Am I Really a Jinx?

The next day, the bright red sun shone down on my corpse. However, no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't warm it.

It was the second day of the New Year, and we were supposed to visit Grandma.

I heard Dad say, "Why don't we bring Sharon along? It's the New Year. Mom always misses her the most."

I felt a glimmer of hope. Were they finally going to notice I was gone?

However, Mom sounded irritated. "Don't bother. My luck's been awful these days. It's definitely that jinx's fault!"

As I was dead, I couldn't shed a tear, but I desperately shouted, "Dad, Mom, please, check on me! I'm dead. I won't bother you anymore!"

They couldn't hear me.

When we arrived at Grandma's house, I couldn't hold back my sadness any longer. I rushed to her, but I passed right through her.

Yeah, I was dead. I could never hug her again.

"Where's Sharon? Why isn't she here?" Grandma asked.

Mom smiled. "Mom, Sharon's got the flu. We didn't want her to give it to you, so she stayed home. She'll visit once she's better."

I rubbed my dry eyes. Grandma could never see me again.

"Erin, be kinder to Sharon. Don't listen to Mr. Reyes' nonsense. She's your daughter. You don't want to regret it later."

Mom seemed annoyed. "I know, I know. Don't worry about it."

Grandma sighed.

I heard my cousin, Katie Woods, ask Siena, "Hey, Siena, is that jinx from your family not coming?"

"No, she's not coming. My family has been unlucky lately. She's staying in the old house, hiding away."

Katie seemed relieved. "Good. I don't want to be anywhere near her. It's the New Year. Don't need to catch any bad luck."

My lips curled up in a humorless smile as my heart sank into a cold void.

When I used to visit, only Grandma would secretly give me snacks and allowance. The rest of them would bully or ignore me.

Once, they even kicked me out into the cold.

I cried until snot ran down my face, but they were happy. They were sure they'd win at their game later.

"Call Sharon and ask if she's eaten yet," Grandma told Mom as she tapped her cane.

Grandma still remembered me.

Mom frowned, about to refuse, when her phone rang.

"Hello, Erin? Did you move? Did you clean up everything here? It smells terrible." It was Phoebe White, the neighbor.

I sighed. The sunlight, combined with the underfloor heating, was speeding up the decomposition of my body.

"Smell? Sharon's still there. She's probably done something bad again! You don't need to worry about it. I'll call her and yell at her later!"

I screamed, "No, I'm dead! Mom, please, go home and check on me! I'm getting more grotesque!"

Mom called me, but as expected, no one picked up the phone. It had run out of battery and shut off.

Frowning, Dad stood up and said, "I should go back and check on her."

I was ecstatic and nodded vigorously.

However, just then, my uncle, Melvin Shelton, called Dad over. "Don't go yet! We're missing one person for the game. Just stay a little longer. It won't take much time!"

I felt a wave of terror. I prayed for Dad to refuse.

Dad hesitated, then set down his coat.

I lowered my head in disappointment and listened to their lively chatter and cheerful laughter.

When would they finally remember me? When would they realize I was dead?

Would they be sad when they found out? Would they regret it even a little?

Probably not. They'd probably just be glad.

After all, I was dead, so they'd never be unlucky again.