Poltergeist
A young lady and a young bachelor met in a restaurant one night. The restaurant operates three o'clock in the afternoon until three in the morning, seven days a week.
One early evening after a week, the same lady and the same young man met again. Both are praying inside an old church, kneeling.
A month later, they saw each other again one clear early evening... in a cemetery.
The lady was asked by the young man, "Can I have the pleasure of knowing you?"
The lady replied, "I am Tesi Golpter. I remember you!"
"Yes, this is the third time we met. The first one was inside a restaurant. I am Robin Navorski."
Both the lady and the young man visited a loved one. They were standing close to each other because both their loved ones are buried two meters away from each other.
The young man noticed the lovely lady wearing the same clothes all the time, but he didn't bother asking why. Their conversation lasted an hour and had to part ways.
The lady was asked by the young man again before leaving, "When will I see you again... and where?"
The lady responded, "I can't tell, but you can always find me in a river at the end of the long road outside this cemetery."
"Hope to see you again very soon, Tesi!"
"Glad to meet you Robin!" the lady waving.
For two days and two nights, Robin is preoccupied by the lady's charm. He thought of dropping by at the restaurant to see Tesi again at the soonest. He did, but was not able to find the lovely lady there. Then he went to the old church afterwards. The church is open, but nobody was there inside the church except himself. He found a scarf on the floor, still scented with a lady's perfume -- same scent of Tesi's and picked it up.
The following day, he went to the cemetery and brought fresh flowers for his deceased grandmother who died twenty-five years ago. He took his chances of seeing Tesi there, but no sign of the lady's newly-brought flowers on her mother's grave. That's what he learned from her after their first and last conversation.
One afternoon a week later, Robin decided to look for Tesi everywhere. Then he recalled Tesi's last words to him and went to the given place to find her. He went back to the cemetery and drove around, but never saw a river nearby. He decided to walk around inside the cemetery even when the skies are already getting darker. At the back of the cemetery, he saw a road leading to somewhere. The low fence enclosing the cemetery made it easier for him to jump over the fence. He walked the long, narrow road for about forty-five minutes and found a river at the end of the road. "This must be it," yelled Robin.
The river is flanked by a line of beautiful trees and different fresh flowers on the ground, only five meters away from the running waters of the river. He saw a long, wooden bench made of bamboo and sat there for a while, observing the captivating scenery. He found it so cozy with chirping birds playing around the trees. He found the place safe, but there seemed to be no one visiting the enchanting place -- a paradise beside a river. Robin fell asleep while lying down on the bench, hearing the symphony of the live birds around him.
After two hours, somebody (a lady) arrived and saw Robin sleeping on the bench. The lady sat on one end of the long bench, very close to where Robin's head is positioned. Then the lady touched Robin's hair while staring at his face, smiling at the young man.
Robin was awakened and was surprised seeing a lady seated beside him where he was resting. He was relieved because the face he saw is the girl of his dreams.
He hugged Tesi immediately and Tesi laughed at him. Robin was in ethereal clouds for seeing Tesi again.
"I can hardly breathe with your embrace," said Tesi.
"Oh! I'm sorry." Robin said apologetically.
"What took you so long to come here," asked Tesi.
"Sorry. I almost forgot where to find you. But you're already here... me and you," Robin exalting.
They talked the whole night until early morning with so much joy in their hearts.
"I can only stay with you until three in the morning," Tesi said.
"Why?"
"Because my father doesn't want to see me coming home with the early sunrise. I hope you understand?"
"When will I see you then?!"
"Tomorrow night and every night! I'll be here." Tesi replied.
For twenty-one consecutive nights, Tesi and Robin became lovers in the garden of Eden, facing the river. All nights they were celebrant, telling stories of their past experiences in life. They even frequented the old church like denizens of the holy ground and slept inside the church for many nights. The old church is very close to the cemetery, only about fifty yards from the back fence of the cemetery.
On the twenty-second night, Tesi told Robin that she'll be gone for about a year though promised to return. Robin wanted to know the reason why he can't go with Tesi instead of waiting one whole year to see her again.
Tesi apologized to Robin that she has to go away to visit a place where his father lives. Robin agreed, not knowing the exact address where Tesi's father resides. Then they parted ways that night with sadness.
The following weeks, Robin was so frustrated for not seeing Tesi around. For two months he kept on returning to the cemetery, hoping to see Tesi again. He went to the river too for several times, taking his chances of seeing Tesi, but she never returned yet.
Passed the third month, while standing and facing the headstone of his grandmother at the cemetery, Robin noticed something strange about the grave beside her grandmother's. It's the same grave that Tesi usually visited there, but its tablet is almost covered by dirt. He tried to clean the tablet by brushing away the dried soil covering the name of the deceased. He saw the inscription that reads, "I am Tesi Golpter."
Robin assumed that the Tesi he knew and loved is a different one. Believing the one buried beside his grandmother was Tesi's mother.
That very moment, a male caretaker of the cemetery was trimming the grasses within the same area where Robin and Tesi used to visit. The caretaker was asked by Robin if he sees Tesi around there most of the time.
The caretaker responded, "I never saw a beautiful lady here for the past twenty-five years. My father was the regular caretaker here for more than thirty years since I was a kid. My father passed away the same year when your grandmother died. And if you're asking about the beautiful lady, she must be the one beside your grandmother's grave!"
"Impossible!" Robin refuted.
The caretaker continued, "If you're telling me that you've been seeing the beautiful lady at night in the river at the back of this cemetery which is about a mile away from here, then I am right. The same beautiful lady that you met in the restaurant and the lady praying inside the church wearing the same clothes are all the same person. The church you mentioned to me was actually demolished twenty-six years ago. My father saw a dead lady's body inside the burnt church twenty-seven years ago, two years before your grandmother died and buried here."
Robin can hardly believe what he's been hearing from the caretaker.
The caretaker added, "Every year, the same beautiful lady kept on returning to this cemetery. She was to be wed one early evening inside the said old church, but the groom didn't appear on the said wedding day. She lost her sanity for loving her husband-to be too much, more than herself. The lady stayed inside the church for several months waiting for her lover to come back until one night the church was burnt into ashes. I am not trying to convince you, but the burnt church has not been rebuilt till now. For the past twenty-five years, the said old church remains the same -- a flat, soiled ground."
Robin realized that all the times he and Tesi went to the church, nobody was around except the two of them.
The caretaker suggested that Robin can ask other people to know more about the church, the cemetery and the beautiful lady he's been meeting for quite sometime.
"Thank you for the information and for your concern." softly spoken by Robin.
That same night while Robin was at home, he tried to delve into the tablet of Tesi's mother after taking some pictures of it. It reads, "I am Tesi Golpter.". He omitted the first two words. Being a crossword-maker and solver, he tried to scramble all the letters of the first and last name. He came out with just one word... "Poltergeist."
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