whispers of a forgotten soul

The shaman's fire still danced in my mind , even long after it had vanished. I asked her what she meant , what they had marked me for but she only turned away , whispering prayers under her breath as if afraid to say more. So l left . I walked back down the dusty road in silence , the world around me felt strangely quite. Too quite . And when l passed a group of villagers , not one of the turned to look at me ... even when l whispered hello to them .

Suddenly l couldn't hear there voice clearly but the only thing l saw was there mouth moving , talking to each other and laughing. I continued with my journey thinking that all is going to be well when l reached home. I finally managed to get home even though it was hard to catch a bus because it was on a weekend. The first person I saw was my dad. I could not hide my joy and went straight to hug him . My dad is my world. That how l usually describe him . He never made me to feel empty ever since my mum died .

"Where are you from sweetheart, it a weekend isn't it ?" ,he asked. "Dad l went to my friend's house to revise with her, as you know the final year exams is near and l want to make you proud " , l said. I knew lying it not a good thing. But that was a white lie . I will compensate it later , l said to myself. Every time my dad comes back from his business trip he always brings us presents. Me and my brothers. And this time too , l still got a present like always.

I went to my room after we had our family dinner. It was time for me to go to bed as tomorrow was school. "The day was long today " l said to myself as l closed my eyes. When l was walking to school, l saw something really strange happening, the trees were leaning in . I didn't want to react to it and l turned on a blind eye on it and walked away. I decided that l was going to narrate everything that happened to the shaman's place to my deskmate. But when l arrived in the classroom, she was not there. It was strange , since she always comes early and she never misses school even when she is sick .

The teacher came in and he started teaching us . It was mathematics. The subject that l hate with every bone in my body. I decided to raise my hand up and ask something about solving a quadrateral problem. He seemed shocked to see me." I thought you were absent today, when did you come in class ? ", he asked. I was shocked to hear that. Wasn't l visible all this time. I said to myself.

It was Lunch time now . They were no lessons during this time . I decided to go to the school canteen and have something to eat. We had to queue up inoder to be served. The line was long this time around. Suddenly l felt something pushing me backwards and l stepped on someone's shoe . I turned around to say sorry to her but she seemed like nothing ever happened to her . I decided to speak to her but l felt that l did not exist in her world.

I trembled with fear inside me. I got out of the line and stood somewhere alone trying to calm myself down. Then l decided to touch a random girl's hand who was walking past me to see if am exaggerating. My hands felt cold and empty as if l just tried to catch the air. I ran to the bathroom crying and trembling with fear on what was going on right now.

Am l fading ?. Am l dead already?, l said to myself . l started panicking not knowing what to do, then suddenly l saw a boy in the mirror. He is the same one who appeared to me last time . He came closer but this time his facial expression said something different. It was a comforting one . He didn't came to scare me this time around.

The mirror was our only barrier this time too . He smiled and said " You're starting to see our world more clearly.....soon , it will be the only one you know ."