Moving to New York City
A Haunting Love – I was just three years old when my parents settled in the heart of New York City. I was lucky to have two big brothers, Garrison and Luke. While in New York, we loved every moment of it because we would play at the parks, have a great time chasing around with our dog Trufie, and so much more. It was a memorable time because we spent so many hours playing together. Also, I had the best protection in school because no one wanted to upset Garrison or Luke, especially since they were part of the football team. I always hoped to be their cheerleader someday.
The bustling streets of New York City were filled with towering skyscrapers and the constant hum of activity. Central Park was our favorite playground, where lush green fields stretched out, providing endless space for our games. The scent of hot dogs and pretzels from street vendors filled the air, mingling with the distant sounds of traffic and laughter from other children. Each day was an adventure, and the city was our vast, exciting backyard.
Relocating to Singapore
By the time I was eight years old, my parents had to relocate to Singapore, specifically Sister’s Island. I hated the whole idea from the start. I despised having to leave behind the memories of New York, especially because I wanted to be a cheerleader for my brothers’ football team. Moving out was a drag because I wanted to stay, and my mom kept shouting at me for forgetting to pack this or that. I did my best to show them that I hated the whole idea.
I remember asking Mom, “Who lives in Singapore, Mahatma Gandhi or what? Oh, I think I will be dancing around the North Pole cheerleading for the darn seagulls and maybe meet the famous Pingus.”
She was flabbergasted by my questions.
“Brittney, if you don’t pack in the next five minutes, you will not only lose your scholarship to study anywhere in the world, but you will spend the rest of your life in some shelter.”
I thought I hated her, but my father’s stare was enough to tell me I would be in trouble if I didn’t do what Mom asked.
Adjusting to a New Life
I grumbled all the way from JFK International Airport to Edward Bodden Airfield. My brothers ignored me, spending half the flight with their earphones on and the other half asleep. Garrison had to leave his girlfriend of one and a half years, Hazel, and Luke had to forget his crush, Sidney. They loved their girlfriends a lot and spent a lot of time together.
The first few weeks on Sister’s Island were boring because there was nothing interesting to do besides weekend trips to the marine parks and other mundane activities. We were still mad and didn’t want to show any excitement about being in a new place. However, everything changed when we visited one of the museums and learned about the history of Sister’s Island. We spent half the time making fun of each other
. I dressed like Linah, put on a white sheet, and would say, “Woooooo! Oh, Luke, where have you been all this time?”
After that, we would laugh until our ribs hurt.
The island was a stark contrast to New York. The serene beaches were lined with palm trees swaying gently in the breeze, and the crystal-clear waters reflected the vibrant colors of the coral reefs below. The air was filled with the scent of saltwater and blooming tropical flowers. The evenings were quiet, with the gentle sounds of waves lapping against the shore and the occasional call of a seabird.
Strange Encounters
We went on like that until Garrison had a strange encounter. He was walking along the house’s hallway when he saw a girl rush to Dad’s room. He thought he was seeing things or just had a bad day. The second night, he felt something touch his face. At first, he thought I was pulling a prank on him, but when he saw I was asleep, he began having second thoughts about the whole experience.
He heard a soft voice whisper into his ears, “Come into my embrace and let’s kiss till noon where the sun shines bright and rush through the meanders of the great seas.”
During the Singapore nights, in his sleep, he would see a lady in his visions who was so beautiful. He swam in the seas as a pirate, and Luke had another girl beside him. The two pairs would run through the deep forests and dive into the vast oceans, experiencing all manner of heavenly things. He wanted her as each night grew more intense with passion. They felt each other in a new spiritual realm, in another time dimension, and in a new space where both loved every bit of it. There were nights when the sisters made it impossible for Luke and Garrison to sleep because they did very naughty things to them, and they would mourn for more.
The mysterious ambiance of the island only added to the surreal experiences. The moonlit nights were often accompanied by a soft, cool breeze that rustled the leaves and created eerie shadows. The sound of waves crashing against the rocks was a constant reminder of the island’s isolation. The old, creaky house we lived in only heightened the sense of mystery, with its long, dark hallways and hidden nooks.
The giggles in the hallway were inevitable as I saw my brothers kiss the walls and shove themselves into invisible things. To them, it was so real. My brother Garrison seemed to feel everything. He felt Linah’s caresses, her eyes, her lips, and her entire being. He liked stroking her hair and danced with her every night they got a chance. He seemed to have gone into another world. He was unusually happy and joyful, which made my parents concerned. I remember Dad going through their rooms just to ensure they were not hooked on anything.
Luke spent time with Minah, or at least from the description the museum guide gave us. They were both beautiful, but what surprised me the most were the little chats I could hear from their rooms. Anyone would have thought they were having a good time with real girls.
Minah would say, “My fairest prince, where thou art from, for such a strong caress to feel my bosom with so much strength and lust.”
Luke would respond in gentle whispers, “Say my name?” The passion envisaged was so powerful that I felt the floor crack into two.
After that, everything was still as if nothing happened. I had to ask myself what would happen if the sisters really fell in love with Garrison and Luke. I hated the idea of losing them because I couldn’t imagine spooked things hovering all over the place. They loved the ghost sisters, and I wanted to tell them they had to be more careful because I had heard other things about the ghost sisters from Sister’s Island.
The Haunting Stories
It wasn’t the first time the sisters haunted families with brothers, especially those that visited Sister’s Island. Tales from the towns had it that the girls used their beauty to charm whoever they preyed on. As soon as the brothers gave in to their charms, they would mysteriously disappear, and in some cases, their bodies were recovered on the seashores. It wasn’t the easiest time for me because I had never seen anything like this in my entire life. I can’t recall the number of times I tried to warn my brothers about the issue, but they seemed too entranced by the girls to listen. Everything I said was utter rubbish to them.
I always felt as if I was talking into space whenever I tried to tell them that the girls would make them one of them.
I remember Luke saying, “I don’t care; I will do anything to spend my eternity with her.”
As for Garrison, it was worse because, for the first time, he kicked me out of his room and told me never to bother him again about his life. I even created an email from Hazel, hoping it would trigger some “reason” in him, but it was not only deleted; he had the email blocked.
A Haunting Love
As time went by, their love for the Singapore ghost sisters grew so strong that I bet I saw Garrison become invisible. Sometimes, the girls were as real as human beings. They seemed to dance between two realms: the living and the dead. At times, it was difficult to tell who they really were. I should have mentioned this to my parents, but knowing Luke, I would have ended up in a mental asylum. So I thought of something else: I decided to put up a camera in all the rooms, particularly in my brothers’ hallway.
The eerie ambiance of Sister’s Island was punctuated by the gentle rustling of palm trees and the soft lullaby of the ocean waves. The moonlight bathed the landscape in a silvery glow, casting long, haunting shadows. The island’s beauty was otherworldly, almost surreal, making the ghostly encounters even more chilling. The ancient trees seemed to whisper secrets of the past, and the cool night air carried an unspoken tension, as if the spirits of the island were always watching.
The Parents’ Intervention
Luckily, my plan worked, and my parents were shocked when they saw the footage. They never thought they had mentally ill children. They took the tape to a psychiatrist who believed he had concrete evidence of delusional disorders. The following morning, my brothers were sedated and taken to a mental asylum for further examination. After several nights in the asylum, my brothers knew what they saw and acted more normally than the other patients.
Surprisingly, I later found out that the Singapore ghost sisters never visited them there.
When they came back from the hospital, they became more discreet about their secret love life and spent more time inside their rooms. I could hear movements, whispers, and little laughs. This time around, I couldn’t do anything but watch the sisters have a great time in the realm of the living dead or whatever that was. I saw my brothers less, and my parents didn’t know what to make of their withdrawal. They seemed at ease, but when you looked into their eyes, you could tell their minds were somewhere else, as if lost in space and time.
Disappearing Brothers
There were days when they were cheerful and days when they were just quiet. Sometimes, I would wake up in the middle of the night only to find one of the ghost sisters looking at me. I almost peed myself the first night, but after some time, I had too much anger to be spooked.
They would smile at me and wave, saying, “Goodbye.”
I didn’t know what to make of that. They started doing it more often, and one night I deliberately followed them. They led me to the end of the hallway and pointed to the window as if indicating the sea, then they disappeared.
The surroundings of our new home were hauntingly beautiful, with dense forests that seemed to whisper ancient secrets and the ocean that reflected the moonlight like a shimmering silver blanket. The air was filled with the scent of salt and tropical blooms, creating an enchanting yet eerie atmosphere. The nights were particularly mystifying, with the sounds of nocturnal creatures and the occasional distant echo of laughter that seemed to come from another realm, adding to the island’s supernatural allure.
Searching for Answers
After several months with the sisters, I remember looking at my brothers one more time. I just said, “Good night,” and went to bed. However, that was the last time I saw them. They said good night too, but the following morning they were nowhere to be found. I desperately looked for them on the seashores, but even after months of searching, I never found anything—not Luke’s navy blue jersey or Garrison’s white handkerchief. Whatever happened to them, the sisters must have won their end-game.
I wanted to scream my lungs out with pain and anguish. Sometimes, I wished I could just be a ghost too, but that was all. One evening, I went to the seashore, and I swear I saw my brothers with the ghost sisters in the distant parts of the sea. I screamed my lungs out, but they only had more romantic moments there. They shoved each other into the sea and back up again like a pair of sea whales. Suddenly, they disappeared. Some people stared at me strangely as if I had gone insane. I had to compose myself, remembering that I might be the only one who knew what happened.
The tape took Luke and Garrison to a mental asylum; my story would have left me locked up forever.
Moving Forward
So I take a bottle of whiskey just to forget them. Perhaps, they are happier wherever they are, and I can only wish them eternal bliss. Some old person said there was time for everything, and it was time for love in another space of time. I still remember the giggles, the little whispers, and the little games they played in their rooms. It seemed more enchanted than an ordinary couple in love. They even sang songs that I had never heard before. I was shocked they sang to Shakespeare’s English and ran along the Singapore beaches like a bunch of mustangs.
I hope I will forget everything one day, but mostly, I don’t know what to tell my parents. They wonder a lot too.