58Please respect copyright.PENANAHrv99v3KTjThe Cemetery Poster
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I've never believed in ghosts or anything paranormal. At least, I didn't until this happened.58Please respect copyright.PENANAzkueA6o78B
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It started with a phone call from my childhood friend, Cecil. Her grandmother had just passed away. They had been incredibly close, and knowing how heartbroken she must have been, I promised myself I'd attend the wake and pay my respects before the burial.58Please respect copyright.PENANAShb3jqjsEt
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I live downtown, while Cecil lives in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of town. It takes about thirty minutes to get there by motorcycle. On the way, I picked up another friend, Marco, who was also close to Cecil and wanted to attend.58Please respect copyright.PENANAcdpjl3HiuA
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The farther we traveled, the more deserted the roads became. Houses grew fewer and farther apart. The only people we saw were the occasional drunk stumbling along the roadside.58Please respect copyright.PENANA9l9T58okzE
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When we finally arrived, the heavy atmosphere of mourning hit us immediately. A large framed photograph of Cecil's lola stood outside the house, illuminated by flickering candles and flanked by arrangements of white flowers. Family members and neighbors had gathered in the yard. Some wept quietly while others offered hushed words of comfort.58Please respect copyright.PENANAVnJQowxwDf
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Marco and I slipped inside to find Cecil. She was in the kitchen, pale and exhausted, helping her cousins prepare coffee and biscuits for the guests. We stayed late into the night, doing our best to keep her company and lift her spirits. Over the next few days, Marco and I made it a routine to stop by after work and spend time with her family.58Please respect copyright.PENANAN9E2Vprym3
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Eventually, the final night of the wake arrived. The house was a whirlwind of activity as everyone made preparations for the burial scheduled for the following morning.58Please respect copyright.PENANAABesy5QvFt
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Later that evening, Cecil, her father, and I headed to the cemetery to settle a few last-minute arrangements. It was pitch-black by the time we arrived. As soon as we passed through the gates, Cecil and her father walked over to the family plot where her grandmother would soon be laid to rest. They began talking with the caretaker and another man nearby.58Please respect copyright.PENANAN3roSRl0wv
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I had knocked back a few drinks earlier at the wake, but I was still sober enough to handle my motorcycle. Even so, the alcohol had caught up with my bladder. Needing to relieve myself, I muttered an excuse and wandered off toward a darker, older section of the cemetery.58Please respect copyright.PENANA034V5sXGhl
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I found a tree beside one of the graves and did my business there.58Please respect copyright.PENANA0OKzlO42tP
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While zipping up, I glanced to my right and noticed what looked like a memorial poster attached to a grave. The area was poorly lit, making it difficult to see clearly.
I squinted, trying to make out the details.58Please respect copyright.PENANA9K4rysQzVe
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"Who the hell chose that picture?" I muttered to myself with a soft chuckle.58Please respect copyright.PENANApk9ZfzUzlE
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The man in the photograph had a deeply unsettling expression. His mouth hung slightly open, slack-jawed, and his eyes seemed fixed on anyone who looked at him. There was something profoundly wrong about the look on his face, but I shrugged it off. I figured it was just an unfortunate snapshot. Most of the newer graves in the cemetery had posters like that so visitors could easily identify their loved ones.58Please respect copyright.PENANA9Zhy2QB3eu
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I looked away for a moment, rubbing my eyes, then glanced back.58Please respect copyright.PENANARoD5BBxJAs
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The poster was still there.58Please respect copyright.PENANAqE0EUNuDvO
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Those dead eyes still staring.58Please respect copyright.PENANA78lqwfoKwc
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"Jun!"58Please respect copyright.PENANAxcAXSXqtKC
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Cecil's voice shattered the silence.58Please respect copyright.PENANAde5KZtni20
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I turned around and saw her walking toward me, using her phone's flashlight to cut through the darkness.58Please respect copyright.PENANAvZcUma29Fm
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"Dad said we should head back. He needs to drop something off at the house first," she called out.58Please respect copyright.PENANA4BWtFhC9IE
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I nodded and waved. "Yeah, coming."58Please respect copyright.PENANAVaAqMOdI7R
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Before walking away, I instinctively glanced back at the grave one last time.58Please respect copyright.PENANAccKdHeyTa7
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My stomach dropped.58Please respect copyright.PENANArYZahY0Ldn
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It was gone.58Please respect copyright.PENANAK3M8qd1sb6
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I blinked several times, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. There was no poster.58Please respect copyright.PENANANJFt40cm9i
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Nothing.58Please respect copyright.PENANAXtH8L5WfRu
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Just an empty patch of darkness beside the grave.58Please respect copyright.PENANA78SnnPq9Rk
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A cold feeling crept up my spine.58Please respect copyright.PENANA1QwXobT8jr
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Without saying a word, I walked over to Cecil, gently took the phone from her hand, and aimed the flashlight directly at the spot.58Please respect copyright.PENANA3Zvl1CvOhT
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The beam illuminated nothing but wild grass, cracked concrete, and an old weathered grave marker covered in moss.
No photograph.58Please respect copyright.PENANAgIlhGMYCzt
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There had never been a poster there at all.58Please respect copyright.PENANA7y8GuQHMad


