him about her nightmares. Her laughter now sounded the way it should, the way it used to during their first few months together: young, relaxed, and best of all, happy.
She stepped out from the lobby, together with Dennis’s cousin, whose gaze wandered around looking for him. Sarah was in the middle of telling a story and didn’t notice her friend’s restlessness, but from where Dennis hid behind the vending machine he saw her clearly, and she was beautiful.
He watched the lines of her face grow taut as she saw the fireflies. They were still there, floating like lost stars among the pale and
There was a tall, long-limbed woman outside the window. The mass of her hair filled the night sky behind her. He didn’t see her face, probably he wouldn’t have remembered it anyway, because all he could think of at that moment was that they were on the second floor, and how could that graceful, beautiful woman with the fireflies crowning her hair be walking past?
It was then that Sarah told him she couldn’t see him anymore.
That was a month ago. He’d tried reasoning with her, standing for hours outside her house, sending endless text messages to her phone, but all she would say was that he needed to make the woman go away. And then all he could do was joke about not being able to decide whether to call a priest or a village exorcist.
He didn’t know what to do.
A custodian had turned on the light in the lobby behind him, but the light from the building melted in the night outside. The fireflies came. They floated some distance away, among the tall, slender trees that surrounded the building. The street was quiet save for the occasional passing of a tricycle, and the trees loomed over parked cars along the sidewalk. His cousin had told him they were having a conference again, a seminar; she had promised she would take Sarah to him no matter what. Neither he nor Sarah had told his cousin anything. The burden was theirs alone, he thought, as he tried to stare down the shadows around the building. The fireflies stared back at him with their pulsing, glimmering lights, and he wondered about what was really happening between him and Sarah. He needed to see her, to ask her. He glanced at his watch, then realized that sweat was forming along the lines of his palms, threatening to drip down his wrist. He wiped his hands on his shirt and wished the conference would end soon.
He had to make the woman go away, Sarah had told him, in her goodbyes. But he was no psychic, he had no gift, and that was why he needed her desperately. Only she could drive away the fireflies.
The echo of voices and footsteps drifted to him from inside the building. The conference was over, and in a few minutes the people would come out. One of them would be Sarah, trapped by Dennis’s cousin with whom he had pleaded for help. He wanted to talk with Sarah, see her large flashing eyes and hear her voice because he knew that even her anger would taste sweet, but instead of rising to meet her he stood and went around the side of the vending machine.
Her laughter came to him first. When he heard it he remembered how she had laughed at him, and how the last bursts of that laughter had changed into little sobs, just before she’d told him about her nightmares. Her laughter now sounded the way it should, the way it used to during their first few months together: young, relaxed, and best of all, happy.
She stepped out from the lobby, together with Dennis’s cousin, whose gaze wandered around looking for him. Sarah was in the middle of telling a story and didn’t notice her friend’s restlessness, but from where Dennis hid behind the vending machine he saw her clearly, and she was beautiful.
He watched the lines of her face grow taut as she saw the fireflies. They were still there, floating like lost stars among the pale and
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