Chapter 44: When The River Breathes
"Is that... is that you?"
The question seemed to echo in the quiet night, carried on the breeze and the steady stream of the river. Mikel turned to the male ghost, arching a brow as he studied the man from head to toe.
"N—no," the male ghost stuttered, eyes fixed on the body floating in the river. "This is not where I was drowned..."
Then, the rest of his words caught in his throat as a memory—a very clear one—flooded his mind.
A memory of him idling by this river, writing poem after poem in his notebook. He had been so immersed in his writing that he didn't notice the time. By the time he did, the sun was already setting. But as he packed up, one of his pens slipped into the river. When he tried to retrieve it, something grabbed his wrist, and before he knew it, he was pulled under the water, never to be seen again.
His mouth slackened, wide-eyed.
"It was... it's..." he trailed off, eyes still locked on the body floating in the river. "...me."
The female ghost and Mikel furrowed their brows, recalling the completely different story this ghost had told them. But then again, that had always been his wish—to have his body found.
Once more, the two of them turned their heads to the river where the body was drifting.
Not long after, the female ghost gasped as more bodies surfaced, one after another, unable to be swept away by the calm current.
"That's... that's a lot... of them," the female ghost murmured, covering her mouth, staring at the horror before her.