Him and Her

~Her~

I walked into one of the many giant hallways, where a big banquet table was loaded with food. No one was coming to eat with me, because I lived by myself in this manor. I inherited it from my sister, who disappeared a few years ago. The manor had magnificent turrets, like an English castle. It took up a million square meters, the biggest in the world. I haven’t explored much of it, as I have heard that this place is haunted. It’s quite good for someone like me; shy, doesn’t like people, and likes having a big living space. I looked over the banquet table, seeing all the different dishes that were placed just right. I didn’t cook the food, it just somehow ended up there every night. I sat down on the big throne, and looked around the hall. I always looked, just if I could catch a glimpse of the thing that cooked for me every night. As always, I didn’t hear or see a single soul, so I started eating. Today was Mediterrean cuisine, my favourite. I snarfed down chickpeas, vegetables, and lamb for a good hour, until I was full, and the majority of the food was gone. I didn’t need to clean up either, because the things that cooked cleaned up for me. I heaved myself, trudged to the other end of the hall, and started going up the almost endless stairs. I walked, my body heavy with the buffet I had just eaten. I marched over tomy giant pink canopy bed that was about 300 years older than I was. I slumped on the bed, hearing it squeak in protest. I didn’t even change, or pull up the covers, and I closed my eyes, willing myself to go to sleep. 

I glided behind the girl, up the stairs and into the bedroom. Master said tonights the night. Today I will do the thing I have been waiting to do for 150 years, and now I get to do it. I watched from the doorway, and she closed her eyes. I waited for a while, until she was deep asleep. Master said it does not work if they are not in a deep sleep. I glided cautiously over to her side. Her chest rised and fell, inhaling, exhaling. It's like she’s mocking, me, because the last time I breathed was 150 years ago. I floated up, until my non-existent nose was hovering above hers. I blew on her face, a cold breeze chillier than a winter's night. She opened her eyes, and I dived.

I woke up. Did I have a nightmare? I don’t remember anything. I looked up from my bed, and there was a boy. But he was clear. He had a foggy white outline, and he was smiling at me. I opened my mouth, wanting to ask something, but I closed it, in awe. Translucent faces peeked through at the doorway. I made a confusing gesture to the boy. He said, “You’re dead. We’re all dead. We’re the ones who cooked for you. You’re one of us now. You’re a ghost.” I looked down in panic. How can I be a ghost? Ghosts aren’t even real! But my hands were clear, just like the boy. I got up. I tried to walk, but my feet didn’t move. I just hovered over the ground and glided. I glided to the right, left, forwards, then backwards. I smiled at the boy, and he smiled back. “This is so cool!” I said to the boy, my voice raspy and high. He smiled even more. I asked him,” Who did this to me?” He kept smiling. I was confused, and then he disappeared. Right after, I heard a raspy voice in my ear, “I did.” I turned around, startled, but there was no one there. I looked around the bedroom, spotting the boy sitting on my bed. His mouth still curved in that magnificent smile. I glided over to him, and asked, “Why?” “Because,” he started. “It’s my job. Master taught me how to, and he will teach you too.” I sat down next to him, and asked, “Sorry if this is rude, but when did you get killed?” He laid down on the pink covers, distracted by something. “150 years ago. I’m the best recruiter here, because I was 14 years old when I got killed, so I know where people will go, and what they’ll do.” I looked at him. He doesn’t look 14. I opened my mouth to ask a question, but he read my mind. “Who did I get killed by? That girl over there got me. She’s the oldest one here.” A girl, maybe 15, stepped in from the doorway. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. She turned to me, and gave me a different smile. A more sinister, evil smile, but I just stared at her. She walked out of the room, her head staying where it was, like an owl turning its head. I grimaced, thinking that would hurt a lot. The boy said, “It’s time. I’m going to take you to our master.” He smiled at me again, this time it enveloped me, swirling around me, his smile imitating me, cold and hot at the same time, engulfing me and swishing me to another realm. 

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~Him~ 

I took her to Master’s place. I looked at her while she looked around, examining the place. Master’s place was pitch black. You didn’t know if you were standing or falling. It was all black. I smiled at her, then said, “Close your eyes.” She squeezed her eyes, like trying to squirm out of her death. I scoffed, like if that’s possible. I called Master. Master is not a he or she. An animal or ghost. Solid or invisible. He is a voice. He commands us what to do. He was the first ever ghost, killed by some person in a battlefield. If we don’t follow what he tells us to do, we’ll be sent to his pet. I don’t know what pet it is, but it’s horrible. More than everything. Only one ghost has gone there, and if you listen closely, you can hear his screaming throughout Master’s place. Forever and ever. Like death. I smiled at the girl again, her eyes were still squeezed shut. Then Master came.

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~Her~

I was surprised. The boy didn’t tell me who or what Master was, but now I got it. A clear, deep voice, talked into my ears, not sounding like a ghost at all. I couldn’t focus on his words, but I knew that he is our Master, and we do what he wants. It all happened too quickly. The voice was gone. I looked over to the boy, and he was staring up into the darkness. I asked him, “ Umm, when can I learn how to transport ghosts like that, or twist my head?” He kept staring into the darkness. “You have to be here for at least 100 years if you want to learn those things. You’ll learn simpler versions of them though, soon.” He quickly glanced at the ground, like there was a cockroach or something. He snapped out of looking at the blackness. He had a sad expression on his face, then looked up at me again and smiled. His smile expanded swirling around, whipping my ghostly hair, back to the manor. 

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~Him~

She was here for a while. Who knows how many years, maybe 50? No one keeps track. She learnt how to kill someone, how to interact with other ghosts. It seemed like when I smiled at her, she blushed, like that was embarrassing. Today I was her teacher, reminding her every day that today she would be killing her fist person. A new child came wandering in a few years ago, a boy. Maybe 13 years old. He was lost. We all took care of him, and she got more excited every day. Today she felt very cold, which is saying something, because when ghosts get excited, they freeze up a bit, but when I felt her hand, she was as cold as my breath. Today she will have fun, as it was for me on MY first killing.

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~Her~

I was SO excited! It was my first killing, and Master said after this, I can learn how to do the transporting-other-ghosts thing. Me and Him, as he said he would like to be called, waited all night, until the boy was fast asleep. We watched him slumped into bed, as I had done, 150 years earlier. I waited and waited, so anxious and excited. Once it was time, I took His hand, and he squeezed it. I slowly glided over to the boy’s side. His chest rised and fell with his breath. Hmm, I wonder what it would be like to breath again. I hovered over his nose, realizing just how warm humans are. I looked to the door, where Him nodded. I nodded back, and blew on the boy's face. His eyes shot open, like bombs. He opened his mouth to scream, and then I dived. I dived into his mouth, searching his body, flowing down, until I reached his heart. I grasped it with my hand, and the heart shattered. I flowed out, and looked at the boy's face. He looked how I felt back when I got killed; confused, panicked, and eyes filled with worry. I glided back to Him, and smiled. He disappeared, and I heard his voice in my ear,” You did it.”