The Man Only I Could See
??? Pov
Oh? Let me introduce myself, I'm Knox, every summer I go to this island to help my mom with her work since it's my vacation anyways. I'm already 21 years old and in my 2nd year of college, proudly studying biomed. Well, there's not much about me. I have a curly brown hair, I'm not short... I'm average (that's what a short person would say) and I'm pretty much ordinary.
My mom is works to clean this summer house, pretty much everything is in here, it's honestly better than living in the city. Well it's too peaceful. Her employer let's me stay with my mom in this house, actually I'm pretty spoiled by them since I get my own room, the only problem? There's barely any signal in this island. Me and my mom pretty much have this house alone because her boss is in another country for vacation.
I work as a waiter at a nearby tavern in the morning. Well, since I always sleep late, I'm incharge of locking the doors before going to bed since my mom sleeps ahead of me. The only problem is the cat. There's a bunch of cats and dogs in this house that me and my mom look after, her boss doesn't have children but this pets are more than a children to them.
"Knox, lock the doors after all the cats comes back, ok?" My mom reminded me as she head to her own room to sleep, I just nodded since I pretty much do this everynight
Well, let me tell you about this pets, there's a total of 3 cats and 3 dogs in this house. Before I lock the doors, I need to make sure all of them is inside, the problem? The cats goes out a lot and comes back late. Right now, almost all of the cat is inside, except for one, Luna.
Luna is a black bombay cat, amongst all the cat, she's the most hostile. No one had pet her, not even my mom's boss, well they can only pet her if they endure her scratches.
Apparently, she use to be a lovely cat, her previous owner was a fashion designer, and as like every other cats? She destroy some of the owners works. Due to that, the owner would lock her that's why she's hostile to humans. And then she was given up for adoption to my mom's boss since the son of her previous owner died, and it was only the son who loved the cat.
I got up from the couch, I was watching TV in the living room when I heard something outside, must have been the crickets.
I looked outside the window to see Luna, she's sitting on the sun lounger near the pool. I approached her doing some "psst pssst psst" to get her to come inside the house.
As soon as I stepped outside the house, I felt chills run down my spine as if something bad was about to happen.
"This is how the main character dies in horror film" I muttered.
I stopped infront of Luna trying to pet her. Some bats flew across my face, oh it happens. Whenever the lights in the pool is open, some bats would always fly around it. However those bats that flew right across my face made me stumbled a bit making me miss a step... Fuck, I forgot the pool was right behind me.
I fell in the 8 feet pool, I know how to swim but for some reason, I'm sinking. I was panicking when I saw someone swimming towards me. It's a guy, he has a black hair, and pale, he looks so fine—
"It's already 8 am, you have a work" My mom shouted waking me up from my dream.
It's all a dream... Damn, I really thought there's gonna be a prince charming to rescue me.
Soon I got ready to go to work. Well, it's pretty boring but at least I get money. I was stepping outside the house to go to work which is just a 3 minutes walk from this house when I saw Luna sitting on the garden near the gate just watching me. I was staring at her for a while, before I realised I'm late...
As soon as I broke my eye contact with Luna, I missed a step on the stairs slipping.. Fortunately all I got is scratches. Damn I should really be more careful.
Of course after enduring my injury, I went to work, no need to clean it up, extra germs won't hurt my body. Afterwork, I came back the house, only to find Luna, still sitting on the same spot as if waiting for me.
I went to attempt to pet her despite knowing how hostile she is, it won't stop me from trying. Well, I bump my head on the tree, since when was there a tree here, oh well.
Soon my mom called me to walk the dogs, afterwork, I help my mom walk the dogs since there's three dogs and she could only walk 2 at the same time. I walk Sweetie, this dog is anything but sweet. Well, she's cute tho, she's a bit older than the other dogs so my mom would take the other dogs to walk them further while I stay on the bench with sweetie since she can't keep up with them.
I would seat on this bench to wait for my mom who's walking the other dogs, actually, Sweetie, for some reason can't rest easy whenever we're here in this bench, it has a good view to the sea.
Soon my mom came back with the other dogs. Sweetie, who was just tired a while ago is now walking fast like she doesn't want to stay here any longer.
"I wonder why this dogs always panick when we pass by here" I asked my mom.
"Maybe it's the mansion" My mom said.
I looked at my left, oh yeah, this bench is infront of a mansion, it's a very nice mansion.
"What about it?" I asked.
"Well, that mansion is strange, no one lives in that mansion except for some part time cleaners" My mom answered.
"Maybe the owners lives in the city or they have a lot of summer house" I replied.
"But it's kinda strange that they kept that one window always lock" My mom pointed at it.
Oh yeah, I always wondered that, the mansion's window are all open, except for that one big window, the shuttles closes it. It also looks like it's the biggest room.
"My other friend in this island use to work there as a part time cleaner, apparently they're not allowed to go in that one room, the one with the window always lock" My mom said.
"I wonder why" I replied.
There's something about that mansion that makes me feel sense of familiarity...
"Oh yeah, when you were younger, you'd always go there" My mom said making me confused.
"I did?" I asked.
"Yes, and I would always have to pick you up because you're too scared to go back home when it's just 5 minutes walk" My mom said.
I don't remember going in that house at all, although it does feel familiar... Weird.
"Yeah but 5 years ago, you stopped going there" My mom said.
It's really strange, I have no memory of any of those, oh well.
Soon, it was night, I was waiting for Luna to come back again, all the cats is already here except for her. No way I'm going out to look for her, I'm not repeating the same mistake I did in my dreams. Well, I saw her outside sitting, not on the sun lounger but oh the chair outside, far from the pool..luckily
I approached her but froze when I saw the same guy in my dream... He's petting her as she nuzzled in his arms purring. She doesn't even let me touch her, let alone her own owner(my mom's boss) touch her... Why is this guy inside the house, how did he get in, I lock the gates.
I blinked and he disappeared? Was I hallucinating? After Luna meow a couple of times she went inside the house... What the fuck?! I've actually gone crazy.
__________________________________________
Next Morning
I was getting ready for work when I made an eye contact with Luna, as soon as I did, the bottle of juice on the other end of the table somehow ended up spilling on my clothes. How the fuck?!
Great, now I have to change my clothes and I'm late. While I'm on shift as a waiter, I saw Luna, wandering near the restaurant, as soon as I made eye contact with the cat, my shoes got untied and I tripped... Fortunately I wasn't holding anything. That's just weird.
After getting a scold from my manager, I went back to work like usual, Luna also disappeared.
When I got off the work, I decided to solve this newspaper sudoku. It's so boring on this island and the wifi is so low so I decided to settle on this. Soon, I saw the black cat lounging near the window of my room, I made eye contact with Luna... And for some goddamn reason, the pen that I was holding, burst open making me spill ink all over my shirt... What the hell?!
After finishing showering, I walk the dogs as usual and passed by that mansion again since the bench is infront of it. To my surprise, this time, I saw someone in it, not a part time cleaner but a genuine person who lives there. It's a woman, probably married, a bit younger than my mother, she was there in the mansion. See? I was right, maybe the owner of that mansion just doesn't come here often.
Around midnight, already 12 am, Luna still hasn't come back while the other cats are already there. And there I saw her, with that man again... The same man in my dreams, she's on his lap. I slowly approched them, this time, the man didn't disappear, instead he looked at me.
"Knox" The man muttered.
"You know my name? Who are you? How did you get in here?" I asked.
"Me? I'm a bit sad that you don't remember me, don't worry I'm not a robber" He replied.
"But who are you? And why are you here?" I asked again.
"I'm here because you called for me" He replied again.
Woah, I mean, I pray for a boyfriend everynight but this is a bit too fast, my God. I was thinking of God making me have a slow romantic first meeting with my future boyfriend but no, God chose to deliver him right infront of me. Not that I'm complaining.
"But, I don't have your number" I said.
"Stupid, I was talking about you calling me in your dreams" He said insulting me for no reason.
"You're more stupid, you don't understand sarcasm" I replied as I watch his smirk wipe off.
"How? Are you a human" I continued.
"Well, not anymore" He replied.
Oh my God, I asked for a boyfriend not a whatever creature he is.
"What are you?" I asked once again.
"Whatever you want me to be"
"You're pale, must be a vampire, or demon, I never believed in those mythical creatures that my mother told me before, but I think you're one"
"Really? What do you think I am?"
"You're something, are you an alien?"
"Close"
Soon my mother came out looking for me. "Knox, get in and lock the doors, and what is happening outside? Why won't the dogs stop barking"
When I look at my mom, I turned back to see him gone... Strange.
__________________________________________
Next Morning
I woke up, still can't believe I interacted with a ghost since when did I have a third eye. As a kid, I always believed in ghost, my cousin once taught me how to open my third eyes(I don't know if it's legit) but he didn't taught me how to close it back....
If that guy was thoroughly a ghost then it's okay, he's still my type. Soon I got ready, since it's Sunday, I'm accompanying my mom on the church that's a bit near, like 15 minutes walk from this house.
I don't believe in God but since I grew up in a religious household, I was taught to pray everynight. Though, I never felt the need to believe in God, because for me, whether he exist or not, it's not gonna change my life. I'm still going to die. A part of me why I don't believe in God is because believing in it means believing in other creatures too… you know like demons? Ghost? Well now that I've seen ghosts, I might start believing in God.
After going to church, on the way home was that strange mansion again, everytime I passed by it, I felt chills especially when I looked at that one window that's close. It makes me feel like something is wrong with that place.
Since it's the weekends, my mom and her friends would always go to the island city, we live more into the inner part of the island, a bit far from the island center, you can either walk for more than 30 minutes to go to center, take a taxi or take a feri boat. But we usually walk since it's exercise.
We go there to eat in the restaurants, look at the yacht and explore the city more. Those friends of her also cleans the house, well one of them use to work in that strange mansion I always passed by. She was talking about how she felt some paranormal activities in that mansion, and how they're not allowed to go inside the one room(the window that's always locked).
After hanging out, we took taxi on our way home since we don't feel safe walking back at midnight. As expected all the cats and dogs are behavely waiting inside, except for Luna. Great, now I have to wait for her again.
Around 12 am, I went out to check up on her, same position as yesterday, on that man's lap... Just who the hell is he?
"You're a ghost?" I asked straightforward.
"Maybe" He replied no hesitation.
"You're... Strange"
"Is that a bad thing?"
"No... Do you live in this island?"
"Probably"
"You can't remember your name but you remember where you live?"
"I guess?"
"So like, how come you haven't cross yet?" I asked.
"Cross where?"
"The other side, like the afterlife"
"No idea"
"Maybe you're still searching for something, you know some ghost still have mission left that's why they can't cross over" I explained.
"Maybe? But whatever it is, I have no clue"
"How long have you been wandering around?"
"I don't remember, but for a very long time"
"Can anyone else see you?" I asked genuinely wanting to know the answer.
"No, only you and Luna" He answered as the cat purrs on his lap.. oh to be Luna.
"Umm... Are you a ghost?" I asked straightforward. He remained silent like he’s also confuse so I asked him another question.
"You. What's your name?" I asked.
"Can't remember" He replied.
I stared at him.
"Can’t remember? What kind of answer is that?"
He tilted his head slightly, scratching Luna under the chin.
"It’s the truth," he said simply. "Names… fade. Especially when you don’t exist the way humans do."
"Oh, great. So you’re not only a ghost—you’re a ghost with amnesia?" I muttered.
Luna flicked her tail at me, like she was judging my intelligence.
The man gave a small, quiet smile. "Not amnesia. More like… the part of me that remembers doesn’t exist anymore."
"That’s literally the definition of amnesia."
He ignored me. He gently set Luna down, and she circled his feet like he was her long-lost soulmate. I’ve fed that cat tuna with my own hands and she never looked at me like that. Unfair.
He finally stood up.
And God—he was tall. Not average-tall like me making excuses. Actually tall. Moonlight hit his face and it made him look even paler, almost unreal, chills . His hair was wet, like he just stepped out of the sea.
Or the pool.
Like in my dream.
"So… you don’t remember your name," I said. "But you remember me?"
"Of course I remember you." His eyes softened. "You called for me every night."
"I WAS PRAYING FOR A BOYFRIEND NOT A—"
I stopped. "—not a… a… what are YOU?"
He stepped closer. The air felt colder. And yet, somehow, my skin tingled like he radiated warmth.
"I told you," he murmured. "I have no clue."
"That’s not an answer."
"It’s the only one I have."
Great. I’m talking to a riddle wrapped in a ghost. He probably thinks he's cool, that he's all mysterious, well lowkey he is…
I crossed my arms. "Do you live in that mansion across the street or something?"
He glanced toward it—the giant place with the permanently locked window. His expression shifted for half a second. Pain? Recognition? I couldn’t tell.
"No," he said quietly. "I don’t live anywhere."
"Okay, then where did you come from?"
He pointed downward.
I froze.
" The ground?" I asked confused..holy shit, he might be a demon, or like someone who came from hell… I don't even believe in God but after seeing a ghost, I start believing in God too.
"No," he said, amused. "The pool."
I blinked. "The pool… as in the pool I fell into in my dream?"
"Dreams are not always dreams, Knox."
"See, this is exactly why people install CCTV—"
I stopped. The dogs inside the house suddenly went wild, barking like they sensed an earthquake.
He didn’t even flinch.
"You should go inside," he said. "They don’t like when I stay too long."
"They?"
But he was already fading. Literally fading—edges blurring like fog dissolving in the air.
"Wait—!" I grabbed forward, but my hand went through him.
He looked at me one last time.
His voice echoed, distant, like it came from underwater.
"Find the room with the locked window."
Then he vanished.
Luna meowed loudly, like she was scolding me, then strutted inside the house with her tail high—completely unbothered that the ghost left me confused and traumatized.
___________________________________________
Next Morning
I woke up with a headache. After getting ready for work, I went to the dining area for breakfast, my mom handed me a plate of eggs.
"You look bad," she said. "Nightmares?"
"No. Ghosts."
She stared. "Same thing. Eat."
I shoved food in my mouth and ignored her judgement. But I couldn’t stop thinking about what he said.
"Find the room with the locked window."
The mansion. The one place everyone said was "strange," "haunted," "off-limits."
The one they claimed that no one lives in and no one was seen inside apart from part time cleaners…..And the place I apparently used to visit as a kid.
Why?
What did I do there?
Why can’t I remember?
And why does a ghost know my name better than he knows himself?
I tried to shake it off, but when I stepped outside for work… Luna sat on the porch railing. Her yellow eyes locked onto mine. And at that exact moment, my phone, which was in my pocket, turned on by itself and blasted music at full volume, nearly making me drop dead from shock.
The playlist? A song I’ve never downloaded before….or maybe I did but it was probably deep inside the library since I have like 1000 songs downloaded.
Its title? "Somewhere only we know" . Nice song but I really don’t remember downloading this.
Luna blinked.
"…Okay. That’s actually messed up." I whispered to the cat like blaming her that my phone played a song by itself.
I start walking to the restaurant that I worked at which is like 5 minutes away when I felt chills…I turned left noticing I was standing right beside the bench… And from the direction of the mansion. I swore I saw a silhouette at the locked window. Watching me…Creepy.
That Same Night
I couldn’t sleep. Not because of the ghost. Not because Sweetie might choke on a plastic wrapper again like last time. Or not because Luna is still not home, well she's home now staring outside the window as if waiting for him.
I couldn't sleep because I was picturing the the window. The locked one. The one in the mansion. The one he told me to find. Every time I blinked, I imagined someone standing behind it.
By midnight, I was pacing the living room. The dogs were asleep, except for Sweetie, who stared at the front door like she sensed something…..And then Luna meowed.
Not her usual angry "I’ll kill you" meow. A soft one. The kind she only uses when he’s here.
I stepped outside, there he was,sitting by the pool’s edge. Wet hair again, maybe he’s a fisherman or something. Pale skin, could be a sign of anemia. Same quiet presence that made the night feel… wrong and right at the same time.
He didn’t look at me. Just kept staring at the pool’s surface, like he was remembering something…..Or trying to.
I didn’t know why I said it. The name just slipped out like my mouth was faster than my brain, it’s like something forced me to say it whenever I see him.
"Leon."
The second it left my lips, the air around us shifted, like the night inhaled sharply. He froze. Actually, I froze.
"…What did you just say?"he asked quietly.
I swallowed before continuing . "Uh… Leon. You know, because you don’t remember your name so I’m giving you one"
He shook his head once, sharp.
"Say it again."
"Leon?"
Luna, sassiest of all things holy, jumped off his lap and hid under a lawn chair. Her tail puffed, eyes huge. The ghost, Leon? Lifted a shaky hand to his own chest, like he was feeling a heartbeat that wasn’t there.
"That name,"he whispered. "I know it. I-I think I’ve heard it before."
"Yeah, maybe it’s a Deja vu"
"No." His voice cracked. "I don’t think it was mine."
"Wait… it wasn’t yours?" I asked, Damn I thought I guessed his name perfectly.
He pressed his fingers against his temple like his head hurt.
"I’m not sure. It feels familiar, but—"
He shook his head again, frustrated. "It’s like grabbing at smoke."
My stomach twisted.
"So you recognize the name but not why."
"Yes," he whispered. "Yes. Exactly."
He looked almost relieved that I understood—then immediately more troubled.
"I tried to remember before," he murmured, almost to himself. "Every night. Every time I wake, I try. But there’s nothing except… pieces. Water. Cold. A voice. A… boy?"
"Do you think Leon is the boy? Or you?"
His eyes flickered.
"I don’t know."
Great. Amazing. I summoned a ghost with identity issues.
"Okay so… maybe the name belongs to someone you knew? Or someone who knew you? Or an ex? A pet—"
He gave me a dry look. "Do I look like someone who named a goldfish Leon?"
"You look like someone who caught one, goldfish I mean," I muttered.
He smiled a little confused.
"You know because you’re a fisherman?" I said before facepalming.
"Nevermind, the joke is unfunny when you explain it"
Then his expression shifted, turning distant.
"But that name…"
He said it again, softer, "Leon…"
Something moved behind his eyes. Not memory. Not clarity.
Recognition. Fear. And loss.
"I… I shouldn’t be here."
"Why not?" I asked, my heart skipped a bit as chills run down from my spine
"Do you think Leon is someone important to you?"
"I don’t know," he said helplessly. "I keep coming back to this place. To you. To this house. I don’t know why. I don’t even know if I’m supposed to."
For a moment, he looked so human it hurt.
I stepped closer.
"Hey. It’s okay. You’ll remember eventually. I mean—memories come back, right? Even for ghosts."
"If I am one."
"Oh please, you literally vanish like WiFi signal on this island—"
He suddenly looked toward the mansion. The one with the locked window. His entire body stiffened.
"Something there…" he whispered. "Something is pulling at me."
"Pulling you how? Like… emotionally? Physically? Spiritually? Magnetically? Metaphorically?"
"I don’t know!" he snapped, frustrated. "It’s like a thread tied around my ribs. And every time I try to remember, it tightens."
"That’s weirdly… specific."
"I want to know who Leon is. I do. But when you said that name… it felt like standing on the edge of a cliff."
"Yes," he said immediately.
"But I don’t know if he was important in a good way or a bad one."
"Knox…" His voice was soft as he continued, almost scared. "Why did you say that name?"
"I—I don’t know. I swear, it just came out."
He stepped closer, eyes searching mine.
"It didn’t feel random." He said towering me over, not because I’m short… I’m average, ok?
"Well, maybe I’m psychic now. Or cursed. Or sleep-deprived. Or Luna is controlling my mind. She looks like she would."
"Don’t say it again. Not until I remember."
"Why?"
He looked toward the mansion one last time.
"Because I’m afraid of what will happen when I do remember everything."
And then, he dissolved into mist. Such a dramatic exit. He left me standing alone, Luna glaring at me like I broke something sacred. And maybe I did. Whatever I broke, I hear my mother shouting from the inside of the house about a broken vase, damn it, probably Luna or the other cats.
___________________________________________
Next Morning
I woke up feeling like someone had wrung me out like a wet towel. My mom took one look at me and frowned.
"You look worse than usual," she said.
"Thanks, Mom. Love you too."
After breakfast, I walked outside since I have work, I was nonchalantly walking, trying to pretend I wasn’t terrified. I passed by the bench again, by the mansion the window was still tightly shut.
But today… Something was different.
A faint shape.
Someone standing inside the mansion, not a part time cleaner… A Man...
Watching me. Creepy…
I froze. Squinted. Swallowed. I did everything but run or call the police.
This figure was taller. Broader. And the feeling it gave wasn’t the cold, confused sadness the ghost had. It was.. sense of familiarity...
When I reached the restaurant, my co-worker looked at me weirdly. Well, I was panting because I fled in panic, you never know, that man there might be a bad person.
"Hey, man, you okay? You look like you saw a ghost."
"I did," I said. "At least one each night"
He laughed. I didn’t.
That Same Night
I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I wanted to stay away from that mansion like something is telling me that I should never step foot there. But the ghost also told me to find the locked room.
Which one was the truth?
Why was his name familiar?
Why could I see him?
And what was in that room?
I paced the front porch, Luna sitting there tail flicking impatiently.
"Should I go? But isn't it trespassing?" I asked her.
She meowed one single, dramatic meow like she's saying "Finally. Took you long enough."
"Okay. But like… if I die, I’m haunting the hell out of you."
I walked toward the mansion. Holy Shit, I brought rosary with me now, because suddenly I believe in God.
"Whatever happens to me inside that mansion, Tell mom that I love her" I told Luna and Sweetie who's the only ones awake watching Sweetie drift off to sleep and Luna roll her eyes as if the two are calling me dramatic.
The path felt colder. The air heavier. By the time I reached the big iron gate, I was already regretting every decision that led me here.
But something pulled me forward.
Not physically.
Not magically.
Not spiritually.
Not metaphorically.
A memory.
"Is this how the main character will die?" I muttered.
Then, there's a voice. Older. Warmer. Calling me.
I froze in place. The voice wasn’t the ghost. It wasn’t a hallucination.It came from the mansion.
"Knox" The same man I saw last time said approaching me slowly
I froze, I wanted to run away but my feet wouldn't budge. It's like I'm not meant to be here, this man knows me… Just like the ghost… Maybe they're one of my fans in Instagram
"You should have rung the doorbell, I thought you were a thief" The man said opening the gate
"You know me?" I asked confused
He looked back at me confused as well before continuing "Oh right, your mother told me your memory is messed up after that incident"
My heart skipped a beat, I held my breath for a while confused, he knows my mother? Why would my own mother leak that information and what memory? What incident? Why do I feel like… I don't know myself anymore.
"What do you mean?" I asked my voice is shaking.
"Allow me to explain" The man said opening the door to lead me inside the mansion.
"I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Leon" The strange man said leading me in the living room of the mansion and that's where I noticed everything.
It's like my whole world collapses. I felt like I stopped breathing for a moment when I saw pictures of the ghost…In this mansion.. He lived here.
"Who is he?" I asked pointing at the picture of the ghost, I watched as Leon looked rather stressed as he sighed before speaking
"You truly don't remember, he's… Lynx, my younger brother" As Leon says his name, my brain completely fogged up, and it's like my brain completely malfunctioned trying to process this information. That name… The one I chose to forget a long time ago.
"Lynx…" I muttered like saying his name was a curse, as I blinked and looked up, I noticed him. Lynx, standing in front of me, but only I could see him, he's looking at me, glaring… Like I did something I shouldn't have done
"Knox, snap out of it" Leon said as I watch Lynx disappeared from my sight
Leon asked me to come with him as I followed him. We went inside a room that is familiar to me, it's the room with the locked shuttle… As Leon opened the light in the room, I noticed pictures of me and Lynx together near the nightstand by the bed. There's cat toys everywhere and a picture of Luna.
That's when I realised it, Luna was owned by Lynx before, since Lynx’s mom was a fashion designer and Leon doesn't like cats, after Lynx passed away they adopted Luna and my mom's boss just happens to be someone who loves dogs and cats
"I found this the night Lynx died" Leon said, handing me something… it was a teared half paper that says "It's not your fault"
"But is it… It is my fault." I muttered as I slowly realised everything
_____________________________________
Flashback to 5 years ago
Lynx and I were 17 years old, we were close, very close to the point that we'd get teased around as a couple but neither of us denied it. Since we're neighbours whenever I come to this island, we're also the only teen close in age so we would always hang out. Well, Lynx always had a suicidal tendencies and he would talk about how I'm the only reason why he's still trying to get through life. Unlike him, I live in the city and come to this island every summer, while him? He lives on this island, maybe that's why he grew up feeling lonely because this island is truly boring.
One particular night, I felt bored since me and Lynx were playing a multiplayer game but the wifi was horrible. I decided to walk to Lynx’s mansion and sneak in his window like usual for a night swimming, despite him telling me no, like how his parents would get mad, I insisted.
After arguing for a while, he reluctantly followed me anyway as we swam through the sea which is in front of the bench that's right in front of his house, all you had to do was go down the stairs near it. We spent the night swimming since we're both really good swimmers, we swam with our clothes on because we both live nearby anyway and it's pretty cold. The sea is pretty deep since it's not a beach, the only thing solid you can stand on is the concrete, yes not sand, and the waves are extra big today, maybe because of the yacht coming.
"We should head up now, your parents might find it suspicious that you're not in your room" I said as I got out of the sea going to the concrete floor to wait for Lynx when I turned around. He's not there, was he playing a prank?
I opened my phone's flashlight and he's still not there, he wouldn't play a serious prank like this. I turned to my side noticing his slippers, it's still there, I called for his name and there's nothing… I knew one thing for sure… He drowned and is somewhere in the sea.
I tried to swim back looking for him but I couldn't find him. I wanted to run to his parents since their house is in front of the sea.I wanted to call for help but I couldn't… Why? Because I was selfish
If his parents ever found out that I took him out for a night swimming and he drowned because of me… They'll never let it slide, they'll probably sue me and my mother and win, they'll probably rob my future and completely destroy it. My mom is just a house cleaner, I can't risk her expectations of my future being destroyed because of this, I can't risk anything. I'm scared... I was scared
So what did I do? I ran away, I returned to my mom's boss house unnoticed as I slept through the night as my guilt eats me away. I just killed him, I killed Lynx. It's all my fault, I forced him to go swimming, I didn't call for help. If I just did, he would have been alive, they might have found and rescued him but instead I ran away. I'm no less than a murderer, I killed him and got away with it.
What I didn't know is that... Leon knew that I left with Lynx that night, but he chose to remain silent, he knew what his parents would have done to Knox, he knew that they wouldn't let it slide easily.
Of course the next day was bad, my mother came to me worried saying my friend died and drowned in the sea as she warned me not to go there alone or go there at night, actually she told me not to go there at all. If only she knew that if anything, I was the one who pushed him, I was the one who did it.
"They have no clue where he could have been but they saw his slippers near the sea, he probably jumped off, his brother said he's always been suicidal" My mom said, I couldn't even swallow my food, not after what I had done. I can never forgive myself, I'll take this with me in my grave.
Just like that, I began to change from the grief. My mother knew I was depressed after my friend died but she doesn't know that I'm depressed because I was there when it happened him… I started hallucinating, I was sleepless, my doctor had to prescribe me a lot of medications, the guilt completely ate me.
I started to change, I forgot everything about him, I completely erased him from my memory or so I thought. Thanks to that, I started living normally again, even though I knew I didn't deserve a peaceful life, I deserved the worst.
I thought I could live freely without the guilt, not when that cat appeared, Luna, his cat appeared, she hates me to guts, it's like she knows I'm hiding something, she knows it's my fault. The cat remind me of everything about him, the way she tilts her head when she's confused, the way she slowly blinks at him.
"One I know for sure is everything is my fault"
Leon stepped closer. "Knox," he said gently, "Whatever happened that night—"
"It was MY FAULT." My voice cracked. "I killed him. I dragged him out there. I ignored him. I left him. I LET HIM DIE."
Leon didn’t argue. He didn’t tell me it was okay. He didn’t lie. He just looked at me with grief that wasn’t only his, but mine too.
"Every night," I whispered, "I pray for a boyfriend. For company. For comfort. And instead I summoned a ghost wearing the face of the boy I abandoned."
Leon swallowed, eyes shining. "Knox… It’s never your fault, if anything you were the reason why he lived long enough."
"No… I killed him"
"You didn't, every time you back to the city, he'd always try to kill himself, you didn’t do anything wrong" Leon said.
The window that was always locked. The room with all the pictures….My missing memories…His name—Lynx, the ghost who didn’t even know he was the ghost.
"He didn’t haunt you to hurt you," Leon said quietly. "He haunted you because you were the last person he saw. The last person he loved. The last person he trusted."
"Don’t—" My voice cracked again. "Don’t say that.You don't know anything about us."
With that I shut the door leaving Leon outside the room as I curled up in Lynx’s bed crying. Footsteps echoed behind me, soft, light, familiar. I didn’t have to turn around.
I felt him.
"Knox," a voice whispered behind me.
I froze, tears blurring my vision.
I didn’t turn, couldn’t turn, but I felt his presence kneel beside me by the bed. His voice trembled like he was fighting tears he no longer had.
"You left me," he whispered. "But I didn’t want to leave you."
A sob tore out of my throat. "I’m sorry," I choked. "I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so—" I repeated as he cut me off.
A cold hand barely even there touched my shoulder.
"I didn’t come for revenge," Lynx said. "I came because you forgot me. And I wanted to remember you again, even if it's hurting me too. "
I collapsed forward, shaking. "But I shouldn’t have stayed," he continued, his voice shaking.
"You’re alive. I’m not. You need to live without being chained to me."
"No—" My voice broke. "Don’t leave. Not again—please don’t leave—"
He laughed softly as he continued to say "You’ve carried my ghost long enough."
His touch faded, barely passing though me, instead I felt a gust of cold wind pass through me.
I whipped around but he was already dissolving, like morning light erasing a shadow.
"Lynx!" I reached out. "Wait—!"
His eyes met mine one last time.
"Knox," he whispered "I begged you, one last time"
"Don't die with me."
And then….He was gone.
The air went still. The house fell silent.
Leon is standing outside the room, he knows what's happening, he could hear it but he chose not to say anything, he chose not to ruin the moment. Even my heartbeat felt quiet, like it was giving me a moment to understand…..
He crossed over because I remembered him. Because he forgave me…. Because he wants me to forgive myself…
Leon went back inside the room, as he placed a gentle hand on my back.
"He’s gone," Leon said. "Truly gone."
I nodded slowly, wiping my face even though the tears kept coming.
"I know."
Luna meowed at the doorway… For the cat who doesn't go far from the house, she came back to this mansion… She meowed softly, not angry this time. Almost… relieved… she purred as she approached me and for the first time, she let pet her...
When I finally stepped out of the mansion, the sky was beginning to turn gray in the morning. I felt empty and yet lighter than I had in years.
A boy I thought I invented was real.
The stranger I thought I was hallucinating about was actually there.
A ghost I thought I forgot came back haunting me .
And the truth I ran from finally caught up to me.
I looked back at the window that had always been locked. It was open. Neither Leon nor I touched it, yet it was open…
For the first time in five years.
And that’s when I finally understood the title of my story...
"He was the man only I could see… because I was the one who needed to say goodbye."
