#Child spirit | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nervoussystemss · 9 months ago

Text

House of Horrors - Ghosts

A/N: Commission request! Thank you v much. <3

Your memories had been murky. When you had first woken up, you were a blank slate, not knowing who you were, where you were, or how you got here. It was only when no one paid attention to you as you ran through the streets, as well as the fact that when you walked through a literal wall, did you realize what happened.

You always knew you hated cars for a reason. You'd gone up to your parents in the hospital, not that they saw you, and cringed at the sight of your small body in the hospital bed. Large cuts and bruises scattered across, and it appeared that you were no longer breathing.

You looked away from your body, covering your ears to block out the sounds of your parents wailing, and looked down at yourself.

You were absolutely fine, other than the realization that you were now a ghost, and a child ghost at that.

You left before they put you in a body bag.

You visited your parents from time to time to make sure all was well. They were grieving, of course, but seemed to be gradually doing better over time, not that you were around them all of their waking moments. It hurt too much to remember them and what could've been a happy memory of just a road trip flipped to be one of the worst days of your lives.

So you stayed in town. Never too far, never too near, just the right amount for a spirit, or so you thought.

It was when you were wandering the desolate street did you notice something odd.

The new person in town had caught your attention originally. They seemed cautious, intelligent, but also like they wanted to figure out what was going on with that house, which you weren't sure was such a good idea yourself.

All the other houses, including your parents', looked normal other than one that had shimmering—what seemed to be—black wiggles around it. Barely noticeable unless you really strained your eyes, which you didn't like doing. It gave you a headache to stare at it for too long.

You stayed away. You didn't know what was wrong with that particular house, and you didn't really want to find out either. Keeping your head down and wandering around was working out just fine for you, so there was really no reason to explore the unknown lest it bring you into more danger. Even if you weren't a physical being anymore, you had heard around from other spirits that spirits could be hurt, but only in specific ways. When you tried to ask how, no one would tell you, so you simply tried to get away from anything that even remotely seemed like a threat—and that included that house.

But when you saw the newcomer with blue skin, it clicked that they had died inside the house. You had seen some residents of the house outside of it, such as the little girl and the blue man, but you had never spoken to either of them, too afraid that they would be volatile to you.

You decided to take a risk and scope it out. Once you got to the front door, you stared up at the house, the black shimmery field not dissipating. If anything, it only got stronger, causing you to squint. The edges of the house blurred.

You had only stretched out a hand to open the door (to try to open the door, that is—you forget you're a ghost sometimes) when you heard a feminine voice behind you.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going inside," was your simple reply, as if going inside of a house was the easiest thing in the world.

"To a house that's not yours?" the girl asked, narrowing her eyes. "You're not supposed to be here."

"At this house?"

"Well, that too," she replied with a small shrug, "but you're not supposed to still be on Earth. Like I said, you could knock, or let us know that you're trying to intrude on our territory, spirit."

She seemed hostile. You'd seen the things she did to humans that had tried to keep her away from the residents that were women, but you weren't doing that. She said something about territory. Maybe she'd be less angry if you used a softer, quieter tone and gave an excuse. "I got curious," you reply in a tender voice, hoping to ease her nerves a little. "I apologize for intruding. That wasn't my intent. I just wanted to take a look. I just... I got lonely." You wrung your hands gently, obviously anxious as you blinked rapidly. Your eyes didn't sting, but it was hard to not notice the slight welling of tears.

The truth, at least part of it, was out now. It wasn't like you were lying. You did get quite lonely. The other, older spirits kept one another company in their own groups, younger spirits thought you were too old to play things like tag with (which was one of your favorite games, and now you had no one to play it with), and teenage spirits were few and far between in this town. You had seen one or two at best. Only a few select spirits had spoken to you, mainly older ones, and even then, they were a bit harsh. The only nice one you had met was an older woman who seemed to be in her thirties when you had just died, and you were panicking before she managed to calm you down. But after that, you were on your own.

Her eyes remained narrowed, eyeing you, but you could've sworn you saw something flicker in them. Almost like a hint of sympathy, like she could relate to it. She was silent for a few more seconds, until she sighed, "You don't seem to pose a threat. You can go in."

"Great. Thank you," you chirp softly, as politely as you can before you phase through the door, glancing around.

Your eyes are immediately drawn to the door of the basement, where the door itself had the same black murkiness as the outside of the house. You can no longer throw up because you don't need food, but staring at it made you feel queasy. You look away as the front door opens and the little girl enters.

"I'm not sister, by the way."

"That's a weird name," you blurt out before you can think to hold your tongue. It wasn't like she could hurt you, but still.

"I'm not giving you my real name. I'm sure you wouldn't give me yours if you had the chance to," she scoffed with a roll of her eyes, crossing her arms as she watched you wander from room to room, following you mostly silently.

You couldn't provide a rebuttal of that, because she was right. You didn't want to give her your name. Your real name, anyway. You didn't trust her or anyone, or anything, here. You used a fake one instead.

"Nice to meet you, I guess," she huffed out as she closed the door quietly. "The other two should be back soon."

"You mean the blue man and the other person that he turned?"

She let out a hum, raising her eyebrows slightly. "You're more observant than I originally assumed."

"Thank y—"

She cuts you off before you can finish your sentence. "How did you die?"

You grew quiet. You remembered things when you came to, of course, but just because you still had your former memories didn't mean that you liked remembering them, especially the last one. "Car crash." Your voice had gone raspy. How did a non corporeal being's voice turn raspy when they didn't even need water? Weird. You thought you saw her grimace.

She looked away for a second before glancing back at you, facial expression still slightly upset before she forced herself to compose her features. "That sounds like a pretty bad way to go. I'm sorry." If she was faking sympathy, you couldn't tell. She sounded as genuine as she could.

"It's fine." You cleared your throat forcibly.

"Do you want some water?" she asked sweetly, before making a face as she remembered you weren't physical. "Right. Forgot. Sorry."

"You don't seem to be used to apologizing," you point out.

She gave you a tiny grin. "I'm not. Anyway, you should wait here for the blue man. I'm off to see if there are any new residents coming in. See you in a bit!" she chirped before skipping to the door, waving, and slamming it shut behind her.

It had been an hour, and you were growing impatient. You were honestly looking forward to meeting the blue man and the old resident he'd turned. They both seemed like they were kind and at least they didn't chase others around like not sister, or so it seemed.

You were about to go upstairs when you heard light scratching at the basement door. In an instant, a shadow person appeared in front of the door, almost as if wanting to prevent you from going.

You wave.

It has no eyes, no nose, no mouth, but you can practically hear it telling you to mind your business and not head into the basement.

You weren't the most experienced in dealing with the supernatural, but you had dealt with shadow people before. You saw them quite often in your own home, and they (mostly) posed no threat. You hoped this was the same.

"I'm fine," you said after a moment. "Whatever's down there can't hurt me. I'm a ghost."

It doesn't speak, nor does it move, and you find yourself crossing your arms as you silently stare it down. After a few seconds, it relents and disappears from sight, although hesitantly, like it was concerned.

You phase through the door and immediately realize you made a mistake.

It's as if the basement is some sort of portal. You find yourself sucked in and, as if in a trace, you walk down the steps until you're in the center of the basement. You think you hear screams and wails and they're so loud.

Your hands go to cover your ears.

"That won't help you." A mocking tone cut through the air. "You'll still be able to hear them begging for their lives or wailing about how they died here, even if you cover your ears. Save yourself the trouble."

You cover your ears anyway.

"You," the thing snarls, appearing in an instant in front of you and causing you to let out a scream and scamper back, because why does it look like that, "are not supposed to be here. You didn't die here."

You step back and it steps forward. Although logically, you know it can't hurt you, you're still terrified. If your heart was still beating, you think you'd have died of a heart attack as opposed to what you originally died from. "Get away from me."

"Who's going to make me? You?" it scoffed. "You're not a resident or a being of this house. Leave."

"What does being a resident even mean? Were you born in this house or something?" you try to ask despite cowering, voice shaking.

Its eyes narrowed as it bared its teeth slightly. It appeared to be angry that you were questioning where it came from and that it couldn't hurt you, but then its demeanor changed. It stepped back, almost seeming like it was forcing itself to do so, like it was forcing itself to be calm. "I originally was born here, you could say. The other beings were created," it replied with a sharp smile.

"Even the not sister and blue man?"

It shrugged. "Some humans are so powerful that they can become a different supernatural being when they pass due to emotions. Others, like you, turn into ghosts. And others get turned by other supernatural beings. The not sister made herself. The blue man was turned by another." Its smile turned smug, like it knew something you didn't. Underneath it, though, you could hear a bitter note, like it was unhappy he got turned. "And I've heard," it continued casually, taking another step back to put you more at ease, "that when you ghosts are in limbo, that's the worst. Can't really go anywhere but the town or place you died. Have you tried to leave?"

"I've tried," you admitted with great hesitation, not wanting to give it anything it could use against you. "I always end up back at my place of dying every time I try and leave the town."

"Figures." It paused for a long moment. "How would you like to not be in limbo any longer? To no longer be a ghost?"

"What else could I be?" you counter.

"Well, you could be in Hell. Heaven. Purgatory. Or I could offer you something better."

"I don't understand," you say after a few seconds of thinking. What did it mean? You couldn't even hear yourself think; your brain hurt from the seemingly never ending screams.

"I could," it sighed as it stretched, "turn you. Or try to, at least."

"I'm a ghost."

"I know that." Its expression fell flat for a second, the charade of being kind cracking for just a split second before it smiled once more. "I've never tried to turn a ghost before, but I have turned regular, ordinary humans. I'd be willing to..." it trailed off as it stepped behind you, hands raised to be put on your shoulders, and you shuddered.

It couldn't touch you, you reminded yourself, but then why did your shoulders feel cold all of a sudden?

"... try with you. Give it a shot. What do you say? All I ask is that you just give me something in return. A favor for a favor. You become my kind and physical again, and you do something for me."

"But you have no..." What was the word your mom used? A big one starting with G that meant it wasn't for sure? Garry? "... guar... gaur..."

"Guarantee?" it supplied with a bigger smile, clearly finding you at least somewhat amusing now.

"Yeah. You have no... guarantee... that it'll work?"

"Unfortunately, no. But come on, what's the worst that could happen?"

"A lot of things. I could get ripped apart or something. Or my soul could. Dunno.”

At this, it let out a sudden but genuine laugh. “So you have smarts.” It seemed to be pondering on how to get you to agree. “Don’t you want to be physical again?”

“Yes,” you reply slowly, unsure now.

“Then what’s the harm?” Its smile grew once more, eyes crinkling.

“You said if you do and it works, I need to do something for you. What’s the something?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.” It waved a hand dismissively. “I won’t have you hurt anyone on my behalf, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Then what you want?”

“Just for you to lead some people down here.” It shrugged. “Be it strangers or new residents when they come. Or lead the blue man down here. Either work, honestly.”

Your suspicion is only growing more and more. “I would really rather not lure people to your lair of death.”

“Who says I’ll kill them?”

“My gut feelings are never wrong.” You paused, nerves telling you to run. “I—I’m going to leave.” You step back, before you feel a tug. Your body jerks forward.

“Not leaving that easily out of my ‘lair of death’,” it hummed with a satisfied grin. “I can make you stay here, at least for a little while. Have it so you’re stuck in limbo for days before that power of mine runs out.” It was speaking faster now, almost manic as it stepped towards you. “You might not be one of my victims, but that power works on your kind all the same, especially if you’re in my basement. My territory. Why do you think you hear all those lovely screams? They can’t leave.”

“Let me go!” You’re obviously panicking now, trying to step back and even run for the door to leave, but you keep getting pulled back the moment you almost leave.

“I can do this all day, kid,” it stated, sounding bored. After the fifth try, you seemingly give up and face it, shoulders slumped, and it seemed to take that as a victory. It stayed perfectly silent and still for several moments, before exhaling slowly. It needed you to trust it, that much was clear to you. “Would you feel comfortable leading the blue man down here?”

You tried to remain calm. The lights above you flickered. “No.”

“Why not? For all you know, he could be worse than me.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t keep me stuck in limbo,” you murmur as quietly as you could, not wanting to piss it off.

“You’re right, he wouldn’t. But he’s not as good as you think. You think he hasn’t killed?”

You hesitate and shrug. “He must’ve had his reasons then. At least he seems nice.”

“At least I’m trying to help you become physical again,” it countered just as quick. “He didn’t pay attention to those he loved when he was alive. He’s not a good anything.”

“Why do you hate him? Why do you want me to bring him down here?”

“Hate’s a strong word. I prefer strong mutual dislike, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he hated me.” It shrugged casually. “I have my reasons, none that you need to know about unless you’re willing to give my idea a try. I’m waiting for a yes or no from you.”

“Not right now?” Your voice grew higher pitched at the end, as you weren’t sure if it would take that as a legitimate answer and let you go.

It narrowed its eyes for a moment, before shrugging again. “That works for me as long as you’ll come back down here with your final decision in, say, two weeks or so.”

“Deal.”

“Caaareful.” It grinned, eyes widening to the max. “Be careful of who and what you say that word to, some may take it as oath. I might take it as oath.”

You frowned. Was it trying to help you? “I… we… don’t have a deal?”

“We have an agreement—not the same thing.” It rolled its eyes. “You can come back down in two weeks if you want to. If we had a deal, well, you’d likely have to unless you broke your end, but that—” it clicked its tongue “—would not end well for you, so we have an agreement instead of a deal. Understood?”

“Understood.” You utter quietly. “You seem to be trying to help me. Are you usually this nice?”

“What do you think?”

“No.”

“And you’re correct. Now, you should go before the prick finds out we’ve been conversing. See you in two weeks if you’d like,” it sang, and then you were hurled out of the basement.

It took you a moment to gain your bearings. You could hear now. No more screaming, but birds and cars, and you didn’t feel as scared anymore now that you were out. You wobbled over to the couch and sat down, trembling slightly, and reminded yourself to not go back there again.

You didn’t think ghosts could sleep, or in your case, nap, but somehow and someway you had drifted off. You hadn’t even realized you were asleep until when you came to, there was a blue face standing right in front of you and staring. You jumped up in a slight panic, the lamp beside you flickering, and the blue man quickly held up his hands, his eyes narrowed slightly.

“Easy,” he murmured in a soft, soothing voice. “I’m not going to hurt you. Just checking for injuries.”

“What?” you asked, still slightly dazed.

“I felt something in the room,” he explained, still speaking slowly and soothingly so as not to frighten you, his hands still up. “Took me a while to see you, though. I’m not one of the beings that can automatically see or talk to spirits—it takes quite a lot of practice, at least for my kind. I know you’re a spirit, but I can’t tell when you died or if it was recent, so I was just checking for any signs of injury to see how bad it was.”

You stare at him for a long moment. “Uh, well,” you begin slowly, less panicked, “I died in a car crash. Didn’t have that many injuries, but… well, here I am.”

“Here you are,” he repeated with a small nod. “I’m assuming you’ve met the not sister?”

“Mhm. She’s nice,” you comment. “The thing in the basement isn’t the nicest though.”

He jolted a bit, eyes narrowing. His expression grew serious. “You were down there?”

“I felt called to go down there, not my fault,” you try and defend yourself.

“I’m not blaming you,” he said gently. “But the thing is as manipulative as can be. I’d suggest fighting any urges to go down there.”

“It said something about you killing people.”

“I’m not a saint,” he snorted with a roll of his eyes. He tilted his head as he looked down at you. “Besides, I only kill those that don’t follow the rules—unless they have potential, but rule breakers are typically killed. If I don’t do it, one of the others will. I’m just doing what I need to.”

“But you don’t need to kill,” you try and argue.

“You don’t know my kind.” He seemed defensive, eyes narrowing in warning. “We do need to kill. It’s a want sometimes, yes. Do I act on it sometimes simply because I want to? Sure.” He was speaking as if killing someone was entirely normal. “And yes, we can control it to an extent, but other times, we need to. It’s not something we can fully control at all times.”

“So you’re like a werewolf.”

He coughed to cover up a laugh.

“Like, sometimes when you get the urge, it needs to be done or you get random pain or it hurts you or something?”

His eyes crinkled. “I guess you could say that. But it’s more like we become more and more agitated and less in control of ourselves as time goes on.”

“So definitely like a werewolf.”

“Sure.” He was full on smiling now.

It seemed you amused the majority of the beings here. You assumed that was a good thing for you. You feel a wiggle of guilt. “The thing said it could make me physical again if I led people or you to it.”

“Did it?” he hummed lightly, a slight smile on his face. Still seeming calm, but you didn’t miss the way he put his hands behind his back, like he wanted to lash out at the thing from the first floor despite it being a floor beneath him. “And what did you say?”

“I said I’d think about it and get back to it in two weeks.”

He frowned, inhaling, then exhaling as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Did you make a deal with it?”

“No. It said we had an agreement, not a deal.”

His body relaxed, and he let out a relieved sigh as his eyes opened once more. “Good. That’s good.” He muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like “sneaky bastard” and “… thinks it can trick me, must be an absolute fool…”

“It said you hated it,” you supplied helpfully.

“I do,” he admitted, shooting a glare at the basement door. He eyed the floor leading up to it, like he was seeing something you weren’t, or maybe reliving a memory of his own. “It… took a lot from me. More than I was willing to give when I dealt with it back then.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry, it just seemed like it was trying to help even if it was being manipulative and… I don’t know. I kind of wanted to say yes.”

“That’s how it gets you,” he informed. “It promises you things. It promises you good things you want—things you can’t refuse, makes a deal with you, and then if you don’t fulfill your end… it can get messy.” He grimaced, running a tongue over his teeth, jaw clenching. “I spited it on purpose when I turned the newcomer, although I did genuinely like them, too. It’s rare that people have that potential. I apparently did.”

“Potential to be turned?” you asked curiously, and he nodded, shooting you a slight grin.

“You’re smart.”

“Thank you.” You paused for a moment. “Did you want to be turned? Did you ask?”

His grin dropped. “I didn’t. But that doesn’t matter—I’m here now.” He shrugged. “Plus, I can’t exactly die anymore, though I’m assuming I can get torn apart, which is probably why it wanted you to get me to go into the basement—unless it just wanted to have a friendly conversation, which I doubt.” He examined you with curious eyes for a moment, before changing the topic. “You seem to have control over electricity. That lamp next to you flickered when you were afraid.”

“Oh, yeah, that happens a lot when I’m panicked or angry,” you said. “It’s normal.”

“Can you try moving it?”

“Moving what?”

His lips quirked the slightest bit. “The lamp, kiddo.”

You gave him a nod and tried to make the lamp move, but to your disappointment, nothing happened.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said gently, noticing your downcast expression. “It takes some time. Here.” He moved quickly next to you and crouched so that you two were almost shoulder to shoulder. “Look at the lamp.”

“That’s… what I’m doing?”

“No, I mean really look. Squint if you need to.”

You do as he says, and to your surprise, the edges of the lamp blur. There’s a slight light around it.

“Good. Now focus on moving it an inch.” You close your eyes, but he says gently, “Keep them open, otherwise you’ll have difficulty moving things with your eyes open.”

You give him a thumbs up and open them, trying to focus. The lamp shudders slightly and you perk up. “I’m doing it!” You narrow your eyes more, and it slides off the table completely, crashing to the ground as it shatters. There’s a moment of silence before you blurt, “Sorry for breaking your lamp.”

He snorts. “It’s not my lamp, so don’t worry about that. I can always buy another one. But good job! You did great,” he beams, reaching out a hand for a high five.

You high five him despite your hand passing through his. You’re beginning to notice he looks almost fond of you.

“Who are you talking to?” Another blue head peeked into the room—the newcomer that got turned.

“A child spirit,” he replied smoothly, glancing at them with a grin. “You can’t see them, right?”

“No. I can sense a spirit is in the room, though.” They seem hesitant. “Are they dangerous?”

“They are not. I can teach you how to see them if you’d like. I’m teaching them how to move things around.”

As if on cue, you make the television turn on.

The blue person jumps slightly, flinching.

He frowns the tiniest bit. “Relax. You’re safe.” His eyes flicker between you both, almost like he’s saying that to both of you. He stands from his crouched position, stretching slightly. “Keep working on what I taught you. I’ll be back in a few days, need to still teach them things.” His head jerks slightly to the blue person, before he looks down at you. “Can I trust you to stay out of trouble?”

“… yes?”

“Can I trust you to not go into the basement while I’m gone for a bit? It won’t be two weeks, promise.” He smiles—a gentle thing, eyes soft, but you could feel the concern rolling off him.

“I won’t go down there,” you promise him, and in turn, he ruffles your hair.

You feel the top of your head tingle. Phantom sensations.

“Good. I’ll see you in a few days.”

Then he’s gone.

Days pass.

You do as he told you—you practice moving things around, you wander the house, observing, and you don’t go into the basement.

“How long can you keep this up?”

“Probably a few minutes or so. Around twenty the last time I checked,” you let the not sister know. You’re making a small side desk in a bedroom levitate—it’s gotten easier and easier to lift and move heavier items than a lamp in the past few days, especially with practice.

“That’s not what I meant. I meant you have unfinished business and you’re probably wasting your time here.”

The desk slowly lowers. “So what? It’s not like I have anywhere else to be.”

“Your parents probably miss you. I think you should visit and let them know you’re still around,” she said earnestly.

You pause for a moment. “Maybe. I don’t know yet.”

“Just telling you to think about it. It could give them and you closure—closure that several of us didn’t get.”

“You and the blue man?”

“And the thing. It has a little bit more heart than it lets on, though not much—probably why it let you leave.” She shrugged, watching curiously as you try and make the bed lift. It shudders, but doesn’t move otherwise. “You can do it.” It doesn’t sound as encouraging as when the blue man said something similar. In fact, the way she says it sounds a bit flat, and you giggle. “What? I’m trying to be encouraging!”

“Maybe you should add some enthusiasm to your voice,” you reply, still giggling.

The not sister huffed and crossed her arms, pretending to be annoyed at you. She then morphed right in front of your eyes to be a teenager. She smiled widely, put her hands up to her mouth, and squealed, “Oh my gosh, like, you’re doing so well! Keep going, you totally got this!”

You break out into laughter, as does she, but nevertheless you focus with all your might.

The bed lifts, and you let out an excited whoop.

“See? Knew you could do it,” she grinned.

“Thank you,” you smiled at her, eyes alight, before you the door creaked.

The blue man was standing there, grinning as his eyes went back from you to not sister to the floating bed. “I see you two are getting along quite well, huh?”

“How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough,” he replied vaguely. “Thanks for keeping an eye on them for me,” he said to the not sister, and she nodded.

“Don’t mention it. Or do. You can thank me every day for it if you want,” she replied cheekily. “They’re surprisingly fun to spend time with.”

“Hey!” You tried to look offended.

“I would’ve made you leave somehow if I didn’t want you here. Not sure how, but I would.” Her eyes flitted to you. “I also didn’t spend time with you just because he asked. I do like you, and that’s rare. Probably because you’re a kid or something. Dunno.”

“Thank you, I think.”

“You’re welcome.” She morphed back into a little girl. Glancing at the basement, then the clock, she went, “I’m off to talk to the thing in, like, two hours or so.”

“Not sister,” the blue man said a bit sharply, his eyes narrowing with concern. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“I’ll be fine. We get along fine,” she scoffed. The blue man fixed her with a serious look, and she sighed, shuffling on her feet. “Whatever, I’ll be careful. There. Better?”

“Better. Yell if anything happens.”

“Will do!” She ended up skipping down the hall and downstairs to the first floor.

You slowly let the bed drop with a thump.

“I see your levitation abilities are getting stronger,” he commented, looking as though he was proud of you. “That’s good—means you’ll be able to defend yourself against other entities.”

“Like the thing?”

“No. I meant other spirits, maybe ghost hunters. It can’t touch you, but it can keep spirits in the basement. If it comes to that somehow, you can throw the entire basement door at it for all I care.”

You crack a grin at his wording, but pause, waiting for him to continue.

“Or I can try to get you out, but that’s difficult.”

“You’d do that for me?” Your voice grew quieter, unsure. “You barely know me.”

“I know enough. You’re quiet, don’t seek out trouble on purpose, and you try not to cause a ruckus. You remind me of someone I used to know—” a pause as he swallowed “—so I’m more inclined to help you if anything goes awry.”

“You knew a child spirit?”

He lets out a low laugh. “Something like that. I knew them when they were alive, and…” he trailed off, pressing his lips together. “I… didn’t do right by them.” An exhale. “I can control timelines, at least to an extent, but I can’t see them or someone else I knew before. It’s not possible, at least not at the moment, unfortunately.”

“Timelines?” You’re trying to pick his brain. “But who were they?”

“Timelines of where people make two choices. I can go back and change things sometimes.” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t see why who they were matter to you.” He didn’t sound rude and he didn’t seem suspicious, more wary of where you were trying to lead the conversation.

“I don’t know. You just seem sad when you talk about them.”

“That’s exactly why I don’t like talking about them. I’d rather talk to the one I turned about the people I knew once I get closer to them and once they get accustomed to being my kind fully, or even a therapist. You were in a car crash, and that’s traumatic in itself, and the last thing I want is to unload my own trauma onto you,” he stated as he tried to grin. It looked fake. “If it makes you feel better, I assure you that it would probably take years of therapy—not a ten minute conversation—needed to process what I’ve been through. No offense.”

You were completely silent for a few moments. Whatever he had gone through, it was clear that it was bad, and it had something to do with a child and someone else he mentioned. Maybe he was a teacher, or maybe he had a child of his own that died in a similar way. You felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of that and the fact that you had maybe made him think about something traumatic. “None taken.”

“Have you ever heard of the light?”

It was a sudden question. You blinked in surprise. “Obviously I know sunlight exists.”

A small chuckle left him. “Not just sunlight. There’s another type of light for spirits to go to when they pass—sometimes they can find it on their own, other times a priest can guide them, and I’ve tried my hand at it a few times myself in the past, not that I’m an expert.”

The light. Where did it go? Where did it lead spirits to? What even was it? There were so many possibilities and you were definitely not having an existential (or rather, nonexistential) crisis. “What happens if I go into the light? Would I get born into another body?”

“Kiddo—”

“Would I go to Heaven? Would I no longer exist? Wou—”

“Kiddo.” He was crouched in an instant, and his hands suddenly hovered above your shoulders, nothing like the thing who had done it to intimidate. Instead, he was trying to calm you down.

“What?!”

“Breathe.”

“I can’t breathe anymore, my lungs don’t work because I’m a ghost and what if I go into the light and just stop existing or what if I lose all my memories somehow and—”

His hands landed on and went through your shoulders. Cold. You stopped talking. “Listen to me. Whether or not you choose to go is entirely your choice. I’m not going to drag you to the light and it’s not just going to suddenly appear and suck you in. From what I heard, you need to really look for it. Okay? It’s okay.” His voice was quiet, calming.

“Okay.” You felt like you were gulping in air despite that no longer being possible. “Okay. Thank you.” You leapt at him to try and hug him only to pass through his body.

He shuddered, still crouched. It seemed he felt cold due to you passing through him.

“Sorry, I—”

“Don’t worry. I know you wanted to hug me.” He turned his head and smiled gently at you.

“Thank you,” you repeat shyly.

“You’re welcome.” He paused as he shuffled, still crouched, to face you again so that his back wasn’t turned to you. “Based on your reaction, I’m assuming you don’t currently want to go into the light?” he jokingly questioned with a grin.

You shake your head.

“Well,” he sighs, not sounding disappointed at all, “I guess that means you can stay here for the time being.”

“There’s a time being too?”

He smiled widely. “There is not. I meant for right now, you can stay here. You may need to leave in two weeks for some time due to the thing and your agreement with it, but other than that, you’re welcome to stay so long as you stay out of trouble.”

You beam. “So you’re adopting me?”

His eyebrows shot up. “When did I imply that?” He sounded amused again.

“Right now when you said I could stay for as long as I want!” You grinned in excitement, bouncing on your toes.

“I’m not…” he tried to say, before seeing how upbeat you were, and sighed, rolling his eyes. “Fine. I guess I’m temporarily adopting you.”

“Yes!” Your fist punched the air before trying to hug him again, and like last time, he shuddered. “Sorry, sorry! I should really stop doing that and making you cold. Sorry.”

“It’s alright, kiddo. You want to go… I don’t know, exploring or something?”

“Can we play tag outside in the yard?”

“Of course we can.”

“Awesome!”

You didn’t wait for a response as you ran ahead of him and downstairs, but you did hear him chuckle and mutter something under his breath.

It was certainly going to be a while before you wanted to even think of looking for that light.