"And let’s try a sample in deeper tones too—midnight green or storm grey. These feel great for indoors, but we’ll need something bold if we offer these for evening wear," Ruby added, stepping back.
The workspace buzzed with light whispers as her suggestions were passed down the line.
Then Ruby smiled lightly. "You’ve done good work. Keep it up."
The young ghost from earlier beamed with pride and bowed slightly. "Thank you, Miss Ruby! We’ll prepare the second set by evening."
Ruby nodded, her gaze falling once more on the robes.
Her brand was growing.
But more than that, her team was learning and proud of what they created.
And that meant more to her than anything else.
Karl sat on the edge of his bed, bouncing his knee impatiently as he peeked out of the room.
Milo was sound asleep in the corner, curled up like a baby ghost under the blanket, soft snores rising from his side.
That ghost was still roaming around the house like a restless spirit.
Karl narrowed his eyes.
There he was—picking up a stray spoon from the corner of the kitchen counter like it was a crime scene. Next, he carefully straightened the cushion on the sitting bench. Then he bent down to wipe a drop of water near the washing pot with the hem of his sleeve.
"Why is he ?" Karl muttered to himself, tugging at his hair.
Every time Karl tried to yawn and lie back down, he’d hear Julian shifting something, folding something, or whispering to himself about dust levels.
Julian had this deeply embedded sickness.
And if nothing was dirty, he’d create work.
At this point, Karl was ready to admit defeat. He—who wouldn’t even lift his own robes off the floor—was watching Julian mop an already clean floor.
Karl clutched the edge of the mattress. He couldn’t leave . He had plans at 2 PM. Secret, important plans. But Julian needed to nap first! If he didn’t, he might just start scrubbing the windows from the outside.
"I swear," Karl muttered under his breath, "if this ghost doesn’t sleep in the next fifteen minutes... I’m gonna faint right here and ruin the carpet. Let’s see if he ignores that."
He took a deep breath and stood up.
It was time for Plan B.
If Julian wouldn’t nap on his own...
Karl would have to gently bully him into it.
Karl walked over to the hall, leaned against the wall, and cleared his throat like a noble ghost about to give a grand speech.
Julian paused mid-wipe, his hand still holding the cloth over the dining table. He turned slightly, raising a polite brow. "Yes?"
Karl softened his tone and strolled over casually, arms folded behind his back like he wasn’t plotting anything. "You’ve been running around all morning. You must be tired, no?"
Julian blinked. "No."
Karl faltered for a second. "I mean... you must be a little tired. Look at you! Wiping invisible dust. Come on, just lie down for a bit. Take a nap."
Julian tilted his head and smiled softly. "Brother Karl... there’s still a small stain on the kitchen shelf. It’s bothering me."
And just like that, he turned and vanished toward the kitchen.
Karl stood there stunned. "A stain? What stain? I didn’t see any stain!"
Julian was already reaching for the bottle of water and a new cloth. "It’s near the back edge—barely visible, but still there."
Karl’s eye twitched. "Barely visible!?"
He marched into the kitchen and leaned against the shelf dramatically. "That stain has no effect on our life, Jules. But your health does! Just sleep for an hour. I’ll clean the national emergency stain."
Julian chuckled, gently nudging Karl aside. "You’ll just pour more water and call it clean."
"I take offense to that!" Karl gasped. "I pour a lot of water!"
But Julian had already dipped the cloth again, laser-focused.
Karl flopped against the kitchen wall with a dramatic sigh. "This ghost is going to kill me..."
He watched in defeat as Julian worked with quiet grace, humming under his breath.
Then, as if the universe wasn’t cruel enough, Julian gasped and said, "Oh! I think I forgot to check the laundry."
"Noooo—!!" Karl groaned, sliding down the wall like he’d just been stabbed in the heart. "You’re impossible!"
Julian offered a gentle laugh as he walked away. "Don’t worry. I’ll nap once everything’s clean."
Karl muttered under his breath, "So never... basically never."
Karl slumped dramatically onto the couch again, staring at the ceiling like the world had wronged him.
"I swear," he muttered to himself, "if that ghost finds one more imaginary speck of dust, I’m going to cry into a pillow."
From the kitchen, he heard the sounds of Julian rearranging the spice jars by alphabetical order.
Karl shot up. "That’s it!"
He stood proudly, fists on his hips. "Time to deploy Operation: Julian Napforce."
With great stealth (and zero actual stealth), he tiptoed behind Julian and gently tugged on his sleeve. "Jules... what if—what if I get Wife to tell you to nap?"
Julian didn’t even turn around. "She’s busy."
Karl blinked. ’Okay, okay. That failed. Plan B!’
He blinked his lashes with innocence and said dramatically, "What if I told you... the bed feels lonely without you?"
Julian calmly replied, "Then the bed will have to be patient."
Karl clutched the blanket to his chest, as if mortally wounded. "You’re heartless."
Julian finally turned to look at him, raising a brow. "Brother Karl... why do you care so much if I nap?"
Karl looked away for a second, scratching the back of his head.
"...Because," he mumbled. "You’ve been doing a lot lately. You take care ofWife. You take care of us. You even made lunch and folded my underwear like a tiny robe."
"I just... don’t want you to get tired. Or sick. Or sad," Karl said softly, now avoiding his eyes. "If I could nap for you, I would."
There was a short silence.
Then Julian chuckled, a warm sound. "That’s sweet, Brother Karl. But if you really want to help me rest..."
Karl’s eyes lit up. "Yes?!"
"...Then stop distracting me and finish the laundry."
Karl’s soul left his body. "That’s not how this works—!"
But Julian had already returned to the kitchen, humming again.
—To be continued...🪄