Lark the Friendly Ghost

So who could it be? A Ghost or just his imagination?

He was so scared that he hid behind a bookcase. He pulled the shelf close to him hoping that whoever he hears will not notice him.

When he was sure that nobody is near him, he turned his attention to the bookshelf where he thinks the voice came from and noticed a small figure standing beside the shelf.

He immediately jumped out of hiding as he was really scared. He dropped his bag and went in front of the shelves as fast as he can.

“Who are you? Why are you hiding?” he asked.

The figure was already gone.

“I-I-I can’t see you!” Earth screamed out loud in panic.

He looked around again and again but he has not seen anyone.

“Calm down, there is nothing to worry about. You are safe, you are among friends, we are all here for the same reason” a familiar voice spoke.

“Who are you? What do you mean by friends? And what are you talking about?” Earth panicked.

“I am Lark, and yes, I know, you can’t see me, because I am invisible, I will explain everything later, just calm down and listen to my words. You are safe, I promise. Just trust me and we will get through this together.”

He started to feel some relief hearing those words. He slowly calmed down and looked at the floor.

“Where are you? I can't see you!” he asked again.

Lark smiled, "Calm down, it will be okay."

Earth was starting to think that this might be a dream or a nightmare because he never experienced anything like this before.

"Okay, I'm listening," Earth replied.

"You are safe, please believe me, we are all here for the same reason. We all have our own problems to overcome. So, please, give yourself a break and just relax.”

what he couldn't understand is how come there are other people inside the room when he was the last person to be accepted in this house of the academy.

He thought of something and is unsure if he has the nerve to confirm his theory, at the end he chose to ask " Are you a ghost?", he finally asked courageously.

"No, I am not a ghost, I hope?" Lark answered with a smile.

"Are you a real person then? Can you see me?" he asked again.

"Yes, I can see you," Lark answered with a big grin.

Earth got excited and tried to see himself but still, he cannot see anything. His skin is tingling with excitement.

"Can you move your hand? Or move your feet?" Lark asked.

Earth nodded.

"Let me try too," Earth said.

"Here, hold my arm," Lark said as he held his arm out.

Earth did as he ordered as he made a grabbing motion in the air and he felt the arm of Lark.

He could finally see the appearance of Lark. He looked like in his teens about the age of 18 years old.

"Now, let go," Lark said.

Earth released his grip and he can't see Lark anymore.

“Why? Where did you go?” Earth asked.

“Oh, you can't see me now, that's because you are seeing me for the first time, it's just temporary.

"So only by physical contact can I see you" he still couldn't believe it.

Now that there is somebody he can speak to, he no longer felt lonely.

"Do you know what is the name of this house of the academy?" he asked and continued asking more questions such as where can he find the books that contains information about the academy of magic and the like.

Lark didn't answer right away. He looked at Earth who was trying to locate him curiously and asked him some more questions.

"How come you are here? Was there another door to this room? How long have you been here? And what is the meaning of the sigil on my arms?" he asked.

"I don't know the answers to all those questions yet. It seems like I lost some part of my memory. But I can tell you that you are in the right place. This house is one of the oldest in this academy.

It used to be a house full of excellent students. It was where they teach their students and where they created different things that will help them in their studies."

Based on what I can remember, for each passing year, the students coming in became fewer until nobody else studied here. " Lark said in melancholy.

Earth suddenly felt sad hearing that.

He has an idea why the other houses have been having trouble filling up the number of their students.

"Can you show me around? I want to see the whole house before I leave," Earth asked.

"Of course. Let's go," Lark said.

They walked around the huge dome of the library while talking to each other.

"This is not bad, I've never seen a bigger library than this," Earth said.

"Don't get too enthusiastic, the library is not fully accessible and there are several rooms and halls that need to be opened. I believe that the total area of this building is going to be much larger," Lark said.

Earth was thrilled to hear that there are still other places he can enter. What are the things inside those rooms?

Lark saw a fabric wrapped on Earth's wrist and a memory came into his mind. He went silent for a good few minutes to gather and understand the surge of memory coming inside his head.

Earth tried to talk to him but there was no reply. Thinking that he might have left, he decided to roam around the shelves to see if he could find the answers to his questions, alone, again.

“Aha!” Lark suddenly exclaimed that it frightened Earth for the second time.

“Jesus!! Stop scaring me like that Lark!! You will be the death of me and I still have plans and goals so I’m not ready to die yet” Earth complained and was thinking if he should stop drinking coffee.

“Oops! Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you” said Lark apologetically.

“Anyway, where were you?” Earth asked curiously

“Alright about that, I gained some of my memory. It’s still not complete but I should be able to help you out now” Lark explained proudly.

“That’s great! So what is the name of our house?” Earth asked with enthusiasm.

“It’s…….”Lark dragged on the suspense for Earth.

“What?! Come on say it!” he eagerly said to Lark

“I don’t know!” when Earth heard him say that, he lost his cool and tried to find Lark by grabbing the air around him thinking that he is just around him.

“Jeez, cool down! What’s wrong with you?” Lark as he tried to calm him down

“Don’t you dare play with me now, I am about to lose my act here! I need answers!” he said with annoyance.

“Just like what I said, My memories are still not complete,” Lark said in defense.

“So what use are you now?” he said without even caring about Lark.

“Woaw waw! Hold on! Who hurt you boy?” he felt offended and yet couldn’t neglect Earth as part of the memories he was able to retrieve, this boy is actually important to him and for his purpose.

“OK hear me out first before you glare me to death! Although I don’t have the answer to your question, I do know where to get them” as he explained he saw Earth switch from a lion into a puppy. He couldn’t stop thinking if this guy has any problems in his mind. Seems bipolar.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier, My friend Lark, I need answers!” Earth said with stars in his eyes.

He can’t help but get frustrated as he is pressured to complete the acceptance of the academy.

If by any chance he gets expelled, he won’t be able to accomplish his goal.

The reason why this guy is so persistent in getting accepted is that he wants to continue being together with his love companion Sky.

Since Sky is together with him again in this life he will make sure never to leave him again.

***

“Alright! I know where I can find the answer to your question!” Lark said with determination.

“Where is it?” Earth asked with hope in his eyes.

“The one who knows the answer is none other than the Headmaster himself, the Wizard of this academy. We have to go to his office and ask him directly. The problem though is how we can get there because the Headmaster doesn't allow anybody to enter his room except him only." Lark explained.

"Well that's given since he is the headmaster, don't you have any more ideas? Try searching your memories. Maybe you'll remember something else," Earth told Lark.

"Let me think" Lark once again is out of sight.

After a few moments, he came back "Nothing! I don't have anything else!" Lark exclaimed disappointedly.

"Then let us go to the Headmaster's office then," Earth suggested.

They decided to walk towards the front doors of the academy. They had to pass through the busy crowd of students in their uniforms and guards to reach the front door.

After making sure that nobody is following them, they slowly opened the heavy wooden doors and walked outside. It is already late at night and the streets are almost empty. There are no lights anywhere in the city, just the moon that shines brightly above the sky.

After walking for a while, the scenery started to change. It went from concrete roads to cobblestone and brick-paved roads. The buildings became old and run-down as well. This is the part of town where all the wizards live. The smell of smoke from the chimney is very strong. There are also people selling wares and food for the travelers and students of the academy.

As they were walking, Earth thought of a good idea. He remembered seeing the building of the faculty from afar when they were walking towards his House Academy. Since the building is inside the walls of the campus, there wouldn't be any guards patrolling the area.

"We should go to the faculty building through the main gate," he said.

"Good idea! Let's try it!" Lark agreed with enthusiasm.

When they got near the gates, they noticed that there is a group of people standing in front of it. All of them are wearing the black robes of the faculty.

"Hey! Hey! You can't come in unless you have an invitation from the Headmaster or the Dean," a guard shouted at them.

"We have an appointment with the Headmaster," Earth answered politely.

"You will have to wait in line then. We cannot allow you to bypass the other people in the queue." the guard said with authority.

The guard has been watching them carefully. He knows that Earth is not from the same house as these two. And from the way that they entered the academy, he knew that they are not a student of the academy.

"Do you have any evidence to prove that?" the guard asked in disbelief.

"No, but if you look closely, you would see that we are the same race as the wizard who left the academy early this morning," Earth responded.

"Really? Then why did you wait until now to enter the building? This is a restricted place! If you insist, we can call the Headmaster right now and ask him," the guard offered.

"Thank you for your concern, but we don't have the time to waste here. Please open the door," Earth said in defiance.

"I am sorry, but the Headmaster has instructed us to deny you entry into his room. Just follow the rules and you will be fine," the guard said with regret.

Earth gave up and let the guard close the gates. As soon as the gate closed behind them, Lark ran to the center of the street and yelled.

"Yo! Open the fucking gate! Don't worry, I'll take responsibility if they attack you!" he threatened with anger.

The guards did not seem to hear him at all. They just ignored him and continued talking among themselves.

“Forget it, perhaps this is one of the tests. I’ll just look for the answers back in the house library.” Earth said as he gave up on the idea of asking the headmaster.

Because if he has even the intention of explaining it to him, he would have done it while they were together.

Lark just followed him back to the House library. In the meantime, he decided to call the house a house Library since there are practically a million books inside.

On the way back to the house, he saw Sky on the other side of the road and he called out to him. Sky heard him and as usual, he gave him a bright smile.

No matter what, he must pass the test and stay together with Sky inside the Academy.

He swore that he will do his best and never cower again.