58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaXnRisFwwThe Cemetery Poster
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I've never believed in ghosts or anything paranormal. At least, I didn't until this happened.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpCcW3lqBp
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnqkWi3s3j
It started with a phone call from my childhood friend, Cecil. Her grandmother had just passed away. They had been incredibly close, and knowing how heartbroken she must have been, I promised myself I'd attend the wake and pay my respects before the burial.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEROwtotM1
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzS2gGz9NIA
I live downtown, while Cecil lives in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of town. It takes about thirty minutes to get there by motorcycle. On the way, I picked up another friend, Marco, who was also close to Cecil and wanted to attend.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYT1LwyE60R
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSCJGnLyCF
The farther we traveled, the more deserted the roads became. Houses grew fewer and farther apart. The only people we saw were the occasional drunk stumbling along the roadside.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xfvjR1vGv
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQFok3AVGV
When we finally arrived, the heavy atmosphere of mourning hit us immediately. A large framed photograph of Cecil's lola stood outside the house, illuminated by flickering candles and flanked by arrangements of white flowers. Family members and neighbors had gathered in the yard. Some wept quietly while others offered hushed words of comfort.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MeAwU9ID6
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0SA500M49
Marco and I slipped inside to find Cecil. She was in the kitchen, pale and exhausted, helping her cousins prepare coffee and biscuits for the guests. We stayed late into the night, doing our best to keep her company and lift her spirits. Over the next few days, Marco and I made it a routine to stop by after work and spend time with her family.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPKZl451Fg
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RCCdvXTry
Eventually, the final night of the wake arrived. The house was a whirlwind of activity as everyone made preparations for the burial scheduled for the following morning.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiICx7NIUVn
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIBk1TIxEO
Later that evening, Cecil, her father, and I headed to the cemetery to settle a few last-minute arrangements. It was pitch-black by the time we arrived. As soon as we passed through the gates, Cecil and her father walked over to the family plot where her grandmother would soon be laid to rest. They began talking with the caretaker and another man nearby.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6vfBdmwKt
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUDaBYlKx7
I had knocked back a few drinks earlier at the wake, but I was still sober enough to handle my motorcycle. Even so, the alcohol had caught up with my bladder. Needing to relieve myself, I muttered an excuse and wandered off toward a darker, older section of the cemetery.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAg7RFYHP7
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZCvLdT7p8
I found a tree beside one of the graves and did my business there.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ305MWKPrla
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6DtKcbGM0
While zipping up, I glanced to my right and noticed what looked like a memorial poster attached to a grave. The area was poorly lit, making it difficult to see clearly.
I squinted, trying to make out the details.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0YY0p9ZdXA
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhg9MIDLLa
"Who the hell chose that picture?" I muttered to myself with a soft chuckle.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTJD7oSIae
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EvYB6islb
The man in the photograph had a deeply unsettling expression. His mouth hung slightly open, slack-jawed, and his eyes seemed fixed on anyone who looked at him. There was something profoundly wrong about the look on his face, but I shrugged it off. I figured it was just an unfortunate snapshot. Most of the newer graves in the cemetery had posters like that so visitors could easily identify their loved ones.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpiAhcep05
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4s1DPW96l
I looked away for a moment, rubbing my eyes, then glanced back.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17zNKBOH6L
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98cRKc53Eo
The poster was still there.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5WHr7QOs4
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrqj9p1mkk
Those dead eyes still staring.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeeVvheFnlW
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"Jun!"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHd4FzWChAS
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpuBpuSi7y
Cecil's voice shattered the silence.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwz734zpso2
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikWhmnvHq2
I turned around and saw her walking toward me, using her phone's flashlight to cut through the darkness.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYMRsZ7Ofg
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4Lt9oB2qF
"Dad said we should head back. He needs to drop something off at the house first," she called out.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULM3Tq6mcU
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixMTmU5qOw
I nodded and waved. "Yeah, coming."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoHyR8r8Xf
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXjtyPjJ4r
Before walking away, I instinctively glanced back at the grave one last time.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOmth5XJ0A
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7SX2JYyzx
My stomach dropped.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBcnjjmbCa
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32b069IAX6
It was gone.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8k0Tg4rSC6
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGAIG8hZLn
I blinked several times, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. There was no poster.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWX14k2pQ6l
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuRcijcuK1
Nothing.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpLXsOQL1l
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMEoWCVeur
Just an empty patch of darkness beside the grave.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMAM7PM1mQ
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPQAEegDtK
A cold feeling crept up my spine.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFscpzleZ7
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIooJthZKB
Without saying a word, I walked over to Cecil, gently took the phone from her hand, and aimed the flashlight directly at the spot.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HkCTw6uxa
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVmPH9f5PP
The beam illuminated nothing but wild grass, cracked concrete, and an old weathered grave marker covered in moss.
No photograph.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZtPZlNy8z
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZFlY2Hd6Z
There had never been a poster there at all.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIUdYvq3ns
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