"Whispers creep through the cracks,
haunting the spaces between life and death."
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Why don't whispers ever get promoted?
Because they're too quiet to make a sound argument! 😒
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The room is shrouded in a serene silence, the kind that feels too calm, too still.
In this silence, Ren lies sprawled on his bed, his chest rising and falling rhythmically in a deep slumber. The faint glow of the moon peeks through the window, casting soft streaks of light across the room.
Beside him on the nightstand, the mysterious metal begins to stir. A faint radiance flickers from within, building slowly until the room is bathed in an eerie, pulsating glow.
Shadows twist and dance across the walls, as though alive.
"Sssassssshhh, uhaaaheeeehuuu,"
The first faint whispers creep into the air, indistinct and fleeting, like wind brushing against glass.
Ren (dreamlike): Wha? What's that sound? Whispers? Am I dreaming?
The whispers grow louder, teasing the edges of his mind. Ren frowns in his sleep, his head turning slightly as if chasing the sound.
What are these whispers? What are they saying? I want to hear it.
The fragmented murmurs begin to coalesce under his wish to hear them, sharpening into voices.
Voice 1 (female): "Look at him sleeping there. So peaceful. Must be nice."
Voice 2 (female): "Nice? It's boring. He sleeps, eats, works, and repeats. There's nothing interesting about it."
Voice 3 (male): "Speak for yourself. I'd kill—well, you know what I mean—just to sleep again."
Voice 4 (male): "Yeah, and eat. I miss eating. Imagine tasting a burger right now. Man, it's been so long I have forgotten the taste."
Voice 3 (male): "Forget food. Imagine sex."
Voice 1 (female): "Oh, here we go again."
Voice 3 (male): "No, really. The guy has a woman living with him, and he's not even doing anything about it. What's he waiting for?"
Voice 4 (male): "Right? Lina is gorgeous. If I were alive—"
Voice 2 (female): "If you were alive, she wouldn't give you the time of day."
Voice 4 (male): "Jealous, huh?"
Ren stirs slightly, his lips twitching in his sleep as the voices continue.
Ren: Wait, Lina? Why are they talking about her? How do they know her?
Who are these people???
Voice 3 (male): "Come on, admit it. You'd want to watch too. It's been forever since we've seen… you know."
Voice 2 (female): "You're disgusting, you know that."
Voice 1 (female): "You're all disgusting. Honestly, is that all you think about?"
Voice 3 (male): "What else is there to think about? We can't eat, can't sleep, can't touch. What do you want us to do? Talk about the weather?"
Voice 4 (male): "Exactly! At least imagining stuff like that keeps things interesting. Hey, do you think he'll ever do it in the kitchen? That'd be fun to watch."
Voice 3 (male): "Kitchen? Bedroom. Classic."
Voice 4 (male): "Nah, kitchen. Adds a bit of spice, don't you think?"
Ren shifts again, the frown on his face deepening.
Ren: What the hell kind of dream is this? And what are these voices, some ghosts? And they are talking about my sex life?
Voice 1 (female): "You guys are pathetic. Lina isn't some object for your entertainment."
Voice 4 (male): "Oh, come on. You can't tell me she isn't attractive."
Voice 2 (female): "Attractive or not, she deserves privacy. Unlike you perverts, some of us still have morals."
Voice 3 (male): "Morals? Please. Like you're not watching him when he showers."
Voice 2 (female): "Excuse me?!"
Ghost 4 (male): "Yeah, we've seen you hanging around the bathroom. Don't deny it."
Voice 1 (female): "Ugh, you're all hopeless."
The male voices chuckle, their laughter fading into the soft glow of the metal.
Voice 3 (male): "You know, if I could do it as a ghost, I'd be fine with that. Honestly, even with you ladies here, this afterlife wouldn't be so bad."
Voice 2 (female): "Excuse me?!"
Voice 3 (male): "I mean it! You're all beautiful. If we could still… you know… it wouldn't be so boring."
Voice 1 (female): "That's disgusting, even for you."
Voice 4 (male): "Come on, he's got a point. It wouldn't be the worst way to pass the time."
Voice 2 (female): "Pass the time? You're literally talking about having ghost sex. With us. Do you even hear yourselves?"
Voice 3 (male): "Hey, I'm just being honest. You can't tell me you wouldn't be curious."
Voice 1 (female): "No. Absolutely not."
Ghost 4 (male): "Suit yourself. But you're missing out. I have pretty big thing."
Ren's breathing quickens, his subconscious straining against the surreal absurdity of the conversation.
Ren: hehehehe, shut up. Just shut up already. This is the weirdest dream I've ever had. And they are ghosts, right. They said ghost sex and afterlife. But I like the male ghosts there, they are mannnn.
Voice 3 (male): "Anyway, what's up with that glowing rock? Think it does anything?"
Voice 4 (male): "Who knows? It's creepy, though."
Voice 1 (female): "I don't trust it. It's probably cursed."
Voice 2 (female): "Great. Just what we need. A cursed object in the apartment."
Voice 3 (male): "Relax. If it's cursed, it's not like it can hurt us. We're already dead."
Voice 2 (female): ohh look, it's glowing is fading again. That's really creepy.
With the metal glow, the voices fade as well, their chatter dissolving into faint murmurs as Ren's mind begins to stir.
His eyes flutter open, the glow from the metal gone. The room is dark and silent again, the air heavy with stillness.
Ren sits up, running a hand through his hair.
Ren (muttering): "What the hell…?"
His gaze drifts to the metal, now inert and lifeless. He frowns, shaking his head.
Ren: What kind of dream was that? Ghosts talking about my life? About… sex?
Despite the creepiness, a small smile tugs at his lips.
Ren: Weird. But kind of funny. Maybe I need more sleep. It would be interesting to see if they can have sex. I would like to see what ghosts sex look like, hehehehe.
He lies back down, closing his eyes. The room remains silent, but his thoughts linger on the vividness of the dream, wondering if it really was just that—a dream.