by John Stone
“She was asking about Mr. Gallagher?” Emily acted surprised.
“You didn’t know about it?” Scott narrowed his eyes while uttering the words.
“What made you think that I knew about it?” Emily got nervous every second and anxiety started creeping in.
“I saw you looking at him with a strange look in your eyes during class, and it was right after Grace left. I didn’t pay much attention to it, but when Arnold told me the reason why Grace wanted to meet him, it got me thinking. In fact, it’s not just me. Michael was asking me if you and Grace had a falling out. I avoided the question, because I know that’s not true.”
“Now, if you still don’t want to tell me what it is, then there is nothing else for me to say. But in case you do, then I’ll try and assist you in whatever problem you are having.” Scott looked sincere and assured Emily that his words were true. For once, she knew that he was being honest about it.
“Scott, I understand that you are trying to be helpful. I know you mean well, but there is nothing that I can say or divulge to you at this time, so please understand,” Emily painstakingly said.
“But I’m concerned about Grace and you, too. We’re friends and…” Scott’s phone rang out loudly and some of the people sitting around made a sound of irritation. He looked at his phone, and then abruptly cut his conversation short. “Emily, I have to go, but just think about what I said.”
Emily was left alone, but she didn’t have the heart to leave the library. She sat there by herself for a while. She was almost lost in her own thoughts when a soft, melancholic voice called out her name.
“Emily,” the voice murmured.
She thought it was an illusion, but when the name was called out twice, she looked up slowly. Emily didn’t know the person who was standing in front of her, so she asked, “How do you know my name? I don’t recognize you.”
As soon as Emily uttered those words, she remembered seeing the young girl before. It was the green eyes that she recalled. “Wait, I have seen you before, here in the library. How do you know me,” Emily questioned?
Last time, the cold stare of the green-eyed girl had given her the creeps. This time wasn’t much different either. She had an odd manner about her, but she looked just like a regular person.
“I know everyone around here,” the girl answered her, “and not just you.” Her voice was slick and cold.
“I don’t know you, so I’m not the person whom you are looking for,” Emily said. Then, she pretended to be immersed in her books.
“Can I ask you a question,” the woman asked?
Emily wasn’t too comfortable in answering, yet she obliged the woman. “Go ahead,” she said, not knowing what question she might be asked.
“You look troubled,” the woman said instead of asking a question.
Emily looked at her with an annoyed expression. She had enough of strange questions and remarks. All day long she had been answering to people about her troubles. So she replied roughly, “That’s not a question, and it’s none of your business.”
“Yes, it is,’’ the woman replied calmly. She didn’t seem to be bothered by Emily’s rough behavior at all. In fact, she became even more persistent.
Somehow, Emily wasn’t able to maintain the rough façade with this girl. There was something different about her. The calmness that the woman possessed affected Emily, as well. She sat down across from Emily and looked her in the eye.
“I don’t think I want to speak to you now,” Emily tried reasoning.
“But I haven’t even asked you the question yet. Do you believe in ghosts and spirits,” the woman asked?
“What kind of silly question is this? Why do you want to know that? Who are you?”
By this time, Emily was annoyed. Yet, the unlikely appearance of the green-eyed girl scared her. One student from the other corner of the room looked over at Emily and had a curious look on his face. Emily wondered the reason, but she didn’t pay much attention to him. The woman was still waiting for her to answer, but Emily didn’t.
“I asked you something,” she said again.
“I fail to understand why you want to know that. I hardly know you and I don’t want to answer any more questions, so please just leave me alone,” Emily requested for the final time, raising her voice slightly.
The woman didn’t get up, but remained seated. Then, she leaned in closer towards Emily and said, “I care to know whether you believe in ghosts and spirits, because very soon you will see one.”
Emily was shocked; she looked at the woman sitting opposite her in bewilderment. Then, Emily looked around her to see if anyone was watching them. Emily calmed herself down, and then suggested that the woman leave her alone.
“You seem to be unfazed by what I’m saying,” the green-eyed girl said, even more calmly than before.
“Whatever you’re saying doesn’t make any sense to me. Moreover, you are starting to bother me. You’re asking me stuff that I don’t want to answer. Are you even real,” Emily cried out?
“You don’t believe that I’m real,” the woman questioned?
Emily thought it was just a joke when she said it. “Are you new here? That’s what I meant.” Emily was freaked out by the apparent lack of understanding that the woman was showing.
"You asked me if I was real, didn’t you? And I am saying that I am real, even beyond your imagination,” the woman said with an aura of confidence.
Emily noticed a few stray eyes looking at her, and she thought it was because of her raised voice. However, she noticed something else. The woman looked older, probably in her graduate years. Yet, Emily didn’t remember seeing her on campus.
“You want to know which year of study I’m in,” the woman said, breaking Emily’s chain of thought.
Those words hit Emily like a bolt of lightning. “You couldn’t know what I was thinking. Who are you? Please tell me who you are?”
The woman didn’t answer and Emily was starting to lose her cool. She pushed back her chair and got up. The woman remained sitting calmly, not even batting an eyelid.
“I have to go ... I can’t stay here anymore,” Emily managed to say and bolted out of the section. She hit someone on her way out and it spun her around. She wasn’t looking where she was headed, so she slowed down and prepared to apologize. “I am so…” Emily’s words were left unfinished, because standing in front of her was the old librarian.
It wasn’t Mr. Mitchell. It was someone she was warned about before. She’d also seen her before. The old librarian gave her a gentle smile and tried to reach out for her. Emily took a step backwards, and then three more steps back until she stumbled into a table. The way out was blocked and by this time, Emily knew it was the ghost of the former librarian standing in her way. She was reaching out to hold her hand. Emily tried to dismiss the whole thing, but her mind said otherwise.
“It’s not possible. It’s not real. You cannot be real!” Emily kept stammering. “Go away ... is this a joke? This must be a joke, a sick joke that you’re playing.” Emily went on blabbering, but her words were beginning to choke in her throat. “Go away, go away, go away,” she tried to scream out, but words failed to come out.
The librarian didn’t move and there was a ghastly look about her. The eyes looked expressionless and dead. Her body was sickly thin. Upon closer inspection, Emily realized that the person standing in front of her wasn’t even human. It was impossible to believe and Emily’s mind went blank. Her palms became sweaty, and she tried to retreat away from the ghostly apparition. She couldn’t say a word. Her throat was parched, just like during those dreams she always had.
This is just a dream, she tried to tell herself. I’m being silly. This can’t be real. That green-eyed woman was lying. I can’t be seeing a ghost; this is not a ghost. Emily licked her lips to moisten them and tried to cling on to the words she was saying in her mind. All her efforts were crumbling down like a tattered pile of bricks.
The librarian made no movemen
t or showed sign of backing off. Emily felt a chill behind her back. Her nerves began to shake tremendously. Her eyes started to get cloudy and her heartbeat increased to a thunderous level. Her legs gave away under her weight and Emily felt that she might pass out. Emily managed to find her voice, and gave out a loud shriek. She cried for help before passing out into complete darkness.
Emily floated in the black abyss for an indeterminate amount of time. It felt comfortable and all her worries were annihilated. She didn’t have a care in the world, and it reminded her of childhood. Yet, that warm space of peace was soon annihilated once more. Emily woke up in the doctor’s chambers with a nurse sitting beside her bed.
“Nurse Sonnen,” she asked, looking into the nurse’s familiar face? “What happened?” Emily’s voice was feeble. She tried to get up, but her head was beating too fast, making her weak. She rested back in the bed.
“You don’t remember what happened to you,” Nurse Sonnen asked kindly?
Emily lay quietly in the college resting center. She noticed that she was given IV drops. The dizziness was still there, and she felt a surge of nausea rising from her belly.
“Don’t move too much,” Nurse Sonnen pleaded. “Stay put,” she urged.
“What happened to me? Who brought me here? The last thing I remember I was in the library … and then…” Emily suddenly remembered what happened in the library and didn’t finish her sentence. The memory made her shudder and she closed her eyes in pain.
“Are you all right,” Nurse Sonnen probed, looking down at her thoughtfully? Emily didn’t say a thing, and her silence made Nurse Sonnen more nervous. She asked, “Should I call Dr. Cline to check on you once more?”
“No, just tell me who got me here. I need to know what happened,” Emily begged.
“Relax, Emily. You are stressed, so don’t over work yourself.” Nurse Sonnen laid a motherly hand on Emily’s shoulder.
“I asked you something, Nurse Sonnen. Please answer me that,” Emily pleaded for the second time. She wanted to be sure that what she saw was real and not just an illusion.
“I will tell you, but first you need to completely relax. Can you do that,” Nurse Sonnen asked firmly.
“I can do that,” Emily promised, but a little tear escaped her eyes.
It didn’t go unnoticed by Nurse Sonnen. Therefore, she didn’t delay in telling Emily what actually happened. “Mr. Mitchell gave me a call, and there were two first-year students who got you here,” Nurse Sonnen stated.
“What did they say,” Emily persisted, wanting to know more?
“Mr. Mitchell called me and said that they heard a loud shriek, more like someone was afraid, and they went over to inspect what had happened. You were lying there unconscious, but there was no one there with you. They looked around, but you were alone. There were very few students in the library at that time, and all were sitting at other ends of the room. They didn’t see anyone approaching or leaving. So, it was assumed that you passed out due to stress. Someone did question why you shrieked so loudly. Nothing was determined, so everyone is waiting and eager to know what actually happened. You were unconscious for about twenty minutes and your heart beat was rapid, but other than that, you are fine. There is nothing serious to worry about,” Nurse Sonnen stated. She told Emily each fact very carefully, so as not to make her overly anxious.
“Are they waiting to know what happened,” Emily softly asked. “But what do I say?” The incident wasn’t pleasant for Emily. She was at a loss of knowing the appropriate explanation she should provide.
Nurse Sonnen seemed to have comprehended that something was not right about the situation. “You don’t have to say anything that you don’t want, but I hope that it is nothing serious. You can tell me if you want.”
Emily wanted to tell someone what had happened. The incident was too much for her to keep to herself, but she wasn’t sure if she could trust Nurse Sonnen with the truth. It was still unreal to imagine it herself.
“You don’t have to,” the nurse assured her. “Just rest for a while and call me if you need me. I will be just outside the door.” Nurse Sonnen stroked her hair gently, and then tucked her in with the cover. After that, she moved towards the door to exit the room.
“Nurse Sonnen, please wait. Don’t go.” Emily stopped her.
“What is it?”
“Don’t tell anyone anything, please!” Emily pleaded in a grieving tone.
“But you didn’t tell me anything, Emily.”
“Just tell them, it was fatigue and I lost consciousness due to that. I don't want to say anything.”
“But eventually they will want to know and you will have to offer an explanation. For now, I will say what you want.” Nurse Sonnen left the room without saying anything more.
Emily turned to her side and sobbed. She hated to be pitied but she pitied herself for being so weak. She was embarrassed and that made her hate herself even more. Nurse Sonnen’s last words echoed in her mind.
Eventually they will want to know…
For the first time in her life, she wanted to run away. For a fleeting second, she had the urge to leave this place and head for the comforts of her home, where she would be looked after and cared for. It's where she would be safe and have nothing to worry about. That thought made her well up and she cried even harder.
Emily didn’t remember how long she cried, but she must have drifted off to sleep. She opened her eyes and batted her eyelids as the light in the room was too bright. Emily took some time to adjust to it. When she woke up, it was past 6:00 p.m. and Emily felt hungry.
“Nurse Sonnen! Nurse Sonnen!” Emily called, but no one came in.
So she pressed the switch beside her bed, which alerted the nurse outside. Nurse Sonnen came in a hurry, obviously thinking there might be an emergency, but seemed relieved to see that everything looked normal. Emily said she called her to inform her that she was feeling a lot better.
“You were sleeping like a baby, so I didn’t wake you up. If you want, we can let you go. Dr. Cline can check you one last time and you will be good to go,” Nurse Sonnen informed her.
While removing the covers and cleaning Emily up, the nurse wanted to know if she slept well. Emily replied that she felt much better.
“Just wait here,” the nurse said, “and I will call Dr. Cline for you.”
Doctor Cline was the college doctor and resided on the campus. He was kind and friendly and knew most of the students who visited him. Emily was already up and ready to go, preparing for Dr. Cline to walk through the door. She tried to act normal, so that the doctor would let her go with a minimal checkup and not probe too much into it. However, Nurse Sonnen came back with a different doctor.
“Emily, this is Dr. Cameron. She is new here and she will be checking on you. So, lie down please,” she ordered.
Emily didn’t move, because she was expecting Dr. Cline. She wanted to get through the process quickly but this was a complication she wasn’t expecting.
“What happened to Dr. Cline? I thought he was here when I first came in.” Emily wanted to know so badly that she forgot to greet the new Doctor.
Nurse Sonnen looked as if she wasn’t prepared to answer the question. She briefly mentioned, “Dr. Cline said that he had to leave, so Dr. Cameron took over. She will be checking on you.”
Emily looked at her intently and finally greeted the new doctor, “Hello, Dr. Cameron. It’s nice to meet you, but I haven’t seen you around. Are you new?”
“Hello Emily, I heard you were unconscious. Are you feeling better now?”
Dr. Cameron was warm and her words were comforting, but they didn’t soothe Emily's discomfort. Dr. Cameron seemed to overlook Emily’s questions and went on checking her. First, she checked her pulse rate, and then her eyes. Emily shifted a little, showing her impatience, but the doctor was unfazed. Emily wondered if it was on purpose.
“How long will this take?” Emily wanted to know.
Nurse Sonnen answered instead o
f the doctor. “You seem to be in a hurry,” the nurse observed. “Be patient. This will take a little time. We don’t want you falling sick again. We’re ultimately responsible for your overall health and well-being, you know.”
Emily thought that Nurse Sonnen’s behavior was cold and stiff, but as she was in a hurry to get out, Emily decided it was best for her to keep quiet.
“Now, you are fine, and you can leave.” Dr. Cameron gave Emily a clean bill of health. Then, she wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to her. “Here, take this. I have prescribed a vitamin for you along with a nerve soother. Take them before you sleep, and tomorrow you will be ready to go.”
Emily meekly thanked both Nurse Sonnen and the new doctor and left the room. She wanted to make sure that Nurse Sonnen hadn’t told anybody about the incident, but she was already gone. So Emily continued on her way to get the medicines before going back to her dorm room. At the pharmacy counter, Emily handed the pharmacist her prescription and he started looking for them from a nearby shelf. While going through the bottles of different colors, he asked indifferently, “You fainted today?”
Emily stared at him without taking the medicines from his hand. Then, she asked him, “How did you know? Who told you about this?”
“I don’t remember who told me,” the pharmacist said, “because many people were discussing it. I must have overheard it. I don’t think anyone told me actually,” he said, but Emily was unsure.
“What were they talking about? Did you hear my name?”
“You know how people talk,” he said, leaning closer to Emily. “Some of the students saw you in the library talking to yourself and then they heard you scream and faint. So you were moved to see the doctor.” He quickly remembered to remain professional and changed the subject. “These medicines are nerve soothers, but you need to relax first.”
Emily heard the same advice countless times that day, but how could she relax until she sorted out the recent occurrences in her life.
“They heard me speaking to myself, but that’s not possible,” Emily told the pharmacist. “My friend, Scott, was there. Then I was speaking to this girl with green eyes and…” Emily stopped all of a sudden. She began to put the pieces of the puzzle together herself.