Haunted By A Memory

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The following morning Vincent ate cold pizza for breakfast and greeted the delivery service man who drove the truck that brought a portable moving pod filled with Vincent's belongings. It was one of the smaller moving pods. For he didn't have a lot of personal belongings, but did have enough that transporting effects with his vehicle wasn't an option.

He decided to make the downstairs living room the entertainment room. The basement level naturally stayed cooler; which would bode well for lounge time spent using tv streaming services or other forms of entertainment. It didn't take long foe him to unload the small pod of boxes and belongings in before the transportation worker departed.

Vincent focused on reassembling his entertainment center. Then got the wifi router hooked up and running. Followed by tv, game system, and additional speakers assembled. He stopped to take a lunch break and knew he really should go grocery shopping. The home had come with all major appliances thankfully. So he had access to a fridge, freezer, stove top, and oven. They were all older but functional. The only thing he would need to purchase was a microwave and possibly a automatic dishwasher. There was a designated space for it, the kitchen having been renovated at some point. It simply appeared that when the previous owners had to have an old one removed they had gone back to washing dishes by hand, rather than buy a new dish washing machine.

. . .

Curiously observing as the man abandoned the house only to rebound with more supplies, Niko resigned himself to intiate his ghostly malevolence tomorrow. "Where's he going?". Peeking from behind the sleeping bag, while Max had attempted to fill the inside with his childish body, the ghost shook his head. "You can't follow him, he's likely preparing for bed,". Although he shielded his siblings as much as possible from nudity, there had been inevitable circumstances where babies have sprinted around naked or teenagers had viewed pornography on their technologies. Or worse, when parents and lovers generated inhuman noises from the bedrooms, which Nikolai often deemed as off-limits for the pair after a particular incident. Naturally, only he understood the implications of love and lust since he'd developed as the oldest and more experienced.

Did I ever lose my virginity? The thought tickled his brain as he fantasized about a memory he knew could not contain accurate details. Sometimes, the events as a ghost in this house mingled with conceptualizations of what he believed happened when he had existed. But at the dusk of the night, Niko focused on the irrationality of such thoughts and discarded any which seemed to delude him about his prior life. "Can we sleep in his bedroom? Please, please!". A sigh punctured his lips as the two begged him; the appeal of human bodies ascertained to the phantom warmth the three could feel when near one. And such heat ushered in a comfort unlike anything imaginable. "Okay, fine. But don't disturb him yet,".

Eventually, Vincent shifted from the bathroom to the living area and all three observed in silent delight as the male's demeanor changed. "Is he nervous? He seems concerned,". Max, having phased through the fabric to stand upright, giggled as the man eyed the loft and aimed for there. "I'll race you, Eva!". Feet pattered mutely on the floorboards, an occasional creak signifying the impression of their weight. Nikolai padded with Vincent to the loft and smirked as the male switched the lights on and peered around. And when the man settled for the night in his sleeping bag, the two children laid beside him on either side and whispered precariously amongst their company. Despite ghosts not having the ability to rest, Max and Eva liked to pretend to sleep in order to pass the time; Niko, rather, perched in a corner of the space and thought, patient as ever, about how to handle Vincent.

When the sun rose and splayed golden hues into the oceanic sky, everyone else in the house also seemed to revive. Itchiness ruminated on his flesh as a second human appeared at the property with a truck, evidently harboring some of Vincent's valuables. During breakfast, Max and Eva had argued over who should steal a bite from the pizza box while Niko attempted to reign in their energy, promising the pair he'd grant them a few privileges if they behaved. Together, the trio observed as Vincent lugged in some cardboard boxes and achingly fixed appliances into the basement, much to his siblings approval and elation. "Yay, a TV and a gaming station! We'll have so much fun,". Usually, when tenants were gone, Nikolai allowed his brother and sister to fiddle with the advanced gadgets and even joined them sometimes. Technology had an allure for all three spirits, which provided for good hauntings and easy entertainment.

"Think the TV works yet? Can I press the power button on the remote?". Collecting in the basement, he contemplated on Max's request and nodded. "Yeah, go ahead,". Perhaps we can urge this man to migrate early...before he unpacks everything. Gleefully, the boy tapped the button and the TV flickered to life, silent for a moment. Pssssshhhh... Fuzzy dots coated the screen, frightening the three as Max jabbed one of the channel buttons. A political network played, two figures bickering over a headline. Ramping up the volume, Eva worsened the situation as the limit reached max capacity. "Sissy, turn the volume down!". Max complained while she freely dabbled with the controls, toggling the noise between low and high. Nikolai simply watched in amusement, more interested with the two men inside the TV than the mischief.