Heavy salt water waves slammed into the coast. Gale Force winds shook palm trees, the intense rain puddled around many places on the island. However chaotic it got outside, inside the Shapp Manor on Derzy Island things were calm.
Upstairs the elderly family patriarch Ron, slept in his bed waiting out the storm. Down below in the study his son Ronny has dozed off, reading a book. In the kitchen Ron's daughter Ellis looked out of the window waiting for her husband to return. Finally down in the basement, his nephew Dave was in the basement going through some of the family's heirlooms.
Back in the kitchen, Ellis stared out of the window, which overlooked the city of Derzy.
Where are you Momoud? You should've been back by now
Ellis thought to herself. She sat down in the chair right next to her, pressing her palms of her hands onto her cheek. The soft sound of the rain accompanied by the dead silence of the house was nearly too much for her to bear. Her eyelids began to come together and she yawned.
She laid her head down on the kitchen table and began to drift off. Right before she fell out of consciousness, she was shocked awake by a loud scream.
She was thrown to the floor by her reflexes. Her heart raced, and she took short quick breaths. She stumbled to her feet to investigate where the noise came from.
Ellis walked down the dark basement stairwell to see what was wrong with her cousin Dave.
Upon reaching the last step to the basement she was met with an unusual sight. Her cousin Dave who was usually calm and collected was an erratic mess.
His usually kempt hair was soaked in sweat and was now unkempt flowing flowing each and every way. His usually calm composure was replaced by a trembling fear that left him visibly shaking.
"What's wrong Dave?" She asked
"I was...I was searching in here for Granddad's vase, I realised it was gone though."
"What!"
"I've spent an hour and a half down here, searching for it, and I swear it's gone."
"It has to be here somewhere. It couldn't have just disappeared."
"Maybe it was stolen. We are on an island filled with pirates after all."
"I doubt it, there's no sign of any break in."
"Then where could it be?"
Both of their hearts began to race knowing the vase to be the family's most precious heirloom.
The vase was solid gold with jewels on each side.
"What if it was accidentally sold at the marketplace? We're a family of merchants, one of you could have accidentally sold it." Ellis said
"Are you blaming us for this?"
"No, I'm just trying to think of plausible explanations for why it is missing. Also Ronny is going to blame Momoud for its disappearance and it really wants to find an excuse before that."
"Don't worry about Ronny, but we do need to find out why it's gone. It has to be around her somewhere."
As Dave turned and walked around a bit moving some of the other dusty items, Ellis noticed a black mist in the far corner of the room.
All the blood drained from her face, her eyes switched to a thousand yard stare and she lightly trembled as she tried to scream but couldn't muster up any sound.
Dave turned to his cousin only to notice her in this frightened trance.
"Ellis what's wrong?" He asked
"Magic." She whispered in return
Dave turned to the corner to see the mist was now in the form of a tall humanoid figure, and the vase was in its hands.
"What are you? Who are you?" Dave asked, shaking in fear.
"I am Phantom, I am the spirit of lost and claimed treasures. It is my domain to protect these treasures."
"The...the...the...the treasure isn't lost. It's ours, our Grandfather left it to the family as an heirloom." Ellis said
"But it wasn't his, he stole it."
"He brought it back as a souvenir from his time in the army. That's not theft."
"Killing people and taking their valuables isn't considered theft to you?"
"He was in the army. It was a war. Can you please just give us it back?"
"I will, only if you can solve three of my riddles."
"Easy enough."
"You get one wrong and I'm leaving though, and you're never getting it back."
The cousins' hearts both simultaneously descend into their stomachs at the mere thought of the vase vanishing.
"We're ready." Dave said
Ellis nodded along with him.
"Allow me to begin. I am incomprehensible to the human brain, I am more powerful than the Gods, more evil than Achelete. What am I?"
Both the cousins' mood increased as they both answered this riddle.
"Nothing." They both answered.
"Correct." Phantom replied
He then continued on with
"I'm not like you, the same we do not see. What is red to you is blue to me. What am I?"
"Colorblind." Both cousins answered
"Correct."
"Last one, I am illegal for some but not for others, I'm discouraged from doing to one another. I'm kicking the poor, and taking what little they have left. What am I."
"You are theft."
"Correct."
The shiny jewel encrusted vase vanished from Phantom's hands and into Ellis's.
Ellis glanced down in glee at the old vase. Nearly dropping it when she noticed an addition to the old object she loved. Engraved on it in large dark letters were the words
"Stolen property of Aldu Alduwin."
"What in Gods name?" Dave exclaimed once he saw the vase.
Both of them stared daggers at Phantom.
"What? I never said I'd return it in the same condition, but hey if you return it to the rightful owners the words will disappear. Goodbye, pray we never meet again." Phantom saud right before he faded out of existence.
"It appears our demonic visitor hates thefts but has no qualms with property damage!" Ellis shouted.
Just then someone could be heard banging on the front door. Ellis rushed up to the front door to open it. Upon opening the door she was met by her husband Momoud and two others.
"Momoud, Atlas, Karma your all soaking wet come in quick." She said as she let them all in.
As they all stepped inside the manor and into the kitchen Momoud noticed the intense silence.
"It's really quiet here. What, have you guys just done nothing all day?" He asked
"Yeah, pretty much."