Laugh
The citizens of Amity Park didn't know for sure it had a resident ghost boy until about 3 weeks after the first reported sighting.
Ghosts were becoming more common, more dangerous. They looked dangerous. They were dark and shadowy figures with glowing red eyes and weapons and hair made of flames and tricks of the light. Among them, there seemed to be one that kept coming back to fight the other ghosts or otherwise be seen flying through the skies relaxed and somersaulting against the stars.
Everyone had a ghost story by October. It had only been a few months since the Fenton's published their paper on their now functional ghost portal and the town had been a hot spot for violence and terror.
Except when it came to our most common spectre.
We had taken to calling him Inviso-Bill because of his habit to dissapear when spotted and, well, Bill just seemed like a nice respectable name to call someone.
The respect came and went in waves however. Bill seemed to have a penchant for giving in to his "evil" ghostly side stealing money and art and jewels one day and rescuing civilians the next, then after that taking the mayor hostage. Public opinion varied and it wasn't ever easy to talk about him because you may never agree 100% with your neighbor about Inviso-Bill: hero or menace?
It would get easier as time went on. October came and went and eventually everyone had started to agree that for all of Phantom's faults, he usually was with other ghosts when he did bad things. Maybe Bill was just a little impressionable. He likely died when he was a child and lost children would often try to fit in. That instinct must be astronomically worse when you're dead and the only company you can find are the firmly evil kind.
If you could manage to find Phantom alone, often on starry nights, you could often see him doing flips and spinning enjoying the sense of zero gravity like a child would. In these moments it was easy to forget that Bill was dead, was a monster and different and every thing that would ruin Amity Park if it's citizens let their guard down.
He saved the town again. This time there was no denying that he was fighting for us, doing good to protect Amity Park for selfish reasons or otherwise, that wasn't for us to judge.
Danny Phantom he called himself. He smiled and we watched and talked amongst ourselves as he flew off again finally feeling light and free as we saw he could be this whole time.
It was so much easier to find comfort in the echoed laugh of the ghost boy. His mirth filled the darkness with something no longer feared and forbidden. When he laughed we could smile at each other too. If you followed the laugh, you could find him and not be afraid. Phantom was a friend in the darkness with snow white hair and glowing green eyes.
Ectober 21 Day 1- Trick
Ectober 21 Day 2- Laugh
Ectober 21 Day 3- Mutant
