[Crystalkitsune85]

It was getting late and both of them settled down finally to sleep. April yawned and snuggled into her sleeping bag and drifted to sleep. Steven bundled under the blankets and also went to sleep.

The fire in the fireplace kept the room warm for a couple hours more. When it started getting colder Steven would feel it and would attempt to get the fire built back up to keep it warm.

April was snoring cutely in her sleeping bag and he did his best to keep quiet. He didn't want to disturb her. He looked at her face and smiled. He was friends with April and had been for years. He wished that she saw her as something more than a friend. He had a crush on her for a long time. He sighed and watched her sleep for a while and then when the fire was roaring again, he went back to his blanket pile.

As he tried to get back to sleep, he thought he saw someone standing in the room and he bolted back up in a seated position. He blinked and looked around but saw nobody and heard nothing. He must have just been exhausted and tired enough to hallucinate. He shrugged it off and went back to sleep.

[sylvanSpider]

Benjamin, contrary to his living breathing counterparts, had no concept of 'late' whatever. Quite the opposite. He was wide awake. Standing, he glided his way to the kitchen. The electricity was off, but energy could be channeled through other means to be sure. And sure Benjamin was, at least on today of all days. The kitchen housed a few lights, at one time the best that money could buy, and it was only one of these he focused on now.

The effort took all of his energy, but he managed it. The lamp flickered on and Benjamin drifted to the doorway. He'd hit all of the checkmarks. Light coming on by itself? Check. Cold spot in the doorway: Check. Continuing cold spot in one spot almost always creepily close proximity to "Steven" at all times? Check. He had to let them know that he was here.

[Crystalkitsune85]

Steven stirred when the light came on. He sat up and frowned. "The fuck?" he said and got up. April didn't seem to stir at all, she was so bundled up and exhausted. He went over to where the light came on and felt the cold spot this time in a different area. He frowned and tried the light switch, nothing seemed to work.

He walked over to April and shook her. "Hey April." he called. She moaned and swatted him away. "Come on April, wake up a sec." he insisted. She growled and sat up. "What?!" she said a bit gruffly. He just pointed to the one single light in the kitchen that was on. "That came on just now. I think you may have faulty wiring or something." he said. "That just doesn't happen normally."

April got up and tested the switch like he did. "How does this light come on when the electricity isn't even on yet," she said. "I'll have to call about this too.." she sighed. "Well this 'free' house is turning out to be a mess of small things I need to fix.." she muttered. "Well nothing we can do, if the switch doens't turn it off.."

[sylvanSpider]

Benjamin was besides himself with joy. They were noticing. Now, he passed through Steven to make his way back into the living room. He'd have to light another if he wanted them to see, or to even suspect anything. Today must have been a very good day as he'd managed to flick the reading lamp on. Then, he'd place himself directly beside it, waiting for them to hopefully notice another cold spot.

[Crystalkitsune85]

As the inspected the light in the kitchen, a lamp that was sitting next to the couch on a table popped on. Both of them turned to see the light blazing without any electricity feeding it. "What the heck is going on here?" April asked nobody in particular. "The electricity didn't get turned on now did it?" she asked and tested a wall socket with her phone charger and plugged it in. Nothing happened. "No, it's not on..." she said. "I think some weird power surge is going on or something. Is it storming outside or something?" she asked.

She went to the window, passing the lamp and caught the cold spot created by Ben. "Drafts and power surges." She said rubbing her arms. She looked out the window and saw no rain or storm coming at all. The sky was clear as could be. "I'll be calling an electrition tomorrow to have him check the wiring." She said as she unplugged the lamp. It stayed on for a few moments but then faded. "Let's try and get back to sleep, hopefully, the other light will go off on its own and NOT start a fire." She said and then returned to her sleeping bag.

Steven nodded and went back to the couch. "Maybe your house really is haunted." he said as an afterthought. "I mean at least you'll have someone keeping you company when I go back home." he teased. She just stuck a tongue out at him and snuggled back into her sleeping bag.

[sylvanSpider]

Benjamin groaned as the ground he'd made seemed to fall out from under his feet. Could he move more than two things in a day? He'd tried and failed in the past, but he was given a new resolve now. Steven was the closest he'd come to getting anyone to actually believe without maliciousness attached to it. If he had to describe his ghostly activity he'd effectively give it the label of playful.

He still had energy to spare he felt, perhaps if he turned in the unplugged light they'd really see. He had to make it work. Not moving from his spot, Benjamin again concentrated on turning it on. Eureka! It worked! For a moment, the lamp went back on and fizzled out, less than a second on, but hopefully it'd be enough. Hopefully they'd see. Hopefully.

[Crystalkitsune85]

Both were conked out by that point. Their intensive bringing in of the furniture really did tire them out. The light that was unplugged and flashed on for a second was missed by them both. Steven had a pillow over his head to block out the light in the kitchen and April was so buried down in her sleeping bag that she might as well be hibernating.

"You know they can't see you right? They will just chalk your communications as just faulty wiring. This IS an old house after all" A disembodied voice say that only he could hear. A woman appeared to him, in a ghostly type manner but she wasn't a ghost. She was more of a guardian of the forests. She protected the lands and since her home was built in the forest she once lived, she was bound to the house such as he. She wasn't ever able to be seen or to move things like a ghost could. No, she was more just a protector and would make no harm come to her 'home'. The woman was beautiful. She had long flowing hair. Parts put up into braids and secured to the back of her head. "I know it can't be easy to use your energy up to try and communicate, but try something not involving lights dear. If you really want their attention, you need to move something physical." she stated. She floated over to him. "I know you were wronged. I saw the whole thing, but I cannot tell you who it was or why. I don't normally meddle in the affairs of humans, but here." She said and touched his see-through hand. "I'll lend you some of my energy. I draw it from the ground and trees. You draw it from the sun. Try and move something, but I'd wait until morning. They're dead asleep right now." she said and then disappeared again.

[sylvanSpider]

Benjamin couldn't move. For the first time in one hundred thirteen years four months and two days, someone was referring to him. Someone was actually speaking to him. He could feel his mouth hang as he was wont to do often now that he knew he was unobserved. Now, however, he lifted it manually with his hand and stood blinking listening ardently to the woman that now offered to lend him valuable energy. Of course he was going to take it. How could he say no when he couldn't even speak? Something physical, huh? Physical he could do. He'd been practicing with books when he was starving for literature or just something to do. On the really good days he was able to turn pages. He'd just lay on the hardwood floor right where the book lay and read. He'd been working on reading a book on world religions for the past year and realized that when they actually got to that room his progress would be lost. But, if they managed to find him soon, to find some way to free him soon, it wouldn't matter. He could pass on. He nodded, subconsciously choosing to go to the room with the new inhabitants. The light was alluring enough and with the woman's dissipation, he too glided to the living room as a moth to flame.

[Crystalkitsune85]

When the next morning arrived, Steven was the first to get up. Everything seemed to be normal. The lights were all off, the fire had died down and there was a chill in the air. He stretched and shivered a bit but he needed to use the restroom so he pried himself off the couch and went to use the facilities.

April rose a few moments later and yawned. She shivered slightly and scooted to the fireplace in her sleeping bag to try to start it back up with banked coals. Once the wood was burning again she left it alone to take the chill out of the air.

She got up and stretched a bit more and sat on the couch Steven used as a bed and stared at the fire. As she sat there she all of a sudden started hearing a faint buzz. She had a feeling what it was so she tested the wall socket again with her phone charger. This time, it blinked to life and started charging her phone. Finally, the electricity was working, but she'd still need to bring a roofer and an electrician to the house to test things and make sure everything was ok. She'd need to search for those on her phone using Wi-Fi for now until she got the 'net hooked up at the house.

Steven came back and sat down next to her. She told him the electricity was on finally and he nodded. "Go out for some breakfast?" he suggested. "Then I should be getting back home." he said sadly. She nodded to both statements and they went off to grab a late breakfast.

[sylvanSpider]

Benjamin found himself to do little but watch as the pair got ready and left for another meal out. He sighed, waiting, always waiting for someone to return. Ah well, the blinds were open, he could finally actually see outside. He watched a couple with their dog trot by wearing nothing but...but some extremely tight clothing. He'd observed it before from a distance, but he couldn't believe their clothes were so tight and revealing. The new times were quite immodest indeed. He shook his head and resumed his pacing throughout the house.

[Crystalkitsune85]

They returned about an hour and a half later. Steven stayed inside only long enough to grab his things. He gave April a hug and then kissed her cheek before leaving the house, and April by herself. "Welp, back on my own again." she mused to herself. All the major, heavy things were already moved into place. She could put her own bed back together and would do so in a few moments. Now the electricity was working she turned the thermostat up so it'd start warming up inside the house.

She pulled out her phone and checked a few things before going to her backpack and pulling out some earbuds. Before she got off to working on unloading boxes, she searched for and called an electrician and a roofer both to come look at the house. The Electrician would be there in an hour, the Roofer the next morning. Once they were called she put her phone on to play music and popped her earbuds in to start listening to music as she opened boxes and started putting away dishes and other things into the kitchen.

[sylvanSpider]

Benjamin listened carefully as she spoke on her handheld phone, still amazed at the sudden jump in technology. And they said that his time was an innovative time! They had nothing on the 2000's. He now had the times of when others would be visiting. Things would be more difficult now, as his timing had to be more precise with the possibility of only the one person noticing. The electrician and the roofer he had no hope for, but his home's occupant gave him all the hope he needed to continue.

He watched her, following her every step until finally she set a stack of dishes on the counter. He saw his chance, and using some of the borrowed energy, he knocked the top of the plate off the counter.

[Crystalkitsune85]

She jumped when she heard a sudden noise behind her. She turned, and saw a plate on the floor, broken into a few pieces. She glanced over at the plates on the counter. They weren't tilted, they sat firmly. No way that could slip off and fall on its own. Suddenly the words the Steven said last night about the house being haunted slipped into her mind. She bit her lip and went over to the plate. "Hello?" she called out. "Is there a ghost in here cus if there is, I don't like you breaking my plates.." she said as she picked up the pieces and threw them into the trash.

She then laughed humorlessly. Of course, there's not a ghost, there are no such things. "You're being silly April, there's no ghost here. This house can't be haunted," she said to herself. "Okay if there's a ghost here, there should be cold patches...which there was...And...the lights coming on by themselves..." she was starting to get more and more freaked out. "Okay, Mr or Mrs ghost. if you're rea come and touch my hand! If you're there my hand should start to get super cold if you touch it!" She said as she held out her hand, palm upward.

[sylvanSpider]

Benjamin smiled; there was nothing separating her from his efforts at communication now. She simply couldn't ignore a plate that broke on its own! He thought about nudging another as she was looking at it, but he was not trying to give himself the reputation of "malicious," perhaps merely..."trying." Yes, that was the word if "desperate" didn't cover it. He could see the pieces falling into place...warmer, yes, warmer...and she had it! With her command he stepped forward, taking her hand in his, but where his fingers would clasp he simply slipped right through. Looking into her eyes, he wished so desperately that she could see him back, that she could see how tired he was existing in this plain of existence. He needed to go where the dead belonged, not here in the land of the living, but whatever lay after. Please, please notice... He tried grasping at her hand again, Please...

[Crystalkitsune85]

April waited for what seemed like a very long time, but finally, after she had held her hand there for a while, a cool pocket of air seemed to move over her hand and settle there. It hadn't been there before but her hand felt icy like she just stuck it in the freezer. "Oh....my....god," she whispered and snatched her hand back. "No no no no! There can't be a ghost here!" she exclaimed. She looked straight ahead of her but saw nothing. She waved her hand in front of her, and as she passed through his body her hand felt cold and a lot of it.

"P...please don't hurt me. I'm sorry if I'm invading your home but it was given to me by my grandmother after her death." she tried reasoning with an invisible ghost and felt silly but there had to be something there. Pockets of cold air don't float around houses or are intelligent. "I can't see you or anything, so I don't know who you are." she said and thought about deaths that were in the house. There weren't any that she thought of, except the one that was murdered back in the 1800s. "You aren't the ghost of that banker guy's kid, are you? The one killed in this house before my family got it?"

[sylvanSpider]

Never did Benjamin imagine that his antics would actually work. She knew he was there, and for the second time in the span of a few hours he was addressed again. "Yes! Yes! That is me! I'm Benjamin! Benjamin Wright! Son of...son of Arthur Wright! I died here and I...I don't want to say," Benjamin said, possibly for only his own ears to hear but he actually spoke out loud for the first time in nearly two hundred years. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I didn't even follow you when I knew you were going to change--I mean, I mean there was that mishap when you went to change to your pajamas, but I left immediately once I realize, I promise! I saw only your mid-riff! And and and...it was an accident. I just...I just want to go.." Yes, it was desperation. That was indeed the right word. He was desperate. And it was desperately that he now wished with all his might that she could hear him.

((Are you liking this new one that we're going with?))