Don't Forget me (Chapter-5)

I accompanied Amanda back to her house; she insisted to remain by my side, but I declined her company. Instead, I went to grieve on my fate in front of my deceased spouse’s photo. There was no way that I would lose another member of my family. I will get my daughter back, no matter what it will cost me.

By the time, midnight fell and encompassed the city into ultimate obscurity. I scampered down the road towards the cemetery, my shoes clattering on the pavement; making echoes into the utter silence of the lane. Circumstances left me with only one option. Tonight, instead of helping the dead, I will seek their help. A soul can locate any human beings or another ghost with just a snub of seconds.

The moment I tiptoed inside the burial ground; clusters of ghosts bumped into the night. Each one looking at me as if I was their liberator. I perceived their pleading, but today the role will be reversed.

With a sharp and rigid tone, I called out. “I know that all of you are here to solicit my service; to take care of your unfinished businesses. Never did I fail to help you!, Never did I exploit you!, but today I need your help. Who can help me?” I asked pathetically.

I despised myself for sounding so helpless, but all that mattered was Lisa. Most of the spirits rubbernecked at me because, since the beginning of history, ghost whispers are known to control ghosts for missions not to implore them for help. My principals and values were above everything else, nobody deserved to be used like mere objects not even the lifeless. Ghost whispers are a blessing from gods; catachresis such holiness would be a shame. Nobody moved forward to help me. I did not want to get recourse to my powers; I wanted them to help me on their own.

“How I help you?” said a hissing voice.

A man strode from obscuration; barely perceptible by views, only his crimson eyes were discernible. Ghosts’ missions could be seen by the colour of their eyes; white which mean that their only unfinished business is neutral things like saying goodbye to someone, red means revenge and black belong to those ghosts who stuck too much in this world and are losing all of their humanity. The shadow popped up by my side; he wanted to speak but his lips were sewn, his crimson eyes were so stupefying that I could not avoid staring. Suddenly, voices popped inside my head.

“I’m Sir Patrick, a lunatic stitched my lips before slaughtered me, but we will talk about this later. Professor David, you did a lot for us, tell me how can I return the favour?” his words resounding inside my head.

It stunned me, during all these years of helping souls, never did I bump into a ghost who can interact with telepathy. I thought that only ghost whispers could telepathies with ghosts, but I was not aware that it could be vice versa. Ghosts can make you have visions and touch humans, but during all my career I never experienced spirits with telepathy gift.

“My daughter, she is missing since yesterday. I searched for her everywhere, I went to file a case against a certain Troy, but the police refused to aid me. I am left with the only hope that one among you can make me a favour to find her. You will not stay unrewarded, I vow to give you salvation sooner than predicted,” I declared.

“Professor David, for me to trace out your daughter, you need to provide me with something that belongs to her,” said Sir Patrick.

Quickly, I withdrew the locket of hair surrounded my collar; my daughter gave me that years ago when she was just a little girl. People usually hand out locket of hairs over to lovers, but I was the first man whom my daughter fell in love with, that’s why she made me the present of her hair. Since then, separated myself from my gift became unthinkable. Until now, the situation compelled me to give it away.

He held the locket of hair in both of his palms, rose his face up in the sky; his red eyes turned silver. Bolts of lightning light up in the sky. He carried on glancing at the sky for a few seconds, then he sealed his eyes and gripped his hands on my head; electrocuted from head to toe, my eyes burnt and shut on its own. I was no longer in the cemetery, I found myself standing in a tunnel with a beam of light at its end. I ran towards the light and stepped into a forest which was ancient. The trees thick and old, roots tangled into each other. Previously it might have been occupied with animals and enchanted with birds-songs, but now it seems deserted with a dreary stream in the middle of the jungle. Just beside the river was a board which read “The forest of silence”. That must be the name of the forest. The vision gradually faded away, and I was back into the cemetery.

“Your daughter is there”, the ghost reverberated.

What is Lisa doing in such a frightful place? Did this ghost fool me? Questions overloaded my mind. I did not know anymore if I was glad to find her or not. Did something happened to her?.

“Are you playing with me, Sir Patrick? I asked.

“No” he simply said before vanishing.

“What is she doing there? Where is that place even situates?” I hooted, but Sir Patrick, did not show up again? I wanted so badly to use my power to force him into answering all my questions but, my heart prevented me from stepping low. I will find that place on my own or if I fail to do so, Amanda will help me. Both convinced and optimistic, I left to acquire some knowledge about my mystery forest.