Spirits, or what people usually referred to as ghosts, are something that has always been with us since ancient times. Some people are gifted to see them. However, most of us can’t see them without training. And without seeing them, we won’t believe. People only believe what they see, after all.

However, I assure you, spirits are real. Spirits are always there. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they are not real. Just like people of ancient ages who can’t see bacteria or those who can’t see stars further than eyes can see, there are limits to our technology. Similarly, even though the current technology can’t prove the existence of supernatural beings, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

In the future, if we can develop technology so everyone can see them just like how a microscope helps us seeing micro beings, I believe everyone will believe it too. That being said, I still can’t prove their existence yet.

-Raleigh Von Vlad

A fateful encounter. That was a term commonly used to easily describe a meeting where the world stopped turning, where the wind suddenly blew, where electricity ran through your body, and when you felt that everything was right. “…at least, that’s how I want to describe our meeting. Alright, alright, I am exaggerating, but seriously, yesterday, when our eyes meet, I really thought that you are my fateful one.” The girl could only blink as she heard it. There was nothing she could do or say. Her mind went blank instantly. She couldn’t think anything at all. “What’s your name?” “…Mir.” Well, at least she still knew her name. Her name was Mir. Her full name was Miracle Angeliva. She always hated her name. Because of her unique name, she was being bullied in her school. Even now, some girls locked her in one of the stalls in the toilet after they drenched her from top to the bottom. “Mir, huh? Is that your full name? No? Well, nice to meet you, Mir.” “…” Mir stared at the existence in front of her. She had a secret she never told anyone. Not even her parents. Well, actually, she had a lot of secrets she didn’t want her parents to know. For example, the bullying she received in her school because of her name. She never told that to her parents. After all, her parents were the ones who gave her the name. And that name was not without meaning. The fact that she could be born into this harsh world was because of a miracle. Her mother was sickly ever since she was young. Her body was frail. And when she was pregnant, the doctor told her that it would be dangerous to her and her baby. The chance that they would die would be high, to the point that if one of them survived, it could be called a miracle. Her mother, however, obstinately insisted to give birth to Mir. And against all odds, Mir was born without any problems. Her mother was also safe. The doctor couldn’t believe it as well, and so, they said that it was really a miracle within a miracle. And that was why her name was Miracle. As for Angeliva, it was because her parents thought they heard the voice of an angel when she cried for the first time. And so, Angelic voice became Angeliva. This meaningful name, however, was thought of as a weird and ugly name by her classmates. Ever since she was in elementary school, her friends already bullied her because of this name. That, and also, because Mir was a taciturn and gloomy girl by nature. So, they bullied her almost every day. Oh, and in addition to that, Mir never tattled to the teachers or her parents about this bullying, so the bullies kept bullying her without fear of repercussion. Anyway, the bullying was one of the secrets that Mir never wanted her parents to find out. And the other secret was the fact that she could see something that others couldn’t see. And that something was ghosts. That was right. Mir could see ghosts. And naturally, she knew that the existence in front of her was a ghost. Weirdly, this ghost was not like other ghosts. The other ghosts usually just floated in the sky without a single care about the world or they attacked her to possess her body. She knew how to defend against them, however. As long as she kept her will strong, no ghosts could possess her body. As for retaliating, she never wanted to do it. She did it once. She swatted the ghosts with her hand like she swatted a fly. That, however, incited the anger of the ghosts and they became even more aggressive. They swarmed around her and they made her couldn’t see anything but the ghosts around her. She tried to fight back, tried to run, and tried her best to tell them to back off. Well, in the end, the ghosts backed off. However, the price she had to pay was the weird gazes she received from other people as she was in a public space when that happened. That was why she never wanted to retaliate against the ghosts ever again. Also, ghosts reacted to her negative emotions. If she was angry, sad, or anything like that, the ghosts would be attracted and started attacking her. She didn’t know the reason, but she felt that her negative emotion fed the ghosts and they became even more aggressive and stronger. So, when she was bullied like just now when her negative emotion reached the peak, the ghosts would attack her. As usual, she wanted to endure the storm of ghosts until her emotion stabilized. However, before she noticed it, all the ghosts had disappeared. In exchange for all the ghosts that disappeared, a single ghost was floating in front of her eyes and it tried to communicate with her. “That’s right! Yesterday, when I saw you, I felt like I was hit by a bolt of lightning! And I felt like time was slowing down! And then, a gust of wind blew out of nowhere. Before I knew it, you had disappeared, so I was looking for you since yesterday. Well, I’m so glad that I can see you here now. Oh right, do you think that phenomenon is something you called falling in love? Well, I don’t feel my heart skips, I don’t have a heart after all! So, do you think it’s love? What do you think?” “…” Mir blinked. She didn’t know whether she should respond or not. In the first place, it was the first time a ghost talked to her without trying to possess her body. Usually, she could only hear something like— “Braiiiiiinnnnnnnn~” Or, “Wheeerrreeee iiisssss myyy heeeaaadddd~~?” It was the first time a ghost was so talkative that she didn’t know what to do or what to say. “Oh, Mir, you are bullied? Why did they bully you? Well, I don’t know why people bullied others, but I think you should fight back. Hm? Oh, you said with your personality, you won’t fight back no matter what?” “…” I never said anything like that! Mir wanted to retort like that, but her words were stopped when they reached the tip of her tongue. What if the ghost tried to incite the negative emotion inside her so it became stronger? “Anyway. Should I punish them for bullying you? After all, now that I consider you as my friend, not to mention my fateful one, I can be angry in your place, right?” “…don’t.” For the first time, Mir reacted to the ghost. The ghost smirked. No, the ghost didn’t smirk at all. Actually, Mir couldn’t see its face. After all, based on her experience, she noticed that there were two types of ghosts. One, those that could be seen in movies. Those types of ghosts usually had a human-like figure. And usually, those ghosts were far stronger than the other type. After all, she only saw them in a haunted place, a place where no one got out of that place unscathed. As for the second type, it was the type that looked like will-o-wisp. It looked like a ball of fire. Floating absentmindedly in the air. The ball of fire didn’t actually have a face. So, Mir couldn’t see their expression. However, she got the feeling that the ball of fire was smirking when she replied to it. “Finally, you talk again! I’ve been talking by myself for fifteen minutes with you reacting to nothing! The only time you spoke was when you unconsciously mentioned your name! Anyway, Mir, nice to meet you!” “…” Mir looked at the ghost without saying anything again. “Oh, come on, why can’t you greet me back? Just saying, ‘nice to meet you too’ is fine, you know? Hmmm, what should I do to make you talk? Right, by the way, why won’t you let me punish those bullies?” “…” “You won’t tell me why? So, is it alright to punish those bullies? Oh, right, if you don’t answer, I will burn this school down to punish those bullies.” “…please don’t.” Mir finally spoke again. She shook her head and she sighed. She didn’t want to talk with the ghost at all. However, if faced with a threat like that, it couldn’t be helped. She had to talk or else the ghost would burn the school and it would be her fault. “Alright, alright, I won’t burn this school as long as we keep the conversation flows. What do you think?” “…nn.” Mir nodded. “So, Mir, right? What are you going to do now? They locked you here. Need my help to get out?” “…” Mir shook her head. “Oh, you don’t need my help. So, why don’t you return to your class? It should be time for your class, right?” “…” Mir nodded. “…” “…” “…” “…I’m gonna burn this school~” “…don’t.” “I said we keep the conversation flow, but why do I keep talking to myself? Alright, I know you responded with a nod or a shake of your head, but that’s not how a conversation flows, alright?” “…sorry. Not used… to it.” “Hm? You are not used to talking? Don’t you have any friends… well, naturally, you don’t have any friends. How about your family? You talk to your father, mother, and siblings, right?” “…like this.” “Oh, so we have a taciturn girl here. Well, alright. So, you are going to stay here, huh? Right, do you want to ask—” “…achoo.” “—a question… wait, even your sneeze was so soft? And you are still using ellipsis!? No, not that! More importantly… you are soaked, huh? Even your underwear could be seen. No wonder you don’t want to get out." Mir slowly put her hands on top of her see-through clothes as she stared at the ghost. “Hm? Ah, oh, sorry. It’s not intentional, you see. Just like you, I never talked with others. No one could see me, you see. And if they could see me, usually they would try to exorcist me, you see. As for the other ghosts, well, as you could see from before, they would attack me if I talked to them. So, yeah, sorry, I don’t really know a lot of common sense besides what I learned from movies, comics, or books.” “…” Mir was still staring at the ghost, but the emotion behind her eyes had changed slightly. Mir was considered weird and the others besides her family ostracized her. The ghost was weird compared to the other ghosts, so it was ostracized by the other ghosts. Not that the other ghosts were socializing though. Comparing their background, Mir found that they were both had a similar background. “Anyway, you’ll catch a cold if you stay in those clothes. I’m going to grab some clothes nearby, alright?” “…don’t.” Mir stopped the ghost as it went halfway through the door. “…I’m alright.” Mir spoke again. “How could you be alright? Isn’t it cold? It’s almost winter, right? Not that I remember how cold felt, but, well, cold is uncomfortable, right? Right?” “…name?” “Hey, I know you try to change the topic! Well, whatever. Suit yourself. Oh, right, name, huh? Honestly, I don’t remember my name. Actually, I don’t remember anything!” The ghost laughed. “It seems that I have died for centuries, so my memories are lost with time. Well, more importantly, I am now enjoying myself, so my past is not really important. After all, if I can’t remember, that means they are not important, right?” The ghost laughed again. “…Mr. Ghost?” “Ah, wait, as I said, I don’t remember anything at all. I don’t know whether I am a male ghost or a female ghost. Well, most ghosts are genderless, so, just call me with a new name. Hm, what kind of name do you think will fit me?” “…Wonder?” “Wonderful… No! What kind of name was that? Don’t you think that giving a name like ‘Wonder’, ‘Super’, ‘Miracle’, ‘Invincible’, ‘Spider’, or something like that was extremely lazy? Just add man or woman behind them and you will be Superheroes!” “…” Mir looked away. “…wait, don’t tell me… Mir… Mira… Miracle? Ahaha… that can’t be, right?” The ghost noticed her depression as it felt her emotion sunk. “…” Mir looked even more depressed when the ghost guessed it right. “…Ahahaha! Wonder, what a wonderful name! Nice to meet you Mir! Ahahaha!” “…”