The device looked like nothing more than a tangle of wires. A few strips of metal closed the mess into a square, however, its purpose remained elusive. It simply seemed a haphazard assortment of parts.
Martin asked anxiously, “So? What do you think?”
Linda nodded, “I have no idea what this is.”
Martin’s shoulder’s slumped. Linda sighed. She hated to disappoint a student.
However the fact remained, “I just can’t see it honey.”
Holding up a finger Martin hurried to an outlet. He plugged in the device. Linda ground her teeth together. She could hear electricity coursing through it. That didn’t seem to bode well.
Martin said, “Now does it make sense?”
She shook her head. His shoulders slumped.
Wanting him to feel better, “Maybe explain it to me?”
Martin chewed his lip, thinking what to say. Nodding, agreeing with a notion only he heard, he pulled out his phone. Calling up a web site he showed her images scanned from a book.
He said, “There’s this book I found online. It’s all about how you can detect ghosts.”
Connecting dots Linda nodded, “So you followed the design...”
“Yeah.” Martin looked at the ground. Scratching his arm he said, “Ever since my dad died... it’s been hard... on my mom.”
Linda sat down. She eyed the device. The assembling, though a bit of a bramble, actually made her happy. At the very least Martin, not one of her best students, managed to make a complete path; if nothing else electricity flowed through the thing.
She noticed a faint blue aura around some of the rectangular pieces. The metal slowly surrounded by color.
Martin said, “I mean, like, you’re a science teacher. I figured you’d be able to tell me what’s wrong.”
Taking her eyes off the device, Linda asked, “With what?”
“With the machine.” Martin rolled his eyes, “It doesn’t work right.”
Linda glanced at the clock above the chalkboard. She wanted to be helpful, but not indulgent. At the very least, she didn’t want to waste a whole evening explaining the foolishness of pseudo-science to a desperate kid.
Resolving to indirectly approach the issue, Linda inquired as to how the machine functioned. Martin read from the scanned text on his phone. To an untrained ear it sounded like plausible, albeit junk science. A variety of electrical principles alongside concepts seemingly cherry picked from physics, and some made up terms with a proper Latin pedigree — Linda got why the kid fell for it.
The machine’s parts glowed faint blue again. Odd, yet, though unfamiliar with its assembly, Linda presumed a logical explanation.
Still, when the moment came she went for the heart.
She said, “Martin, this doesn’t work because it can’t work. None of what you’ve read is real science.”
Martin shook his head, “Not based on the physical, but the, uh.” He glanced at his phone, “‘Incorporeal.’ That doesn’t work the same.”
The clock called her home. It wasn’t often Linda managed to leave early. Most everywhere else already left the high school. If she hadn’t taken a second to enjoy the silence she might’ve missed Martin entirely. The boy sheepishly slipping into the school’s lab, asking timidly for her help. She thought he needed help with homework.
Feeling a need to be blunt — to save the evening — Linda said, “There’s no such thing as ghosts.”
The box flickered. Martin’s eyes went wide.
Pointing energetically, “That’s it! That’s what’s s’posed to happen!”
Squeezing her eyes shut Linda said, “How’s that?”
“When there’s a ghost around the machine glows. It’ll flicker if we ask questions.”
Linda sighed, “Like an electric ouija?”
“Yeah!”
Linda frowned. She started to smell a prank. As far she knew the school, like most, owned an urban legend about at least one ghost. A librarian from some decade — the date never certain — hung herself in the stacks.
“Alright.” Linda threw her hands in the air, “Then lets experiment.”
She collected the device, and marched off towards the library. Martin followed quickly after her. He kept asking where she was going.
“As if you don’t know,” Linda thought, “Li’l prick.”
Entering the library she glanced around. She expected some costumed kid to jump out. She prepared a fist as well as an excuse — “I’m sorry Principal Wilson, but I just reacted. Sorry I broke his nose?”
Handing, almost throwing the device at Martin she ordered, “Plug it in.”
Martin hurried to an outlet. Almost as soon as he plugged it in the machine glowed a bright blue. Startled, Martin dropped it.
Linda snorted, “Maybe you should be an actor.”
“What?” Martin asked.
“Nothing. Now what?”
He shrugged. He started asking questions: “Anyone here?”
The machine flickered. Linda folded her arms across her chest.
“Are you alive?”
The glow fluttered. Linda paced, glancing down stacks. She expected to find students lurking, using some kind of remote to affect the device. Yet, she found nothing.
Martin kept inquiring, “Are you my Dad?”
The machine’s color remained constant.
Linda asked, “Are you the librarian?”
The color flickered. She nodded, having seen what she expected. Then she rounded a corner.
A body hung from the ceiling. However, it seemed faint like a transparent photo. Shaking her head Linda called to Martin.
“We’re leaving.”
Martin’s face fell, “Why?”
“Because this is nonsense.” She approached where he stood, and reached to unplug the machine.
“Wait.” Martin blocked her effort, “One more question.”
Linda sighed, “Do you want to be alone?”
The machine glowed steady.
Martin said, “I think that’s a no.”
“Honey, there’s no such thing as ghosts.”
The machine flickered rapidly. Martin held up the device as if it proved something. Linda yanked out the cord. As she did, the glow almost seemed to pulsate faster.
Disconnected the color blinked out in an instant.
“But... but...” Tears welled in Martin’s eyes.
She hushed him gently, “It’s okay honey. If you need to talk, I understand, but this isn’t the answer.”
Linda gently touched his shoulder. Martin threw the device down.
“Fuck you!” he shouted.
She watched him run out of the library. Perhaps the matter could’ve been handled better, though she didn’t see how. Getting on one knee she scooped up the device.
Poking at the mess of wires she noticed a few loose wires. Considering the glow that still intrigued her, she pulled out a Swiss Army knife. Shaking her head she attached the wires properly. Then, curious, she plugged it in.
The device immediately burst to life, a constant pulsating blue shining bright enough to tint the room.
“It’s nothing,” Linda said.
The glowing stopped. Linda smirked.
Glancing around she said, “Did you kill yourself?”
The glow remained constant. Linda cocked an eyebrow.
“Linda?”
Startled she dropped the device. Spinning around she saw Principal Wilson standing in the doorway.
Chuckling she said, “Oh my god. Sorry.”
Principal Wilson said, “I thought everyone left.”
“I’m on my way out.”
“Okay... what’s that?”
Seeing him point she glanced down at the device, “Oh it’s noth...” The glowing flickered rapidly, “It’s nothing?”
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He started off.
Her curiosity inspired a question, “Did you know the librarian who died?”
Principal Wilson stopped. Without looking back he asked, “Why do you ask?”
The flickering intensified.
Martin asked anxiously, “So? What do you think?”
Linda nodded, “I have no idea what this is.”
Martin’s shoulder’s slumped. Linda sighed. She hated to disappoint a student.
However the fact remained, “I just can’t see it honey.”
Holding up a finger Martin hurried to an outlet. He plugged in the device. Linda ground her teeth together. She could hear electricity coursing through it. That didn’t seem to bode well.
Martin said, “Now does it make sense?”
She shook her head. His shoulders slumped.
Wanting him to feel better, “Maybe explain it to me?”
Martin chewed his lip, thinking what to say. Nodding, agreeing with a notion only he heard, he pulled out his phone. Calling up a web site he showed her images scanned from a book.
He said, “There’s this book I found online. It’s all about how you can detect ghosts.”
Connecting dots Linda nodded, “So you followed the design...”
“Yeah.” Martin looked at the ground. Scratching his arm he said, “Ever since my dad died... it’s been hard... on my mom.”
Linda sat down. She eyed the device. The assembling, though a bit of a bramble, actually made her happy. At the very least Martin, not one of her best students, managed to make a complete path; if nothing else electricity flowed through the thing.
She noticed a faint blue aura around some of the rectangular pieces. The metal slowly surrounded by color.
Martin said, “I mean, like, you’re a science teacher. I figured you’d be able to tell me what’s wrong.”
Taking her eyes off the device, Linda asked, “With what?”
“With the machine.” Martin rolled his eyes, “It doesn’t work right.”
Linda glanced at the clock above the chalkboard. She wanted to be helpful, but not indulgent. At the very least, she didn’t want to waste a whole evening explaining the foolishness of pseudo-science to a desperate kid.
Resolving to indirectly approach the issue, Linda inquired as to how the machine functioned. Martin read from the scanned text on his phone. To an untrained ear it sounded like plausible, albeit junk science. A variety of electrical principles alongside concepts seemingly cherry picked from physics, and some made up terms with a proper Latin pedigree — Linda got why the kid fell for it.
The machine’s parts glowed faint blue again. Odd, yet, though unfamiliar with its assembly, Linda presumed a logical explanation.
Still, when the moment came she went for the heart.
She said, “Martin, this doesn’t work because it can’t work. None of what you’ve read is real science.”
Martin shook his head, “Not based on the physical, but the, uh.” He glanced at his phone, “‘Incorporeal.’ That doesn’t work the same.”
The clock called her home. It wasn’t often Linda managed to leave early. Most everywhere else already left the high school. If she hadn’t taken a second to enjoy the silence she might’ve missed Martin entirely. The boy sheepishly slipping into the school’s lab, asking timidly for her help. She thought he needed help with homework.
Feeling a need to be blunt — to save the evening — Linda said, “There’s no such thing as ghosts.”
The box flickered. Martin’s eyes went wide.
Pointing energetically, “That’s it! That’s what’s s’posed to happen!”
Squeezing her eyes shut Linda said, “How’s that?”
“When there’s a ghost around the machine glows. It’ll flicker if we ask questions.”
Linda sighed, “Like an electric ouija?”
“Yeah!”
Linda frowned. She started to smell a prank. As far she knew the school, like most, owned an urban legend about at least one ghost. A librarian from some decade — the date never certain — hung herself in the stacks.
“Alright.” Linda threw her hands in the air, “Then lets experiment.”
She collected the device, and marched off towards the library. Martin followed quickly after her. He kept asking where she was going.
“As if you don’t know,” Linda thought, “Li’l prick.”
Entering the library she glanced around. She expected some costumed kid to jump out. She prepared a fist as well as an excuse — “I’m sorry Principal Wilson, but I just reacted. Sorry I broke his nose?”
Handing, almost throwing the device at Martin she ordered, “Plug it in.”
Martin hurried to an outlet. Almost as soon as he plugged it in the machine glowed a bright blue. Startled, Martin dropped it.
Linda snorted, “Maybe you should be an actor.”
“What?” Martin asked.
“Nothing. Now what?”
He shrugged. He started asking questions: “Anyone here?”
The machine flickered. Linda folded her arms across her chest.
“Are you alive?”
The glow fluttered. Linda paced, glancing down stacks. She expected to find students lurking, using some kind of remote to affect the device. Yet, she found nothing.
Martin kept inquiring, “Are you my Dad?”
The machine’s color remained constant.
Linda asked, “Are you the librarian?”
The color flickered. She nodded, having seen what she expected. Then she rounded a corner.
A body hung from the ceiling. However, it seemed faint like a transparent photo. Shaking her head Linda called to Martin.
“We’re leaving.”
Martin’s face fell, “Why?”
“Because this is nonsense.” She approached where he stood, and reached to unplug the machine.
“Wait.” Martin blocked her effort, “One more question.”
Linda sighed, “Do you want to be alone?”
The machine glowed steady.
Martin said, “I think that’s a no.”
“Honey, there’s no such thing as ghosts.”
The machine flickered rapidly. Martin held up the device as if it proved something. Linda yanked out the cord. As she did, the glow almost seemed to pulsate faster.
Disconnected the color blinked out in an instant.
“But... but...” Tears welled in Martin’s eyes.
She hushed him gently, “It’s okay honey. If you need to talk, I understand, but this isn’t the answer.”
Linda gently touched his shoulder. Martin threw the device down.
“Fuck you!” he shouted.
She watched him run out of the library. Perhaps the matter could’ve been handled better, though she didn’t see how. Getting on one knee she scooped up the device.
Poking at the mess of wires she noticed a few loose wires. Considering the glow that still intrigued her, she pulled out a Swiss Army knife. Shaking her head she attached the wires properly. Then, curious, she plugged it in.
The device immediately burst to life, a constant pulsating blue shining bright enough to tint the room.
“It’s nothing,” Linda said.
The glowing stopped. Linda smirked.
Glancing around she said, “Did you kill yourself?”
The glow remained constant. Linda cocked an eyebrow.
“Linda?”
Startled she dropped the device. Spinning around she saw Principal Wilson standing in the doorway.
Chuckling she said, “Oh my god. Sorry.”
Principal Wilson said, “I thought everyone left.”
“I’m on my way out.”
“Okay... what’s that?”
Seeing him point she glanced down at the device, “Oh it’s noth...” The glowing flickered rapidly, “It’s nothing?”
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He started off.
Her curiosity inspired a question, “Did you know the librarian who died?”
Principal Wilson stopped. Without looking back he asked, “Why do you ask?”
The flickering intensified.
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