Wreaths hung on the side of a fence that outlined the road. I remembered an accident that occurred here a long while ago. There were football shirts hung with the wreaths, and flowers arranged politely on the pavement underneath them. Amongst it all there was a man. Sitting, leaning against the fence. I walked past him and heard him sigh behind me. I turned around. He looked lonely. I sighed. I should be going home. I turned back and crouched down and looked him in the eye.

       “Today the day you died?” I asked. He faced me and smiled, sad and aloof.        “Could ya guess?” The man looked in his late forties, kind eyes, wrinkly face. He had brown greying hair that was showing the beginning signs of baldness. He nodded for me to take a proper seat, so I did. Luckily I was wearing my tracksuit and not my school skirt. I put down my school bag and my Shinai case down and I sat cross-legged on the cold pavement. I waited for him to speak.

       “What do you have in there?” he asked pointing to my case.                                “A wooden sword,” I said. “For kendo. It’s called a Shinai.”                                    “Oh. What’s a kendo?”                                                                                                  “A sport. Like fencing but with wooden swords.”                                                    “Um… do you need help passing on?” I asked. I go through this path every day on the way to and from school and I’ve never noticed him sitting here.              “No, no, I’m good thanks. Just visiting for the day. Could use the company though. A bit lonely here.” I nod at him. I can afford to stay for a little while.

       We sat in silence for a while watching the cars go past. A large man both in height and belly lumbered towards us with a rather large bouquet. He placed it down at the ghost’s feet. He looked at me and asked “you family?” in a gruff voice. His bald head was covered by a cap that hung low over his face. I shook my head in response. The bald man nodded. “Huh.” He didn’t want to say anything else it seemed. He looked like he was about to spit at the ground then changed his mind. “I didn’t even know the guy,” he mumbled looking at the flowers he dropped on the floor, and then lumbered away from the direction he came from.

       The sun was setting down on us and I began to wish I brought a hat or something. I looked at my new friend. “Did you know him?” Sunlight hit the brown fence behind him illuminating the flowers on the floor a little. It went through the man, but made his hair shine a bit. He smiled at me, not a definite answer. We sat again in silence.

       “Maybe he was the guy who killed me?” he said suddenly.                                    “You don’t know?” I asked. He shook his head staring again at the cars driving past. “Traffic accident,” he said. I noticed he had a tooth missing when he smiled at me again. “I was walking home from a football match.” He looks up at the jerseys around him. They were from two different teams, in both their home and away colours. “I don’t even like football,” he chuckled. I looked at him curiously. He put two fingers facing downwards and made a ‘man walking’ figure. With his other hand he cupped it downwards and crashed into the walking man, while making car noises. I nodded in recognition.

       We stared at the cars again for a while after that. The sun glared at us and reminded me that I still had to go home. I stood up and gathered my belongings. "Um. Are you sure you don't need any help passing on?"                        "No, no, it isn't a problem. I've got my ticket back. But... you can do that?"        "Yeah," I said to him. "You would not be my first case."                                  
        "You use the sword?" 
        "Only if I have to." The ghost laughed a deep laugh. I thought it was a pity that no one else would be able to hear it. It was a good laugh.                                     "No need to worry, I'll be gone before sunrise tomorrow. If not and when you next see me, you can help me out then." 
        "Oh, goodbye then. I hope your day goes well and you seek what you are searching for." He nodded.                                                                                                 “Would do you good to smile once in a while kid. Look out for cars now and keep yourself safe.” I told him that I would. The car thing, not so much the smiling thing. 

        Then I looked left and right and crossed the road.