* * *

– Terry.

Mom?

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in my ears.

Beyond the pitch-black darkness, my mom, smiling as always, moved her lips as if to say something.

‘Mom!’

A bright smile unknowingly spread across my face.

I tried to run straight to her, but for some reason, my feet felt rooted to the ground, unable to move.

– …….

While I struggled to take a step, my mom continued to move her lips as if she were speaking.

What was she saying?

– … baby.

Then, for a brief moment, the voice that had been inaudible rang out, and my mom smiled gently. Her image gradually began to blur.

‘Mom…?’

Twinkle.

As my mom’s figure was swallowed by the darkness, my eyelids fluttered open.

I sat up abruptly, looking around.

Unfamiliar surroundings. A bed with an unfamiliar feel. A teddy bear was placed on the nightstand.

“It was a dream…”

Realizing I was in the Everdeen mansion, I felt a sudden surge of annoyance.

I pouted and kicked off the cozy blanket with my foot.

‘But at least I got to see Mom after a long time.’

I calmed myself by recalling my mom’s face from the dream. After regaining my usual calm demeanor, I threw off the blanket and got up. Since I was already awake, I thought I might as well find a good hiding spot to skip my lessons later.

I peeked my head out the door to make sure no one was around and stepped into the hallway.

‘It’s dark.’

I wasn’t sure what time it was, but the hallway was shrouded in darkness.

But I wasn’t worried!

Using the bluish glow from the ghosts wandering around as my lantern, I tiptoed down the hallway.

Occasionally, a few ghosts would curiously pop their faces in front of me.

Each time, I adjusted my steps as naturally as possible to avoid bumping into them.

‘There’s even a ghost who looks like a beggar. Why is he carrying an empty liquor bottle?’

Anyway, after narrowly avoiding some close calls, I reached the staircase of the main building and paused to think.

The garden I saw on the way to the mansion during the day seemed vast, with plenty of hiding spots. It would be brighter there with the moonlight than inside the mansion.

‘Alright. Let’s check out the garden first.’

Just as I made up my mind and was about to step down the stairs—

Thud.

“……!”

A noise suddenly came from behind me. Startled, I jerked my shoulders and quickly turned around.

But contrary to my expectations, there was no shadow of a person.

For a moment, I thought I saw a bluish figure of a boy, but it was so dark that I might have been mistaken.

All I could see was the still-empty hallway and in the middle of it…

“……Huh?”

Why is that here?

I quickly walked to the end of the hallway.

Bending down, I reached out and picked up the teddy bear lying askew on the floor.

Its soft texture assured me that this wasn’t a dream.

“What the…?”

I turned the teddy bear around in my hands.

Aside from looking a bit eerie, there was nothing strange about the bear.

‘I could’ve sworn it was on the nightstand when I woke up. Was I mistaken?’

Well, I might have been confused since I had just woken up.

After a moment of contemplation, I convinced myself and returned to the room to place the teddy bear back on the nightstand.

Then I ventured out again, relying on the ghosts and moonlight as I pushed through the bushes around the mansion.

I wandered for a while until I found a tree with thick branches and lush leaves, perfect for hiding.

Alright, you’re the one. Be my secret hideout.

I took a deep breath, exhaled, and grabbed onto the tree trunk. I was just about to test it by placing one foot on it.

Rustle!

Once more, I heard a noise behind me. I instinctively gasped and quickly turned around.

“What is it this time?”

I glanced around with wide eyes and suddenly froze.

When I saw the teddy bear lying in the bushes behind me, my eyes narrowed.

‘Is this the work of a ghost…?’

By now, it was clear that this wasn’t just a coincidence or a mistake. Could some playful ghost be trying to scare me?

‘But if that were the case, I didn’t hear any laughter or anything.’

What on earth was going on? I frowned and walked briskly.

Finally, when I stopped in front of the teddy bear lying in the bushes and reached out my hand—

Creak!

Before I realized it, the teddy bear’s head turned 180 degrees, and its button eyes met mine.

“Ahhh!”

Slap!

Startled, I instinctively swung my hand. When my palm smacked the teddy bear’s cheek, its head, which had turned backward, returned to its original position.

“…….”

<…….>

“…….”

After a brief silence, the teddy bear suddenly sat up and spoke in an angry voice.

<What do you think you’re doing?>

* * *

I hurried back to my room when I saw the servants waking up to the unexpected scream and lighting up the mansion one by one.

Fortunately, Mina entered the room just after I climbed onto the bed and pulled the blanket over my head.

After watching me for a while, she seemed to drop her suspicions and quietly left the room.

Click.

I held my breath, and as soon as I heard the door close, I sat up abruptly. My heart was still pounding loudly.

‘What the heck! What was that!’

That teddy bear had definitely moved and even talked. It even turned its head like this, like this!

‘Even though ghosts can hide inside objects, can they really move the object itself at will? Does that even make sense?’

I knew from past experiences, like when Tommy and I argued and he hid inside objects a few times, that ghosts could conceal themselves within things.

But the idea that a ghost could control an object from within was something I had never heard of before.

It was a completely different concept from a ghost pushing or picking up an object.

‘I was so shocked, I left it behind.’

I placed my hand over my heart and waited for the pounding to subside. Then, taking a deep breath, I got off the bed and looked out the window.

There, the big tree I had tried to climb earlier came into view.

‘…It’s not there.’

However, the white teddy bear wasn’t anywhere around it.

I swallowed hard and slowly walked toward the door. Carefully, I opened it.

Bang!

And quickly shut it again.

‘I almost left this world.’

It had been a long time since I felt my hair stand on end like that.

Muttering several curses under my breath that Tommy had taught me, I opened the door again.

…The teddy bear was standing there, looking at me.

<Hey.>

And it even spoke, ha-ha.

After about three seconds of deliberation, I made up my mind and reached out.

Supporting the teddy bear under its arms, I lifted it to eye level and smiled widely, like a child who knew nothing.

“Wow! My teddy bear came back! It even found its way home on its own, my teddy bear must be really smart, just like me!”

<No, wait, what are you doing?>

“You must have had a hard time finding your way home! Let’s go to sleep now!”

<Hey! Don’t pretend you don’t know! I saw you get startled when you heard my voice!>

Ignoring the teddy bear flailing its arms and legs, I lay down on the bed. I hugged the teddy bear, pinning its limbs, and patted its back.

“Sleep tight, sleep tight.”

<…….>

“Snore… snore…”

I closed my eyes and did my best to pretend I was asleep. Then, the teddy bear in my arms stopped flailing its limbs and became quiet.

‘…Is it done?’

I was debating whether to open my eyes or not when a ghostly voice, fittingly eerie, whispered in my ear.

<If you keep this up…>

“…….”

<I’ll tell the mansion’s ghosts that you can see them.>

“Eek.”

In the end, I opened my eyes and sat up abruptly.

I set the teddy bear in front of me and glared at its button eyes as I spoke.

“What are you?”

<…I sense an unusual spirit in your tone. Have you been training or something?>