It was late at night. You laid on your bed on your side, covered under a comforting fluffy blanket and staring at nothing in particular. After everything that happened today, you could use some sleep.
Your mind swirled with thoughts about what William said about the previous tenant. The fond manner he spoke of him must have meant they were friends. To be honest, that wouldn’t be a surprise, given how friendly William is.
Despite yourself, you wondered what could have driven the man to do it. Even if you never met him, even if you never spoke a word to him, you still felt sympathy and mournful thinking about him.
The house was full of evidence of his existence, but you still wondered what kind of person he was. You wondered how he spent his free time, why his things were still here. Why would no one take them away to keep his memories intact?
The floor creaked again, interrupting your thoughts. You were used to the sounds now, but they still surprised you. They almost sounded like footsteps. You close your eyes with a lazy yawn, waiting for another day.
Another sound. But this time... it was different. It was the slow sound of the door opening. You stared at the empty doorway, your heart thudding against your ribcage at full alert. “Shit, shit, shit, shit,” your thoughts scrambled, trying to come up with a way to rationalize everything. The window was open… the wind, maybe? The sounds were the same as usual. It was normal. It had to be.
... and there was nothing.
You sighed, realizing how silly you were acting. Sitting up on your bed, you turn your phone to illuminate the doorway, confirming your conclusion. Nothing was there.
“Greetings...” an icy breath trickles down your neck.
Your blood runs cold. You barely acknowledge what presence had made that sound before you scream, pulling back to turn around and face whoever it was.
“Kyaa!” the person screams too, falling back as well. It stares at you with a confused and startled face, reflecting your own surprise.
It was the same tall man you used to see in your dreams, sitting down on your bed. He was freakishly tall, even in a sitting position. His eyes were reddish and lifeless, and he had blood stains running down from his mouth and nose, stopping at his chest. His hair, which covered one side of his face, was sleek and straight, spilling down his face and coming at a stop near his shoulder. He’d look terrifying if it weren’t for his soft looking face.
A look of realization flashes on his face. “Oh.” The man says. His body sags and he averts his eyes to the ground. “I realize my mistake. Please forgive my manners... I should have expected this reaction,” He says, moving his hand to his chest in a timid gesture.
His voice was meek and apologetic, his face downcast like he was expecting to be chided harshly for a horrible misdeed.
He keeps his head low as he speaks, “Please forgive me for frightening you...”
“I have thought about showing myself during the daytime, but-”, he motions vaguely to his translucent body, “-I’m invisible under the light...”
His transparent form glowed with a soft blue light, enveloped in an ethereal mist. He wasn’t wearing any clothes, yet he did not look naked. It was almost as if his body was made of gas.
“Y-You are...” you stared at him, barely registering his words because of sheer shock, your heart still thudding against your ribcage, almost like it was going to break it. “The guy who lived here?”
“My name is Chester. It’s a pleasure to finally properly meet you,” he says, looking down at you from his enormous height with a worried and gentle face. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to do that…”
You nod quickly, “Right, so... ghosts exist... that’s great,” you say, trying to calm your nerves as best as you can. At least he doesn’t seem to want to hurt me...
He opens his mouth to speak, “I’m a spi-” he starts, but quickly, he interrupts himself, not wanting to sound too obnoxious.
His hand, that was sitting on his lap, came to his face in a timid gesture, fingers curled up slightly to half hide his own face behind his knuckles. The slight gesture made him look even more inoffensive as his eyes avoided yours. “Oh, I will only exist for around… sixty years. It’s the span of a normal life for most.” He says, suddenly remembering your question, “It’s because of how I came to die.”
Your body releases some of its tension. It was a colossal task to be comfortable with a giant bloodied man by your bed, but somehow, you were managing it. “So you get to be a ghost because... you…”
He smiles politely, happy to see you more at ease. “Not just because of that. I get to be, um… a ghost… because I passed before I was supposed to.”
“So… Is everyone supposed to die a natural death then?” You said, keeping a safe distance from the man.
He shakes his head. “I… I don’t suppose that is the case, but that was all I was told before I came back,” Chester says. His thin arm goes back to resting in his own lap as he adjusts himself on the bed. “You know… ever since I came back… I have been so cold… but you… you are so warm…”
Something clicks inside your head. You realize... the familiar cold you felt around the house... it gathered around him. “Forgive me...” He continued, “I know my presence is not pleasant... I try to avoid you most of the day to keep you warm, but...”
You stared at him, conflicted about how to feel about that fact. “So… that was you?” On one hand, he wasn’t dangerous, at least you hoped so, and the cold was… manageable, but on another hand he was a two meter tall, terrifying cryptid that liked to hang around your back. “What about William? He, more than anyone else, would be ecstatic to know he can still speak to you. He misses you… why stay around me instead?”
His demeanor falls. He looks down at his lap. “I know he does...” His body once again sags, wilting like a sad flower. “But I look like… like this. Like the day that he found me-” He sighs, “-I wouldn’t want him to experience it again... I fear he may resent me for it.”
He looks into your eyes, staying still in silence for a moment. “Do you truly think he wants to see me? Even after I made him witness something so... so horrifying? Can I really do it?”
You could only imagine how William felt. Finding a person dear to him in this state… it would be soul-crushing… Your head hangs low, thinking about what would be best in this situation. This isn’t easy on Chester either. You could feel his regret hanging heavily in the air.
“I am not sure actually…” You say, “Honestly… from the little I know about him… I don’t think he would ever resent you. But, since I can bet you know him better than I do, you should be the one to decide what you are going to do, Chester.” You say. It was weird, this feeling stirring inside you when you looked at him. You didn’t want him to feel hopeless again. “… if you decide you want it, I will try my best to help.”
He smiles widely, a creepy grin you were almost getting used to. He was a ghost, after all. No use judging him on being scary. His eyes crinkled at the corners. “You are so kind…”
He looks back at his hands, his face falling ever so slightly. “Although right now might not be the best of times… If I may be honest, I am slightly upset at William at the moment.” He shakes his head. “B-But it’s nothing, just a small unimportant thing.”
He carefully raises his ghostly hand. You feel a shiver running down your spine when it touches your shoulder. He was looking down at you through his thin bangs. You could swear he was almost pouting, like a pleading puppy. “If it wouldn’t be a bother for you… may I please stay by your side until then…? I don’t want to be alone again…”
“Man…” you let out an exasperated sigh. “Are you the ghost of a victorian child or something? No need to be so formal with me, Chester. I’m not throwing salt at you for staying at your own house.” You chuckle, hoping it will lift his mood somehow.
He cocked his head, tilting it further than most people would or could. His smile somehow got even wider, almost splitting his face in half. “You are truly a magnificent person.” He said with his soft voice, his cheeks suddenly no longer so pale.
the art for ghost chester is so scary… his face is still cute but his body looks like the screaming zombies from ocarina of time :-(
FSAKFSAFKLJ don't do him so dirty like that!
but i have terrible news for you anon... ghost chester's body is not very different from alive chester's... his ribs are always showing
My favorite not cis characters! The week is meant to celebrate everyone who's not cisgender. That includes non-binary people I believe so I included Nico here. I'm also pretty sure Osana is gender queer. I also headcanon them as intersex cause I don't see intersex representation in anime that much so Osana would be perfect! Please make it canon...
Anyways, if you're trans, enby, gender-fluid, gender queer, or whatever gender identity, you're valid!!! I love you!!!
mizuwater day 118!!
this mizuwater is hated by all
drink water. im so dehydrated from today im gonna do it right now. do it with me
and click!! it only takes a moment
