I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things-Chapter 8: Rebirth in the Pure Land

"So... you were just playing around, is that it?"

[That’s one way to put it.]

The pale thing nodded its head-like part, as if agreeing with Aslan’s words.

The reason she kept calling it “the pale thing” wasn’t anything special—it was simply that pale.

It had the silhouette of a human, but no features—no eyes, no mouth, nothing that resembled a face.

Like someone draping themselves in a white curtain.

According to Aslan, it had been close to achieving peaceful ascension, but she’d interfered.

So apparently, the thing’s “scaring” of Hyesung’s group had been its idea of fun, and she’d messed it up by cutting the game short.

"Hmm... so what?"

Lying under her blanket, she yawned. A jaw-cracking yawn, followed by rubbing her eyes—at which point she saw the pale figure flailing awkwardly.

Sure, it said it failed to ascend because of her... but couldn’t it just go play with someone else?

And maybe it was playing, but for Hyesung and his friends, that could’ve been a traumatic experience.

They could’ve died.

At the end of the day, it was just a ghost making excuses.

Shouldn’t it be grateful she didn’t exorcise it?

Aslan agreed, which was probably why he wasn’t saying much.

"Next time you decide to play with someone, maybe try not traumatizing them so much."

She waved her hand and closed her eyes. She must’ve been sleep-deprived, because as soon as her eyes shut, she heard a whimper near her ear.

A drawn-out, low sobbing sound—couldn’t tell if it was a man or woman.

"..."

Not scary. Not at all.

If anything, it was just loud and annoying.

A bit unsettling as a lullaby, but if it was trying to intimidate her, it picked the wrong target.

Pfft.

She chuckled to herself and let her body relax for a nap.

She figured it’d get bored and leave—but the real problem came a little later.

Someone knocked on the door.

She rubbed her crusty eyes open and saw the pale thing still clinging to the wall. Apparently, it hadn’t given up yet.

Persistent little shit.

Knock knock!

...What now?

Scratching her exposed stomach, thanks to her shirt riding up, she trudged to the front door. The knocking was louder than before, so it wasn’t just in her head.

Didn’t sound like the same person from the morning. Different pattern.

She put the chain lock on, cracked the door open—and saw the face of the guy from next door. The one who unknowingly provided her free Wi-Fi.

...He probably still didn’t know she was using it.

If guests were ranked, he’d be VIP.

His knock had even been polite.

She put on her friendliest smile and opened her mouth.

"Can I help you?"

The guy flinched slightly, then cleared his throat and replied.

"Uh... it’s just that, I heard some weird noises this morning. Even after I got back from going out... it was still going on, so I thought something might be wrong."

"Weird noises?"

"Yeah, like... someone sobbing or crying...."

...Ah.

She tried hard not to let her face twist, but her eyes were already twitching.

The guy flinched again and took a step back.

This asshole...

"I didn’t hear anything, but I’ll check just in case."

"Ahaha... I’d appreciate that. Well then, have a good day."

The VIP neighbor left with a weird expression—he looked a little spooked.

Well, it’s not like most people are used to having ghosts whispering through their walls.

She pulled out the last of her coarse salt from the cupboard.

"Looks like our connection ends here."

Not that there had been much of a connection to begin with—but still. If it was going to act like this, she had no choice.

She approached it with the salt jar in hand, and the ghost thing shook its head-like part in panic.

Guess it had learned that salt hurt.

Would’ve been better if it had just left when she told it to, huh?

She raised her hand to throw the salt, but then Aslan’s voice cut in.

[My liege.]

"What."

[If you played with it a little, this could all be resolved cleanly. Is it necessary to go this far?]

"..."

She lowered the salt and replied.

If it had been anyone else, she wouldn’t have bothered listening. But this was Aslan, so she had to hear him out.

"Why should I?"

[Thanks to that little one, you were able to enjoy a treat yesterday, weren’t you?]

"...That’s true."

[Then isn’t it only right to repay the favor? A matter of basic decency.]

Was it?

Felt a bit forced... but if Aslan was vouching for it, there was probably a reason.

"Sigh..."

She let out a deep breath and spoke.

"So, what exactly do you want me to do?"

The curtain-like ghost rustled excitedly.

Creak! Creak!

She pushed the empty swing.

The squealing of metal rang out as the empty seat flew high into the air.

...Well, not entirely empty—a curtain-looking ghost was riding it.

She could feel the pitying stares from people around the park.

At least they weren’t getting too close.

That was something, at least.

She was... kinda embarrassed too.

She briefly thought about just sitting on the swing and letting the ghost sit on her lap—but apparently that wasn’t acceptable. It was a picky little shit.

Still, she’d already agreed, so she had to see it through.

After pushing the swing for a while, she moved on to the “centrifuge” ride—that big spinning thing.

This time, it wanted to ride that.

When she approached, the kids who’d been on it turned pale and ran.

...Would’ve been nice if they’d stayed on.

Why do they all ditch me like that?

She could’ve shaken their souls loose, if they’d just stayed.

Sighing, she grabbed the handles and started spinning the ride.

Creak creak, the thing spun with only one ghost onboard. She pushed harder, making it spin faster.

The creaking sounded weirdly sad.

Almost like it was narrating her own life.

She worked her way through every ride in the playground. Anything she could push, she did. Anything that needed someone to play along... was a little easier. At least then she didn’t look like she was playing alone.

Only one ride was left.

The seesaw.

And this one was a problem.

How was she supposed to do this?

Even if she managed with the others, a seesaw needed two people.

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The ghost sat on one end—but had no weight. She stared at it, trying to figure out a solution... and suddenly felt weight on the other side.

One of the kids who had been watching quietly had climbed on.

When she blinked, the kid gave her an awkward smile.

"You can’t ride this alone, right?"

"Yeah... I guess not."

And just like that, she had a partner.

Their weights were close enough, so the seesaw moved fine.

Why were kids these days so damn sturdy?

After a few rounds, other kids came over and started chatting with her. They said they thought she looked scary—but maybe not anymore.

...Did she really look that scary?

"Hey, miss—why were you playing here alone?"

Miss, huh... well, she probably «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» did look that age.

But what was she supposed to say she was doing?

After thinking for a moment, she answered honestly.

"I was working."

"Working?"

"Something like that."

As she responded, the pale ghost twirled in circles, clearly pleased.

...Guess it was happy to have made a friend.

She smiled and started going around the playground again.

This time, with the kids.

Pushing swings, sliding down slides together... stuff like that.

She had promised to grind their souls with the centrifuge, but turns out, they were all thrill seekers—they just laughed like it was fun.

...Probably meant she’d lost strength since her body changed.

Time flew by, and before she knew it, the sun was setting. The kids waved and said they’d play again next time before running off.

[Did you enjoy yourself?]

"...Enjoy, huh."

The pale thing also seemed satisfied. Its shape was beginning to fade.

[It says it wants to go to the place you first met.]

"...Alright."

She was tired, but... it was the last thing.

On the way to the abandoned hospital, she stopped by a discount market and picked up a soon-to-expire drink.

The hospital looked calmer now, not like when she visited in the middle of the night.

Without a word, she entered and climbed to the rooftop.

It just... felt like the right thing to do.

As with most abandoned buildings, the rooftop door wasn’t locked. More accurately—someone had already sliced it open with a cutter.

She pushed through the stiff door. The rooftop was flooded in golden light.

Trees nearby rustled loudly in the wind. The view of the town in the distance...

Somehow made her feel strange.

She and the pale figure walked to the spot with the best view.

...Which also happened to be the most dangerous place. You could see straight down from there.

She stared blankly at the scenery for a moment, then opened the drink and placed it on the railing.

The pale thing’s shape gradually took on more human features.

But its body was becoming translucent.

...Kind of cute, actually.

Looked about the same age as the kids she’d been playing with earlier.

As it faded more and more, it muttered something under its breath... then smiled—and vanished.

"..."

What a strange feeling.

She took a sip of the drink, then poured the rest over the rooftop.

...Kinda felt like a waste. But oh well.

Just then, Aslan’s pleased voice spoke up.

[You honored my request.]

"Yeah, you damn pedo."

[What! That’s not—!]

"Don’t deny it."

Declaring him guilty despite his protests, she set the empty can on the railing.

She took one last look at the sunset...

Then went home.

Thinking her quiet days had finally returned.