I glanced at her, choosing my words carefully, "Mom, the old family house is in my name. What if I trade it for the orchard? The old house in town is known to be sacred ground. Anyone buried there has been blessed by the Lord."

She did not take the bait, though. "What's yours is what's mine, when I'm gone, will you deny me a place there?"

My eyes were locked in determination. "Without my say-so, no one gets buried. You know the weight I carry around here."

She was ticked off. "When I say it's a no-go, it's a no-go. Your spot's not even worth a dime."

……

Little did she know, long ago, someone had already dangled a million-dollar carrot for a slice of my hilltop, and I had not even blinked.

However, now, I was on a mission to get what I wanted, no matter what cost.

I was out in the garden when I rang Nelson Ellis, the village's wise old man.

"Remember that big shot looking for a final resting place? The one who knows my brother? I've passed the baton to him. Give my bro a call, okay?"

Nelson took a puff of his smoke. "So, after all these years, you're finally taking a swing at your brother?"

"Enough smack. I'll make it worth your while later, as a token of my gratitude."

Our family's prayer hall was strictly guys-only, but I was the only lady for miles who could waltz into any family's sacred space.

All thanks to my lucky streak and my knack for doing the right thing.

Out of nowhere, a few sighs, clear as crystal, filled with woe and agony, reached my ears. I could not help but follow the sound.

Just like that, I found myself at a grave not too far off. The person had been gone for a long while, the ground around it was old, but it showed signs of recent digging.

The source of the sighs was coming from down there.

His voice was so captivating that guided by the moonlight, I started clawing through the dirt without even realizing it.

Soon enough, a young, handsome face appeared, still warm, freshly buried, but breathless.

I caressed his cheek and let out a sigh of my own. "Why didn't anyone give you a proper send-off?"

When young ones pass away too soon, they are dressed in their best outfit, swaddled in a thick blanket, and it was up to soul guides like me to tuck their caskets into the graveyard's embrace, so their souls could set sail for paradise.

He looked like he couldn't catch his breath, and let out another heavy sigh.

I kept digging. To my surprise, he had the face of a boy, yet his frame rose with unexpected height. I could not stand the thought of him resting in a stranger's plot, so I bit my finger and let a drop of blood fall on his forehead.

That's when his eyes flickered open.

……

Thanks to my rescue, he became an infant spirit. He trailed behind me, unseen by the rest.

To my surprise, when he rose to his feet he stood a whole head taller than me.

I just had to ask, "How old are you?"

His eyes were frosty as he replied, "I'll be eighteen in two days."

I let out a sigh of my own, "Even if you're nearly six feet tall, you're still a kid. Whatever, you're with me now."

Before he could shoot back, my mom's call came through.

I braced myself for the onslaught. "Where did you disappear off to? You're supposed to be watching your brother, he's not doing well. Get home. Right now."

My brother sprawled out on the bed, still wrapped like a mummy, while mom sobbed and doused him with holy water.

He twitched and rambled, unstoppable.

When she saw me, mom whipped me with a sprig of rosemary.

The infant spirit, marked by my blood, stepped in front of me like a guardian.

Mom's knees buckled when she realized that not a single drop reached me. She then begged, "Silvia, you've got the power, please help your brother."

I lifted my gaze to meet hers, and she jumped.

"What's... What's the matter?" she stammered.

Without a word, I moved to my brother's side, bit my finger, and let a single drop of blood touch his forehead.

With my back to Mom, I whispered, "Don't worry about it. You haven't said my name in years. Hearing it just once makes it worth saving him for a day."

"A day? He's your brother. How can you stand by and watch him suffer in pain?"

Mom's tears kept flowing.

However, I could not forget how in my previous life, she shoved me out the door and left my heart to pound with fear.

"If you want me to save him, we should do this officially. Get a lawyer to make it official. I'll trade the old house for your forest."

……

She paused, taken aback. "A lawyer? You think we're after your money?"

I cocked my head, "Or are you planning to give it to me for free?"

Her face twisted with irritation. "Just heal him now. The lawyer can come by tomorrow."

I sat down, each word deliberate as my gaze fixed on her. "No, it has to be today. Right now."

She snapped, "You're stepping out of line."

She raised her hand in anger.

On the bed, my brother stirred, nodding vigorously.

"Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm."

Was that a yes?

The lawyer showed up fast. His credentials did not faze me, but the infant spirit at my side was all worked up, fists balled up tight.

"Let me guess, you were a law student in the living world?"

Silence. Then, as I signed, he murmured, "Juris Doctor."

"Wow, a real brainiac. Sorry for not noticing."

In my previous life, I only had one infant spirit and he was too young to spoke.

But Jim wasn’t a standard “infant spirit.” He wasn’t a silent baby. He was clear-headed and could talk. Honestly, it felt kinda fascinating.

The deed said everything above the old house's foundation was mine to handle.

Mom sneered, "What good are some old wooden tables and chairs?"

She had no clue. Those ancient timbers were the only reason I grew up safe and sound.

Under the silver glow of the moon, I went there with the infant spirit, both of us swinging our axes, taking apart furniture like it was made of matchsticks.

He did not say a word and just went along with it. Even in silence, he had that cool vibe that made me want to mess with him a bit.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Jim."

A single bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he looked at me, catching the moonlight and sparkling so brightly it left me speechless.

I tossed him a wooden bow. "Catch. You'll need this to stay alive."

Jim looked confused, his brow furrowed in thought.

He hurried to keep pace with me. "Aren't you curious who killed me? Or why did I end up buried in a stranger's grave?" There was a hint of anger in his voice.

We stood alone in the empty ground, the cold wind making the bushes dance like the hands of giants.

As I shut my eyes, I could almost see the dark chilling world of my previous life, where the cold winds could fragment a life and leave nothing but an empty shell.

"Life and death? They're not what's important. It's what we leave behind in this world that counts."

I bit my finger and let the blood drip onto the sandy soil.

"Rise..."

Just like that, fabric unfurled like waves, lifting coffins out of the ground as if like a magic trick.

One by one, infant spirits broke free from their wooden prisons.

I pointed at them, then back at Jim. "See them? Some never got to talk, some never even saw the world. They're just like you, trapped between life and death. In seven days, this place will be as spooky as it gets. Are you in? Will you fight with me, even if it's to the death?"