All Chapters of Three, Two, One: I Close My Eyes Forever: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Inside the pitch-black coffin, I stared at my hands for a moment. This should be clean enough, right?Hannah's medicine must be working now because I was starting to see her flushed, angry face right in front of me.She slammed the heavy iron gate shut with a bang. "Oliver Hubbard, you're nine years old. How do you still not know any better? How many times have I told you to stay away from Blake? Why did you have to lie? I didn't raise you to be like this."Curled up inside the coffin, I murmured that I hadn't lied, and I hadn't dirtied Blake Mueller's shirt on purpose either.Also, I couldn't understand why my big sister, Hannah Hubbard, was so angry when Blake had already said it was fine.Hmph!Once I got to heaven, I would definitely beg the angels to let me come back as the older sibling!That way, I could put my hands on my hips and yell at her for a change. As I got excited at that thought, my eyelids began to feel too heavy to keep open. There was just one problem, tho

Chapter 2

When I came to, I cautiously cracked one eye open.Was I already in heaven? I wasn't. I was floating in the air, looking down at our little yard. Why was I still at home?Just as I was wondering about that, I heard the sound of a trike screeching to a halt coming from outside the gate.Hannah and Grandma were back! I wondered if Hannah had managed to smooth things over with Blake.Hannah and Blake came in while helping Grandma along. Seeing the three of them so close, like a real family, made me jealous.I couldn't help but sigh. It was my fault for making Hannah angry. That must have been why they went out for good food without me.Wanting to make up for it, I rushed forward to help support Grandma.But when my hand went right through her, I realized that I was see-through. I waved my hand carefully in front of Hannah's face."Oliver?"Could Hannah see me? I immediately started rambling, eager to show off what I'd done."Hannah, I secretly took your meds. But they didn't wor

Chapter 3

There was a time when Hannah had been a proud but soft-hearted young girl as well.After school, she would watch cartoons with me and play games with me.My favorite game was Red Light, Green Light. But one day, while we were playing outside, Hannah had just shouted "Red light!" when one of her classmates called her over to ask about homework.I stood there alone, waiting for ages, and that was when a stranger snatched me up. As I struggled frantically, I banged my head against a sharp corner nearby. The stranger dropped me and ran. When Mom and Dad found out that I had become a fool, they got a divorce. Hannah was the one who took on the responsibility of taking care of me, even though she was small and weak herself.But even a fool like me knew that none of this was Hannah's fault.Hannah should have been free as a bird, able to do whatever she pleased. She shouldn't have been tied down by someone like me, turning her into a person who was too scared to even confess her love t

Chapter 4

Hannah sat down at the table, still looking pretty ticked off."Oliver really has no worries at all. Even though he knows we are back, he still won't come out of his room. All he does is sleep, and he sleeps like the dead!"One of these days, he's going to sleep himself into an early grave! He causes trouble every day, and he still can't do basic math!"I could now! I floated right up to Hannah, pointing at the pile of empty bottles. "I counted them perfectly! Check if you don't believe me! Big meanie!"I was never going to talk to her again. With a huff, I floated off to sit on top of the coffin.When I saw Grandma reaching for the fish with her fork, I rushed over. "Grandma, you can't eat the fish! There are bones in it!"To my surprise, as if Grandma had actually heard me, she murmured, "No, no. I shouldn't eat this. Oliver should have the fish."Blake served Grandma a bunch of other food before speaking loudly in her ear. "Janet, Hannah already set aside food for Oliver. Don

Chapter 5

Despite the stern look on Hannah's face, she still crouched down and regarded Grandma tenderly."Grandma, you can't keep spoiling Oliver like this. He's getting older. Even if I keep protecting him, he's still a young man who has to go out into the world eventually. If we're no longer around someday, how is a fool like him supposed to survive on his own?"I rubbed my eyes groggily. Hannah's voice had woken me up. How strange. Did ghosts even need sleep?Before I could make sense of it, her words had already hurt me.Hannah didn't used to be like this. She never called me a fool. She always said I was the gift Mom and Dad left her.Hannah said I was her little prince, and princes were meant to be pampered at home.She even said I was her Achilles' heel. Although I couldn't see any resemblance between myself and a heel, I knew better than to question it. All I needed to know was that Hannah would always protect me and love me.Women were indeed hard to figure out. It hadn't even b

Chapter 6

Jeez, silly Hannah and Blake. Grandma was smarter than both of them.She told them ages ago that I was lying in that big coffin. They were the ones who refused to believe her. Hmph.I floated around, watching Hannah and Blake tear the house apart, looking for me."Oliver! Oliver!"Hannah shouted my name at the top of her lungs, while I desperately answered right beside her."Hannah, I'm right here. I'm not mad at you, really. I promise I won't be a burden to you ever again."I said everything that had been buried in my heart, but unfortunately, she couldn't hear any of it. I could only watch as Hannah and Blake searched every corner of the alley.When the chubby kid next door heard the commotion, he poked his head out before sticking his tongue out at Hannah. "The little fool is missing again and can't find his way home!"Hannah couldn't be bothered to deal with him, yet he had the nerve to run right up to her to taunt her. "My mom says Oliver is a good-for-nothing trash, so yo

Chapter 7

I floated after Hannah and curiously peeked inside the coffin, only to see myself lying there with foam at my mouth. My face had turned a mottled purple and blue.Man, I looked awful. I couldn't even hold a candle to a tenth of Blake now. Would Hannah even recognize me in the next life?I pursed my lips. Just as I was about to comfort Hannah, I saw her go completely still, standing stiff and straight. "Oliver… It really is Oliver…"A twisted smile appeared on her face as she turned to Blake. "Blake, I don't have a little brother anymore. I don't have a brother anymore!"She dropped to her knees with a thud, her head slamming hard against the coffin. "This is my fault. This is all my fault!"She started slapping herself hard across the face. When Blake stopped her, she banged her head on the ground instead. "Why… Why did I leave Oliver home alone? Why?"Hannah's anguished cries left me stunned. Shouldn't she be happy that I was gone? She was finally free of this burden. Without me

Chapter 8

My tears landed on Hannah's hand before mixing with her blood. Just like raindrops disappearing into the ocean, they were so insignificant.It was only then that I understood what a foolish thing I had done. I had left Hannah and Grandma behind in this world and selfishly ran away.We might never meet again in the next life.There would be no one to protect me as if I were a prince anymore, proudly calling me their little brother.No one would cook my favorite dish for me or throw punches just to stand up for me anymore.In the next life, we would just be strangers in a sea of people. Perhaps a nod as we passed each other on the street would be the closest we would ever come again.I was wrong. I should never have used my own death to punish Hannah.In that moment, my mind was clearer than it had ever been. I wondered if Hannah would be happy to know that, although I had died, I had finally grown up."Hannah, look at me!"Like a devoted knight, Blake held Hannah's face in his

Chapter 9

Hannah spread her arms to gather me into her embrace, only to end up holding nothing but air. "Oliver, are you still unwilling to forgive me?"Tears brimmed in her eyes. She wanted to move toward me, but she was terrified that this was just a dream."Hannah, I'm not a fool anymore." I spun around in front of her, my tone light and cheerful. "You see? I'm healthy as can be. Everything is okay now. Wouldn't you call this a blessing in disguise, Hannah?"Flashing a playful smile, I blinked back my tears."Oliver, you… I really didn't mean those things I said. You have no idea how much I regret it… I regret getting mad at you. Is it too late to say this now…"Under the shocked stares of everyone present, she dropped to her knees, as though she were begging me for forgiveness. I couldn't stop her, so I just knelt in front of her."Hannah, didn't you tell me that when people die, they go to heaven? Well, I'm about to go to heaven. Shouldn't you be happy for me?"To be honest, I really

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