Writetober 2019

October 22-Ghost

The past played out before him as he watched, trying to make sense of what had happened. But try as he might, it made no sense to Ethan why those two women had torn into each other over a blouse. Like, yeah, it was on sale, but really? Hair pulling and scratching? Ethan decided to let the mall cops handle that one and walked on his way.

Some days he regretted his new habit of looking. It was a little weird. Guessing what led a person up to that point, then using his power to check his guess. He'd only had his powers a few months, and he already couldn't imagine living without. Seeing the recent past gave so much context to the present.

Then there were the days he was supposed to be relaxing, not chasing phantoms through crowded malls. But here he was, watching the apparition of what looked like an eight-year-old book it across the mall's atrium and slip through an employees-only door before it swung shut behind someone exiting.

Out of habit, Ethan traced the flickering image back along its course to the parking lot outside. When he focused on one specific set of events, the ghost images played on repeat. Through the walls he got a good look at a lady smacking the kid before they entered the mall. The way her fingers dug into his arm before he escaped didn't sit right either. Ethan frowned as he tracked the boy's progress through the restricted area until he ducked into a corner to cry and hide. Based on the lack of image fleeing that location, he was still there.

He sighed and headed for the restroom. A few minutes later Ethan, now wearing his mask, faced the wall separating the empty restroom from the employees-only area. He took a deep breath and placed a hand on the wall, releasing it as his fingers then arm phased through the surface. He took another breath and stepped all the way through, shivering as he passed through a number of spiderwebs in the space between. That always gave him the heebie-jeebies.

He stepped out into a hallway and looked around to re-orientate himself. Ah! There you are. He phased through the door to a supply room where seasonal decorations were laid to rest between their annual appearances. In a back corner, behind Santa's chair and a pile on plastic jack-o-lanterns, was the boy in the flesh.

"You okay?" Ethan asked as he edged closer. He had a feeling the kid would bolt if he moved too quickly.

The boy stared wide-eyed back at him. "Are you a ghost?"

Oh. He saw me walk through the door. "No," Ethan assured him. "I'm a hero. I saw someone run in here and thought I'd check if you were okay."

The boy looked confused. "I've been in here for 20 minutes."

"Well, it took me a while to find somewhere to hide and put my mask on," Ethan said defensively. "I'm not as good at hiding as you."

The kid hid a laugh behind his hands.

"Mind if I sit?" He asked, gesturing toward the big red and white chair.

"I don't know if Santa would like that..."

"It's okay. I'm a certified chair tester. Here, I'll show you," Ethan said, swaggering over to the chair. He very carefully sat down, then changed his position three or four times, making faces all the while. "Nope. This chair is disgracefully uncomfortable. I'll take it up with the mall's manager and insist they get a new one before Santa visits this year. Simply shameful."

The boy thought this was hilarious, and Ethan wondered that no one else could hear his howls of laughter. It brought a smile to his own face.

"Now that my duty has been fulfilled..." Ethan lowered himself from the truly hellish chair to sit cross-legged on the concrete floor and lean back against the chair. "What brings you here?"

The boy stopped laughing and hugged his knees to his chest. When he did his shirt sleeve rode up to reveal a blue-green bruise, and that wasn't the arm Ethan had seen the woman grab outside. This bruise was several days old.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Ethan asked after a minute of silence.

The boy nodded without a word.

"I can do more than walk through doors without using the doorknob." When he saw that he had the kid's attention, Ethan continued, "I can see things after they happen. See-through, pale blue impressions of events that are more real than what's going on around me sometimes. I can't tell you how many times I walked into a wall when I first got my powers. I even broke my nose once. See?" He pointed to the telltale bump on the bridge of his nose.

"I saw her hit you in the parking lot," He finally said, watching for a reaction. The eight-year-old froze and curled into an even tighter ball. "You don't have to go back to her if you don't want to," He soothed. "I can call a friend to come pick you up. She doesn't wear a mask, but she's an even bigger hero than me."

"What kind of hero doesn't wear a mask?" the kid asked, sniffing.

One who fights in a courtroom. "Want to find out? She'll protect you."

The kid thought for a minute before nodding.

"Okay. Let me make a phone call. In the meantime," He dug around in his shopping bag and brought out a chocolate bar to hand to his new friend. Then he stood up and searched his phone for the number for CPS, hoping Jenine was working today.