But Dad, I'm Already Dead

The pain in my neck was gone.

I realized I could fly. My body floated through the air as light as a cloud.

Drifting upward, I looked down.

Below the balcony, a boy in a blue winter coat hung from a strand of bunting. His body was swaying gently in the freezing wind.

His face was a bruised purple, and his wide eyes were staring blankly into the distance.

Why did he look exactly like me?

That was when it hit me. I was dead.

The pain was gone, but a wave of profound sadness and loneliness washed over me.

I missed Mom and Dad. I missed their warm hugs and the way they used to pat my head and call me their little prince.

I wanted to play with my half-sister, Bella Fraser, too. I wanted to tell her that I didn't mean to do it.

My soul drifted alone through the empty house. I sat in my room, clutching my action figure.

I waited and waited, through the days and nights.

The sun rose and set for three whole days.

They never came home.

During those three days, I sneaked over to look at my body. It was getting scarier.

My skin had turned from purple to a ghostly pale, mottled with dark red spots, and my limbs were completely stiff.

The freezing weather kept me from rotting quickly, but it made me look even more terrifying.

A few times, I gathered the courage to float closer for a better look. But each time, the horrific sight sent me into sobbing fits. I would cry and drift back to the corner of my room, curling myself into a ball.

I felt so pathetic.

Why weren't Mom and Dad back yet? Where did they go? Did they forget about me?

Finally, on the evening of the third day, I heard the familiar hum of an engine from downstairs.

It was Dad's car!

I rushed to the window and saw Mom and Dad carrying Bella, laughing and talking as they got out of the car.

They were back! They were finally back!

My heart leaped into my throat. I thought my long wait was finally over.

They were going to find me. They were going to see me hanging there. They would be devastated. They would hold me and cry, deeply regretting that they had ever left me alone.

I drifted to the front door, ready to wrap them in a huge hug the moment it opened, just like I used to.

The door swung open, letting in a draft of cold air. They walked in.

I rushed forward to greet them but felt nothing but a freezing chill pass right through me.