Young Writers Society

When I was 22, I died and became a ghost.

Not all that surprising really- I was schizophrenic and had killed 18 people believing that they were terrorists. I earned the death sentence, and accompanied by Jack Frost, I received lethal injection. Neither of us were expecting me to ghost, I know because Jack’s voice was tear choked as he told me that everything was going to be alright, and because he’s a terrible liar. Well, that’s really all I know about him. I couldn’t hear him speak when I was alive, and I only heard him say two things as I died, and then he was gone. He probably thought that I was dead- all the nurses did, and before long the morgue workers did too. I tried to shout, to scream “I’M STILL IN HERE!” But I couldn’t.

I didn’t understand how to work this, no matter what I tried I couldn’t move. I lay in wait until my body had been buried and began to rot around me. All I could do was think, so that is what I did. As slowly as my body rotted, I began to realize that I was separate from it. I threw my hand out, this time trying to forget about this rotting meat-sack that I had called home for so long. A glowing blue outline exited my body- I stared in wonderment at my hand. I never imagined that someday I’d be a clear body with aquamarine outlines, and that a pair of throwing knives would be my ghostly weapons. I lifted out my other hand, and set them down on the bottom of my coffin, they were the first parts of me to slip through. And then I was falling, screaming as I fell through the earth.

I didn’t exactly know where I’d ended up- but it definitely wasn’t China. Well- it didn’t look like it. I was in some sort of building; the walls looked like the inside of a tree. Light filtered down through the canopy above me-- turning green as it fell through the leaves. I stared in fear and wonder at the… things filling this room. I was standing in front of some sort of conference, there was a row of creatures on either side of a wooden table that seemed to have grown out of the floor.

Directly in front of me was a man and a woman-- the man had a grey beard that grew before my eyes, and a bald scalp that reflected light. The woman seemed much younger, she had black hair, brown skin, and green eyes. She wore a dress made of all living things, a snake wound down her leaf-covered leg, and a squirrel perched on her shoulder. Next in the row was a glowing yellow orb and a glowing white orb, both faceless. In the next row was a yellow glowing woman with flowers in her hair, sitting across from a vacant chair. In the next row sat a bright green serpent across from a male deer, both larger than horses. At the end of the table sat a whirling vortex of glowing colors, blue, red, green, and white.

“The firssssssssssst agentsssssssssssss have arrived,” came the smooth voice of the serpent, it sounded strangely feminine. I glanced around before realizing that she(?) was talking about me.

“I am no agent,” I said- regaining my composure after the long fall, but I was frazzled and it showed in my voice. I wasn’t sure what to make of these creatures, but they hadn’t attacked me yet, so I guessed I’d take that as a good sign, but as I realized what was going on; the panic made a comeback.

“Where’s Buran?” I stated, my voice fraught with panic. I didn’t want to be alone again- that’s why I didn’t take my meds, so why was he leaving me alone now- when I needed him the most? Now I needed help figuring out what the hell was going on and he ditched me? I needed help! I never could do anything on my own, because Buran was always there. Anger seemed to blind me, but it wasn’t as prevalent as the fear that curdled in what had once been my gut. “Where are my friends!?” I screamed.

The woman covered in living things spoke slowly and articulately- making sure that she was heard. “Ma’am please put down the knife,” she said, getting up out of her seat.

“Stay away!” The dagger flew out of my hand before I could stop it. It buried itself in her shoulder. Amber sap flowed out more quickly than water off a mountain.

Before I had time to quite comprehend what had happened, they were attacking. All around me, creatures trying to hurt me. I felt nothing as the serpent sank her teeth into me- venom squirted out of her teeth with nothing to inject. Chaos surrounded me- claustrophobia worming its way into my mind. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“Get away from me!” I screamed. I pressed myself against the wall to try to escape the hostility. My body began to fade through the wall, a tingling sensation spreading through me as each piece of me entered the tree. I came out the other side, and they could not follow me. I had no desire to see them again, so I ran as fast as I could. I had no idea as to where I was going, and soon enough I was desperately lost.

At least you could say that where I ended up was peaceful. I was at the foot of a mountainside- where yellow and golden leaves slowly faded into the blank canvas of white snow. A waterfall dripped off the mountain- slowly melting on it’s way down until it became a quiet little stream. I breathed deeply, and I was slowly becoming aware that air wasn’t entering my lungs because I could smell nothing. I saw smoke drifting above the trees far off in the distance- in hope that I could get there and ward off the absolute freezing cold. I began to simply float there, as if the desire to be there itself was drawing me closer. I shivered- the cold had become almost unbearable.

As I drew closer, I began to hear music. An uplifting tune drifted through the breeze- beginning to take my mind off the cold. I began to drift faster, through trees and stones until I arrived at the source of the music. A campfire crackled in a ring of stones, a satyr sat on one side playing a flute. The circle consisted mostly of men- although one or two females told stories as a large wolf turned the spit of roasting meat. A lone centaur sat by the fire whittling some wood and looking thoroughly finished with the shenanigans of his satyr counterparts.

“May I join you by the fire?” I asked quietly. The centaur turned to look at me, as if appraising me. He waved his hand to indicate that I could join the group. I tucked my feet under myself as I sat down, and held my hands by the fire. It was no warmer near the fire as it was further away, and as the music had stopped the cold began to return. I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. The creatures around me began to seem edgy, the wolf whispered something to a satyr and ran off.

“C-Can someone p-please tell me where I a-am?” my teeth chattered- making it difficult to form words.

“You’re in Autumn, the realm of Jelenkral. Three leagues to the west is Winter, realm of Jack Frost in the Wolf Fang Mountains.” The centaur explained patiently. His words were comforting, and again the cold seemed to fade slightly.

“Jack Frost?” I asked.

He nodded. “He rules the land of Winter. He recently returned from Earth, a little earlier than he usually does. Adalwolfa is afraid that something may be troubling him.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me.” Said one of the women- whom I believed to be a nymph. “His land has been invaded quite a lot recently.”

“Where could I find him?”

“He lives at the top of Avian mountain, the highest peak in the Wolf Fang Range. Only the birds and the wolves know how to get there, and the birds aren’t inclined to perch on a building made of solid ice.”

I nodded. Jack Frost had been there for me before- maybe he could shed a little more light on this insanity I’d been transported into.

“Thank you for the information.” I said, getting up to leave. I had already died, so I figured nothing worse could happen if I started towards there. It couldn’t be that hard, I just had to find the tallest mountain.

Yeah, not as easy as I’d thought. Every step was a struggle after I walked above treeline- where there was no shelter from the biting wind. Every step it tried to disrupt my form, blowing my gaseous body into pieces and every time it was a struggle to pull myself together. The cold stung at every piece of me- worming it’s way into my very core. I had never felt this cold in life- I had always been a winter child. My memory swam with snowmen and icicle-fortified snow forts. My memories kept me moving, and if I could just make it to the castle step by step…

Eventually, I was exhausted. I could no longer put one foot in front of the other, and when the wind began to pull at me I no longer had enough energy to fight it.

I remember you. It whispered in my ear. I can’t stay long, just long enough to help you find your way, little soldier.

Buran’s sister- the west wind. “Thank you.” I responded- hoping my appreciation showed through the obvious exhaustion. I could feel a smile- although I didn’t know exactly whether or not she had a face. It was more like I could feel some of what she felt- what others could transfer with body language. I was too tired to completely analyze the situation.

Slowly, the icy palace came into view. It glistened, reflecting the light of the sun, it’s crystal beauty carved into every orifice of its being. An icy staircase meandered up from the bottom of a chasm, almost transparent as it ended at the entrance to the palace. It was so large that distance from it was easily misjudged, and it was a while longer before the west wind dropped me at the top of the staircase. The towers were daunting, so tall that I could barely see where the tower ended and the clouds began.

Do not be afraid, little soldier. She gently caressed my cheek. We do not intend to harm.

“I know.” I responded, unsure whether or not I was actually afraid. I decided that yes- yes I was afraid. I was terrified of this new world- this new life. I took a long, shaky breath- the air around my nostrils remained eerily still. “Thank you, kind wind, and goodbye.” I said, floating through the door.