The Ailehpos of Apartment 21D
The space we hold for those who are missing
We live in a home full of created ghosts. The four of us each find our own ways to manifest an ailehpo. These presences are squatters, but we cannot seem to find a way to evict them.
Sarah falls serially, hopelessly in love. At some point, she is inevitably ghosted. For months afterward, the phantasm of unfulfilled promise puts big, clumsy hands over favorite foods and hums over the refrain of any music. He imbues himself into anything that can bring joy.
Shay’s mother is not gone, but her whispers will not leave the apartment and go home with her. She stands behind every mirror, giving unwarranted advice on clothes and makeup. She also haunts the kitchen, where she suggests it’s best to choose celery over cookies.
Mine is the brother who cannot be happy for any success in my life. His voice has become faded and uncertain because it has been 15 months since he cut off all contact without explanation. The silvery shadow of his silhouette still hovers over the chasm between new opportunities and the belief that I deserve to be loved.
It was for Eloise that we named each entity. Hers is the loudest of all. It is the authentic presence of our friend before depression hid her deep inside. In grief, she has become a reflection of herself. She is our Ophelia.
Powerless, we love this mirror image of a tragic heroine and name our personal phantoms in her honor.
About the Creator
Penny Fuller
(Not my real name)- Other Labels include:
Lover of fiction writing and reading. Aspiring global nomad. Woman in science. Most at home in nature. Working my way to an unconventional life, story by story and poem by poem.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Comments (19)
he author's vivid descriptions and attention to detail really drew me in. It's great to see such in-depth reporting on unique subjects like this.
Absolutely incredible- congratulations ❤️
This fits into so many different scenarios, death, life and in-between. Well said and congrats.
Wonderful writing, great job! Congratulations!
Congratulations, beautiful work!
Well done. Congratulations on your big win.
This hits home to everyone through one ailehpo or another. A wonderful read.
I really loved this one, so dreary and ethereal. Truly a visceral experience. Congratulations on your 🏆 win
Wow! I love the whole concept of these ‘ghosts’ and the mirroring of Ophelia. Sad, but relatable. Congratulations for winning secondplace 🥳
This is wonderously clever. I love it! Congratulations on a well deserved win. 🥰
Very poignant from start to finish! Well done!
This may be a work of fiction, but the honesty of it is brutal. Very nicely done.
Congrats :) This was a pretty read.
Wow, this was beautifully done!
Congrats on the win. Well done.
Amazing job! Keep up the outstanding work—congrats!
Congratulations on the 2nd place win!!!
I love how Ailehpo is Ophelia backwards! Fantastic word and story!
Creative & impressive!!! Love it!!!💕❤️❤️