Phantom Recall

5 || wraith

Javier was kind enough to pull out a small collapsible table and some chairs from the back room for us to use. Apparently this place is more of a side-job for him. He sells an impressive variety of belongings that he wants to get rid of, almost like a yard sale, while in the quiet business hours, he does professional editing on his computer. That said, the man happens to have all sorts of random things on hand, both useful and entirely pointless — including a coffee maker, though I suppose that isn't terribly random.

Noir, Eret, and I sit at the table which Javier set up close to the front counter. Sonia insists upon standing. And the four of all us watch and wait as Javier hooks up his laptop to the nearest outlet, mutters about the unreliability of his internet service provider and something about 'capitalist pigs' in America, then downs an entire cup of black coffee in ten seconds.

I look down at the coffee cup Javier had poured for me. A strong, yet sweet scent wafts from the rich black surface. It smells expensive but I have trouble believing it's anything more than something you can find at an ordinary corner store — not to jab at Javier or anything. He seems like a very...classy man.

Noir had already drunk his own cup several minutes ago, but at the remembrance of his likening it to salt water, I decide against trying it myself. As for Eret, he feels the need to let us all know he's on a low-carb diet right now. Honestly I'm not sure if coffee even has carbs, but I also don't feel like having that conversation, so I keep my thoughts to myself. Noir drinks both of our cups.

"Alright, I've got it here."

The three of us all turn to the counter at the sound of Javier's gentle voice — yes, gentle. It would appear he's calmed down a considerable amount since the initial excitement of the situation. And yet, at the same time, the man continues to make frequent and abrupt looks at Noir and me, almost as if to reassure himself he isn't actually crazy.

Although one could argue that for him to have developed such a bizarre and impressive device, he would need to be at least a little crazy.

"It's a website."

Javier lifts the goggles for a moment to rub his eyes, then pulls them back on as he carefully turns the laptop around for us to see. At first glance, there isn't much to look at, just blocks of text and conversation bubbles, and, of course, the website's name at the top of the screen — Wraith. That's it. No fancy fonts or animation, and hardly the attractive appearance for a website homepage. Either it was produced by an amateur or the creator was in too much of a hurry to bother with aesthetics.

"It's something of a social media platform, I suppose you would call it," Javier goes on, scrolling a bit through the page. "To summarize it as simply as possible, the users of the website all claim to be able to perceive ghosts as well. So if it's of any comfort, Eret, Miss Sonia—" He pauses to take in the two's expressions. "—you aren't alone. That being said, there's no real method of verifying which of them are telling the truth, but I guarantee you...on my life, I swear to you, that this is proof."

"May we?"

Javier responds to Eret's question by gesturing at the laptop and taking a step back. And with this permission, Eret rises from his chair to inspect the computer closer. Noir, Sonia, and I gather around as well.

"I've found that many people use it as a crutch," says Javier in a somewhat somber tone. He pulls the goggles off again to pinch the skin between his eyes. "A method of reassurance, if you will. Young people with no history of mental illness, fearing they've become schizophrenics..." A deep sigh leaves his nostrils and he checks the walkie-talkie on the counter to make sure it's still on. "Well, you can imagine it's extremely validating to stumble upon a community of people dealing with the same distressing situation."