Future Echoes - fic

[deird1]

This was written for the "ghosts" prompt at still_grrr.

Title: Future Echoes
Rating: PG
Word Count: 300

Summary: A ficlet about Buffy. Just Buffy. Because really, she's by herself. There's no-one walking next to her. Really.



Future Echoes

The crossing guard lady was crazy – everyone knew that.
Buffy walked past her every morning on the way to school, and every morning she was just as weird.

She’d introduced herself, back before Buffy knew she was crazy.
“Hi.” A smile. “I’m Janet. You’re new here, aren’t you? What’s your name?”
“I’m Buffy. I’ve just started middle school round at Mitchell.”
“Nice to meet you, Buffy! And is this young lady your little sister?”
“Um… what?”
And Janet just stood there looking at the empty space on Buffy’s left side, as if it wasn’t empty.

So yeah – crazy.

It wasn’t like that all the time. Some days she’d just smile, normally, and wave her across. But every time Buffy began to relax, and forget about it, it’d all start up again.
Janet would wave at empty air a metre up from ground level.
Or she’d frown, and ask, “Is your sister sick, Buffy? I haven’t seen her lately.”
Or sometimes she’d start conducting a whole conversation with no-one at all: “Hi, hon. How’s school going? Is big sis helping you learn what’s what?”

Weirdest of all, was the times when Buffy almost thought she’d heard someone answer.

And it gave her the wiggins. Complete wiggins. Every time she crossed that road, she’d feel as if there was someone next to her – a little invisible person skipping along asking a stream of endless questions.
A couple of times, Buffy almost believed she’d seen a little girl, with brown hair and skinned knees – but there was NO-ONE. She knew there was no-one. No little girl, no-one beside her, nothing, nothing at all. Just some weird crazy crossing guard who talked to thin air.

Buffy started taking the long route to school, and forgot about the whole thing.

Comments

[dragonyphoenix]

Oooh, I love this.

[deird1]

Thanks!