A Different Perception of the World (Fiction)

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At first glance, Carlos is just your typical 15-year-old boy. He has black hair, dark-brown eyes, swarthy skin, a slightly pointed nose, somewhat pouty lips, and ears that are a little bigger than average. Carlos stood about 5 feet 5 inches tall and was a little skinny. In short, he looked just like your average young man.

However, as the saying goes, appearance can often be deceiving – a phrase that fits Carlos the most because, despite his ordinary appearance, he is fundamentally different from ordinary people in the way he perceives the world. And no, I’m not speaking metaphorically but literally. Carlos does indeed see the world very differently from others.

For example, the convenience store that Carlos works at part-time might seem like an ordinary convenience store to others, but in his eyes, have elements bordering the supernatural.

See those small, goblin-like creatures making funny faces at the customers while browsing the goods on the shelves? You don’t see them, you say? Good for you because they’re there, and Carlos can see them clearly, much to his annoyance.

Then how about that floating white figure going back and forth in front of the freezers, the one that causes goosebumps to anyone that passes through that area? Yeah, Carlos can see it too.

Ever since Carlos can remember, he always has had this strange ability. The creatures themselves are relatively harmless most of the time. Most are content with just playing pranks on people without harming them. There are exceptions, of course.

When he was but a child, Carlos remembered telling his parents about the strange creatures inside their house, only not to be taken seriously by his parents as they thought it was just his overzealous imagination at work. You know, the imaginary friends and stuff that’s common to children.

And honestly, Carlos also thought the same at that time, that everything he saw was just figments of his imagination. However, as he grew older, Carlos realized that what he thought to be just the figment of his imagination turned out to be true. He was sure of this because he could see these creatures and physically interact with them!

The first time Carlos manifested the ability to interact physically with the creatures was in 8th grade. That time, he saw a girl in his class named Jenna being haunted by a ghost-like creature which caused her to be ill most of the time. Out of pity and curiosity, Carlos did something he hadn’t tried before, grabbed the ghostly creature, and pulled it away from Jenna. To his surprise, it worked, astonishing to both him and the ghost.

When the ghostly creature realized that Carlos could see and touch it, it ran away and never bothered Jenna again. Unfortunately, only days after that, a different supernatural creature attached itself to Jenna and started haunting the poor girl. Seeing this, Carlos did what he thought was right and secretly helped the girl again. However, the same thing happened again not long after, forcing Carlos to act again, much to his annoyance.

Finally, after the 5th time, Carlos had had enough and decided to confront the girl and told her that she was attracting ghosts, then asked her if she was aware of this fact. To his astonishment, the girl confessed that she knew but couldn’t do anything about it. Jenna’s response was beyond Carlos’ expectations. He thought Jenna would be creeped out, horrified, or even find him weird, but her reaction was too ordinary. It was as if she was already used to it.

And in reality, that was precisely the case because, according to Jenna herself, she has a physique that attracts ghosts like some magnet. Jenna explained that as long as she could remember, spirits would often attach themselves to her – causing her to become ill. The sad thing is, although she can feel them, she can’t see or interact with them, making her helpless to resolve her situation.

Only recently did her situation improve, which made her ask if Carlos had anything to do with it. Seeing no reason to lie, Carlos told Jenna of his ability to see creatures others cannot. Carlos also told Jenna he found out not too long ago that he could physically interact with these creatures and was removing the ghostly creatures attaching themselves to her.

Jenna, after knowing that Carlos was the same as her and at the same time could help her, quickly grabbed his hands and begged him to be her friend. Carlos was shocked due to Jenna’s action but ultimately agreed to be friends with her, considering they were in the same situation. The two became best friends not long after, sharing happiness, sadness, and pain.

After living with these creatures for 15 years, Carlos was already used to their presence and would only find them as a slight annoyance. Moreover, occasionally, he would interact with them, telling them not to cause too much trouble to other people. Similar to what he was doing now, where he’s scolding the little goblins for causing too much ruckus inside the store. Of course, he was only doing it because no customer was around. After all, he didn’t want to scare the customers away.

While Carlos was scolding the little goblins, the door to the convenience store opened, and an above-average-looking girl entered. It was his best friend, Jenna.

Seeing that it was just his friend, Carlos let out a sigh of relief and approached the girl, greeting her. After many years, Jenna’s situation has dramatically improved. Ghostly creatures no longer dare attach themselves to her to drain her life force, afraid of earning Carlos’ wrath. They’re still attracted to her but kept their distance because of the aforementioned reason. Nowadays, Jenna’s situation has become much better.

Moreover, her ability to perceive the supernatural increased after sticking with Carlos for a long time. Before, she could only feel their presence, but now she can see them too. She still can’t interact with them though but Jenna doesn’t mind.

After greeting Jenna, Carlos asked the reason for Jenna’s visit as she’s usually busy with extracurricular activities. Jenna also didn’t like to waste time and told Carlos about a girl in her club being haunted by a ghost. She asked if Carlos was willing to help her.

Carlos thought of it briefly before agreeing and told Jenna he’d accompany her after his shift. Once his shift was over, Carlos exited the store and found Jenna waiting outside. Nodding at each other, the two started walking towards the apartment where the girl being haunted by a ghost lived. There’s a bit of anticipation in their hearts. Who knows, maybe they’ll have a new weird friend after this.