It was well past midnight when they knocked on Mr. Gerald's door. It opened with a creak.
Mr. Gerald, wearing a maroon dressing gown and holding his cane, peered at the duo from the edge of the door before opening it wide to let them in.
"I heard some noises, gentlemen. But I see you haven't caught the intruder."
"Actually, we did... Mr. Gerald, why don't you sit down? Let's talk for a moment," Caspian said.
Mr. Gerald settled into one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace. Caspian and Palm followed suit.
"Has anyone asked you to move out or sell this house recently, Mr. Gerald?"
"Of course not. This house has belonged to my family for generations. Everyone in the area knows that, and besides, I'm not in need of money. No one would dare offer to buy my home," he said with a look of surprise.
"It seems someone placed this here to scare you into leaving," Palm said, opening the box in his hand and placing it on the coffee table.
"...What is this, Mr. Mortis?" Mr. Gerald asked, then took the ring out of the box and began to examine it.
"Do you believe in ghosts, Mr. Gerald?"
"Ghosts? I've heard many ghost stories circulating among children lately from my grandchildren. Those are just stories told to frighten children, Mr. Mortis. Of course I don't believe in them," Mr. Gerald said with a laugh.
"Are you suggesting that my house is haunted?" he added, continuing to laugh.
"Miss Ghost... can you come here for a second?" Caspian called out. Despite being the one calling her, he couldn't help but flinch when he saw the ghost emerge from the middle of the coffee table in front of him.
Mr. Gerald reacted similarly, throwing himself back in his chair with a startle. The cane he had leaned against the side of the armchair fell to the floor.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." the ghost said, backing away from them to a distance.
"What... what on earth is this?" Mr. Gerald asked, still staring at the ghost in horror.
"Don't worry. She is just a poor soul placed here to scare you into leaving the house. Because of the ring in your hand, there isn't much she can do," Caspian said.
"But who? Who would want me out of my house, and why? Why would they resort to such a method?"
"I... I don't know... I'm so sorry," the ghost kept saying.
Palm stood up, went over to the ghost, and tried to calm her down.
"Don't worry, we're going to help you move on. Don't be afraid," he said.
Caspian recalled that Palm hadn't been nearly this soft or understanding when he himself had died. 'Is he discriminating between male and female ghosts? Look at this guy...' Caspian thought as he watched Palm's efforts to stop the ghost from crying.
"It will likely be easy from here on out, Mr. Gerald."
"Yes... yes, please proceed as you see fit, Mr. Mortis. You will be compensated," Mr. Gerald said, still leaning back in his chair in fear.
"In that case, we'll take our leave now, if you'll excuse us."
"What about the ghost?"
"She's coming with us," Palm said, taking the ring from Mr. Gerald's hand and picking up the box from the table.
Afterward, Mr. Gerald escorted them to the exit with a gas lamp in his hand.
A possessed man, a ghost, and a grim reaper stepped out into the cold night.
...
There wasn't much they could do until the following evening.
To find the person planning to sell Mr. Gerald's house, they had to go to the circus and locate the one who had placed the ghost there. According to the ghost, it was impossible to enter the staff quarters during their usual working hours because most of them slept until late afternoon. Among them was Bald Danny—the man responsible for the "Haunted House"—who had been the one to lock her in the box.
When evening came, they each paid one Juvel to enter the circus.
The surroundings were crowded and colorful. Caspian had never been to a circus while he was alive. It was something he had only seen on TV or heard about in his parents' childhood stories.
Caspian and Palm approached the area lined with small tents and wagons where the staff lived, making sure to stay out of sight. The ghost had told them that Bald Danny stayed in a blue wagon decorated with daisy patterns. It didn't take long to find it. Although the door was locked, it was so old that it didn't take much effort to force it open.
As the door swung open, a mixture of alcohol and vomit hit them, making them both gag instantly.
"Oh my god! How can a human live in here... blegh," Caspian said, unable to stop himself from retching due to the stench. Palm was in no better shape.
The inside of the wagon was quite dark. There were no openings to let the moonlight in. Just as Caspian began feeling around for a candle or something similar, the room was suddenly flooded with a bright white light.