One
A usual afternoon, the sunset dyed the maple leaves red. There were two girls sitting on a rock on the other side of the football field. The sunset was behind them, making them look like black silhouettes. I picked up a maple leaf from the ground, tore it into pieces, and threw them away. The pieces of the maple leaf melt into the twilight, the bright red light you would see when there was a carnage.
There were noises on the other side of the filed. People started to move toward the sound, like ants that smelled their rotten food.
She was lying on the ground, eyes wide open, looking at the sky. The violent collision when she hit the ground made her face distorted. Rays of the sunset shone on her face. She looked like a geisha with too much make-up.
I stood behind the crowds, looking at her. She’s dead. I said to myself. Her eyes went through all the people, staring at me. I heard people around talking. Words of hatred or pity became thick fogs, suffocating me. I ran away from the crowd, like a deserter.
Two
A month ago, Lily called me at midnight when I was studying in the library.
“Come back to the dorm. We’re having a meeting now. There are ghosts in our home.”
When I got to the dorm, all the other seven girls were there.
“I found this in my drawer.” Lily said to me and showed a pair of rotten headphones.
“Our foods in the refrigerator sometimes disappear.” Daisy looked frightened.
I couldn’t believe all my roommates were educated college students yet still believed in ghosts. “We all know the security system in this building. No one could ever break in without letting us know.” If it was a ghost, it should be a ghost among us.
"My grandma used to tell me, those people who raise ‘little devils’ would accidentally drop food on the floor, and as the little devils are eating them, the food would be rotting quickly. The food I put in the refrigerator used to be fine even after half a month, but these days they turn bad just after two days. We need to take some actions.” Naomi finally spoke. She was my direct roommate. We lived in the same room. Today she looked strange. I felt there was a transparent wall between her and me.
I went back to my room. I was sick of such conversations.
The next morning, I realized my necklace had gone.
Three
Naomi scattered salt in front of every four rooms. She also hanged four crosses on each of the four doors. "If footprints appear on the salt, there must be ghosts in our dorm. Be careful not to step on the salt.” She said.
“I heard from my friend today this building is built on the site of a burial ground,” When all the girls were in the living room in the evening, Lily started talking, “He also told me, there was a girl who hanged herself, right here in our dorm.”
The rest of us didn't talk. They must be afraid. I thought. They were drunk. I was the only one awake.
“Naomi, I have something to tell you.” I whispered in her ears, when she was cutting a raw salmon.
We went back to our room.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t tell you I have a needle camera installed above my desk.”
The air was frozen. She stared at me. We hadn’t talked with each other for two months. I guess she would not say a word this time as well.
“Did you wear it to the party?” I asked. She knew she would never be able to afford that necklace.
“I lost it.” She murmured. The air froze around her. She was shivering.
Four
I heard there was a girl. Her previous life was full of of jade clothes sewn with gold threads. Her this life was blood all over the place. In the next life, she would return to her home country, with only a piece of white cloth covering her body.
She would never know the necklace was a fake.
Naomi, it was not my fault.