It was nearing midnight, and I was standing alone in front of a large, wrought-iron fence. A large, etched, steel sign on the fence read Ridley Graveyard - No Trespassers. Every time I came to the graveyard, this sign reminded me that what I was doing was illegal. But it didn't bother me; my midnight strolls through Ridley's were the only things that kept me sane in these trying times. The country was a mess, my girlfriend and I had just broken up, and I was in my final year of college, applying to med schools. I needed these walks. I needed the release they provided.
As I stood at the front gate, I felt a slight shiver go down my spine. It almost felt as if someone was watching me, but I knew that was impossible. The church nearby had been abandoned since the 70s, and the graveyard had fallen into unkempt disrepair shortly thereafter. What's more, this was the furthest point from the city; the nearest house was over 2 miles away.
Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. I knew I had nothing to be afraid of; as I said, there was no way another living human was around, and even if there was, I was a pretty imposing figure. I stood at 5'11", with fairly broad shoulders for a woman. I kept my dark hair short, too, so I was often mistaken for a man at a distance. A lesbian stereotype, I know. But I can't help it. I am who I am.
Taking a deep breath, I finally began opening the gates. The locks had come off easily the first time I'd come here, nearly three months ago. They had been rusted over after years of rain. With the gates open, I stepped inside, ignoring the little voice in my head telling me it was a bad idea.
I took a step into the graveyard and looked around. It was beautifully quiet. The only sound was a haunting wind whistling through the oak trees, which cast imposing shadows over the marble headstones that littered the grass. There was no discernible path, as the whole place had been overgrown with weeds, so I began walking in the general direction of the other exit.
As I walked, I admired the beautiful headstones around me. Most were ornate, with gorgeous marble busts depicting the inhabitants of the graves below. A handful, however, were simple marble blocks with names carved into them. I read the names out loud as I passed them. Jacob Williamson, 1876. Mary Guthrie, 1921. Susan Greenberg, 1893. All long forgotten, no doubt.
About halfway through the graveyard, I decided to take a break. There was a simple wooden bench underneath a large oak tree, so I sat down. I still couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me, so I pulled out my phone and starting writing a text to my best friend, Charlie.
Hey, man. Just wanted to let you know that I'm out at the graveyard. Got a spooky feeling- could I call you in a few minutes?
I waited a few minutes, but I didn't hear back from him, so I decided to just turn around and head back for my car. As I stood up, however, I heard a soft whisper in the wind. It was so faint that I almost didn't hear it, but I did.
"Wait," said the voice. Startled, I turned from where I had been sitting, looking around me. I didn't see anyone, but I knew that I hadn't just been hearing things.
"Is someone there?" I asked, feeling foolish for even asking the question. I figured if someone was going to attack me, I wasn't really going to get a polite response, was I?
To my surprise, however, the voice did answer. Politely, too. "Yes, I'm here. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." I could tell this time that the voice was female. She had an apologetic tone in her voice, but I couldn't find a face to assign the voice to.
Suddenly, she appeared. In front of me stood a young woman, probably in her early twenties like me. She was wearing loose-fitting jeans and a simple v-neck, with curly hair that fell just past her shoulders. I couldn't have told you what color the v-neck was, though. Her entire being was a translucent blue, just like how you see ghosts depicted in the movies.
I screamed as soon as she appeared. "What the fuck!?" Were the first words out of my mouth, and her eyes widened in response.
"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, putting her hands over her mouth. "I didn't mean to scare you at all."
"You didn't mean to scare me, yet you appeared out of fucking nowhere? Yeah right, I'm out of here," I snapped back, turning on my heels.
I had only taken two steps when I heard her shout. "Wait! Please! Just give me a second to explain!"
"Explain what?" Came my angry reply. "You're fucking stalking me in an abandoned graveyard and you look like a ghost. Nu-uh. I've seen enough movies to know this does not end well."
