I stand in front of the mirror where I see a ghost girl stare back at me; dark pools collect under her eyes as she tries to rub the sleep out of them. There is a sense of tranquility in that moment, where she stands staring back at me through the bathroom mirror. Oftentimes, she appears where I find myself the most peaceful and down to earth.

Now, the world takes a second from its constant motion for a moment of peace.

Quickly, I steal a glance at the time and a shining, bright red 5:30 a.m. meets my gaze. When I look in the mirror, however, the ghost girl is no longer there. Instead, I find myself staring at the disheveled mess I call my hair and see the crust around my eyes as a result of the night before. Smack, smack. I open my mouth a few times, smelling the unpleasant effects of the morning.

‘Carina?’ I hear my sister call out. ‘You better hurry or we’re going to be late for school.’

I’m always late for school, I think. In any case, I proceed to awake from my slumber and hurriedly go on with my morning routine: change into the day’s outfit, wash my face, brush my teeth and hair and prepare my lunch—like clockwork.

It’s still dark outside, but there are signs of life beginning to emerge from the darkness. I listen to the rooster croak his word throughout my neighborhood, and I enjoy the chill air settling onto my skin.

I’ve learned my lesson

A dedication to the lady with no name

Rebuilding together

A COVID-19 horror story

On the 30-minute drive to school, I watch the lake that greets me every morning with its golden pods of light. As we pass by, I catch blurry glimpses of people running along, living their own lives and thinking their own thoughts. Homes sleep as the sun’s light seeping over the hill slowly turns from purple to pink, and finally to blue.

Although I know I am late to zero period, I take my time to enjoy the snapshots of life happening all around me. Again, as I look into the side-view mirror, I see the ghost of the girl reappear, and she too takes this time to appreciate the uncaptured beauty of life.

Finally, I’ve arrived at school—late, but nonetheless present—and, once again, my ghost friend has disappeared. Instead, I am welcomed by students, who are also late, rushing to their classes. Throughout the day, I rush to make it to class on time, finish my assignments by the deadline, talk to teachers and ultimately, get home.

Day-by-day, I repeat this process, and by the time the weekend arrives, I am exhausted from the constant hurry of school and its demands. I barely receive any time to restore my energy by doing the things I love, so by the time Monday rolls around, I am again spending all my energy to keep up with my responsibilities at school.

With the constant movement of people and existence, it’s easy to get disoriented. Despite the constant rush and hurry of life, I stay well-balanced by allowing the ghost girl in the mirror to press pause so that I may capture glimpses of peace and tranquility in this beautiful life.