Who is the dead one here?

Jane had been dead already for more than twenty years. She had been a usually appealing creature for the world. No one could control or understand her wild nature of a woman, sometimes not even me as her own sister, and yet, I found myself walking down an aisle of tombstones with a bouquet of flowers. 

She died widely differently than how she had lived. Even after skydiving, cliff diving, a solo plane crash, it seemed she really liked falling from the sky, she had been well. Well enough to find ways to break every status quo between her and men, judges, bosses -if any of her jobs had lasted more than a few months, between teachers and somehow even kids. She passed away after choking on cashews, an admirably small enemy most people would ignore. Out of everything; chestnuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, she choked on plain cashews. As memorable as her actions had been, no one visited her anymore. Our parents were too elderly now to come visit her, so I was the only one left to change her flowers. It had become a strange routine I did at least once a month; give her flowers and talk to her as if she was my unpaid therapist. She was always a great listener. 

I tugged my coat closer as the cold autumn breeze passed by, the bright yellow of the sunflower bouquet standing out upon the auburn autumn leaves. Had the months passed by so fast? I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes, the wind and silence enveloping me. No matter how the world spun in chaos, there was something solemn in the respected silence of the place.

“Boo!” My eyes jumped open at the abrupt sound. Around me the only living thing that could have made a sound was a bird flying overhead. 

“A bit to your left.” The voice said. 

The blood in my body froze as I slowly turned my head to the left to see the evanescent figure of a woman standing in front of me. Her pale figure stood softly as if the mist was what held her together.

“J-Jane?” I looked at what seemed a lost and ephemeral memory; brown eyes, long hair, freckles and overexcited energy. 

“Oh, my dear Sophie, why do you look so horrified? At least say hi.” She smiled at me as she sat upon her own grave.

“You..but you are… you are dead.” My eyes darted between her and the grave she sat on. She looked down to her languid body,

“I’m dead?! I’m dead!” She cried out loud with a gasp, her palms covering her face as she wept. Her entire body slowly sunk into the ground below her, disappearing into the earth. I stepped closer to see the now empty space where the last bit of her head had disappeared. Was I imagining things?

“What sad truth, isn't it?” A scream escaped me as I jumped back. She stood calmly, still in translucent shape, smiling beside me. My heart raced as if it was at the border of a heart attack.

“So why….” I turned my head to see the empty and misty paths of the cemetery, oh no, “Am I dead?” My breath hitched with the thought. I still had things to do; travel, hug loved ones, read more books, I even had laundry left to do!

“Don't be so dramatic! You look paler than a white sheet.”

“Says the ghost!” The words sputtered out of me. She laughed.

“I’m translucent, not white.” She signaled her ginger hair, still somehow colorful amidst her…weird dead complexion at the moment. “I am just visiting a little before your time, after all, it has been rude to not respond after so many years. How are Eric and Emily doing by the way?”

“So I’m… not dead?” I asked, completely disregarding her question as I pinched my arm to see if I felt anything. Gladly I did.

“Your body is still warm and fuzzy, if you only let yourself breath, I’d say you are still very much in the living world.” Her words were not as calming as expected, but at least I was able to take a few breaths. 

“So you…your body…”

“I'm a ghost, darling. No body to stick me on land.” She rose up and twirled around me like a wind. “Few things stick me to this world, although you could have given me a better grave, a little something more, well; me.” She sat once again on top of her tombstone. 

“I…I didn't think you cared what your tombstone looked like.” In reality we never even expected her to die, the idea of crafting her a tombstone never crossed our mind. In truth, it was indeed plain compared to her.

“Everyone cares about how they look, even the dead ones, especially the dead ones. In my good old days I was a fashion icon, my tombstone should reflect that.”

“You sound like an old lady!” I laughed, remembering her weird love for pleated skirts and button down shirts.

"Who are you calling old? If any it should be you who is old, I am in perfect conditions" 

"Says the one that is most likely to be already rotten to the bone."

"I always had a beautiful bone structure." She posed to signal her point before we both broke down in laughter. 

Oh, this was crazy. Crazier than crazy.

“Why…” My question hung in the air, too much to convey in a single phrase.

“Maybe it's time for you to open your eyes to…another life.” Her bubbly personality softened to calm eyes and a serene voice, “How are you?”

“I am fine. I have a…a great life.” 

“Don't lie to a ghost, especially if it's your big sister.”

“You were always listening?”

“Not always, sometimes I am still able to visit the old place of those damn cashews, and your visits are very much loved.” A small chuckle bubbled out my mouth. Only Jane would have wanted to haunt the nut aisle of a supermarket to prevent anyone from buying cashews.

“I thought I taught you better.”

“You were always doing something, somewhere.” 

“Exactly! I lived life to the fullest.” She stood up, walking up to me. “How many people can say they were a solo female pilot that also ended up living three months in an African community, while they were teaching her their language? May little Abeba be blessed for helping me understand her parents. Who can say that she had a pet bird with sassy comments and an amazing family with too many names starting with an E?” A sad smile formed in my face as I remembered. “It’s your turn now.” 

“I have a great life, a husband, a daughter, your bird…” I bit the inside of my cheek. Time had flown by, Emily had grown, Eric and I hadn't gone out in a long time and I still had a list of dreams stashed in a drawer. So much for trying to live a normal life. Well, at least the old parrot was entertaining enough to curse on my behalf.

“Who is really the dead one here?” A burning tear appeared in the corner of my eye. “Oh, Sophie, my little naive and overcompensating Sophie, come here.” Jane opened her arms. 

As I instinctively went to hug her a rush of coldness shattered my insides, her ghostly shape half inside me. “Well, this is awkward.” Her words came out muffled as she pulled back. My whole body shivered worse than the one time when I had been naked in the snow.

“I don't think we should touch,” I admitted. 

She nodded before looking me in the eyes, with severe seriousness,“Now, you still have time, go change your life or I will haunt your house.” In truth, I wasn't completely sure that was not a threat. Even dead, an older sister was scary. 

“I will”

“Now go, and next time bring other types of flowers, sunflowers tend to get sad at night.” I chuckled before turning around to walk away. “I hope to see you next month!” She yelled. 

As I turned back to see her she had already disappeared, only the sunflowers in her grave left. What just happened?! 

“How did your visit go, my love?” Eric asked as I reached our car. 

“I don't think she likes sunflowers anymore.” I said, looking back, as I still tried to understand what had happened. His eyebrow arched confused but didn't say anything. I stopped before him, a sheer moment of doubt before I spoke,

“What would you say if we travelled somewhere right now?” 

“Unless it's launching me to outer space, it’s the best idea I have heard in a while.” He smiled.

“Would a plane be okay?” We laughed.

“It seems the visits to your sister made you remember old times, she always loved to fly to new adventures.”

“She did.” I smiled, “It's our turn now.”

“Then lead the way, captain.” I laughed as he hugged me. A small wind grazed my cheek, and I almost could swear I saw a pair of brown eyes winking at me.