What the Flames Left Behind

2 (Smoke)

"Nice to see young lives, isn't it?" Phil murmured, listening to the chaotic, energetic footsteps scurrying around the house. 

"Yeah," Wilbur nodded. 

Even Techno grunted in agreement, "Better than those assholes who came previously," He admitted, going as far as to smile, just a bit. 

The last few times the house had visitors, it had all been adults. People eager to tear the place down or, even more annoyingly, market it as a haunted attraction. 

See, the owners of the property--Phil's brother and his brother's wife--didn't even visit anymore. Whether the place was too secluded, too inconvenient, or they just simply couldn't, the house was, essentially, abandoned by the world. 

Part of Phil's original intention was to settle his family down in such a disconnected place, but it probably does get rather difficult for humans, especially aging humans.

Not to say that being a ghost didn't get lonely. 

It did. It made going crazy terrifyingly easy. 

Especially as time tended to get just a bit wonky in the wilderness, feeding into the insanity, only worsened by being, essentially, 'timeless'.  

And so when people came, people whose faces were alien and attitudes malignant, well.

Ghosts can be territorial, especially when they value their home. 

It didn't end well for the visitors. Techno loved his swords, and Wilbur... Wilbur was just Wilbur, which was more than enough. 

The two had some... trust issues, especially when it came to humans. The only reason no one was actually hurt or worse, killed was probably because Phil could always put on the brakes before things got too bad. 

"... So, if it's not on this side of the house, we must've missed it when we came in," The brunette, Tubbo, finally noticed, "C'mon, Tommy," Two pairs of bare feet pattered across the floorboards. Quickly, the three ghosts faded into the stairs.

Well, Techno had to be yanked into hiding, but eventually, all three ghosts faded into the stairs. 

"Wait," It was Tommy who had paused, his previously boisterous tone abruptly dimming, "Did you... see that?"

"See what?"

"The... I swear I saw something pink."

"What?"

"Yeah, something pink," He said, as if he was incredulous himself. 

The two of them tip-toed over, nervously testing the stairs as if it would collapse underneath them. They were right above the ghosts' heads, so close any of the three could simply reach a hand up, grab one of the kids' ankles, and possibly scare them into having a heart attack. 

Wilbur glared at Techno, who snickered, whispering, "You were the one playing the damn guitar and singing, don't look at me,"

"...You heard that too?" Tommy whispered, as both of the boys froze. "Th-that... voice?"

Phil gestured frantically for the other two to shut up, only for them to collapse into silent laughter. He shook his head, grinning, pulling them into the basement. Stubbornly, Wilbur let himself fully materialize and hung on to the ceiling. 

But he was tall, and in kicking around his foot glanced off an old, precariously positioned vase. 

It teetered, but before Phil could catch it, fell through his phantom hands and to the ground.