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Emma froze, her gaze meeting Jessica’s, and something inside her fluttered. She hadn’t expected such an answer, but there was such sincerity in Jessica’s voice that Emma felt something huge and important shift in her world. She squeezed her hand tighter, but didn’t say a word.
Dan, standing a little off to the side, watched them. He was still like a ghost, dissolved in the moment, but now he wasn’t a stranger, he was there. His face showed no irritation, no anger, no sadness. He was just silent, observing. Everything that had been said and everything that was happening was beyond his control. He could feel the weight of the situation was heavy for all of them.
Suddenly, as if the moment had slowed down, the book, which had been lying on the floor before, began to glow. A bright light surrounded them all. This wasn’t just light — it was energy that they felt in every cell of their bodies, in their breath, and in the very silence that deafened everything around them.
The spirit, not visible in its full form, began to turn into a translucent figure. Its silhouette took the shape of a person in a medieval cloak, almost antique, but still with a smile full of gratitude. It began to slowly rise higher and higher, as if the air itself was lifting it. In the eyes of this ghost was an incredible gratitude. It rose upwards, its arms spreading, and its face — neither old nor young, with noble features — spread into a soft smile. And then, its body began to slowly vanish, as if dissolving into the very atmosphere, leaving only peace behind.
— Thank you... — his voice was quiet, but it carried endless gratitude. — For setting me free.
Emma and Jessica stood in complete silence, hands clasped, watching something important, something real, disappear. Their eyes filled with tears. It wasn’t out of sorrow, but rather the feeling that something good had happened, though they couldn’t quite understand what. It was as if their souls had participated in that moment, filling with something right.
When the light faded and they were left alone in the gazebo, it was dark, with only the stars above and the smell of fresh air. The silence that had come, which at that moment seemed like the loudest of all sounds, was broken by Jessica’s first word.
— I still feel your hand, — her voice was quiet, but there was no fear in it, just surprise. She didn’t try to hide her joy, even though she didn’t know how to express it. — You’re still here, Em! You didn’t disappear!
Emma stayed silent, staring into the void.
— What do you mean? — her voice was oddly indifferent, as if nothing had happened.
Jessica looked at her, her gaze full of confusion. Emma was there, but there was nothing in her eyes that spoke of the emotional storm they had just been through. She stood in front of her as if nothing had changed, and everything they had just experienced had turned into part of some foreign dream.
In that moment, Emma finally noticed that their hands were intertwined. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks and quickly pulled her hand away. Jessica also blushed, her palm still trembling a little from the recent touch.
— Jessica… you... you dropped the book, — Emma said nervously after this, trying to shift the conversation to some less significant detail.
Jessica didn’t answer right away. Her gaze fell to the ground, and she froze, looking at the open book lying before her. The empty page... there was no longer the drawing of the person in the cloak. Just white paper. Everything that had been there was gone. But what did that mean? Why couldn’t she remember what had happened? It had slipped from her memory, like sand through her fingers.
— Oh... yeah, — her voice was soft, almost bewildered, as she finally spoke, rubbing her eyes as if trying to wipe away the very thought of what had just happened. — Strange, somehow.
Emma looked at her, her gaze calm and sharp, as usual.
— Why are you crying? — she asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise, as if not noticing the strange atmosphere around them.
Jessica froze, her gaze trembling slightly as she realized that, indeed... it wasn’t so much crying, but there was a feeling that something inside her was breaking. She wiped her tears and raised her eyes to Emma.
— I… don’t know, — she replied, looking at her friend in surprise. — What about you?
Emma suddenly froze for a moment, feeling the tension in her eyes and the tears on her cheek, but quickly shook off the feeling, wiping her cheeks with her hand.
— Me? No, — she said in a restrained voice, as if not understanding what had happened. — I’m not crying. It’s just... everything’s a little weird.
Dan, standing a little off to the side, snorted, breaking their silence. His face was unreadable, but there was still something in his eyes that Jessica couldn’t quite decipher.
— These books, — he started, shaking his head slightly, — you need to be careful with them. It was a mistake for you to come with us, Jessica. This is Emma’s and my thing.
Jessica wanted to say something, but Emma interrupted her with a slight expression of irritation.
— Looks like these books are just some kind of bullshit, — she said, glancing at the empty page with noticeable disappointment. — Wasted time.
She looked at Jessica, and in her eyes flashed a certain weariness, as if all this book stuff was no longer worth a single second of attention.