Jack turned around. Despite the apparition seemingly being to that of a male, Jack believed it to be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It appeared young, athletic, and gloomy. He sat down on the ground petting the puppy’s decapitated body. Its clothing appeared to be from medieval times, as he wore a long, deep-purple tunic, black breeches, and black knee-high boots. Jack noticed a staff to the side, also being semi-transparent. He had a slight glow surrounding his body. 

“Who’s a good boy? You are! Yes, you are!” Jack giggled at the sight. The man looked up, making eye contact with Jack; a hypnotic stare with bright yellow eyes met his.  “Woah,” the man exclaimed, stumbling back as he grabbed his staff. Jack stood up from the office chair, getting ready to bolt out of there. The man threw his staff in front of Jack and perched himself onto it, balancing himself with the help of his elbows. “You can see me?” he asked softly. 

Jack looked up at him from the ground, as he had fallen from the sudden reappearance in front of him, “Of course, I can! Was throwing your staff in front of me not proof enough?” The apparition flipped off his staff onto the floor and grasped it. “My apologies, my friend. Just one curiosity- are you not afraid?” Jack shrugged, feeling the contrary. He stood up from the floor. “You look just like a human… a see-through one at that. What’s your name?” The man smiled at him. He stretched out his hand, “I’m not able to turn into my solid-state just yet, but if I could, I would shake your hand. My name’s Wick, but you can call me Nightlight.” 

Jack frowned, “Nightlight? Is that your nickname?” Nightlight nodded, “I know it’s longer than my name but, yes. It is indeed a nickname, given to me by other ghosts, spirits, or phantoms, whatever you wanna call us. Yours is Jack, right? I-I heard Alejandro call you by your name while he was waiting for you.” Nightlight set his staff down and floated towards the entrance. “Yeah, that’s my name. So you guys just roam around?” Nightlight nodded, “Yep.”

He proceeded to explain, “When we die, you either rest in peace, or you don’t. When you don’t you end up like me. Roaming your place of death, waiting for the moment you eventually will.” Jack was stunned. He pulled the office chair out into the living area and took a seat once again, “I’ve only gotten this ability out of nowhere. I started seeing things today. So I’m new to the way spirits work.” Nightlight reached for a book from the bookcase that was set next to the entrance. He looked at Jack as he materialized a spiritual copy of the physical copy he was trying to take out.

He resumed explaining, “So you didn’t get your ability from birth? I had the understanding that the mediumship ability was from birth.” Jack shrugged, “That’s what I was told.” Nightlight stroked his chin, “Huh? By who?” Jack shook his head, “A little boy named, Mitch. He’s a spirit that resides in my house. He has an advanced vocabulary for someone his age.” Nightlight floated towards him. “Jack, are you sure he was a spirit?” He continued as he received no response, “It’s extremely rare to find a child’s spirit around here, or anywhere for that matter. You should be careful.” 

Jack shivered, “Careful? Careful of what?” Nightlight proceeded to explain, “Demons. They usually take the form of a child to be more, y’know, approachable. When children die, they don’t owe anything to anyone, so they leave this world without any worries. They rest in peace. So, finding spirits that resemble children, is usually malignant.” Jack covered his face, “What am I supposed to do then?” Pup barked as he floated out the door. Jack noticed Giovanni’s car arriving from the front window. Nightlight smirked, “I think we should go to your house and not waste any more time. I need to meet this… Mitch.”

Jack rushed to the dining room, where he found the back door. “It’s jammed,” said he, struggling to open the door. Nightlight pointed his staff towards the front room and flicked it. As Giovanni and Alejandro stepped inside, the furniture around the living room started to float move around violently. They retreated outside, yelling for someone to help them. Nightlight smirked, as he caused the bookcase’s books to float out and be thrown out the window. 

“Okay. Let’s go!” Jack rushed out the back door and into the alley followed by Nightlight who proceeded to flick his staff once more, to leave everything motionless. He closed both doors and locked them with a simple motion of his wrist. Jack, followed by Pup and Nightlight began to laugh as he entered the alleyway. “What was that? It’s not like they had left with the house empty…” Nightlight sighed, “Consequently, my friend, they left you alone and Giovanni even tried to hurt your feelings by kicking you out of the house. I saw everything. They deserved that and more.”

Jack nodded, “I know, but I think that was more than enough. Thanks. By the by, what else do you know about this ability? Is there any way I can remove it?” Nightlight watched as Pup ran ahead, leading the way to Jack’s house. “Uh, yeah- I mean no. Not that I know of. You’re the third person I’ve met with this ability, and they were happy about being able to see the dead. But that was LONG ago. It’s a breath of fresh air to be able to talk to a modern human.”

He continued, “With the mediumship ability, also known as ghost whispering ability, you’re able to see, speak and interact with us as long as we can control our many states or forms.” Jack hesitated, wondering what he meant. “Let me explain, we can expose ourselves to the naked eye as simple orbs, but we can also expose our entities, our faces, our bodies, to regular people. It’s hard but possible. We can also become into what I call our solid-form, which is practically where we can expose ourselves and have the properties of a regular person, I’d be able to shake your hand for example, or grab a book. Normally, to interact with items we make ghostly copies of them, which all ghosts can do, although it’s also hard, sometimes you move said item and drop it with the small gust created as you make a copy of the item and freak people out for some reason.”

Jack slipped out a smile, “Yeah, I mean. We don’t see the cause of the movement so naturally, we freak out.” After a few minutes, Jack reached his house, where he noticed Kandy stepping out of Joaquin’s car. “You guys go inside, I’m going to greet them.” Nightlight shrugged, carrying Pup’s body inside Jack’s home. Inside he found Matias watching television inside the living room. He looked around trying to sense any other spirit in the room but to no avail. “Hmm.” He walked inside, searching the rooms, eventually finding Jack’s bedroom. Mitch was sitting on Jack’s bed cross-legged and smiling towards the door. 

Nightlight hovered through the door, “Oh, hello there. You scared me for a second there.” Mitch glared at him, sticking out his middle finger and jumping off the bed immediately. “Not a welcoming one, are you?” Pup’s head floated through the door. Mitch’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, “You brought another one, Pup!” Nightlight shook his head, “I came along with Jack. He asked for help with his ability. I already know who you are. I’m Nightlight, a pleasure to meet you.” Jack walked inside, to find the ghostly trio inside his room. “Sorry, my sister…” 

Tension, awkwardness, and agitation. That’s what could describe the room. Jack stared at Nightlight as he stared at Mitch as he stared back at Jack. Pup sat down at Jack’s desk attaching his head back to his body. Nightlight shook his head, ever so slightly, “You’re not a spirit. Spirits can sense each other, and even as you stand before me, I can’t sense your spiritual aura.” Mitch pushed out his lower lip in a pouting expression. “Maybe because Jack’s overlaps mine!” Nightlight disagreed, “He’s not exposing his aura at the moment. Are you able to see it?”

Jack stepped back realizing what Mitch really was. A loud screech was heard, as Mitch’s spirit turned into an adult-like form and rushed out the window. “Not so fast!” Nightlight chased him, leaving a glowing trail behind. Jack looked around as the gust of wind dissipated from his room. He stared idiotically out the window of his room, looking straight at his neighbor’s building. He rushed out his room and out the door, “Pa’ ahorita vengo! I left my school ID at Alejandro’s house!”

Jack walked out to see a defeated look on Nightlight’s face as he made his way back. “What happened?” Nightlight shook his head, “He’s not a spirit Jack. You need to watch it with the spirits and ghosts you talk to! He managed to escape.” Jack reached for his hand to shake it, " Will do. Thanks for the help.” Both flinched as they let go of their hands. “I wasn’t in my solid form! How’d you do that?” Jack shrugged, “I don’t know it was just an impulse to reach for your hand.” Nightlight reached for Jack’s hair to pat his head, where his hand proceeded to physically touch him. 

“Jack, you’re not just a ghost whisperer, there’s more to you than we initially thought!” Yoselyn and her sister Nora stared from afar as a disembodied voice exclaimed in excitement. She watched as a hand appeared out of thin air to pat Jack’s head once again. Then a man appeared when Jack was hugged. “What the f*ck!”