Dear Jason,
Do you
remember back when we were both in Cub Scouts together and we said that we
would be friends forever? When we would run around the church and whittle ducks
out of soap? And like two saplings we grew, side-by-side, until one day those
two trees started to grow apart. We started to spend less and less time
together, but I still thought that all of those good memories would make up for
it, and that one day we would sit down and catch up on all of those years that
we missed. We would become best friends again. Looking back, I remember one of
the ghost stories we used to tell around the camp fire about the ghost that
just kept hanging on to his old life, and I remember saying “that wouldn’t be
me!” I ended up becoming that ghost. Do you remember when the time came to
choose a Boy Scout troop and we said that we would stick together? You then
chose to leave scouting altogether and stopped talking to me. I knew that we
had a large gap between us. You then started to hangout with “those kids.” You
know the “druggies” who didn’t care about anything, but I had to help anyway
that I could. You chose to ignore me, and act like we never met. Even then I
stuck with you. I chose to tell the school counselor that you were using drugs.
I am convinced you never forgave me for telling
her. As we continued on, you grew more and more distant. I could tell that you
didn’t stop using drugs, and that you were hurt by my “betrayal.” Instead of
following my instincts, I stayed the ghost. Every now and again I think of all
of the good times we had, like sleeping over at your house and playing
Battlefront, and those memories make me happy. The thought of racing our small
wooden cars always brings a smile to my face, but then I realize that that’s
all I have left of our “two tree forest.” Those memories always bring back
memories of the times in the hall that you ignored me. The times when I would
say hi and you turned and walked away. I will always have those good memories of
when we were younger, because they are part of my past, as they are part of
yours, but now the “forest” is gone and I have to stop being the ghost.
The Former Ghost
