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[pinballer]

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[pinballer]

Really?

[ He scoffs, and scribbles an A this time, returning the paper. ]

[stairwellshadow]

[ As Pat Sajak would say, one A. ]

[pinballer]

[ Do these words have no vowels in them or what? Thankfully, he doesn't have to buy a vowel here so he can keep on picking them.

E ]

[stairwellshadow]

[ Ugh, he should have made a rule. ]

[pinballer]

[ He really should have because guess what, here's another one.

O ]

[stairwellshadow]

[ Spoilsport. ]

[pinballer]

[ Vance Hopper plays to win. Git gud etc etc

R ]

[stairwellshadow]

[ It's coming together! ]

[pinballer]

Hell yeah.

[ He does a little fist pump. It's a stupid word game, but it's still a game.

S ]

[stairwellshadow]

[ The celebration may continue! ]

[pinballer]

[ Okay, that's a lot of the obvious letters gone, but he thinks he has the second word figured out at least.

F ]

[stairwellshadow]

[ And he got a bonus! ]

[pinballer]

[ He thinks on that for a moment, unconsciously touching the flower choker he's wearing around his neck.

L W ]

[stairwellshadow]

[ Alas, no hints for the last word. ]

[pinballer]

[ Well, that could be a lot of words. More than Vance can think of, probably. Might as well try...

M ]

[stairwellshadow]

[ So close! ]

[pinballer]

A...home for flowers, is that it?

[ He scribbles an H on the paper and pushes it back through. ]

[stairwellshadow]

yes, you win!
congratulations.

would you like a prize? i don't have much to offer.

[pinballer]

Sure, why not.

[ A pause. Something's a little off, but also a little familiar. Maybe it's why he hasn't opened the door. Ghosts don't always like to communicate in the same ways that people do, and if this one wants to pass notes under the door, that's fine. ]

Are you a ghost?

[stairwellshadow]

i am.
i don't want to be one, but i am for now.

[pinballer]

Me, too.

[ He's a little less of one now. But still as much of a ghost as he is a person. ]

It sucks.

[stairwellshadow]

it feels really lonely.
at least here i know other ghosts.
there were times when i was the only one who knew the truth.

[pinballer]

I was never the only one, but the ones before me didn't remember much by the time I got there.

[ So they weren't much to talk to, not that any of them really spoke to each other anyway. ]

What's the truth?

[stairwellshadow]

there were lots of truths.
about the world i was in.
about who was really living.
about what happened to her.

here it's a lot less complicated.

[pinballer]

Who's 'her'? Why's it less complicated here?

[ He sits in front of the door, knees huddled up to his chest. He can talk to other people here so it's not as lonely, but most of them don't understand the ghost life. ]

One ghost to another. If you tell me something, I'll tell you something.