Richard, the nine or ten year old ghost kid, at the moment of his death, regretted being born.
Pablo could understand the sentiment behind it and he had nothing to say.
"Those people killed us just for taking birth in the slums. That’s what I regretted. If I wasn’t born here, I wouldn’t have died."
Richard stopped talking and all the other ghosts patted his back.
Plato also placed his hand on the boy’s head.
’Don’t make this melodramatic. I hate that shit.’
’Don’t you have a heart? At least feel bad for the kid.’
’And what will that do? Me feeling bad won’t change things.’
Cupid gave up.
"I am feeling so bad for you, Richard and all of you. I hate those royals myself." Pablo said. He showed his saddest expression.
"It’s fine, brother. Don’t be sad." Richard replied.
"Richard, can you tell me one more thing?"
"I can."
"Did you guys acquire some power after turning a ghost?" Pablo asked.
Richard opened his mouth to answer but…
"Yes. Here it is! He is after our powers! Haha." Plato chimed in. He acted like he won a battle of some kind.
Pablo sighed. "And how do you think I can steal powers?"
"That’s… you must have some kind of Ego that can steal powers."
’Spot on.’
"You are talking nonsense. I am just curious to know about the powers. Jenny, please shut him up."
"Big brother, Plato. Stay quiet. Otherwise I will stop talking to you forever." Jenny threatened.
"Tch. Fine." Plato agreed and shut his mouth again. He never stopped looking at Pablo though.
Pablo ignored him.
"You were about to say something, Richard?" He said.
"Yes. We have powers like going through walls and things. We can change our appearance from bloodied to clean. We can be invisible and visible. We can do only these things. And we can’t leave this house."
Pablo nodded. "Thank you."
"No problem."
"And now let’s come to the main part, I want a roo-"
"Before that," Richard interrupted. "What do you do, brother? I mean what is your work?"
"Oh. I am a private detective." Pablo had chosen this fake profession for him. He was liking it now.
"Really? A detective? You must be very smart then." Jenny was excited by the reveal.
Pablo smiled. "I won’t praise myself."
"Of course he is smart, Jenny. He figured in one glance that brother Plato is the son of the village chief." Richard said.
’Nice. The people here are so stupid that even a little presence of mind is genius for them.’
Pablo admired the attention he got and when Richard mentioned the village chief, Pablo decided to ask about that as well.
"Do you guys know anything about the white mist? What is it? Who is behind that? Any idea?"
"We have heard about it from brother Plato but since we can’t leave this house, we haven’t even seen the white mist." Richard answered.
"Nevermind." Pablo expected such an answer.
"But tell me this, I remembered it just now, there are rumors around this place that people hear the cries of children from here. Do you guys really cry at night?" Pablo asked another question.
"Yes. But we do that for fun. Whenever we see someone crossing this slum we cry just to see their scared reactions. It’s our favorite way to pass time." Richard gave an honest answer.
Pablo chuckled. "That must be fun."
"Yes. It is hilarious. The way people run after hearing that. We watch them from the windows and we roll on the floor with laughter."
Pablo laughed along even if…
’That’s not funny at all.’
"Anyway, I am here for two things." Pablo came back to the main topic. He couldn’t fake laugh for long.
"Yes?" The children were listening.
"First, I was here to see if the rumors were true or not. I wanted to see the ghosts here and help them."
"And second?" Richard asked.
"Second… I need a room for my work."
"Alri-"
"Aha. Now he finally showed his true colors. He is here for a room. He wants a room to prepare for his evil plan. Haha. I got you, bitch. I am something of a detective myself." Plato chimed in once more. He again acted like he won a tournament.
Pablo let out a heavy sigh.
He looked at Richard and smiled.
"Can I kill him?"
"No. He is already dead." Richard answered and Plato squinted his eyes at the kid.
"Why do I feel like if I was alive you would have given him the permission to kill me?"
"If you were alive, brother Plato, then…" Richard looked at Plato.
"This man wouldn’t have asked for my permission anyway."
’Sure thing.’
"Ahngh. Forget it. But why is he asking for a room? Don’t you also think it’s suspicious? Why would a private detective want a room in this old scary house?" Plato argued.
"I will tell you that myself." Pablo spoke and answered right away.
"I am a detective and I have taken the case of white mist. I want it to go away. Because if it didn’t, then the whole kingdom would perish. It is moving rapidly.
First it was only in the Village but now it is moving to other cities. People are dying. Everyone is dying. Rich or poor. I want to stop that. These ten people sitting behind me are the children of a guard who died while protecting the King’s castle. They are orphans now. And many more orphans are coming."
"But why do you need a room for that?" Richard asked this time. Plato was silent.
"Because I brought a small portion of white mist with myself. I want to test it. I want to study it. I can make an antidote or a way to remove the white mist. That’s why I need a separate room where I won’t be disturbed. You can ask the floating lady beside me if I am telling the truth or not."
Pablo said all that with utmost conviction and he even mentioned Cupid.
The slaves didn’t understand anything about the flying lady beside Pablo because they saw no one, but they didn’t ask.
"Yes. He is telling the truth. He is here to research and this girl is his assistant." Cupid said.
"Alright. Alright. I believe you all. But brother Pl-"
"Give him a room, Richard." Plato said. He finally said a good thing.
’Very fast character development happened with him.’
"You agreed to help him?" Richard asked. Even he was surprised.
"Yes. I may be a ghost now but I want my people to get their village back. If he says he will do that then I’ll help him." Plato did a three sixty degree turn.
"So you believe that he will be able to remove the white mist?" Richard asked.
"Well, kind of. He found out my identity after all."
"Haha. Good one." Richard and Plato laughed and the other kids joined them as well.
’That was a joke? Kids’ humor is over my head.’
Pablo fake laughed again. But he couldn’t do it for more time so he asked something.
"Richard, you said if someone died in utter regret, they will turn to ghosts. But the father of these ten people died by the white mist in regret on a hospital bed. Will he also become a ghost?"
"Only the victims of murder and suicides become ghosts. White mist may not be a natural occurrence but it isn’t murdering the people. So no, their father will not become a ghost." Richard answered.
"That’s good information. Thanks a lot."
"No problem. And you can take whichever room you want. You can even take the main hall of the house for your work. We are already dead, the mist won’t affect us."
"I know. But the people I have with me are alive and if I took the entire hall then the white mist might go around and affect them. So I will settle in a room."
"Fair enough. Anything else you want to know?"
"Yes." Pablo said.
"Go ahead then."
"What should I do to send you all to the afterlife? You can’t just spend all your time here in this house."
"Right. You are also here for that as well. Fine. All of us died because of the Royals so we want them dead. But only those royals who ordered the purge of the Hermit slums should die."
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’Thought so.’
"What if all the Royals ordered that?"
Richard turned serious.
"Then kill all of them."
’Not bad.’
"Fine. I’ll see what I can do."
Richard nodded.
Pablo looked at Plato. "What about you?"
"What?"
"You also died here, right. But you weren’t killed by the royals. You were hanging outside this house. So to send you away I have to do something else other than killing the Royals."
"Yes. But I will tell you that later. For now, focus on the white mist." Plato said.
Pablo shrugged. "Sure." He couldn’t care less anyway.
"And Jenny," Pablo stood up, his eyes on Jenny.
"Why did you choose to appear in front of me?" He wanted to ask this for a while now.
"That was easy. I saw you and chose you." Jenny stood up as well and walked towards Pablo.
"You seem to be someone who has seen enough dead people to not be afraid of some ghosts."