I made a cross with my fingers.
I have seen it in horror movies. This is what exorcists do to make the priest come out of the child. Wait, not priest, to make the Ghost. I mean ghost, to come out of the child.
Jack was a ghost so the cross would work here too.
"Is that a gang sign, pal? Teach me how to do it as well."
Jack saw the cross as a gang sign and he even copied it.
Now he was making a cross with his own fingers. A ghost was making a cross himself? It’s like a woman holding the same belt from which she gets beaten?
Could it be this is not earth that’s why the cross isn’t operating here?
But why am I even showing him a cross? All he did was to tell his backstory and about the man whom he called a degenerate.
The only thing I am angry about was that I changed my opinion because I thought this ghost killed the man. That’s what I am ashamed of. The man died by the flies flying around this ghost’s dead body, this ghost isn’t even capable of killing anyone. I was afraid of him for nothing.
Nevertheless, in the end, I sighed and undid the cross.
"Is there anything left for you to tell me?" I asked Jack.
"Hmm..." Jack scratched his lips and stared at the ceiling of the cell. "Well I suppose I should tell you about some conditions after becoming a ghost."
"How long will it take? And yes, talking about time, you told me your story would only take five to ten seconds but it took almost three thousand words! What would I do if people get bored and leave because of you?"
"Nah, no one would leave. If they are here then they are already too deep in this shit to go back."
"I hope so. But still, tell me how long it will take for you to tell me about your conditions after becoming a ghost."
"Oh. That will be fast. Don’t worry. But if I have to say an exact number then..." Jack thought for a second.
"It will only take one hour at most."
"..." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel(ꜰ)ire.net
I took a deep breath. "Jack, be honest, do you even know how time works?"
"Then why the hell do you say opposite things? Five to ten seconds is long for you, one hour is less for you? What do you think time is?"
"Pal," Jack’s gaze intensified. "Time is nothing but a concept created by clock companies to sell more clocks."
"Da fcuk? Who told you that?"
"Let it go. I am a ghost, time for me is like abortion for prostitutes—Nothing new."
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
"You won’t get it. That’s a high level thought process. A man who thinks all the time has nothing but his thoughts to think about."
"... Dude, you should have joined me against the war with Malthus. You would have confused him to death. You are the embodiment of to confuse the enemy, confuse yourself first."
"No need to praise me."
"I am not doing it either."
"After I became a ghost, I tried to do many things. I tried to see the world, I tried to go to female bathrooms to put my powers to good use, I tried to scare kids so that they would run towards a basement and I could lock the door from behind, but... I couldn’t do anything."
"... It’s good you are dead. This world isn’t ready for an alive you. But why couldn’t you do that after becoming a ghost?"
"Because I can only move five kilometers away from my dead body. To move further, my dead body has to be moved further as well. Just like women can’t go anywhere without men because they can’t drive a carriage, I can’t go anywhere without my body as well. Hence, ever since I have become a ghost, I am stuck in this prison. I can only go outside my cell but not outside my prison. And my dead body doesn’t rot as well, it should have become a skeleton by now but it is only stinking, not disappearing, just like a baby thrown in a dustbin."
"That ritual cost you a lot, huh. You must be angry at the old man who taught you that. You didn’t even got to vent your anger on him since you remained in this cell all your life."
"Racis pal," Jack said. "Do you remember that I told you no ghosts wanted to be my friend because they got to know why I was summoning a spirit?"
"Yes. I remember. And they are right as well. If they became your friends, they would stay in constant fear of holographic assault. I am also only talking to you, just to keep an eye on your pants. If they fall down again, I am spraying my holy water all over you."
"... Is that a threat?"
"You don’t think it is a threat?"
"I mean, I don’t mind."
"Don’t judge me, pal. The lonely one offers his hand too quickly to anyone."
"That I know but you would offer more than a hand and that’s concerning."
"Forget it. You asked me whether I got to vent my anger on the old man who taught me the ritual and then I asked you if you remember that I told you no ghosts wanted to be my friend because they got to know why I was summoning a spirit. But, do you know how the other ghosts got to know about my reason for summoning a spirit?"
"It was the old man himself who told the other spirits about it! He spilled the beans before I could even join the ghost community. I had the worst experience just on the very first day of my job."
"What? How did the old man even tell the spirits?"
"Because after dying he became a ghost too! He had done the ritual himself."
"Yes. He became a ghost before me and when I died, he was the first one who came to meet me. Just as he saw me, he laughed out loud. I confronted him about the shitty ritual and then he told me that it was his motto to increase the amount of ghosts in the world. He sacrificed me for his motto. And that bastard had shared my story with other Spirits even before I was dead. As a result, I became an outcast instantly. I was doomed from the start! And I can’t even take my revenge from the old man."
"Why can’t you take revenge from him?"
"Didn’t I tell you? I am shit scared of ghosts! They sent chills to my bones!"
"I know. But I do have muscle memory and for some reason it still fucking works after my death!"
"... Alright. Is that all of your drawbacks after becoming a ghost?"
"Yes. As much as I can remember."
"But you told me it would take one hour?"
"I also said it would be fast. And why are you surprised at one hour? Don’t you know..."
Jack looked at the ceiling again, his eyes containing wisdom.
"One hour ends just by one swing of a stick inside a clock. And don’t ask me what I mean by this. I am just trying to end this sequence with a cool dialogue."