Almost funny how the damn ghost wouldn't stop singing that weird song.
It was stuck in my head like a broken radio.
I tried to remember where I first heard it
who sang it
but my brain wouldn't give me anything.
Just silence and that voice echoing:
Rain, rain, drop the beats… mommy's here, mommy's coming to play with you…
We couldn't move.
We were pressed to the floor, like gravity itself hated us.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't even twitch.
It felt like we were drowning on land
lungs burning, ribs shaking
bodies pinned by something invisible.
Like the air itself was water,
and space was folding in around us.
Then
a single red rose dropped from the sky.
Slow. Floating. Turning.
The moment it touched the ground
BOOM.
Everything snapped back.
The ghosts were gone.
The water feeling disappeared.
We were free.
We just sat there, shaking.
Couldn't move.
Couldn't believe what we'd just seen.
My house
the one my grandparents left me
was gone.
Not broken. Not burned.
Gone like it never existed.
The cat, Kiki, disappeared too.
Of course it did.
Cairo:
"Yo… what the hell just happened?
Our midterm break just turned into a funeral."
Nami:
"Damn, I can't even feel my legs.
How can a ghost just show up, wreck everything, then vanish like that?"
Renji:
"You guys worried about the ghost?
Where the hell am I supposed to sleep now?"
We sat there in silence until sunrise.
The sun crawled out of the clouds,
light touching the ruins like nothing had happened.
I looked around, exhausted, dizzy.
My house was nothing but wood and dust.
Nami:
"Renji… you can stay at my place for a while.
Till your parents figure something out."
I stared at her.
"How are they even gonna know?
You think they'll believe a ghost ate my house?"
Cairo:
"Then tell them it collapsed.
Or that your cat exploded.
Anything's better than the truth, bro."
Nami:
"Come on. You'll stay with me.
Mom and Dad won't mind."
I finally nodded.
We were all half-dead anyway.
We stood, packed what was left, and walked away.
Doorbell rings.
Ding… dong…
A girl's voice from inside:
"Who's there?"
Nami:
"It's me, open up, sis!"
The door creaked open.
Her sister blinked at us messy hair, sleepy eyes.
Yura:
"It's morning.
Didn't you say you were spending midterm break with your friends?"
Nami:
"Yeah… well, something bad happened.
Can we come in? I'll explain later."
Yura stared at me
like she'd already heard stories.
"You're the famous Renji I keep hearing about, huh?"
She smiled slightly.
"Name's Yura."
I bowed my head.
"Thanks for letting me stay."
Upstairs.
Nami pointed at a door.
"My room's here. You can drop your stuff, Renji."
I nodded, set my bag down,
then borrowed their phone to call home.
Phone call
"Hey Mom. Something bad happened. The house"
Mom cut me off.
"Damn it, Renji!
I told your father you couldn't handle staying alone!
You didn't burn it down, did you?"
"Mom, I didn't"
Then Dad's calm voice came on.
"Son, relax. Tell me what happened."
I explained as simply as I could.
He listened quietly, then said,
"Stay where you are.
We'll come soon."
Click.
Line dead.
Downstairs.
Nami:
"Hey sis, where's Mom and Dad?"
Yura:
"They went to the city. Won't be back for a while."
Nami:
"And you didn't tell me?"
Yura:
"Why would I?
You were too busy talking about spending midterm break at your friend's house."
She smirked.
"How was I supposed to know that friend was a boy?"
Nami's face went red.
"Shut up! Stop saying that!"
She smacked her sister's arm.
They laughed.
I stood awkwardly, holding the phone.
"Uh… thanks for letting me use this."
Nami:
"Guess we'll need new phones.
Ours got wrecked when your house went down."
Renji:
"Yeah… guess so.
Wait where's Cairo?"
Nami:
"He went home to shower.
Said he'll come back later."
Yura:
"I heated water for you, Renji.
You can bathe if you want."
I blinked.
She never looked away, smiling too kindly.
I bowed slightly.
"Thanks… I'll use it."
Upstairs.
Behind me, I heard Nami hiss at her sister.
"What's your deal, huh?
You don't even boil water for Mom or Dad
now you're being nice to my friend?"
Yura:
"Can't I be friendly to my sister's guest?"
Their voices faded behind the door.
I filled the bath, sank into the water,
and tried to remember that song again.
But every time I thought about it
my chest tightened.
Like something inside me didn't want me to remember.
I washed my face.
The mirror was fogged up.
And for a second
I swear I saw something behind me.
A shape.
A woman.
Hair dripping like seaweed.
Then blink
gone.