The Remaining

Though everything was change

i dunno why

but in this new world

ill try to find you and

be with you all over again

-----------------------------

*TRICYCLE (PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION*

 it all starts from a single of message of MJ

“Who the hec* is that MJ?!”

“it nothing okay”

“Mary Ann for real! who is that MJ!?”

“Nothing, John Carl! just don’t mind him! please!”

“No, I saw your conversations with him on messenger.”

“I said its nothing! Carl.”

“How come noth-?!”

my vision spins like a tornado and the tricycle slams to something!

*IIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!*

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!”

“SSSSSIIIIIIRRRRRRR!!!!!!”

*BOOOOOGGGG!!*

--------------------

*WWWWIIIIWWOOOOONGGGG!!!* WWWWIIIIWWWOOOOOOOOOOONNNGG!!!*

“EMERGENCY!!!”

“MOVE, MOVE!!!”

“THE GIRL IS STILL BREATHING!!”

“THE PULSE OF THE BOY IS WEAK!!”

MAKE IT FAST! PUT THEM IN THE AMBULANCE!!

-------------

*TING.....*

“What is the name of this boy?”

“Doc according to the details, his name is John Carl”

“Estimated time of death 02:58 pm Nov 4, when his relative came, tell them what happened.”

“Yes doc”

---------

John Carl POV

“What happened? Why... Why... Why do I see my body is lying there?!”

I tried to hold my body but my hand just pass-through

“No... Am I already a ghost?! this can’t be happening!”

 as I continue to approach my body nothing is change, it can’t be happening!

“Estimated time of death 2:58 pm”- ? a sudden figure appears behind me

“Who are you!?”

this person is wearing a long black jacket and a mysterious black hat,  though he looks scary it approaches me

“You die too early man”- ?, his tone was so passive, it feels like he did something like this many times before

“What? what dead?! I’m just sleeping!" as I keep protesting, I point myself in the bed

The doctor slowly covered my face with a blanket, everything that I want to believe suddenly lost, no please no!

“No!!! don’t cover it!!! no!!! no!!!”

I rushed to the doctor to stop him but I just pass-through; I try it again but nothing happened, as i try too many times the result was the same

as my confusions slowly eating me away, I look at the person who talks to me and  slowly, my eyes are shaking and my entire body feels like a bucket of ice poured me

“What’s happening to me!? who are you!?”. anger and confusion are dwelling in my heart

the figure only glints its eyes and furrowed its forehead

“umhh... I can only say that you can call me Grim Reaper.” - Grim Reaper

and the truth seemed to slap me, I feel like heaven fell on me and it stunned me for a long time 

 What do i do from now on, I don’t want to die this very soon! fear, confusion and unfairness envelop my heart

“No...”

“But you died too early boy, I supposed to pick you up on Dec 25 because some assailant will kill you. “- Grim Reaper said to me but it feels like he was happy doing this now!

ha? what is this guy trying to say to me

“What will happen to me now?”

“Do you want to come with me to the afterlife?” - Grim Reaper

 the afterlife... 

is this really the end of me, the emotions in my are flooding like a river, and slowly, seconds by seconds, I’m accepting my destiny but

“Wait! where’s my girlfriend?!” I yelled at him

with a confident smile, he answered me

“Oh, the girl in the accident, ummmhh okay, follow me.”

the Grim Reaper walked towards the wall and passed through it, talking nothing else

“huh? wait you can pass through walls!?”

like an irritating teen anger, he comes back

“bahh! You can also do it , let’s go.”

I slowly followed the Grim Reaper and surprisingly I could penetrate the wall without being hit by anything I encountered, there are too many people in this hospital and I saw a lot of Grim Reaper that guiding souls to the afterlife

And we suddenly stopped in a room with a woman sleeping soundly. She is the most beautiful woman in my heart; she was like a sleeping princess, dying after all, for the love of my life is not bad at all

“Mary Ann...”

she has wounds all over her body, it’s heartbreaking that I can’t even hold her hands now, not to talk about hugging her

“Grim Reaper, how is she?! she probably didn’t die, right?!”

 using its charming face, the Grim Reapers malicious smile is not believable!

though there was a saying that a handsome man smile is like a snake in disguise

“She was lucky because she’s not that hurt by the accident but” - Grim Reaper

“but what?”

 “she doesn’t remember anything that happens to her this past 2years” - Grim Reaper

2years! no, it can't be!

“wait, why as if it is our all memories together? we’ve known each other for almost 2 years! so she will not remember any of it!”

 the Grim Reaper nods it head many times

“seems like that but-“- Grim Reaper recalled something

“what?! can i do something?!”

“because you died so early, I can give you a chance to help her to regain her lost memories “- Grim Reaper

 with this statement all the tense of my body lessen

“Really??? How!?”, My excitement is showing in my eyes, I can't just die here!

“But... when she remembers you she will be hurt again, do you think that will be much better if she doesn’t remember you? “- Grim Reaper

Like cold water pouring down on my whole being, I think it’s right if she doesn’t remember me, she wont feel pain from losing me.

 the Grim Reaper suddenly brings out a clock from its pocket

“You choose, I’ll give you a week before your scheduled death so you can be with Mary Ann, or you will come with me right now?”- Grim Reaper

its an extremely hard question though the answer is just yes or no, I can’t answer now

“Can I think about this?”

 he merrily answered to me

“Sure, once you have made a decision, just call my name everywhere and I can hear you already.”- Grim Reaper

I slowly approached and tried to touch Mary Ann’s face again. Even though I can’t feel it, I think what’s important is that I can see her.

I’m so confused, I love you so much and I don’t want you to forget everything but at the same time as you remember me, it also coincides with the pain that I am gone.

-----

Grim Reaper’s POV

He died too early, not because God wants him to be dead already, but because he was the one who shared the death that should belong to the woman with him.

If his soul was not so desperate to save that woman maybe he is alive now and the woman is dead

but the world is not that easy because of the LAW OF EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE, their destiny just exchange.

-----

John Carl POV

Days passed and this time I went home first and look for my mom. She already has my body.

it really breaks my heart to see my mother crying because of my death.

I want to hug her ... I want to tell her how much I love her.... but it’s too late

the weird thing about this is that you can see your body inside the coffin, then it is even weirder when you attend your own funeral

I can see my friends crying, my former classmates, and finally, my ex over there crying because of my loss

“John Carl why did you die suddenly? I will help you rank up on Mobile Legends, right!?”-David (crying)

I’m stronger than you!

“Poor you. I know stupid people like you die easily but it’s too early.” - Phil 

“Sorry !!! sorry John Carl !! I know you were hurt when I turned you down but I hope you let me apologize first!!- Dessa (crying)

Dessa it’s embarrassing, don’t say that

“John Carl get up! We’ll still play! We’ll still dance, right?!”- Jhon Jhon Achacoso

 my dance partner, well we still have a new dance, it’s shameful that I go ahead very soon

“anya nya nyu nyaaaa , nggguuu ngumangon a nyan!!”- Jestino (crying)

 wtf! what are you saying, Jestino!

“I love you!! take over my entire body! Rape me! Please wake up!”- Elijah (crying)

I’m happy, knowing that lots of people really love me, but I was in shock of what Elijah said. My God!! we’re both men!.

And while I was there, I saw my brothers and my sister coming home and they were crying over my loss; they were carrying a cellphone that I wanted and they seemed to offer it to the side of my coffin.

I want to cry… mix emotion, happiness, and sadness. I hope I appreciated you all more when I was alive. I want to cry badly, why your offering that cellphone at my funeral I can’t use it! Why you guys don’t buy it when I was alive!

The last day of my funeral came everyone was crying, I wanted to shout at them to say that I was here! I can hear you all! I want to say goodbye to them.

but even a single noise they cant here me

After my funeral I followed mom, she was with my brother and sister who are still crying

I feel sorry for my mom, but what can I do? I’m already dead, it is true that repentance is always late

Thank you to my sister and brothers are there to help mom to move on

and this time I wondered if Mary Ann should still remember me..

She will only get hurt ...

I think it will be good if I go with Grim Reaper and forget about Mary Ann forever.

“Grim...”

suddenly my mother shout!

“JOHN CARL!!!”

Even before I called Grim Reaper I heard mom shout and I run back to my grave.

“John Carl !!! thank you for being my child !! I will never forget you, son !!! if you can hear me I will always love you for the rest of my life remember that, so don’t worry about me here. I’ll be okay” - Mama (crying)

and because of what mom said, I immediately ran towards her crying.

“Mom!!! I’M SORRYY!!!!”

I hope that I’ve become an obedient child when I was alive, and now all I can do is to cry

******

Dec 1---

I watched my mom for a few days until she recovered. Thanks to them, my siblings.

now I will go to Mary Ann.

Mary Ann has returned to their house, and she seems okay

she can smile now, and her best friend Janella is always visiting her

“Bestie, how’s your feeling?” - Janella

“I’m okay bestie. I just can’t really remember what happened to me last year, but I’m okay, thank you bestie.”- Mary Ann

“Can you remember John Carl bestie?”- Janella

 I can see that her best friend is trying to check her situation

“Who’s that?”- Mary Ann

“U-uhm nothing haha he’s just someone I know.”- Janella

So, she doesn’t really remember me. I’m still confused if I want her to remember me. She’s really living her normal life.

Every day I was with Mary Ann even though she did not know that I was with her. Just having her in my side, my heart is at ease.

Dec 9---

but today was different from her always cheerful face is slowly becoming dull, and the emotions of her are looking pale

“Bestie, why do you look sad? “- Janella

“Me? What, I’m okay, I’m fine” - Mary Ann (smiling)

“You’re spacing out, you seem to think. I think it’s about men.” - Janella

“What? no, its nothing.”- Mary Ann

but no one knows that deep inside she is feeling something is missing from her. She did not know why, but the only answer to it was the memories that she couldn’t remember.

“Bestie, can you tell me something I did last year?” - Mary Ann

“U-uh, he.. he... nothing to be worth mentioning hehe he? let’s go.”-Janella

ha? tell me about her why you’re holding back Janella!

“O-okay...”- Mary Ann

***Flashback days ago***

“Janella, is it okay for you not to remind Mary Ann of her lost memories?” - Mary Ann’s mother

“but why aunt? - Janella

“Because I don’t want to hurt Mary Ann, I don’t want her to remember anything that will hurt her, right now it’s okay when she is like that.” - Mary Ann’s mother

“but it seems unfair to her aunt.”- Janella

“As a parent, I only do this because for me it is the best for my child” - Mary Ann’s mother

“but ..” - Janella

“Can you promise me Janella as my daughter’s best friend?” - Mary Ann’s mother

“All right, aunt, I promise.”- Janella

***Present***

“Come on, bestie, let’s go in, we might get late.” - Janella

“Okay, let’s go, bestie, your right we’re going to be late.” - Mary Ann

Every day, this is the routine of my life I just watch the woman I love the most but I can see the questions in her eyes, and because of that she is sad

should i...

but if she does not remember, it will be better for her.

Dec 16---

I’m here now in Mary Ann’s room and likewise, i’ve been watching her

she is just staring at the ceiling and not saying anything nor doing anything

“My GF is really cute”

I want to touch her cheeks badly but my hand is just passing through her

then out of nowhere Mary Ann’s tears suddenly flowed

“My God... why do my tears fall suddenly?”- Mary Ann

“why ... why did she cry suddenly, are you okay Mary Ann?”

She immediately stood up and wiped away her tears

“Why do I look so sad ...” - Mary Ann

“I don’t want you to be sad”

“Why!?”

“Do you want to know?”- ?

“HUWAAA!!!”

I was shocked and look for the one who talks suddenly

“You scared me! I thought someone can hear me!” as gasped the air around me

“Do you know the reason why your gf suddenly cried?” - Grim Reaper, his tone now was so serious

“Uh, no. Why did it happen?” I asked him

“Because only her brain forgets, but her heart did not.” - Grim Reaper

“So, Mary Ann’s heart still remembers, but she will always be like that?” my whole body starts to tremble

“Yes, because of the emptiness in her heart. There is a part of her that was longing for you but her brain can’t remember it and it makes a sudden dilemma and sooner or later this emptiness will absorb her and maybe she will become a vessel that doesn’t know what is the feeling of being loved - Grim Reaper

with this sudden revelation, my whole being shakes!

“Can I do anything?!”

and with a mischievous smile, he answered me

“Yes, that is if she remembers you.”- Grim Reaper

“but ... when she finds out I’m dead she’ll be hurt more ...”

“The day of your appearance with her is tomorrow, will you continue or will you come with me” - Grim Reaper

“...”

I don’t want to see her sad ...

but that emptiness in her heart can consume her I don’t want that 

“remember human being is as frail as the glass they can easily break but it was always part of moving on”- Grim Reaper

what if...

I will help her remember and make her think that I am her ex bf, along with reminding her of the memories of the lost years!

“All right, let me use this 1 week to make her remember again!”

“Okay, but...”- Grim Reaper

“What is it again?!”

“There are conditions.”- Grim Reaper answered me merrily.

-You will materialize every 6 am and will become a ghost again after 12mn

-You only materialize when you are with him within 20meters around her

-You are not allowed to tell her anything about me

-You are not allowed to go to anyone other than Mary Ann

-At exact 12 midnight, you will come with me in the afterlife

“”Okay I’ll remember all of that"

“Last advice remember all actions have exchange whether you want to or not” - Grim Reaper

“Huh? what does that mean?”

and suddenly Grim Reaper disappeared without any trace

“Wait wait!!! hey!!”

****

From now on I need to focus on how to get rid of the sadness of the person I love