If it is said that one must wait until the last person who remembers her forgets her in order for her to disappear, then how long must she wait?
Elisa looked coldly at everything in front of her in mid-air. It turned out that once a person dies, all the boiling emotions from their life turn into calmness.
After her death, Elisa transformed into a lonely soul. When she was alive, she had speculated about various possibilities after death, such as meeting the Grim Reaper, encountering the King of Hell, or even encountering something like Satan from the West. At the very least, she thought she would see those who had died alongside her, her father, mother, grandfather, and Autumn, who had not forgotten to carry her home before dying.
However, none of that happened. In the vastness of the world, she was the only special existence. She could see the people of the world, but they couldn’t see her.
There’s a saying online: if a soul lingers long after death, it must be because of deep obsessions or too much resentment and regret in life, turning into a wandering ghost.
But that wasn’t her case. For her, death was liberation. The torment of stomach cancer, the pain of her legs being broken, the sorrow of losing important people, the despair of being imprisoned by Hamish, all vanished like smoke with that fire.
But how could one explain her soul lingering in mid-air?
…
On the first day after Elisa’s death, as she watched the firefighters clearing the ruins, she drifted over and apologetically said, “I’m sorry for making such a mess here. I have to trouble you to clean up the scene…”
Amidst the bustle of the firefighters and medical staff, they didn’t hear her voice. She could only wave her hands desperately, hoping to shield them from the snow above.
…
On the second day after Elisa’s death, she drifted aimlessly, tracing the paths she had walked during her lifetime.
…
On the third day after Elisa’s death, she saw Hamish cradling her charred body in a crystal coffin. He had specifically arranged for a cold room, and it looked very cold. But fortunately, she was dead and couldn’t feel the cold anymore.
…
On the fourth day after Elisa’s death, Mrs. Rugger received the news and hurried back. She cried for a long time in front of the ruined villa. Elisa floated over, silently reassuring her that she was okay, but the more Mrs. Rugger cried, the more heartbroken she became. She followed Mrs. Rugger all the way, watching her alter the yellow sweater she had knitted for her daughter to fit her own size.
…
On the fifth day after Elisa’s death, she drifted to the hospital and saw Mimi. The beautiful ragdoll cat could no longer return to its former appearance. The places burned by the fire were bare, one ear was missing, and a small segment of its tail had been cut off. She gently landed in front of it and kissed its eyes.
“Mimi, if you can’t hold on, don’t force yourself. I promise you, in the next life, I will search for you.”
…
On the sixth day after Elisa’s death, she arrived at Bankshire and saw Ivan receiving a call from the Chiwood police station informing him of her death. She sat with Ivan on the ground, reminiscing about the past together. Truth be told, she had never thought that Ivan would cry after her death. Her life, full of bumps and bruises, ultimately halted at the age of 27, born from an accident and crushed by day-to-day despair. For this outcome, she didn’t blame anyone but herself for her blindness and naivety.
She was originally the proud Miss Powell of the Powell family in Bankshire, but mistaking someone for nine years ruined her life.
Once the heart stops beating after death, no amount of regret can be felt.
…
On the eighth day after Elisa’s death, Micah got into a fight with Ivan for her sake. Micah, filled with self-blame, cried, while Ivan roared with hoarse intensity.
Micah said they were all accomplices in her death, but it wasn’t true. She died… because of herself.
…
On the ninth day after Elisa’s death, she returned to Chiwood and overheard Finn telling Hamish the truth from nine years ago, as well as the scar on her ear. She reached out and touched it, feeling deeply moved.
Unexpectedly, Finn understood her more than Hamish did. She thought… how ridiculous her life had been.
The ninth day was undoubtedly the longest. She alternated between seeing Hamish return home, coughing up blood on the floor, expressing regret, and witnessing her body enter the crematorium, crackling and finally turning into ashes in a small urnMicah hadn’t forgotten her words from her lifetime, and he took her ashes to the seaside.
She gently wiped away the tears from his eyes. “Micah, I’m sorry we couldn’t say goodbye properly. I don’t blame you, really. You’ve been the best friend I could have asked for in this world. I just couldn’t live as happily as you’d hoped.”
…
Elisa had suffered greatly in her short life. She had often contemplated giving up due to the hardships, but in the end, she persevered. Growing up without love, she longed to be loved.
She had been coldly observed by her family, betrayed by those she trusted, and her supposed love turned out to be a mistake from the beginning to the end.
Even with her tumultuous fate and the insincerity of people in this world, after her death, she still refused to become a vengeful ghost. She chose to depart quietly, whether with regret or forgetfulness, it was all fated.
…
She had witnessed the self-destructive behaviors of Hamish after her death, but what was the point? She was already gone. Even if he experienced all the pain she had endured in her lifetime, it meant nothing. She wouldn’t pity him, and she certainly wouldn’t forgive him.
Injuries remained injuries. Even if the scars healed and vanished, the pain she had once experienced was something no one had the right to persuade her to forgive or let go of. If the pain wasn’t on their own body, they wouldn’t understand its intensity.
Four lives, in addition to her own, made a total of five. What could Hamish do to make up for that?
There are no “ifs” in this world. They met the wrong people at the wrong time, destined to never have a good outcome in this life, especially since she didn’t care for his tenderness.
In just a few days, Elisa had seen all the vicissitudes of the world. Gradually, her soul became more and more transparent, and the countless lights and shadows of her past lives played out before her, performing a magnificent farewell.
As she was about to vanish, a voice came from above her.
“You said your whole life was a mistake. If you were given a chance to start over, would you take it?”
Elisa replied seriously, “I wouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“The life I most wanted in this lifetime was to have a few good friends, a cat, and someone I loved. I have all of these. I have Micah who cares for me like family, Hattie, Mimi, and Autumn. This life is already enough for me. I don’t want to start over… my presence would only bring them misfortune. I want them to be well, as if I had never appeared.”
If she hadn’t appeared, her mother wouldn’t have died protecting her during a difficult childbirth, she and Koby would have lived happily together, and she would have raised Ivan well.
If she hadn’t appeared, Autumn wouldn’t have faced such a tragic end due to her involvement.
If she hadn’t appeared, then the person entangled with Hamish would have been someone else, and everyone’s paths would have been altered.
The voice fell silent for a while and then asked, “Don’t you resent those who once hurt you? They regret their actions now. Perhaps a fresh start could change something?”
“Even if they regret it, my death only brings them guilt. Even if I were to return to the past, I still couldn’t change anything. I would rather reincarnate, start anew.” Elisa paused and asked, “I still don’t know who you are?”
“Do you believe in the divine?”
Elisa smiled, “If there really are divine beings, in the next life, let me be a cold and indifferent person, unbound by emotions, neither loving nor caring for anyone.”
“Your wish is granted.”
A faint, gentle light, like a shooting star brushing the night, blossomed into the most beautiful radiance in that moment. Elisa never expected to see such a beautiful light again… nor did she expect to feel her heartbeat once more.