Stepback Tempo

Chapter Three

Was this some kind of joke? "An oculatum?"

The boy was no longer as fearful as he was before, slowly pulling from the door but keeping it in his perimeter. His brows furrowed once more, as the child crossed his arms and let out a sharp huff. "I never heard that word before! You're tricking me."

The stranger merely made a soft tch, then there was a rumbled boom in the distance. Frozen and steady, he rose up his head and straightened his posture. Jacques watched the lantern on his head turn towards the door. The man had heard something. It was the sound of a rumbling storm outside, and Ensley soon swiveled away from his spot in confirmation. "You're lucky I pulled you from the streets at such a coincidental hour, Jack-"

"It's Jacques."

"...Jacques. I cannot stand in the rain too long or else my embers will die, yet you would of surely been caught by those insolent men." With gentle clicks, his cane rapped against the wood floors of the cozy, small building as Ensley stepped over behind a counter. Leaning down, he picked up a black umbrella, resting it against the long table and seemed to begin organizing the room with his flame illuminating the top half of his form. "You were however foolish. A young boy like you should not be wandering these streets anyway."

"I told you. I was running from them." The youth explained. He heard the clinking of bottles and glasses, and shuffled forward, finding a chair to sit in within the quiet room. It was near the counter Ensley was cleaning and the boy watched, eyes still alert. The scarf the other wore was pulled taut, wrapped thick around his slender neck and hiding where the lantern's base began from Ensley's shoulders. Jacques continued: "They... the workers were from a foster care nearby. I ran away."

Ensley's hands paused in their actions, sweeping a piece of cloth within the rim of a champagne glass. "A foster care?" He placed down the glass and rose his head, flame dimming to a low rumble. "Did your parents...?" His voice trailed off. The young boy audibly shifted and went to open his mouth, but something choked and he just stifled a shaky breath and a nod.

"I see. My apologies. I won't bring them up again," the shopkeep accepted. His hand moved over to pick up a candle that rested on the table and lifted it. With a quiet creak and a shift of Jacques' eyes, the door at the front of Ensley's lantern opened and Jacques watched with wide eyes. The flame from his wick stirred with dull youth, as though alive, and swiftly lit the second candle before setting it back down onto the table and closing the lantern's door. A cloud of tension hung over the room, until the taller began to speak once more, returning back to what he was doing with a low whisper. "I am an Oculatum. Simply put I'm a spirit, but I am still physically here... much like when you felt me grab your wrist."

"So are you dead?"

"Yes," he answered. The man was busy lighting other candles that were in the room. "I died a long, long time ago. Burned for witchcraft."

"Huh?" Jacques stammered. "But... people don't do that anymore. That's cruel."

Ensley glanced up as he lit a wick, and his flame bobbed and waved in reply. "I was not born in your time, Jack. It was that long ago that people were not as kind."

"So you're old... kind of." The child didn't respond to the mispronunciation this time. "Simply put, yes." Ensley shifted with a click of his cane. Very old.

Walking over to the boy, the shopkeeper kneeled down in front of him. "When we die, some are stuck between heaven, and hell. And therefore we stay here in our bodies with a reminder of our passing."

He reached out and pointed to Jack's pocket. The twelve-year old looked down at it and pulled out an item: the blue gem he found the night he ran away. "That item you have there is special. When it's within your possession, you can see my spirit. But when it's not on your person, you see me for who others see me."

He ushered curtly. Jack looked at the gem in his own hands, before putting it on the table beside him, pushing it away with his hands.

And suddenly, once he let go of it, the spirit's light in front of him died out. Jack squinted, the candles keeping the room lit and he let his eyes adjust. He saw the tired face of a man, around his mid-thirties, glance back. Chestnut brown hair was slicked, curled up from his ears and honey toned eyes hid behind thin glasses.

"You look human." Jack spoke in wonder. He leaned his hand forward, going to touch the eyeglasses on the other's eyes until with a sharp look, a gloved hand knocked his own away before he could get his fingerprints on it. "Of course I do."

Jack let out a squeak and apologized, sitting back in his seat as he watched him stand back up. "Sorry, sir." The boy lowered his head and Ensley rolled his eyes. He pulled a pocket watch from within his coat. "Anyway. It's getting near 4 o'clock. I should be departing soon."

"Right now? Why? Do I have to leave?"

Jack immediately climbed off his chair and spoke, running over to him. The male sighed, pulling the umbrella off from the counter. "No, I don't suppose you need to. I'm simply travelling down to a grand hotel to visit a good friend."

"Hotel? But I didn't see any hotel here." The boy commented. Ensley chuckled, and for a moment could Jack see a small pool of smoke escape his lips. "There are, however in the next few towns over. And if you're trying to run away from a large area in which everyone would look for you... I suppose you would of already gotten the idea to try and go to a completely new city. Hm?"

He gave Jack a look of amusement, the glint of the candles' flames reflecting off of his eyeglasses. The young boy looked back up in wonder, then his agape expression changed to a big smile. "Yeah! I mean- yeah. That's what I was trying to do. I tried to run to the trolley station nearby."

There was a soft tsk from the spirit. "Trolley? Those only circle around the center of town. You would not have gone far, my boy."

Ensley tapped his way over to the door of the shop. Opening it, rain poured from the outside and with a fwoomp, he clicked his umbrella open and held it over the doorway.

"The easiest way is by the passenger train."

Ensley walked out and down the alleyway and Jack stammered a light "Wait!", before grabbing the blue gem and stuffing it into his pocket before hastily meandering out of the door. Catching up with the man, Jacques glanced back at the shop they just left, which was now just a blank, brick wall.