The Ruby

Jason walked through the cold, autumn forest. He shuffled his feet as he brushed leaves aside from his path, wondering what he was doing wrong.

Or if he was himself the problem.

His thoughts traveled back to last Monday, where he planned to ask his biggest crush, Olivia Moore, to his first high school dance. However, she told him that she had to work that night. Disheartened but not discouraged, he tried again a few days later with Mindy Robinson, but she already had a guy taking her.

Cut to earlier this Monday morning: Jason felt a massive combination of hurt and nervousness, but his best friend, Steven Anderson, boosted his confidence enough to approach Kimberly Sanchez. But her response was pretty much the same as all the others, because she wanted to go with her girl friends. She just didn’t feel like going with a guy right now.

He could feel his heart break into trillions upon trillions of pieces.

That’s when Steven convinced him to come to the park so they could talk about it. After relaying the situation, Jason beat himself up, saying no girl wanted anything to do with him, that he was a disappointment to every girl in school.

“Jason, stop!” He could remember his friend saying, “You’re not a disappointment! Those girls don’t know what they’re missing when they turned you down, but the next girl you meet: I’ll bet she won’t make the same mistake. She’ll say yes on the spot.”

Jason smiled at his friend’s words as he walked through the leaf-infested ground. He appreciated Steven’s advice and attempts to cheer him up, but he said he needed time to himself, so the boys went their separate ways for the evening.

A cloud of frost escaped his mouth as he heavily sighed, kicking some leaves harder than the previous ones.

Suddenly, he stopped, noticing a glowing red light hidden in the leaves up ahead. Confused and nervous, he inched closer to the red light and uncovered the leaves with his foot. When he was finished, he saw a big, red ruby, glowing where it lay.

He bent down and slowly reached out for it, half-worried that something like a curse or explosion would occur if he touched it. He closed his eyes tightly as he grasped the gem. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes, looked at the ruby, and released a sigh of relief.

“You found it!” echoed a voice.

Jason screamed and wildly looked around, until he saw something that shocked him: A red, gaseous manifestation of a girl that looked like she was Jason’s age. The girl had a long dress that looked to be a lighter shade of red than her body, and she didn’t appear to be wearing any shoes. Her facial features were visible but Jason could barely make them out.

The apparition walked closer to Jason and said, “Wait, can you really see me? Can you hear me?”

Jason screamed and dropped the ruby.

“Wait, don’t!” cried the girl as it fell.

Jason turned around and ran for his life. He constantly looked over the apparition running after him, pleading him to stop running, but Jason ignored her and kept running. Soon, he reached the end of the forest and shot out like a deer. He looked behind him but didn’t see the girl chasing him anymore, but he didn’t stop to consider it as he kept running until he finally got back home. When he ran inside and slammed the door, his mother looked up from washing the dishes, startled.

“Jason, are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

“Uh . . . y-yeah, I-I’m fine,” he said shakily.

“I don’t know, you seem pretty pale. Why don’t you sit down and I’ll get you some water.”

“No! I-I m-mean, I’m good. Really, I’m fine!”

Then he quickly went into his room and hid under the blankets, not coming out once to use the bathroom or even to brush his teeth for bed. Before he knew it, it was already 10 PM, so Jason tried to sleep, but it was no use. His thoughts kept dwelling on the ruby and the girl he saw.

Who was that? And what is going on? he thought to himself.

The next morning, he and Steven met up in the neighborhood and walked to school. He didn’t bother telling Steven what he saw because, despite being his best friend, Jason didn’t think Steven would believe him. Besides, even if he did, what could they possibly do about it? Tell the cops that he saw a red ghost-gas-girl in the woods?

Yeah, like they would take that kind of story from a teenager. He might as well go to an insane asylum.

Suddenly, they passed by the same forest, making Jason stop. He just couldn’t stop thinking about it: Something was telling him to go back in there and find her.

“Hey, Jason, are you okay?” asked Steven.

“Um, yeah. Hey, you know what? How about you go on ahead, I’ll catch up.”

“Wha-why?”

“There’s just . . . something I need to take care of.”

Steven nodded and waved goodbye, then Jason sprinted into the forest as Steven walked away. He didn’t really know where he found the ruby, but he scanned every inch of the ground, shoving leaves to the side and moving rocks. Soon, he came across the same red glow, so he hurried over and found the ruby where he dropped it. Jason picked up the ruby, then looked around but saw nothing. He looked back at the gem and shook it a little, thinking that would cause something to happen.

“I didn’t think you’d ever come back.”

Jason jumped and whipped around to see the same red apparition again.

“Wh-who are you? Wh-what’s going on? Am I dreaming?” he stammered as he kept backing up.

“I promise, you’re not dreaming. I am real. My name is Carla,” said the girl as she followed Jason.

Jason soon found that he had bumped against a tree, but he gathered up his courage and said, “S-so, what’s going on? Why do you look like that?”

He could barely make it out, but it looked like Carla’s face fell. Then she said, “I was tricked. Many years ago, my parents arranged a marriage with this boy from another family. Over time, we fell in love, and the night before the wedding he gave me a present: the ruby which you are holding.”

Jason looked at the stone and then back at Carla. “So, what happened?”

“When I touched the ruby, I felt like I was being sucked into the gem. When I woke up, I realized that I could still exist in the mortal world, but when I tried to tell my parents who rushed outside, they couldn’t see or hear me. When the boy convinced them to go back inside, he must’ve known I was still there because he told me about the curse of this ruby: He told me that I am basically a ghost now, and only those with a broken or lonely heart can activate the ruby and communicate with me.”

“Guess that explains why I can do it then,” he replied glumly.

“I’ve been trapped for so many years. I watched as that boy stole my family’s fortune and inheritance, as my family was driven to ruin and devastated by my absence. I watched people come and go, cursed to never interact with them or even to venture out into the world, because I will die if I stray too far from the gem.”

“Oh no,” was all Jason managed to say. He just didn’t know what else he could say as he couldn’t believe all the traumatizing events that this poor girl went through. Heck, he wasn’t even sure anything he could say would make her feel better.

“I had given up hope that anyone would find me,” she continued, “But then you came! And I am so glad that I was proven wrong!”

She ran over and tried to hug Jason, but she passed right through him and stumbled onto the ground behind the tree.

“Oh no, are you okay?” asked Jason.

“Yes,” she replied glumly, “I forgot about the other part of this curse: I cannot be seen or heard, and I also cannot touch anyone or anything either.”

“Well, isn’t there any way to set you free? There must be something we can do!”

“I’ve tried thinking of and doing everything I could, but I just don’t know how to break the curse. And even if I could communicate with the mortal world, I doubt there is anyone in the world who would know how to break such an enchantment!”

Carla knelt down and started crying. Jason felt so bad for her that he wanted to do anything that might cheer her up. Suddenly, he had an idea!

“Well, I might not know how to help you get out,” said Jason, “but I do know something that might cheer you up.”

Over the next few weeks, Jason took the ruby with him and showed Carla his school, his home, and even took her on a tour of the town. Carla was delighted at all she saw, unleashing all the questions that she has either held inside her for years or new ones she thought of as she saw the sights. However, it soon took a negative turn when . . .

“I mean, I know I’ll eventually have to leave when I go to college in the future,” said Jason, “But I hope to stay here for a little longer, because I don’t wanna leave my parents or my best friend. But, who knows, the future may be better than I think! Especially now that I’ve got you with me!”

She suddenly stopped, her face looking crestfallen as she looked down at the ground. Jason noticed this and turned to face her.

“Carla, what’s wrong?”

“N-nothing! Nothing at all!” she replied immediately.

Jason gave a weird yet concerned expression, but figured that she must be recovering from the trauma of being alone all these years, and also from the shock of how much the world has changed since first being trapped in the ruby. So Jason shrugged and walked down the street, giving more details about the buildings they were going to walk by.

Carla frowned again. “Nothing at all,” she mumbled sadly. Then she tried to cheer herself up and followed after Jason.

Later that afternoon, Carla overheard Jason talking with his parents. They were talking to him about the prom and how he should go even though he doesn’t have a date, but Jason kept refusing until he couldn’t take it anymore and went to his room.

As Jason laid on his bed, crying into his pillow, Carla wanted to talk to him but hesitated at first.

However, she pushed that doubt aside and said, “Um, Jason?”

Jason lifted his face out of his pillow and did his best to wipe away all the tears and snot emanating from his face. He looked at Carla with eyes the same color as her form and said, “Yes, Carla? I’m sorry, I just . . .”

“No, it’s okay! It’s just that . . . I was wondering what this prom is that you were just talking about? And you were so sad about it? Is ‘prom’ another word for ‘funeral?’”

“No, it’s definitely not that,” chuckled Jason as he got up. Then he walked to his window and stared outside, saying, “Prom is a dance. A guy takes a girl, they dance, eat, talk about stuff, you know.”

“Oh, I see. So, why are you so sad about it?”

Jason didn’t answer for a while, but he finally replied, “Because I don’t have a girl to take with me.”

Carla sadly looked at her friend, then she looked at her hands, which appeared less visible than usual, which made her grow more sorrowful. She thought about the matter for a moment before finally saying, “How about I go with you?”

“What?”

“I mean, you’ve been so nice to me, and you’ve been the best company I’ve had in years. And I don’t want to see you so sad on what should be a wonderful evening. I will accompany you to this ‘prom.’”

“I appreciate that, Carla. However, no offense, but I can’t exactly touch you and no one else will see you. Everyone will just think I’m crazy.”

“I don’t care what other people think,” she said as she stepped closer to Jason, “I only care about you.”

Jason blushed really hard and mumbled, “O-okay.”

“Great!” she beamed, “Now go get ready, and just as long as you remember to take the gem with you, I will be there with you.”

“Wow, Carla, I mean . . . I don’t know what to say! Just . . . thank you!”

That’s when Jason noticed that Carla attempted a smile, but she also seemed very sad.

“Carla, what’s wrong? You looked down ever since this afternoon. Is something wrong?”

“No! No, nothing! I promise! Now, hurry up! You don’t want to be late!”

And with that, Carla disappeared in a puff of red smoke, leaving Jason confused. But he soon snapped himself out of it and hurried downstairs, yelling that he changed his mind.

Jason anxiously stood in the corner of the gymnasium. The whole room was lit up by party lights and everyone was either dancing to the songs or lining up at the buffet table to get food. He looked around but still couldn’t see Carla’s apparition, so he got out the ruby and touched it again, but nothing happened.

“Hey, buddy! I didn’t think you were going to be here!”

Jason looked up and saw Steven walk over to him, smiling and giving his best friend a hug.

“Yeah, neither did I,” laughed Jason.

“But still, man, I’m so proud of you for coming, even though you don’t have a date!”

“Thanks, Steven. But actually, it turns out I managed to get one at the last minute.”

“Wow, really? What’s she like? Is it someone I know?”

“Um, no. But I’m telling you, this girl, Carla, is so . . . nice, and kind, and curious, and beautiful! She’s been alone for a very long time, so I tried to help her. And when she heard of the prom, she insisted on going with me!”

“Whoa, dude! Where do you hide your game? That’s awesome!”

“Thanks.”

Suddenly, Jason looked up and saw Carla walking towards him. Her hair was down and looked a bit curled and wavy, she was wearing a long, beautiful dress, and she was also wearing heels. And even through the gaseous appearance, he could tell she had makeup on. Wait, how did she have makeup back then? How did she even get it at all?

“There she is! Isn’t she gorgeous?” breathed Jason as he blushed.

“Who? I don’t see anything,” replied Steven.

Suddenly, Jason remembered that only he could see and hear Carla, so he said, “Never mind, I thought she was here but it . . . must’ve been someone else. Um, why don’t you go on ahead to the dance floor, I’m gonna keep waiting for Carla.”

“Okay, sly dog!” grinned Steven, then he sauntered onto the dance floor and joined the group dance to the cha cha slide.

Meanwhile, Carla approached Jason and he couldn’t help but stare.

“Wow, you look beautiful!” said Jason.

“Thanks,” smiled Carla, “You look great too.”

After a moment of awkward silence, Carla said, “So, what do we do now?”

Suddenly, Jason heard that the music changed to Say You, Say Me by Lionel Richie. A lot of girls and boys started pairing up and slow dancing.

Jason turned as red as a tomato and looked back down.

Carla turned where Jason was looking and smiled, then she looked back at Jason and offered her hand.

“Carla, I can’t. It wouldn’t be real,” he said sadly.

“Come on, please? Just one dance?”

Jason couldn’t refuse. He smiled and accepted her hand, doing his best to keep it from phasing through her hand. The two walked onto the dance floor and had a bit of difficulty trying to get in position, but they finally started dancing. It was hard, considering that neither of them could touch the other, which also threw them out of synchronicity, but that didn’t stop them. Soon, people started to notice that it looked like Jason was dancing with an invisible partner. Some of them laughed, others shook their heads as if he were crazy, and Steven looked confused at the sight.

“People are staring at us,” said Jason with a hint of worry.

“Don’t worry about it,” replied Carla calmly.

“But everyone will think I’m crazy! Maybe this is a bad idea, we should stop.”

“Hey, look at me.”

Jason looked down and into Carla’s eyes, finding himself lost in them.

“It’s like I said, I don’t care what anyone thinks about me. What matters is you being here with me.”

That’s when Jason noticed that, despite her gaseous features, it looked like she was . . . crying. She finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and stared down at the floor, sobbing.

“Carla, what’s wrong? Wait, you look so faint, like I can barely see you!”

She looked back up at him with an apologetic look.

“There’s something you haven’t told me, isn’t there?” he asked, growing more suspicious and concerned.

“I didn’t tell you . . . everything about the curse.” She paused, trying to recompose herself, then continued, “The worst part of the curse is, that if I don’t find a way to free myself from the ruby 100 years from that night I was first trapped . . . which is tonight . . . I’ll die.”

“What?!” he almost screamed, making the surrounding gossip worse, “But . . . but I thought you only die from going too far from the ruby!”

“Every year that passes while I am stuck inside that gem, my spirit fades little by little. The boy who cursed me basically forced me in a position where I have to wait until I die.”

“Why?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Because I didn’t want to upset you! Because I wanted to spend my last moments with you, completely happy and not worrying about the inevitable! Because . . . because . . .” She started welling up with tears combined with sadness and joy. “I love you, Jason!”

Jason stared at Carla and couldn’t help but feel rage and betrayal. How could she not have told him? Sure, she said there was no way to break the curse, but he would have tried anyway! He just met the first girl to actually like him for who he is and now he’s about to lose her forever!

However, he also remembered all the times they shared over the last few weeks. How he would talk to her about his life and tell her all the jokes he knew. It delighted him to see her laugh at each one. He gave her happiness and hope for the first time in years, and she helped him get through his emotional problems. What anger he felt soon melted into sadness, joy, and love.

“I love you too, Carla,” whispered Jason.

Carla flooded with tears, so she threw herself onto Jason, not caring that she couldn’t touch him.

Suddenly, Jason could feel a hand on his back, so he opened his eyes and saw that Carla was glowing. He was about to ask Carla what was happening, but she soon glowed so bright that he needed to close his eyes. When the light died down, he opened his eyes and took a minute to adjust to his surroundings.

Carla stepped back from him, and Jason was shocked to see that she no longer looked like a misty apparition. She had human flesh, her hair was red, her makeup could clearly be seen now, and her dress and shoes were both red. Everyone in the room looked as shocked as she was when she looked down at herself, because they could’ve sworn that there wasn’t anybody there before that flash of light.

Carla looked back up at Jason. They were both on the verge of crying, and they hugged each other so tightly.

“You’re here! But . . . but how?” asked Jason.

“True love must have freed me,” she responded.

People started to gather around them and ask how they made a girl appear out of nowhere and where they got the lights for that trick, but the DJ interrupted on the mike, “Alright, alright, calm down now. I don’t know what just happened, but there ain’t nothin’ to see here! Now come on! Let’s get back to dancing!”

Then the DJ played Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran, and all the couples resumed their dances. Carla and Jason smiled, bowed to each other, and then resumed dancing as well.

“This is the best night of my entire life!” said Carla, “I never thought I’d be free of that dreadful gemstone! I never thought I would even live past tonight! But Jason, you made it possible!”

“We made it possible. Together,” replied Jason.

“You have no idea how thankful I am! I wish there was some way to repay you!”

“Well, I can think of one way . . .” replied Jason with a smile.

Carla caught on and smiled as well. Then they leaned in toward each other and gave a kiss that seemed to last for hours.

It really was the best night of Jason’s life.

Steven was right.