Do not rush to say YES

      
      It had happened one summer night before I started to fall asleep. I was lying in bed, when, suddenly, the bedroom door opened. I had suspicions, so I quietly walked to the door. But there was no one outside the door. I felt embarrassed.

      – It’s just the wind, – I told myself and went back to the bed.

      As soon as my head touched a pillow, my eyes slowly closed. Through a dream, I heard someone whispering above me. I opened my eyes and turned around, but didn’t see anything.

      – Everything is Ok, I shouldn’t go wild, – my brain was working hard.

 
      It was twenty minutes to twelve, when I woke up for the second time. Something was dragging my blanket! I jumped out of bed in a hurry. The room was empty. I was very anxious: ‘Is this a haunted room? Or is it all hallucinations?’

      Then I saw bizarre lines on the wall. These lines weren’t there before. I stared at the wall, until I realized... It was a human figure, but inside it was transparent! I’ll never forget, how I stood like a stone statue. That figure approached me, and I was motionless. Transparent fingers grabbed my hands immediately. I screamed, trying to free my hands. Soon we made eye contact. His eyes were the only thing that wasn’t colorless. They were grey-green...

      The wall clock struck midnight. Ghost’s face gradually gained color. Later his body became visible too. His clothes seemed to be made of weightless material. On top he was wearing a gray checkered shirt and a black blazer, and on his feet were dark trousers and leather boots. He stood in front of me, still not giving freedom to my hands.

      – Are you afraid of me? – he asked.

      – Who are you? You scared me a lot, – I answered.

      – My name is Uwe Caruso. A man by night, and a ghost by daylight, – unknown guest said.

      – Why did you come here? – I asked him.

      – I have been looking for a bride for a long time, – Uwe Caruso began his story, – but always get rejected. If you say ‘yes’, you’ll find happiness that nobody else on earth has. Do you agree? Just say ‘yes’...

      His suggestion was unexpected and very strange, that’s why I was shocked. I decided to hear explanations for his mysterious story.

      – Why did you always get rejected?
 
      – They didn’t understand their benefit and that’s all.
 
      – Will you come again if I say ‘no’?

      He laughed. It was so awful, that I almost fainted because of his laugh.
 
      – It’s impossible! Imagine for a while: you will be invisible as me, – Caruso yelled. – I’m waiting for your answer. Don’t be such an obstinate girl!


      I looked at the wall clock again. It was already 5 o’clock in the morning. How quickly time flew! At once my sinister visitor began to put a wedding ring on my finger. The ring was, obviously, heavy and narrow. There was a red carbuncle in the middle of the ring.

      Suddenly a rooster crowed in the yard.

      – Cock–A–Doodle–Doo!

      My guest turned pale. He started to disappear.

      – Cock–A–Doodle–Doo!

      Caruso’s ring fell to the floor.

      – Cock–A–Doodle–Doo! – the rooster crowed for the third time.

      I felt like no one was holding my hands anymore. I looked at my ring finger: the nail was cracked, and the skin around was a dead blue shade.


      – Oh, it’s good that I didn’t say ‘yes’, – I thought.

      Later I remembered that no birds were kept in the yard.



24th of August 2024