Ficlet: Old, Forgotten Things (Ghosts (TV), ensemble, gen)
Old, Forgotten Things. Ghosts. Universal. Ensemble. Gen.
Summary: It’s hard to remember things when you’re trying to reunite your head with your body or when Thomas is being really annoying.
955 words. Notes at the end.
Old, Forgotten Things: shallowness
The crash makes Mike and most of the ghosts, who had been scattered throughout the house, rush to the living room, where Alison is standing with her eyes closed and is muttering.
"Don't chuck things at the ghosts. Don't chuck things at the ghosts, no matter how irritating they are."
Mike puts his arm around her while wincing at the damaged wall in front of them, another problem they could do without.
He can't see the ghosts in front of him, congregating around the hole that’s been made in the wall, bending over, their heads in the wall.
"That's a proper hole, that is," comments Mary.
“I wonder what she threw. Strong arms for a gel,” The Captain says.
Thomas, who was the ghost responsible for Alison’s outburst, could have told him, but he, for once, chooses to remain silent.
"I say, what's that?" the Captain demands.
"What? Let me see," Humphrey, briefly reunited with his head, tries to get between his fellow phantoms.
“Let him through, everyone,” Pat orders. They shuffle and side-step, some more slowly than others. Of course, the Captain could have got excited over nothing, but on the other hand, there might be something interesting contained within the wall.
"Oh, that's the family treasure," Humphrey says casually, leaning back into the living room.
"The WHAT?" the other ghosts and Alison demand.
He looks one way and the other, and inevitably, his head detaches itself from his body. Seeing that he isn’t going to explain himself, the ghosts all walk into the wall and start making very excited noises even though the wall muffles them a bit. The Captain sticks his head back into the room.
"Well, don't dawdle, come and ascertain if it’s true," he barks at Alison.
Alison doesn't like taking orders from him, but the word 'treasure' was enough to get her out of her funk and has definitely made her curious. As she hurries towards the hole, she tries to tell herself that it could be rubbish or of no value today, and none of the other ghosts seem to have known about it.
"What are you doing?" Mike asks.
"There's something there. In the wall. They say it could be treasure," Alison says. She takes her phone out of her pocket, switches the camera on and pokes her hand through the hole. There’s space for it. After taking a couple of snaps, she pulls the phone out and looks at the picture with Mike.
“It’s definitely something,” Mike says.
“A bag full of something.” Alison swipes to the next picture, which is almost exactly the same. “It looks old.”
“Yes, yes. You need to get your hands on it,” the Captain barks, echoed by a couple of the other ghosts..
“I cannot believe I knew nothing of this,” Lady Button is saying loudly, while pacing out of the wall into the living room. “Quite disgraceful.”
Alison looks apologetically ar her husband.
“You know what this means, we’re going to have to make a bigger hole.”
“When you say ‘we’ you’re thinking me,” he says in a resigned voice.”
She shrugs apologetically.
“If they’re right,” she says, “if it’s valuable, we could fix the hole. We could fix so much.”
“Yeah,” he says on a sigh. “I’ll get my tools.”
Alison swipes back and looks at the bag. Her pulse is hammering hard, but in a good way. This could solve everything.
About an hour later, there’s a lot of dust and a much bigger hole, Mike steps back to survey his destructive handiwork.
He hadn’t heard any of the ghosts’ comments on technique. Alison had just tried to be encouraging and supportive.
“Well, come on.” The Captain says. “Get it out.” Alison looks at Mike and then steps towards the hole, then bends and gets inside it, grabs a hold of the bag, hoping it won't disintegrate as she takes its weight. It doesn’t, but it doesn’t shift much, either.
"Oof, it's heavy,” she complains. “I need some help.” Mike joins her and with his help, with loud encouragement that only Alison can hear, they get it out of the hole and into the living room. At the same second, it slips out of both their hands.
“There was jangling,” Kitty observes with a squeal. “I heard jangling. Did you?”
"Don't mind me," Humphrey’s head says sarcastically, having rolled into the corner of the room. His body had walked out a while ago, but no-one noticed.
"We most certainly shall not, as you forgot to mention this family heirloom." Lady Button sniffs. The ghosts have all now formed a circle drawn by a three-year-old that includes Alison and Mike around the bag.
"Well, open it, woman," says Julian.
“Oi,” Alison replies. Mike gives her a long-suffering look. But she doesn’t notice, because her attention has returned to the bag, a leather bag under centuries of dust and cobwebs. She kneels down. Her hands are steady as she opens the top of the bag.
Everyone gasps.
"Mike, are you seeing this?" she asks.
But it's the ghosts who have taken up the chant of 'Gold". Mike is doing his goldfish impression. It was always pretty good, but he perfects it that night as he picks up a handful of coins, as they empty the bag, as they count the coins, putting them in different piles.
Alison keep s closing her eyes and opening them again. The coins - like the ghosts - are still there. And if the internet is right, they’re minted.
There's a lot of singing and a lot of dancing that night. A lot. Julian teaches them all every word of the Spandau Ballet classic. Well, the chorus, at any rate. After all, Button House is saved.
Author’ Note: Written for the prompt ‘Any, any, a forgotten treasure inside the walls.’ This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/439197.html.
Summary: It’s hard to remember things when you’re trying to reunite your head with your body or when Thomas is being really annoying.
955 words. Notes at the end.
Old, Forgotten Things: shallowness
The crash makes Mike and most of the ghosts, who had been scattered throughout the house, rush to the living room, where Alison is standing with her eyes closed and is muttering.
"Don't chuck things at the ghosts. Don't chuck things at the ghosts, no matter how irritating they are."
Mike puts his arm around her while wincing at the damaged wall in front of them, another problem they could do without.
He can't see the ghosts in front of him, congregating around the hole that’s been made in the wall, bending over, their heads in the wall.
"That's a proper hole, that is," comments Mary.
“I wonder what she threw. Strong arms for a gel,” The Captain says.
Thomas, who was the ghost responsible for Alison’s outburst, could have told him, but he, for once, chooses to remain silent.
"I say, what's that?" the Captain demands.
"What? Let me see," Humphrey, briefly reunited with his head, tries to get between his fellow phantoms.
“Let him through, everyone,” Pat orders. They shuffle and side-step, some more slowly than others. Of course, the Captain could have got excited over nothing, but on the other hand, there might be something interesting contained within the wall.
"Oh, that's the family treasure," Humphrey says casually, leaning back into the living room.
"The WHAT?" the other ghosts and Alison demand.
He looks one way and the other, and inevitably, his head detaches itself from his body. Seeing that he isn’t going to explain himself, the ghosts all walk into the wall and start making very excited noises even though the wall muffles them a bit. The Captain sticks his head back into the room.
"Well, don't dawdle, come and ascertain if it’s true," he barks at Alison.
Alison doesn't like taking orders from him, but the word 'treasure' was enough to get her out of her funk and has definitely made her curious. As she hurries towards the hole, she tries to tell herself that it could be rubbish or of no value today, and none of the other ghosts seem to have known about it.
"What are you doing?" Mike asks.
"There's something there. In the wall. They say it could be treasure," Alison says. She takes her phone out of her pocket, switches the camera on and pokes her hand through the hole. There’s space for it. After taking a couple of snaps, she pulls the phone out and looks at the picture with Mike.
“It’s definitely something,” Mike says.
“A bag full of something.” Alison swipes to the next picture, which is almost exactly the same. “It looks old.”
“Yes, yes. You need to get your hands on it,” the Captain barks, echoed by a couple of the other ghosts..
“I cannot believe I knew nothing of this,” Lady Button is saying loudly, while pacing out of the wall into the living room. “Quite disgraceful.”
Alison looks apologetically ar her husband.
“You know what this means, we’re going to have to make a bigger hole.”
“When you say ‘we’ you’re thinking me,” he says in a resigned voice.”
She shrugs apologetically.
“If they’re right,” she says, “if it’s valuable, we could fix the hole. We could fix so much.”
“Yeah,” he says on a sigh. “I’ll get my tools.”
Alison swipes back and looks at the bag. Her pulse is hammering hard, but in a good way. This could solve everything.
About an hour later, there’s a lot of dust and a much bigger hole, Mike steps back to survey his destructive handiwork.
He hadn’t heard any of the ghosts’ comments on technique. Alison had just tried to be encouraging and supportive.
“Well, come on.” The Captain says. “Get it out.” Alison looks at Mike and then steps towards the hole, then bends and gets inside it, grabs a hold of the bag, hoping it won't disintegrate as she takes its weight. It doesn’t, but it doesn’t shift much, either.
"Oof, it's heavy,” she complains. “I need some help.” Mike joins her and with his help, with loud encouragement that only Alison can hear, they get it out of the hole and into the living room. At the same second, it slips out of both their hands.
“There was jangling,” Kitty observes with a squeal. “I heard jangling. Did you?”
"Don't mind me," Humphrey’s head says sarcastically, having rolled into the corner of the room. His body had walked out a while ago, but no-one noticed.
"We most certainly shall not, as you forgot to mention this family heirloom." Lady Button sniffs. The ghosts have all now formed a circle drawn by a three-year-old that includes Alison and Mike around the bag.
"Well, open it, woman," says Julian.
“Oi,” Alison replies. Mike gives her a long-suffering look. But she doesn’t notice, because her attention has returned to the bag, a leather bag under centuries of dust and cobwebs. She kneels down. Her hands are steady as she opens the top of the bag.
Everyone gasps.
"Mike, are you seeing this?" she asks.
But it's the ghosts who have taken up the chant of 'Gold". Mike is doing his goldfish impression. It was always pretty good, but he perfects it that night as he picks up a handful of coins, as they empty the bag, as they count the coins, putting them in different piles.
Alison keep s closing her eyes and opening them again. The coins - like the ghosts - are still there. And if the internet is right, they’re minted.
There's a lot of singing and a lot of dancing that night. A lot. Julian teaches them all every word of the Spandau Ballet classic. Well, the chorus, at any rate. After all, Button House is saved.
Author’ Note: Written for the prompt ‘Any, any, a forgotten treasure inside the walls.’ This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/439197.html.