Safe Spaces

On the Roof

Lilly, my girlfriend, claims that she sees ghosts.

When we were getting to know each other, she would always tell me not to get weirded out of her ability, but honestly, I didn't mind. I was attracted to her physique and eventually fell in love with her personality. Besides, I didn't take it seriously; it was only after two months of dating that I did. I could remember how she stared at me intently at the cafeteria, saying, "You really attract spirits, don't you?"

"Really?" I asked. "Do you see one beside me?"

"No," she replied. "but I see one above you."

I had goose bumps. "O? What does she look like?"

"He," she corrected me before sipping her drink. "Mid-forties."

"That's it?" When she nodded, I asked, "And you see them when we're together?"

"When they want to be seen, they will let me see them."

We would rarely talk about the paranormal, but I could sense when she sees one. She would straighten her back, look down, gulp, and then put on her earphones. And when she does, I would sit beside her and hold her hand.

After a year of dating, I decided to have her meet my parents, my sister Calia, and, the latest addition to the family, baby Joseph. I fetched her in their house and drove all the way to ours. My parents were waiting by the gate.

Nervous about how their first meeting would go, we took deep breaths inside the car before we went out. I was about to hold her hand and guide her when I noticed her frozen and locked on her position.

"What's wrong, babe?" I asked, but she didn't answer. She was just looking up, mouth agape. I glanced at my parents who were waiting anxiously and then back to her again. "Babe, they're waiting."

"Tell your parents to leave this house as soon as you can," she told me. "I . . . I wish to go home. Please."

Her sudden, strange suggestion made things awkward for us, including my parents, the next day. She was avoiding me at school, while the latter disapproved of our relationship. I thought I should give her space, so I did.

That same week, things became strange inside our house.

Our dog Juno would continuously bark outside, his tail straight and stiff. We noticed it kept looking on the roof, so we easily dismissed it as "maybe he was just wary of a cat."

Then we heard hollow thuds on the ceiling. It was very concerning for Calia, exhausted and groggy for being awake all night, that she complained about it to my parents the next morning. My parents took a day off from work to watch the plumber check our house, thinking leaks were the culprit, but the plumber didn't find any.

But last night clinched it.

It was nighttime when I, again, heard thuds from the ceiling. I couldn't sleep so I turned on the lights and decided to get beer from the refrigerator. However, when I opened my door, I saw baby Joseph floating, seemingly being pulled to the sliding door. Feeling the adrenaline rush, I shouted and ran to grab Joseph, which awoke Father. In great disbelief, I was about to explain what happened when I saw Father frozen.

Mother and Calia awoke next, but Father was fast to get a stick and run outside.

"What's wrong with your father?" Mother asked. "And why are you holding—"

But before she could finish her sentence, we heard Father shout, which caused us to hurriedly go downstairs. We caught him on the ground, hugging our dog. "Jose! What's happening?!" Mother screamed.

"There's something on our roof! It's trying to get Juno!"

He was trembling, so Mother didn't ask for any more. Calia only had her phone with her, so she was the only one who could ask for help from anyone. We stayed in another house that night, terrified and worried.

I told them that I saw Joseph floating when I woke up, and Father shared the same story but with Juno. It was then that I remembered Lilly not wanting to enter our house.

The next morning, we went back and gathered sufficient clothes and then stayed in my grandparents' house. They allowed us to stay there until we found a new home, and then every morning, we would slowly pack our belongings. I called Lilly and shared what happened.

"That would be the best," she replied. "I'm sorry."

"You saw something, didn't you?"

I heard a sigh on the other line. "It wasn't just a spirit. It was something evil—a demon, perhaps. But you know how I've told you that there are portals where paranormal entities exit and enter? It created one on your roof."

"But why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it said it would get you first if I did."