Note: This is a short story.
The Ball Of Light
The storm was in full blast when the crying started.
Just like every night, something would disturb the silence. I'd known my house was haunted since I was three. The first time I'd seen the gray man. His billowy cape rustling like the fall leaves in our front yard. His face had been hidden by gray mist, swirling across the moist grass and trailing along the trunks of the weeping willow outside my window. Since then I had seen him from time to time. Just standing there silently letting the wind thrash his dark cape as it pleased. And then he would disappear. Just like that, with a blink of an eye he was gone. It was like he was a part of the gray mist making the dark and lonely grounds seem mysterious and full of the unknown. While my gray man stood out in the cold unruly night I slept in my bed, sound asleep and dreaming of unicorns and pixies. These nights were always peaceful and quiet. Until the crying started. On a night just like this one, when I was ten I was snuggled in my soft, warm sheets dozing off into dreamland, when I heard a soft whimpering from somewhere in the house. That was weird because I was alone. My parents were out dining in an expensive restaurant in San Francisco. Our caretaker had left an hour ago. I tried as hard as I could to block out the quiet sobs but I couldn't. I crept out of my sheets and walked into the hall, everything was dark. I felt for the light switch, finding it at last and pressing. A sudden blast of light blinded me as my eyes accustomed to the brightness. I looked around the hall, my faithful stuffed toy, a pink rabbit called Mimi, clasped tightly in my hand. I was shivering. I was always scared when my parents weren't there, I felt so lonely. The crying seemed to be drifting up the stairs, softly and silently. I walked to the first step. The big staircase had always been a fun place to play especially sliding down the banister but now from the hall's light flooding onto the first ten steps and the other half hidden in darkness it looked everything but welcoming and fun. I was nibbling on my bottom lip, nervous and scared. I was debating whether I should just hold my breath and walk downstairs, turn on all the lights and hope the ghostly whimpering would stop or if I should race back into my warm, safe bed and ignore the crying. But I couldn't ignore it, I had already tried and with no luck. I took the first step down and gripped the marble banister tightly, scared I might be sucked into the darkness. Slowly I tip-toed down the remaining steps and switched on the light as quickly as possible. What I saw wasn't horrible as I had expected, no. In the middle of our parlor, bobbing in the air like a bubble was a ball of light. The soft crying succumbed immediately, instead a sweet little laugh emitted from the bubble and it shone even brighter than before. I took three little steps nearer and stretched out my pudgy hand trying to touch the giggling bubble but as soon as my finger was too near it bobbled up a bit further, towards the ceiling. That night I fell asleep on the marble floor of our parlor only remembering my dad carrieng me up to bed and the floating ball of light. I had only seen the ball of light twice since then.
Now I was sixteen, tall and icy blond. My mom had died three years ago from cancer and I had turned from the sweet little Carrie Smith into a teenager with mood swings and depression problems. I hadn't gotten over my mothers death and from time to time the depression knocked in. I couldn't control it and my dad, who was also still dealing with the death of my mother but was trieng his very best to carry on in life as usual, was the one who suffered the most from seeing me curled up on the black leather couch in our gigantic living room. We lived in the Bay Area of California. Tonight I was in one of my worst stages of another depression, lying stiffly in my bed, the same bed since I was three and stared at the white ceiling. I was trying to ignore the crying, I just didn't feel like walking downstairs and turning on the light and seeing that bubble floating in the middle of our parlor. Actually, I just didn't want to move, I didn't ever want to move again. I had taken my pills three hours ago but they had no more effect. I just wanted to die, yeah, at least I'd be rid of my crappy life. Although my life wasn't terrible at all except that I had to grow up without a mother, what sucked. But the crying didn't stop. I was really annoyed, or I would be if I could feel anything.
"Shut up..." I murmured but it had no effect. Reluctantly I wiggled my toes, if they would move. They did so I slowly got up, slouched out of my room and walked down the hall. I stopped at the stairs. It was like a deja vu, remembering the first time I had seen the ball of light six years ago. Sighing I walked down the stairs and switched on the light. And there it was, my little lit up bubble. Even though I was deeply depressed a little smile crept onto my stiff lips as the bubble began giggling. As always I walked up to it and stretched out my hand but this time it didn't float away as it usually did but stayed put. I stretched on and as my finger tips collided with the bubble everything went white. I gasped, trying to pull back but it wouldn't let me and then before me stood my mother. My dear, wonderful, beautiful mother. She was smiling at me a shiny tear was rolling down her cheek.
"Mom!" I tried to cry out but my breath came out in little shiny bubbles. The little bubbles gradually got smaller and at last they popped.
"Mom!" It was my voice and it rang through me. My mother just smiled. She lifted her hand where her wedding ring glistened golden in the light and made a strange flick with her hand. A shimmering bubble as big as a blooming rose blossomed out of her creamy fingers and started floating towards me. I watched it come nearer and as it drifted into me, it felt as if a part of her was in it. I looked up to see my mother laughing silently as her form dissolved into the light. I didn't want her too go but suddenly I knew it was for the best as I found myself standing in our parlor, smiling widely.
Since then I have grown up to be a happy and strong woman, knowing that my mother will never leave me whether she is walking this earth or a bubble of light.
