Esra jolted awake, breathing heavily. “You alright dear?” Her aunt was turned towards her from the driver's seat with one arm outstretched, she looked stunned by Esra’s reaction. Esra glances out the front window to see the car was parked outside her house in the driveway. “I'm okay... just a bad dream” Esra sat up and sat correctly in her seat. “Thanks for the drive auntie” Esra smiles weakly at her aunt before opening the back seat door and stepping out. “You’re welcome… Call me if you need me, okay?” Esra nodded and closed the car door. As she walked towards the front door she didn’t hear the car pulling out of the driveway. She turned to look at the car and saw her aunt with both hands on the steering wheel staring at her with worried eyes. Esra waved ‘bye’ to her aunt. Aunt Ruth waved back with a slight smile, placed her hands back on the steering wheel, then began convulsively slamming her head against the wheel with a wide-eyed smile crossing her face. Esra stepped back in horror as she witnessed her aunt's forehead becoming a bloody mush of smooched skull and brain. She could almost hear the laughs beaming from her aunt's mouth through the car.

“Esra!” A muffled yell came from the car. After a blink everything was as it was. Her aunt wasn’t smiling at all but calling her name and waving worriedly. Esra turned and sped walked to the front door, quickly opened it, and shut it once she arrived back into safety. They must’ve forgotten to lock the door when they left for the funeral. Esra locked the door with shaky hands and looked around at the house. It’d been awhile since she’d really looked at the place. The kitchen had a full trash can with takeout boxes and bottles almost pouring out, there were also filled bags next to the trash can, the dishes piled above the brim of the sink, and the place reeked from the old trash bags. The living room had bottles and wine glasses on the coffee table and floor, all empty.

Esra couldn't take the stench so she retreated to her room. When she looked around her room was similarly messy, although not with any bottles. There were stacks of dishes and old food on her dresser, a few boxes next to her dresser in the farthest corner from the door on her right side filled with her fathers things, and then to her left there was her closet which was precariously left cracked open. The door drifted slightly back and forth, and a small light faintly flickered through the crack. Esra walked towards her bed in the middle and sat down on the edge, oblivious to the peculiar light. When looking towards her door dad’s piano sat dusty in the corner to her left.

He would play so wonderfully when Esra was younger, and he taught her some songs but she regrettably didn’t take much interest in learning an instrument of any kind. He usd to say how it was such a shame she didn’t enjoy playing piano because her long fingers were perfect for it. As Esra stared intently at the piano she noticed the faint flickering light in the corner of her eye. She turned her head seeing no light, but after a moment it came fading back. She slowly got off the bed, a low creek, then walked cautiously towards the closet door. She tip-toed slowly as she crept closer and closer. She peeked through the crack of the door to see a thin translucent boy curled up in a ball. She leaned closer, which caused the door to creak loudly. The boy looked up with cold dead eyes. 

Esra was so exhausted her mind couldn’t think, her body wouldn't take action, and she stood blankly staring at the strange boy. His eyes stared just as blankly at her eyes until a small glimmer appeared in his eyes. “You aren’t afraid?” He spoke softly. Esra shook her head as she broke eye contact. She raised her hand to rub her tired eyes but the boy flinched so she paused. She slowly continued raising her hand to rub her eyes before opening the closet door fully. The boy stared intently at her every action. Esra crouched down to his level and examined him for a moment. “What… are you?” The boy was a tad surprised at her question, then a perplexed expression came over his face. “I don’t know…” Esra had expected a better answer than that.

Esra sat down more casually with her legs sprawled and head sitting back on the wall. The boy uncurled himself into a criss-cross position and stared at her. Esra glanced at the piano before looking up at her ceiling. “I don’t know what I am either” Esra sighed as she closed her eyes. “Well you’re human aren’t you?” The boy kept staring at Esra as she opened her eyes.

“I guess… I don’t feel like it though”

“What do you feel like?”

“Invisible. Crazy? A burden… I don’t know”

“Well you aren’t any of those things”

“How do you know?”

“Well I can see you clearly. Crazy… well I just don’t think you’re crazy just tired. Also, How could you be a burden?”

“You know nothing about me or what I am”

“I have good intuition… sometimes”

Esra looked at the bruised eye infecting the boy's face. He turned and tilted his head slightly to hide the bruise.

“Where’s that from?”

“I can’t remember”

Esra nodded once and turned away. The boy looked a tad uncomfortable before speaking out.

“Could you tell me about your memories?” 

It was a strange question, one Esra hadn’t expected, but she thought about it. What kind of memory could she tell?

“If I tell you one, can you tell me your name?”

The boy nodded in agreement, so she began her memory of her father’s last moments, his last breath, his last blink, his very last…

I remember it like it was yesterday. I had just come home from school. I walked through the door and waved at my mom on the phone with her coworker/best friend, Sammy, they would gossip lots. She was laughing at something Sammy had said, most likely a joke about one of their other coworkers. I went into my room and set my backpack down before plopping onto my bed. It was warm in my room as the sun shone in. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and messaged friends and scrolled through posts. Moms laughter echoed through the house. After a while I put my phone down, sat up, took my shoes off, and went outside my room. I went into the kitchen for a snack after staring into the fridge for a while then the pantry, and again in the fridge. Moms phone rang.

“Hold on, I'll call you back!” Mom hung up after finishing up her laughter.

“Hello? Yes, this is her…” Moments of silence drifted.

“I’ll be right there.” Tears welled and her voice cracked.

“Mom?” I was so confused. She had a panic in her eyes I’d never seen before. She scurried gathering her things and getting her shoes on. She opened the door, didn’t even close it, and ran to the car. I ran behind her worried. My heart pounded.

“Mom, what's wrong?”

I made it in time to get into the car with her. No shoes. No phone.

“Your father… something happened… he’s in the hospital'' She took sharp panicked breaths between words. I felt my whole body get chills and my stomach dropped. Tears filled my eyes. I kept thinking “He’s gotta be okay, he can’t die. He just can’t”.

At the hospital we couldn't see him right away. They said something to my mother about having to identify him. When she spoke to the doctor she kept saying “We were too late…” in between shrieks and wails. She was on the floor as nurses tried to calm her from causing a scene. I stood unknowing of what to do. My mind was blank. He was dead. Gone.

“Excuse me miss, do you need help?” A nurse came up to me unknowing of the current situation.

I stared at her tears streaming down “He’s dead… isn’t he?”

She looked a bit uncomfortable. She quietly apologized before walking away quickly. My mothers screams filled my thoughts as I stared into space.

He had died in a fire at his job. The building exploded then collapsed. He must’ve been unrecognizable. Things between us weren’t the best when he died. Him and mom got into a nasty argument, it was something about the lack of time they spent together. My mom wanted him gone, his things were packed and he was at his parents house. It was supposed to just be a break, but that break turned permanent caused by life and death. I never even got to say good-bye properly. When mom kicked him out she was too busy yelling for him to be able to say bye to me. Mom started packing everything by throwing and slamming things into boxes. She had them sitting out in the living room, but after he died I put them in here. 

“It’s been a month and I still feel stuck in that moment. My mothers screams are ringing in my ears. I try to drown it out by thinking of  the good times… but I can’t control it. I can’t control anything.” Esra curled up and closed her eyes.

“I’m so sorry about your loss…”

“It’s not for you to be sorry about”

“Marco”

“Hm? What?”

“My name… you told me a memory so I gave you my name”

“Oh… thanks. Esra” She put her hand out and lifted her head to look at Marco. They shook hands with a silent understanding of one another. They sat in silence for a while. Esra’s mind was quiet for once, she felt at peace. The silence broke with the sound of the front door opening and slamming shut. Mom was home. Her heart sank and her mind was as chaotic as ever. When she looked over Marco was gone. “Marco?” She whispered as she called out to him. She saw a faint glow from under her bed. He was hiding. Esra stood a little more calm knowing he was still here. She wanted to go under the bed with him, but couldn't bring herself to do it. BAM! Her mother had slammed something. A loud shatter came soon after. Esra started fidgeting with her fingers as her heart raced. Her mother was a beast when she wasn’t drunk.

“ESRA!” Her mother called. Esra walked slowly over to her door. Her head was pounding from how hard her heart was racing. Her eyes were forming tears but she forced them back. Her lungs felt like they weren't getting enough air. She opened the door slowly and stepped out. When she turned her head an empty bottle was scattered across the floor and her mother was rampaging the kitchen for fresh sustenance. “DAMNIT!” Her mother was cursing and her eyes were red from crying and rage. Esra slowly made her way closer until her mother saw her about to cross the threshold of the hallway into the kitchen and living room. “There were six bottles… yet none are here” Her mother kept an accusatory tone as Esra kept silent. “I can get you more if you want.” Esra mumbled. “I shouldn’t have to buy more you little thief!” Esras mom stomped towards Esra then shoved her out of the way before heading to Esras room. Esra walked behind her worrying for Marco. Even if they just met it was the first person she’d really talked to about how she’s feeling… well kinda a person. Her mom threw the door open so harsh the knob left a hole in the wall. Esra saw a faint light still under the bed as her mother searched her room. Esras worry shifted from the ghostly boy to her fathers possessions as her mom started throwing his things out of the box. “Wait! Stop that!” Esra rushed over to grab her mother. When she barely even touched her mother she received a crisp slap to the face. They stared at one another in shock. Her mom mumbled “I’m gonna go to the store” and left quickly.

Esra stood still with tears streaming.