The cold fall air chilled me to the bone, yet the colors of the autumn leaves carpeting the road, as well as the smell of sweets from the bakery nearby, warmed my heart. The river nearby sparkled in the afternoon light and as the wind softened, it blew my scarf around, which made me laugh rather than annoying me. However, something nearby spoiled the perfect mood.
A funeral was happening across the street from me as I walked down the sidewalk. As the funeral ended, two people walked out of the cemetery, one man and one elderly woman.
The woman walked up to a park bench and sat down, while the man walked inside a nearby building, presumably to go to the restroom. The woman’s silver hair was in a tight bun and she was wearing a dark dress with black flats; she was obviously in mourning.
I walked up to her and smiled. “I’m sorry for your loss,” I said sympathetically.
She looked up. “Thank you, young man,” she replied. “That’s very kind of you.” The woman smiled faintly; while her eyes were still filled with grief, her smile was kind.
“What’s your name?” I asked, trying to make some small talk.
“Ruby,” she said. “And yours?”
“Albert. It’s very nice to meet you.”
The woman smiled and got up slowly, wobbling a bit but eventually standing upright. “Well, thank you very much, Albert. I hope your day goes well.” She then walked away, back towards the car. I turned away for one moment, thinking about that interaction, but when I looked back, she was gone.
Later, I saw the man from the same funeral return from the building. “Were you with someone named Ruby?”
The man’s face changed from mild grief to painful sadness. “N-no… why?”
“Well, a woman named Ruby walked out of that funeral across the street, and you did as well. I told her I was sorry for her loss and wanted to tell you too.”
The man smiled faintly, his brown eyes sparkling with amusement. “Well, you see… Ruby is the reason the funeral is being held. This is her funeral… but thank you for telling me. It almost feels like she is still here.”
“Oh! I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know-”
“No need to apologize.” He smiled and started to walk away. He called out over his shoulder, “Thank you, sir!”
I stood there, feeling confused, scared, and a little cold- but not from the chilling wind.
What had I just seen? It must have been a… a… prank or something! Yeah! That’s it! A very extravagant prank!
But deep down, I knew…
I had just seen a ghost.
