Moonday

The wind howled as fog swiftly rolled through the dark streets of Moonwood. The night had fallen over the quiet town as Friday the 13th slowly approached the anxious ghouls which inhabited the land of the supernatural. 

Moonwood was a normal town, at least for those who lived there. It was a familiar setting, similar to earth, only filled with ghostly spirits. It was the land of the dead and supernatural, but there was not much spooky about it. The exception however being Friday the 13th. Every resident of Moonwood` had their life taken on Friday the 13th, formally known in our town as Moon Day. It is the only place which the unliving inhabit and only under exclusive circumstances. However, to maintain your spot in the town, every Moon Day, you must retreat to earth and possess a body of the living. During the 24 hour period of possession, you are required to take the life of at least one victim, and if failing to uphold your duties, your life in Moonwood will disappear, and your soul will vanish for eternity. The exception to this being a true love's kiss.  But with every gift, comes a catch. After receiving true love’s kiss, you will be brought back to earth and able to live a substantial life with your partner, yet at the cost of neither partner ever being accepted into Moonwood ever again.

I first moved to Moonwood when I was 17. I had fallen victim to chemical romance, my first love Malachi. On Friday the 13th, 1942, the magic of our romance took a Romeo and Juliet turn of events. When a local gang member had told me Malachi had been kidnapped, I had given my own life to the gang members semi-automatic to save his life. I was welcomed by my host family, the Millers. They taught me everything about ghost life, and that it's quite similar to life on earth. They also trained me and prepared me for Moonday. Mother Miller was my mentor in learning about the afterlife. I told her all about my time on earth, and she helped me find closure in losing the love of my life. Mother Miller didn't teach me about the Aphrodite Ordinance until 5 years after entering Moonwood in fright of me attempting the true love's kiss and losing my soul due to kissing the wrong being. However, one day in the library, the week prior to Moonday, I had gone to the library to study about the history of the holiday with my friend Priscilla. I had opened a dusty and raggedy book. After I blew a thick dust cloud from the surface of the book, I saw the letters “A, H, R, D, T, O, D,  N, A, N, C,” peek through the torn cover. Prsicilla had decoded the letters by her knowledge of the Aphrodite Ordinance. The name of the law comes from ancient history, when the ghouls of Moonwood had debated the unjust ruling of not entering the afterlife with your soulmate. In accordance with this, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, had posed a law on the town which read as the following:

“If one chooses to return to their living partner, they are permitted to do so under the following circumstances: 1. The ghost must kiss their true love 2. If the kiss is not true love, their soul will vanish from existence 3. When the true love is passionately kissed, the ghost will return to earth as a human to live out an endearing and long life with their respected partner 4. If the couple chooses to do so, there will be no room in the afterlife for the two to live after their long respected lives.”

I had read immensely about the law and its history, and I saw a glimmer of hope. I had run home to Mother Miller to tell her the good news she had hid me from for so long. She warned me and did not trust that I knew what I was doing, but I was determined to be with Malachi again no matter the circumstance. Then, I had prepared for Moonday, rehearsing my role to return home to Malachi. 

After a long awaited arrival, the night of Friday the 13th had finally arrived. Filled with hope, I jumped into the dimensional portal and began my journey back to earth. As the bright purple and blue lights swirled around my soul, I entered the claiming room, the room in between dimensions in which ghosts would choose the person which they would possess. Carefully, I had selected a student who attends Malachi’s school so I could get close to him. I chose a pretty woman of course to draw him in. Her name was Aubrey, and she had features similar to my own when I had lived on earth. Though Aubrey was gorgeous, Malachi couldn’t just kiss her, but would have to be fully convinced I am here to return. 

At 2:13 a.m. I finally woke up in Aubrey Eve Castle’s sorority girl body. I quickly jumped up from her bed and began to pick out the outfit I would return to my love in. Close to me was Mother Miller, inhabiting Aubrey’s mother, Jennifer. She knew she had to stick close to me in case anything happened. As 5 a.m. rolled around the corner, I began to get ready as any highschool girl would. I put on my most flattering top and expressive shoes to stand out. I curled my hair and painted my face with subtle but enhancing makeup. Malachi was now a Junior in college, and I was preparing to run into him during his first lecture. Though I had no knowledge of organic chemistry, I was more excited than ever to go to class. I followed him into the lecture and sat in a seat adjacent to him. He seemed quiet, but I spoke to him anyway, forgetting he didn't know who I was. With a shaky voice he softly responded to small talk, until I gained the courage to ask to walk with him after class. To my surprise, Malachi had begun telling who he thought was Aubrey, the story of my death and how he is still in love with me after all these years of me being gone. At the moment of emotional weakness, I knew it was my time to strike the news to him of Aphrodite’s Ordinance. I saw the light reflect off the single teardrop which rolled gently down his face. He looked at me with hope and passionately, without question, kissed me, and at that moment, and a tornado of light and dust surrounded Aubrey’s body as I was able to step out as a human being again. I walked out of the dust cloud to look up and find my love grinning ear to ear. I jumped into his arms as he paced his gentle hands around my waist and twirled me around his joyful self. 

Before returning to my human life with Malachi, I approached Aubrey’s Home to talk to Mother Miller who was still in Jennifer’s body. I had informed her of the good news and thanked her for everything. I wrapped myself in her arms for one last goodbye before I was never able to see her again. After the night had fallen, and the 14th  had creeped upon our calendars, I walked home safely in the comfort of Malachi’s presence, knowing I had returned home, not to earth, but home to my partner, to my true love.