“Come on Via!” my friend, Jenna, called out.

The cold seeped into my bones and the wind whipped my hair in my face. White ghostly wisps dashed around me, their voices crying out. I pulled my jacket closer, hoping to keep in the last bits of warmth.

“Come on!” Jenna whined.
“Coming,” I mumbled.
I daintily stepped through the gravestones, careful not to touch anything. My keys clinked in my pocket as I walked to the car. My hands fumbled as I dug for the keys and unlocked the car.

“Finally!” I heard Jenna exclaim.
She hurriedly opened the door and got inside. I glanced at the cemetery one last time, thinking about my own dead family members. I then followed Jenna and sat in the soft warmth of the car.

“Thanks for coming with me today Via,” Jenna said.
“No problem,” I replied.
I felt dull. I had no feelings. I had nothing. My lifeline, my hope, was all gone. All life had been sucked out of me due to the last weeks events. I stared out the window, not wanting to leave the cemetery just yet.
“Are you alright?” Jenna asked, “ I know visiting my dead nana isn’t how you wanted to spend our Saturday but - “
I cut her off. “I need to go see someone.”
“What? Who- Oh. I’m sorry. I totally forgot. Do you want me to come with you?”
“Uh, no. I need to be alone.”
I pushed open the door and stepped back out into the cold, gray afternoon. The wind still gave me chills. I made my way through the gravestones once again. The white wisps returned, dashing madly around. I scanned each one, looking for the familiar face. I listened to their voices, each one moaning with the pain of death.
I reached her headstone, hoping and praying she would show up. I stared at the familiar stone, wishing the words on it weren’t real:

Breanna Carol
Mother
Wife
Daughter
Friend

June 1st 1971 - November 9th 2013
I sat on my knees and closed my eyes. I could remember the exact moment I last saw her alive. She was talking to me about the bullies at school. She said to me, “Stay strong for me. Forever and always. Okay?” It was as if she knew something was going to happen. I had told her I would try and be strong. Then I walked out the door and minutes later the crash took place.

I was cold. My knees were beginning to hurt. Tears burned into the rims of my eyes. Then I saw it. A small white wisp crept out of the grass. It glowed and shined down on me. I stared at the wisp, knowing exactly who it was. The orb glowed brighter and formed into a face I hadn’t seen in weeks.
I looked into the warm, welcoming eyes. Familiar curls shaped the beautiful face. A bright smile flashed towards me. She hadn’t changed at all.
“Mom?” I choked out.
She looked at me and frowned at my trembling voice.

“Via?” The ghost asked.
“Mom! I can’t believe it’s really you!” I exclaimed.

Tears threatened to fall from my eyes. She was here, but she wasn’t really. And she never would be again.

“Honey? What are you doing here?” Mom asked.

“I had to see you,” I explained, “ I miss you so much.”

“ I miss you too. What’s wrong?” Mom questioned, concern lining her voice.

“It’s getting worse Mom,” I said, “The bullying is getting worse.”

It was what had been tearing me apart since Mom’s crash. The tears were falling freely by now. I couldn’t hold them in anymore.

“Mom, why did you leave me?! Why did you leave me alone?!” I persisted.

“Honey I didn’t mean to-”

“Mom I need you! I miss you! Please come home,” I cried.

Tears were streaming down my face. Sobs racked my whole body. The tears were blinding me. It was physically painful not to have my mom. My heart ached, just as it had for the past two weeks.

“Via, I can’t come home. This is where I need to be,” Mom said.

“What about me?! What about where I need you to be?!”

“You have to move on. I can’t be there anymore.”

“But I need you to be.”

It was hard to breath I was crying so hard. I didn’t understand. She had to come home, I needed her to. I wiped the tears off my face, only for them to be replaced by more. I looked up at my mother, pleading for her to come home. But what would I do with a ghost mother?

I looked up at her once more. She reached out and placed a translucent hand on my shoulder. It gave me a sudden chill.

“Via?” She started. “I can’t come home. You need to move on and face life. I love you. I will miss you dearly. Please come and see me from time to time. Stay strong for me. Forever and always.”

I could only nod and cry as she faded away.