Biery_Little Ghost v2

Little Ghost By Kyle Biery [[Exit your car]]

You walk up to the booth. An elderly woman sits hunched over, her eyes closed while faint snores escape her nose. A service bell sits in front of her next to a set of business cards and a poster. [[Ring the bell.]] [[Inspect the poster.]]

You pass through the gates. Harsh winter winds smash against you as you put up a gloved hand to shield your face. The winds settle after a moment and you put your hand down. The path forward has cleared. [[Continue to Uncle Jim's grave.]]

The woman jumps awake. She glares at you before she smiles. "Hello, dear. Here to see someone?" [[Nod.]]

"Hm, not many people come out here anymore since winter struck," she says. She examines you a moment then nods and hands you a flower. "It's almost closing time, dear. You don't want to be around too long." You nod and move on. (set: $flower to 1) [[Enter the cemetery]]

You arrive at Uncle Jim's grave to find that you are not the first visitor. The old grave has been scrubbed clean of the grime that coats the other graves around you and a small group of offerings line the foot of the grave, dusted with a light coat of snow. [[Pay respects]]

You kneel at the foot of the grave and place your hand on top. (if: $flower is 1) [ You place the flower amongst the other offerings. ] [["Happy Birthday, Uncle Jim."]] [["Food's still good out here, Uncle Jim."]]

The cold wind abates for a brief moment, allowing the last rays of sunlight to warm your back. "Why thank you, my dear nephew! So nice to see one of my family members with proper manners!" You turn at the laughter to see the transparent form of your uncle seated atop a neighboring tombstone. His face is split by a smile as he looks at you. "It's nice to see that you have taken the time to pay your respects, unlike your deadbeat sisters." He chuckles at his own joke while you glance at the stone he had sat upon. "Pay no mind to dear Janice. She's out on her annual haunt of her descendants for their sins against her and her side of the family. A tragic affair that." He beckons to you. "Come, nephew. Let us walk. I shall escort you to the exit." He glances around the area as other translucent forms creep up from around their gravestones. "The other spirits in the area have been getting restless for some reason. We'd best prevent you being possessed, yes?" You nod and join his side. The other spirits hiss quiet curses and retreat. [[Head back.]]

The cold wind increases in strength at your words. "How incredibly rude of you, my nephew." You look up to see the transparent form of your uncle atop a neighboring tombstone. His face is split by a smile while his eyebrow betrays his irritation through the way it twitches. "You know I can no longer taste such things." You smile at him and glance down at the stone as he hops down. He huffs at your look. "Pay no mind to dear Janice. She's out on her annual haunt of her descendants for their sins against her and her side of the family. A tragic affair that." He beckons to you. "Come, nephew. Let us walk. I shall escort you to the exit." He glances around the area as other translucent forms creep up from around their gravestones. "The other spirits in the area have been getting restless for some reason. We'd best prevent you being possessed, yes?" You nod and join his side. The other spirits hiss quiet curses and retreat. [[Head back.]]

You come to a crossroad passing through the cemetery. As you move towards the lit exit in the distance, a faint sobbing comes from your right, over a bridge that crosses a dip in the ground. Your uncle frowns as he considers the direction the sobs come from. "I've heard from the other spirits that haven't passed on that there's been an unhappy little spirit nearby." He turns back to you. "If it isn't too much, nephew, I would ask you to investigate." He shakes his head. "Unfortunately, I am unable to follow you if you did go. I can only go so far as is." [[Investigate]] [[Return to your car.]]

(set:$Uncle to $Uncle - 1) Your uncle nods to you. "Thank you, nephew. Be careful as you confront this ghost. I sense that this one walks a fine line between being peaceful and being vengeful." He pats your shoulder before he fades back into the afterlife. You cross the bridge and walk further into the graveyard, shrugging off the sensation of ice beneath your skin from where your uncle touched. The cold bites deeper and deeper into you the farther you walk. You catch a glimpse of white that stands above the snow. When you approach, the white form resolves into a figure no older than a child with a head that sprouts red hair and pale limbs that seem to almost blend with the white gown they wear. The head lifts to reveal a pair of reddish brown eyes set in the tear streaked face of a young girl. "Who are you?" She asks, her eyes dried with a swipe of her hands. [[Give your name.]]

(if:$Uncle is 1)[ Your uncle nods at you. "I see. Your work is done for now then, nephew. I'll pester those flower people to see if they'll call an exorcist to help that ghost along." He pats your shoulder. You nod at him as you move off. You ignore the feel of frozen ice in your shoulder as he fades into the darkness.]\ You pass through the gates of the Cemetery and enter your car. (if: $Ghost is 1)[ Maia floats through the side door to sit in the passenger seat.]\ The old florist leans out of her stand and waves to you as you drive off. (if: $Ghost is 0)[ You look out the window and catch a glimpse of a small figure clad in white amongst the headstones. You blink and the figure is gone.]\ (if: $Ghost is 1)[ "So where are we going first, mister?" Maia asks as you pull out onto the main road. "A friend of mine runs a paranormal division of the government. If anyone can find your family, he can." You pull out a business card. "At least, I hope he can." //Jake Den. Director of Paranormal Investigations Agency since 2015.// A URL is scratched into the back of the card. //https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuPb6eiiXWgX0qZJbSHWu6A/videos // "He sent me that link a few days ago. Something about a link to a YouTube page that he uses to brief his agents. Who knows? Maybe you'll make the front page when this is all done, little one." "I don't know..." Maia says. You try to pat her on the head only for it to pass through. "Don't worry, little one. I will help you find out what happened to your parents." Maia nods, her expression vacant of stress. "Thank you, Mister.]\ //The End// [[Start over? ->Start]]

Packed snow crunches under your feet as you approach the cold, dark steel gates of Moragan Cemetery. You stop at the gate and look over at the small flower booth. [[Approach the booth]] [[Enter the cemetery]] (set: $Ghost to 0) (set: $Uncle to 1) (set: $paragon to 0) (set: $grim to 0) (set: $flower to 0)

The girl stares at you before she puts her head back down. "It's a nice name," she says. "Your mommy and daddy must have really liked it." [["They did. What's yours?"]]

The girl's shoulders shake and she starts to wail. The wind begins to kick up and you lose feeling in your fingers. [["Okay, okay, enough already! Little Brat."]] [["Alright, I'm sorry!"]]

The girl retreats into herself even more as your words seem to strike her. Her tears grow fatter as she stares up at you. "Why are you here?" She asks as you kneel down to her level. [["My uncle died last year. I wanted to visit him."]] [["I heard your crying and wanted to come see what's wrong."]] (set: $grim to $grim +1)

The girl calms down and her sobs fade. She looks up at you. "Why are you here?" [["My uncle died last year. I wanted to visit him."]] [["I heard your crying and wanted to come see what's wrong."]] (set: $paragon to $paragon + 1)

She frowns and looks down at the ground. "So he's dead like me." She looks at the distant lights of the main gate. "The groundkeepers don't really stick around long." [["They probably couldn't see you so they didn't care."]] [["Well, I can see you, so I feel that it's only right that I stick around."]] (set: $grim to $grim +1)

The little girl smiles up at you as you kneel down to her level. "Thank you mister. You're a lot nicer than the regular caretakers." [["They probably couldn't see you so they didn't care."]] [["Well, I can see you, so I feel that it's only right that I stick around."]] (set: $paragon to $paragon + 1)

The girl pushes her head down between her arms. "Just like Mommy and Daddy didn't care." She pulls her head back up to stare into your eyes. "They fought the last time they were here. Mommy hit Daddy and knocked him over before she left him behind. He cried pretty hard in front of me with a bottle in his hand." [["You shouldn't care about morons like them."]] [["I'm sure they loved you to the end."]] (set: $grim to $grim +1)

The little girl relaxes and straightens up from her hunched over position. "You're pretty nice, mister." Her smile disappears as she looks down. "A lot nicer than Mommy and Daddy were the last time they were here. They argued in front of me for a while before they both left." She puts her chin on her arms. "I wonder where they are now." [["You shouldn't care about morons like them."]] [["I'm sure they loved you to the end."]] (set: $paragon to $paragon + 1)

The girl withdraws into her arms. "I want to. They were all I knew, even at the end." She glares up at you. "Don't talk bad about my daddy. He was the nicest I ever knew. I won't let you hate him like that." A cold breeze flows through the area at her words and chills you even further. [["What's your name?"]] (set: $grim to $grim +1)

The girl smiles as she leans back against the gravestone. "They did." Her smile fades. "Even when they visited me here." [["What's your name?"]] (set: $paragon to $paragon + 1)

The girl looks up at you, her eyes searching your face. She stares for a moment before she stands up and moves to you, her eyes never leaving yours. "My name is Maia. You're the first person I've met here that doesn't know my name." You look past Maia to the gravestone she had sat in front of. //Maia Sun. Beloved Daughter. 2000-2009.// (if: $paragon is 4)[ [["I'm so sorry you died so young."]]]\ (if: $grim is 4)[ [["You died so young..."]]]\ (if: $paragon <4 and $grim < 4) [ [["This doesn't have to be the end of this story."]]]\

The girl starts to tear up again, this time accompanied by a smile. "It's alright, mister. I've waited for years. I waited, not knowing what it was I was waiting for." She looks up at you. "But now I know what it is." [["Oh? What's that?"]]

"Yeah, I did," Maia says, her eyes wet with fury and sorrow. "They left me here and forgot." She looks up at you as tears fall down her face. "Why'd they leave me?" A cold wind rips through the area and pushes through your clothes effortlessly. You lose feeling in your fingers as Maia hunches over, her wails matching the swells of wind and snow. You look down at your fingers and see a thin layer of frost form over your glove. "I hate them!" Maia screams. A wave of frost and wind explodes from her position. You're thrown back from the small apparition as she wails, sending more and more waves out. An orb of ice forms around Maia and her headstone until the ice solidifies around the marker. You push yourself up off of the ground you've been tossed onto and look over the orb. It is still and silent and all noise in the area has died as well. [[Return to the gate.]]

"Peace," she says as her form starts to break down into golden motes of light. "Thank you for your time, mister. I'll move on now." She breaks apart into a mass of golden motes that fly off into the sky. The evening sun breaks through the clouds one last time and the motes follow the rays until you can no longer see them. [[Return to your car.]]

//Lana and Tate's Flower Shack. We acquire and carry the finest flowers in the area for you to gift your loved ones. Call (352) 405-6327 to reserve flowers for pickup.// [[Ring the bell.]]

Maia hums once as she sits back down at her gravestone. "I know. I'm willing to wait until it does, mister." [["You shouldn't have to."]]

Maia studies you as she sits against her grave stone. She smiles and hops to her feet before she runs over to you and hugs your waist. "I'm not sad, mister. You came to visit, didn't you?" [[You nod.]]

"Say," she tilts her head up at you, "could you help me find mommy and daddy? I think that I should know why they stopped coming to visit." [["Sure."]] [["I don't know. I'm not exactly rated to take care of a ghost."]]

She smiles up at you and jumps away to bounce up and down. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cries as she does so. You laugh as you watch her run around. "All right then, let's get going." She stops and faces you with a smile. "Right!" (set:$Ghost to $Ghost + 1) [[Return to the crossroads.]]

She pouts up at you. "I'm not a child! Besides," she glances down, a frown on her face, "it's not like I need to be taken care of anymore." You kick yourself over the unintended reminder to her of her status. [["I suppose we'll make do then."]]

She smiles up at you as she turns back to her grave. She pats the head of it before she returns to your side. "Shall we get going?" You ask. She nods. "Yep, I'm ready if you are, mister." [[Return to the crossroads.]] (set:$Ghost to $Ghost + 1)

The frost crunches under your feet as you walk to the gate. "It's a shame, isn't it?" You look over to see the Flower Seller, Lana, lean out of her booth. [["You mean what happened to the girl?"]]

Lana nods. "A terrible tragedy it was. Poor girl was brought in here with a closed casket." She looks back into the cemetery, where the smallest tip of the ice sphere is visible. "I had hoped that someone could help her pass on." She looks at you. "I guess that person isn't you." [["Ghosts aren't my responsibility."]]

Lana stares at you. "Who said anything about ghosts, my dear." She waves you off. "On your way now, dear. I'm closing up soon." [[Enter your car.]]

You sit in the driver's seat and stare out the window at the visible orb of ice in the distance. A frown crosses your face as you watch the stars above glimmer off of the shell. You reach down into the glove box and pull out a business card. //Paranormal Investigation Agency// "Time to call in a favor from an old friend. Maybe he can help make this right." [[Start Over->Start]]

You walk across the bridge with Maia behind you. A gasp from the smaller ghost makes you turn to your left to see your uncle, who meditates atop another grave marker. As soon as Maia's gasp rings out across the crossroads, your uncle's eyes snap open and he jerks, which unbalances him and causes him to tumble off of the stone marker out of your sight. You and Maia exchange a glance before your uncle pops back up from the ground. Maia darts behind your leg. "Ah, nephew! I see that you have returned." He looks down at Maia. "With a friend, no less. Who are you, little one?" "Maia." The ghost responds as she hides behind you. Your uncle chuckles at her reclusive actions before his attention turns back to you. "She is the spirit that is the cause of the disturbance?" You nod. "And I assume by the fact that she is here with you that you are going to help her with some unfinished business?" Another nod. Your Uncle's belly shakes as he laughs. "I see, I see." He kneels down to Maia's level. "Once you have finished your business with my nephew, feel free to come visit my grave, little one. Just ask around and you'll find Old Uncle Jim." [["Careful, Uncle. You sound like a creeper there."]]

Uncle Jim sputters while Maia giggles behind you. "Well, I never. To think that my own nephew would accuse me of such actions." He huffs dramatically. "Honestly, nephew, it's like you think I have no standards." He kneels back down to Maia's level. "Don't listen to this foul creature, milady. I am the perfect example of a gentleman ghost." [["Whatever you say, Uncle."]]

"You see, little one? My family is too cavalier with their attitudes towards me." Uncle Jim huffs through his smile as he stands up. "Ah, whatever. You two are clearly ready to be on your way, so I will not hold you any longer." He steps aside to clear the path that leads to the lit gate. "Get going, you two and be well." [[Return to your car.]]