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The wind howled, blowing fallen autumn leaves along with it as it went. It did nothing to ease Poe’s nerves. No, nothing about the scene did. The discomfort of the chilled air merely added to the horror of the pale apparition that had appeared out of the darkness. Worse, one that seemed to be following him.
Where and how it had first appeared, Poe couldn’t say. All he knew was that he’d caught a flash of something white over his shoulder and that he hadn’t been able to shake the foul spectre since. Had he done something to bring this haunting upon himself? Japan seemed to be a land filled with curses, if Poe’s research was to be believed, but as far as he was aware, he hadn’t done anything to bring one upon himself. No strange videotapes or abandoned houses, any shrines he’d encountered left safely undisturbed. It was, admittedly, Halloween night, when spirits walked abroad – perhaps just being outside was enough to draw their attention?
No, this was ridiculous. Perhaps it was simple a lone partygoer, staggering back home after a night of costumed excess, with Poe’s overactive imagination supplying the rest. But… There was a strange purposefulness to the thing’s movements, clearly following the path Poe had so recently trodden. That in itself was a warning, surely? Spectral or not, clearly this thing meant trouble!
He tried not to look back, to focus on getting as far away from it as possible, but Poe couldn’t help himself, scrutinising the thing as closely as he dared. The worst part about the ghoul was the face. The hollow-eyed, vacant expression, even as its mouth opened and closed in a slack-jawed fashion, leaving a gaping black hole in its face. If it was trying to say something, it was lost to the winds, but Poe couldn’t help but wonder what kind of message it could be. Some kind of plea, maybe? A plaintive wail, begging for release from its torment? Or worse, maybe it was a terrible curse, describing in detail exactly what was going to do to Poe when it caught him.
Japan did seem to be famous for that kind of ghost, after all.
Oh, how he wished he had brought Karl with him. To feel the comforting weight of his companion and the brush of fur against his neck… But he was on his own. He needed to find somewhere safe, somewhere he could… Yes, the Agency! Ranpo would know what to do. Ranpo always knew what to do! A little thing like a vengeful ghost wouldn’t faze him, surely? Or at least it might give him enough time to find some paper and quickly write something useful. A ghost trap in a couple of pages…
Poe’s feet pounded against the pavement, crunching through the fallen leaves and discarded sweet wrappers. No matter how he fast he went, he couldn’t seem to lose his ghostly follower. It would still be there, lingering on street corners as Poe hastily turned to check over his shoulder. One arm outstretched, seemingly reaching out towards him… Well, whatever it was, Poe wanted no part of it! He just had to keep moving, get to safety…
By the time he burst through the Agency door, Poe was out of breath and frantic. Ranpo was nowhere in sight and the thing was almost upon him, the sound of heavy footsteps following him up the stairs. Oh, cruel world! To deny Poe one last sight of his beloved rival before his sudden and untimely death! Throwing himself behind the nearest desk, Poe peeked over the edge as a white hand closed around the edge of the door. All he could do was hope for a quick end and a merciful-
The apparition spoke.
“…O. …Ey, ‘oe. Ahh…” There was a sucking noise followed by a great gulp. “Ugh, that’s better, I thought I was never going to get that sweet unstuck. Hey Poe, why’re you hiding behind the desk?”
“I… I…”
“Want some candy? Not mine, of course, but we should have some left over after the party. You missed it, you know? I went out to find you, but I figured you realised that you were late yourself, the way you were running here…”
Ranpo continued talking to himself, turning over various desks and emptying drawers in his hunt for more sweets while Poe’s heart rate gradually lowered to something closer to normal. Now that he could see more clearly, under the bright office lighting, Poe could see that the ghastly image that had haunted him was nothing more than simple facepaint, complete with a smear of chocolate on the chin.
In fact, now that Ranpo mentioned it, Poe did vaguely remember some mention of a party… Still, the simple explanation did nothing to ease Poe’s nerves after such a night of terror. In fact, as Ranpo happily munched on sweets behind him, Poe quietly resolved never to go out on Halloween again…