58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKSDV90JhjThe Cemetery Poster
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCMZ2SaQlJ
I've never believed in ghosts or anything paranormal. At least, I didn't until this happened.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3k9tpaAm4
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibigjUiFwd
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbCA5Sd4Hn
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTUYryYiTo
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmN9suCrtvU
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmffvcojUlI
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajmsEGwsrT
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpr7Rf9t04
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27Lz0cgcZZ
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZm8I391QNU
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxHEMgOpM7
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNI22gt3uXC
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lgnCJBLTM
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JtLOLQ8nw
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJMumOiccg
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZgAsBwWn3
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0tBvooFW2
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6czTlCSRvu
I found a tree beside one of the graves and did my business there.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUT6VmEOn0
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMc4k6w7AC7
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ANZxlw45P
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOnl4EFfhb
"Who the hell chose that picture?" I muttered to myself with a soft chuckle.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRzskwBkPv
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYobuK7ld82
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntBp05Dqjp
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqU1UJmmZeO
I looked away for a moment, rubbing my eyes, then glanced back.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRyo2qj4Wf
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQK8isWTZGw
The poster was still there.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLagehZ3fXM
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJ72Tk6bHf
Those dead eyes still staring.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkrUZDwUPz
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRJqKPUvmq
"Jun!"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaSDcSVz2J
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawxvroeNGg
Cecil's voice shattered the silence.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vzsYGe0kL
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkj7HZ1GY2U
I turned around and saw her walking toward me, using her phone's flashlight to cut through the darkness.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCc1shcXKI
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Ar1BNx9Dy
"Dad said we should head back. He needs to drop something off at the house first," she called out.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2mof1dgFJ
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWCxANwXkK
I nodded and waved. "Yeah, coming."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LuOPY3bW8
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgl4l4MImZ
Before walking away, I instinctively glanced back at the grave one last time.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVqji1xhuf
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvhlgds1to
My stomach dropped.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYDPinJxrX
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtUb2QMd0t
It was gone.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQoLYCK8iv
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOwJwKl4cu
I blinked several times, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. There was no poster.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ1OaWOQtE
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObPVu8nw7D
Nothing.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmHFMYgd2y
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpxDmT2KlY
Just an empty patch of darkness beside the grave.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6LX3H6gtd
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepTo4Wcn3p
A cold feeling crept up my spine.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJEv8NwVUb
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzDhB27iQm
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pMLEzHk2N
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtaD3mqU0JY
The beam illuminated nothing but wild grass, cracked concrete, and an old weathered grave marker covered in moss.
No photograph.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSOFE61LSW
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFNQEHYJ5G
There had never been a poster there at all.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡME7lUwmEgT
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