A New Old Friend

A New Old Friend

Seventeen year old Jane was sitting in front of the window staring into the back yard. Her mother noticed her a few times, it had been almost an hour, suddenly Mom was curious.

“Are you alright?” she asked, startling Jane out of her reverie.

“I’m fine Mom,” then quietly, “Do you believe in ghosts?”

Jane was very sick, had been for a while, so Mom was concerned at this. She sat down to find out what exactly what was going on. “Why do you ask?” she said.

“I keep seeing this boy in my dreams. He seems to be my age, but I don’t know him in my real life. He wasn’t in my class, and don’t think I’ve ever seen him before.”

“What happens in your dreams?”

“We are always somewhere together, having so much fun. Sometimes a fair, or at the beach, sometimes in a house, but not our house...”

“Is it a house you know?”

“Actually yes, the green house on Pine Street.”

“That house has been empty for years...”

“I know. Did you know who lived there?”

“Yes, I knew them, it was a family with a child your age. I think his name was Ben, if I remember correctly.”

“What happened to them?”

“Unfortunately, there was a terrible accident when Ben was three. They moved to the city to be near him at his hospital. The last I heard, he’d passed away. I lost touch with them after that.”

“That’s so sad!”

"It was a long time ago, Honey, the two of you used to play together, that’s how we knew them.”

That night in her dream, Jane was walking through the woods with her dream friend. “Is your name Ben?” she suddenly asked.

“Yes,” he said smiling, “it is.”

Jane never woke up again.