“To Bunny” (Belén Poleto)

After my aunt died, the house she lived in was put up for sale. The two-storey house was in good condition and we thought it would sell immediately. However, everytime a potential buyer was about to sign the papers, something weird and bad happened; either the buyer got a new job in another town, a trip would end badly or someone died, even. We thought we were cursed and that the house would never sell. We decided to move in with my sister. Either way, we had to move out of our home, we were old enough and we wouldn’t have to pay rent; it was an incredible deal. The first nights were okay, a creaking sound could be heard, but we thought the old hardwood floors were the ones producing that creaking sound. That is, until one evening, on 26th of October, we saw our dead aunt walking across the living room. Yes, she did exist, we could see her although she had the complete appearance of a real phantom, of a spectral shade.

‘What day are we on?’ My sister whispered.

‘Sunday. Why?’

‘Do you remember that back when we were kids she would do exactly the same thing: the rocking chair, the rum, the ice, the cigarette.’

‘Yes, I remember I hated the cigarette, it smelled horrible’

‘Well, she is doing the same. Look, now I bet she is going to grab the remote control’. As she finished the sentence, the ghost stretched its hand and fumbled for the remote.

Our auntie had a routine. Every Sunday, she would invite us for lunch and we would stay with her until night. Around seven, she would sit on her rocking chair, pour herself a glass of rum with three blocks of ice, spin them three times with her finger and say “Children, remember, no more than three ices, and no more than two spins. You don’t want the rum to get you dizzy”. After that, she would light a thin cigarette, reach for the TV remote and search for the kid’s channel.

My sister has always been the bravest one. I couldn't believe it when she…

‘auntie, are you here? What are you doing?’ She didn’t answer back. ‘Hey, come here. Try talking to her, you were always the favorite’ my sister beckoned me.

‘Auntie? What are you doing?’ She suddenly looked at me.

‘Oh dear, I forgot to give something to you when I left. The previous sunday I invited you but you couldn’t come. I was going to give you something but well, I kicked the bucket the following Tuesday” her voice was the same as when she was alive. ‘Here, come with me’ said the ghost. She got up from the rocking chair and slowly, she turned towards the stairs. My sister and I followed her quietly.

Once she arrived at what was her room she went through the door. We hadn’t changed a thing because we simply couldn’t bring out hearts to do it, it was just sad.

‘Well, look here. Could you go beneath my bed? There is a brown box there. Please, take it. I can’t, you know, ghost hands’ I reached my hand under the bed and grabbed a small, engraved, brown box. It read ‘to Bunny. From Fox’

‘Who's Bunny?’ asked my sister.

‘Ah…’ she hesitated, ‘old friend of mine. A girl from my day. We used to call each other Bunny and Fox. I was Bunny, because I always had energy. She was Fox because she was always swift and fast. We loved each other.’ She sat down in the bed ‘Open it and try to find her. She is still alive. She lives in Cardiff. It is not that far, we are in Liverpool. It’s just a four hour drive. Give this box to her.’ After finishing the sentence, she disappeared, And we were left with a closed box.

‘What is in it?’ I asked

‘Let’s see’

‘There are a ton of pictures, look. Here is auntie, this might be Fox. There is a letter, read it’ 

That letter said that Fox had left. And it explained why our aunt never married or had kids. They had loved each other, but not as friends, as lovers who ran away in 1968 to be able to live their lives. As lovers who lived together for four years, until one of them left and never came back. We guessed that our aunt came back to deliver this last message.

We decided to go to Fox’s house - our aunt’s lover deserved to know that the love of her life was gone, and that she was waiting for her to fulfill her promise.

‘To Bunny,

I have to leave, I can’t say why yet. 

Hopefully, our paths will cross again and we will be able to love each other freely. 

Maybe not now, maybe in our next life. I promise.

Forever yours, 

Fox’