---

The door opens up into a large space. Khanuk, walking in front, lights up the flash on his phone to use as a torch once more.

Laž’ar notices Retnüir wants to do the same.

While Retnüir checks his own phone, Laž’ar holds onto his sleeve tightly, looking around. He glances occasionally at the other two. Using the darkness as his cover, he opens his bag. He presses the power button on his phone. Holds it. Taps shutdown.

“Does it work?” His voice is nearly a whisper, but it seems very loud in the silence nonetheless.

Retnüir humphs and stuffs his phone back into his pocket, but Laž’ar knows already.

He barely has any battery left, and, practical as he is, Retnüir keeps what battery he has left.

“Use your phone as a torch too,” Retnüir spits out.

Khanuk turns to look at them. He’s inside the hall.

Laž’ar takes out his phone and puts his finger against the sensor, then tries to shake it to life. He frowns.

“It’s dead. Ret, it was fully charged. Do you think it’s the ghosts?”

“You just left the ticket app on the entire way.” The words sound more choked-up than sharp.

Perhaps Khanuk was right. Ghosts are indeed something his found big brother can’t handle.

“Oh… Probably?”

He feels Retnüir relax a little.

“Come on, you two.” Khanuk actually laughs. “You better stay close to me.”

Laž’ar changes from holding Retnüir’s sleeve to holding his arm, half pushing, half hiding behind him.

What’s the fun in this if he doesn’t play a little frightened?

Even though they half tip-toe, their steps echo. This fascinates Laž’ar quite a bit, and he looks around, trying to see past the limited light of the one makeshift torch.

Yet he can only see a few metres away from Khanuk, who also shadows some light, and Retnüir and Laž’ar are mostly walking in the darkness.

---

The entrance opens up to a hall, and the three children walk through the large open space. They have some kind of light with them, illuminating some paces of what’s in front of them.

They stop every so often to look at some things hidden beneath the sheets of fabric standing to the side; a smaller sculpture, a vase, a glass case with jewellery.

Step by step, they approach the staircase.

They stop in front of it.

Çetžak continues to watch them. He’s still lurking in the shadows of the balcony. It seems they believe his mansion is haunted.

So far, he has noticed nothing indicating this is the case.

“Should we go up the stairs?” the oldest asks.

“There’s so much to check out,” the youngest responds. Their voice sounds strained, but he knows.

He knows this one is an imp in human skin. A fae folk disguised as a human. Luring the two boys into his mansion. For what purpose, he can’t say.

Whether it’s curiosity or something else, he can’t stop looking at them, following their every move with his eyes.

“Let’s not go up the stairs,” says the one the youngest holds onto. “What if the stairs are rotten?”

The oldest places a foot on the stairs, trying his weight, then kicks the step.

“I don’t think they’re made of wood, Retty.”

Even Çetžak can hear there’s a teasing laugh playing in his voice.

“I’m sure there’s some wood,” the one called Retty sputters.

The youngest chuckles. “Khanuk,” they point toward their left, “let’s go over there.”

The one called Khanuk looks in that direction and shines the peculiar torch that way. Çetžak hasn’t gone there in a long while. It’s where the kitchen and servants’ quarters are, and he doesn’t need to go there. He seldom went when he was younger, either.

He watches them as they leave the reception hall, only stepping out of the shadows when he no longer sees the light from their torch.

---

They find their way to the kitchen. There’s nothing of interest here, aside from some empty, smaller rooms. They also find a staircase going down to the basement. Laž’ar does his best to persuade Retnüir to go down, but even Khanuk says it seems too dangerous.

He’s aware.

The problem is that exploring an empty mansion is only so much fun for so long when done this way. After they’ve checked out cupboards and whatnot, surely disturbing all the sleeping critters, he’s too bored to keep up with the farce.

He yawns and looks around to find something else to do. Retnüir doesn’t notice that he lets go while he’s scolding Khanuk for the fifth or sixth time about opening every little cabinet and drawer. He takes out his phone and silently sneaks away to explore on his own.

He really wanted to go upstairs when Khanuk mentioned it, but he knew he couldn’t push for it then.

Once he’s alone, however, that’s not a problem. No one else is making choices for him.

He doesn’t struggle to find his way back, with his phone offering him light.

He stops in front of a mirror covered in cloth. Although it’s barely visible, he can see a reflection veiled by the protective fabric.

He pauses.

Looking around, he realises…

There’s no dust.

So someone regularly cleans the place.

For a brief moment, he considers going back to Khanuk and Retnüir to tell them that there might be someone who’ll be furious at them because the place isn’t as abandoned as it may seem.

His heart suddenly jumps. Turning around, he sees nothing. The lights of his phone and the covered mirror, together with the pretence of being scared, are clearly playing tricks on his mind now.

He looks back at the mirror, and there’s really only him. He closes his eyes and lets out a tense breath.

He rolls his eyes.

How easily affected he is. He knows very well that ghosts aren’t real, so getting worked up about some moving light is ridiculous when he’s the one holding the light.

Why does he need to be scared? He doesn’t. So he isn’t.

Easy.

The hazy reflection looks back at him. He hears voices echoing from the distance. He feels goosebumps run up his arms.

Okay, maybe he’s actually a teeny tiny bit scared.

It is dark and foreign, and the mirror is a little creepy, isn’t it? Retnüir and Khanuk’s distorted voices make it feel like it’s not just him standing there.

Well, he’ll just focus on what he wants to explore.

Yeah. Good idea. Perfect, even.

He leaves the creepy mirror, looking back at it several times, but without the bright light of his phone’s flash, he can only see the shape created by the fabric covering it. Almost like he shouldn’t have been able to see his own reflection.

He swallows and takes two steps at a time up the stairs.

As he explores the upper floor, his steps echo throughout the hall.

Or…

He stops.

The steps stop.

He walks again.

The echoes begin again.

He looks behind him.

Yeah, it’s just the echo.

He turns around.

A pair of black eyes stare at him from the shadow.

He nearly screams.

Only a moment later — before his voice leaves his lips — light catches the eyes.

It’s just a bear’s head.

A whimper still escapes him. He did scare himself half to death just now, so he can’t quite blame himself for making the embarrassing noise.

But hadn’t he got so worked up over some echoes, of course, he wouldn’t have felt his heart in his throat.

A laugh echoes, and he nearly startles himself again. He checks the time and considers if he should call Khanuk and say he wants to go back home.

Lights seem to flicker.

No.

Lights do flicker. Behind him.

There’s also the sound of soft steps.

When he listens, he realises the voices can’t be heard, but there’s definitely someone else’s breath.

Oh, great. Khanuk is playing with him now. If not Khanuk, it could be Retnüir. Don’t brothers retaliate? Laž’ar doesn’t have any brothers, but he thinks Retnüir wouldn’t leave it at something one-sided if he found out.

Laž’ar continues to look at his phone, his body tensing, ready for either of his friends to say something.

They don’t.

The steps stop behind him. The breathing’s incredibly faint. Almost as if it would stop at any moment.

With his gaze lowered, he can see lights play on the floor. It doesn’t seem to be from a phone.

Laž’ar swallows his heart back into his chest. His eyes dart to the upper corner of his phone.

Strange.

Heart slamming within his ribcage, he looks up. The pair of glass eyes of a bear staring at him seem like they could become alive.

Laž’ar inhales. His breath quivers.

A voice he has never heard before speaks: “Good evening.”

Laž’ar looks over his shoulder.

Even when prepared to see someone, he takes several startled steps backward.