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Ranboo readjusted the strap on his back before he put his hands on the ladder. He shook it once to make sure it was stable, and then put one foot on it. He climbed up quickly, he did not want to be out in the open like that for long, it was the perfect chance for someone--- on accident or on purpose--- to push him off. That would be a terrible way to go. That would mean two people would have died at the raised pond.
The teen made it up to the top of the ladder, and walked around the edge. Since the last time he was here, he had installed guard rails. They were made with wood, since wood was a resource that they wouldn’t run out of, but he made sure they were stable enough that no one would fall on accident. When he saw Tubbo fall and just barely live, it’s what encouraged him to do it. This place can’t have two deaths caused by the same pond.
It was just him now, though. Tubbo had used up most of his three hours, and was now resting somewhere only Ranboo knew. Only Ranboo was allowed to know where he was, the two trusted each other. Phil knew as well, when he was around.
Ranboo couldn’t help but be upset at the pond, each fish he caught made him more angry. Couldn’t Phil’s death be worth something? All that they got was this pond, a pond that didn’t even give much loot. Phil seemed to be the only person who got much use out of it. Though others sometimes got good items as well.
Sneeg was a good example. One time Ranboo and Sneeg were the only ones awake, so they fished together at the pond. Ranboo was making terrible jokes pretty much the whole time, both in quality and in taste. Sneeg still laughed, which Ranboo considered a win.
That wasn’t now, though. Ranboo was alone. He sat down at the edge, and unbuttoned the makeshift sash he made for his fishing rod to rest. He didn’t want to hold the rod in his hand went he went up the ladder, that made his grip less stable, more chance of falling. Ranboo took a lot of risks in this box, but knew this was one he shouldn’t take. This was not a safe area.
He sent his line into the water, and looked in front of him. The timer that was so present in the sky counted down, slowly but surely. There were so many days left to go, it was painful. They didn’t even know what would happen once the time came to a stop. Each person inside of the box had theories, but none of them knew for sure.
The fact that none of them knew bothered Ranboo, he decided. The fact that Charlie, Wilbur, and now Phil were all dead, and the people left alive didn’t even know if their deaths were worth it. The two graves that sat in the box were left as a reminder, one that Ranboo didn’t like to be reminded of. The two people that now rested there, Charlie and Wilbur, were both deaths that could technically be considered murder. (Well, Charlie’s death definitely was. Ranboo was unsure about Wilbur’s. He felt the guilt that came with it, that’s for sure.)
There was no grave for Phil, the people of the enclosure decided that Phil didn’t really need one. The pond was his final resting place, because he was happy there. Ranboo doesn’t know where his body is now; he assumed the ground underneath it. Nobody told him, and that was probably a good thing. Ranboo didn’t need a visual reminder of who he lost, the body of water in front of him was more than enough.
He felt a bite, and quickly reeled in whatever got latched onto the hook. He groaned when it was just another fish. He used to be excited for fish, even the smallest of cod was enough for him to be satisfied with his catch. The box wasn’t short of food anymore, so it felt worthless to him. Ranboo had spent so much time on the wheat field that covered a good portion of the ground. He always gave the excuse of it needing to be done to keep everyone alive, but the truth was it was mainly to rest his anxieties. He had a habit of staying up much later than everyone else, and no one else being around made him get upset. Sometimes Tubbo would use part of his three hours with him late into the night, but that didn’t happen often.
Ranboo placed the fish into a barrel that he stole from Wilbur’s balloon. Wilbur’s ghost had decided that Ranboo was the one to inherit all of the belongings that Wilbur owned, and the teen intended to use everything he could, to hopefully make it up to him. He knew that it wouldn’t, that nothing could ever make up for the lost of a life, but it helped his usually swimming mind rest, even for a second.
He casted his fishing rod again, and looked back at the clock. Only a few minutes had gone by. Ranboo rolled his eyes and looked away, with the hope that maybe if he stopped looking, the time would go by faster. He knew it wouldn’t physically, time wasn’t something that you could just speed up. Ranboo did it anyway.
“Aww, mate.” A voice came from his left, “you still upset about catching cod? I thought we talked about this.” Ranboo turned his head to see Phil. Well, not Phil as he once was. He was transparent now, and definitely not alive. The ghost smiled.
Ranboo had talked to the ghost once before, at this same pond. Tubbo had fallen asleep right next to the pond, and Ranboo did not want to risk taking him down the ladder. So the teen had fished right there, and had a lovely time with the ghost. If a little annoying, due to the fact that he didn’t catch anything too good. “I knoww.” Ranboo dragged the words out, “but I can’t help but be impatient, the clock gets to me and makes me anxious, I feel like I’m wasting time by catching only cod and salmon.” He looked away and went right back to the floating clock.
Ranboo heard a chuckle, and the ghost of Phil spoke. “Well, I get that, but you have to understand that you have a lot of time, you know? Even though that clock is going down, and each day goes by, a full twenty-four hours is still a long time, and there’s still quite a few left of those.”
“Well I want to be prepared for whatever happens once that time is up, you know this.” Ranboo had pulled another fish out of the water, much to his disappointment. He sighed, “Another fish,” and put it into the barrel. He casted his line again. “We still don’t know what it’s going to be.”
The teen heard a hum of agreement, and looked back at Phil. The ghost looked at Ranboo. “That’s true, we don’t. It could be that the border is let down and the survivors are free, or it could be that you all just die, and end up in the afterlife like me.” He shrugged, and looked at the water with a smile.
“How can you say that with such a carefree attitude? I don’t get it.” Ranboo followed his gaze, and looked at the water. The stars above reflected in the pond, with a shine that could not be replicated anywhere else. “Don’t you care what happens to us?”
“Ehhh…” Phil trailed off, and seemed to think about his next statement for a moment. “I guess so, I care for a couple of you guys.” The ghostly hand touched the water, it going straight through. No ripple effect came from the contact.
Ranboo tilted his head. He knew that Phil didn’t care about everyone in the box, he knew that on day one. Well, he sort of cared, but Phil prioritized his safety before anyone else. Ranboo’s always came second. It may have been tied with Tubbo, he wasn’t sure. It made sense, the three of them worked together. Well, more like Phil and Ranboo worked together, and Tubbo was with Ranboo. It was only natural for Phil and Tubbo to bond and look after each other. Phil seemed to know more than he let on about the conditions in the box, and so Ranboo let Phil guide both him and Tubbo on what they should do to stay alive. Tubbo may not have taken the advice all the time, but he was still alive. Ranboo thought he should ask Phil who he cares about anyway. “What do you mean by a couple of us? You don’t care about everyone?”
“I don’t care about Jack too much,” Phil stated bluntly, “he murdered Charlie and then tried to justify it. That man would probably kill again.” Ranboo looked up from the water as Phil removed his hand, and placed it on the edge of the pond. “Tommy is someone I looked out for, but mainly because I don’t think he fully processed the situation. He stole our items though, I don’t like that. I may be dead, but I can still be bitter.” He chuckled lightly. “Sneeg never did anything wrong to me, so he’s fine. If he ended up dead I would be sad, I guess.”
Once Phil stopped talking, Ranboo waited a second before adding on. “So that just leaves me, Tubbo.. and Wilbur.” He finished his sentence quietly, half expecting Phil to be mad at him for having a hand in Wilbur’s death; even though last time the two had spoken at this pond, Phil had forgiven him.
“And Wilbur’s dead, so that only leaves you and Tubbo.” Phil looked at Ranboo. “Tubbo is an extremely smart kid, despite not being able to be awake for long periods of time. He’s already figured out a way to get outside of the border, if only for a couple steps before he starts to get hurt. At least, that’s what you told me.” Phil looked away. “And he built that farm, and he was the one who came up with the villager idea, which could possibly work if it’s safe enough. He knows ways to get resources that nobody else alive does, he’ll be important to your guy’s survival.”
Ranboo nodded. “Yeah, I agree with you on that.” The teen rubbed his arm a bit as he spoke. “He is way more of a risk taker then I am though, and we’ve had quite a few scares. The phantoms are the worst when they come about. Sometimes Tubbo freezes up when it’s just us, and I have to protect him from the creatures as they swoop down.”
“That’s why he has you by his side,” Ranboo could practically feel the warmth of the smile that came from that statement, despite the person who said it being a ghost, and let Phil continue as he looked up at the night sky. “Someone who is willing to keep a lookout, and is constantly aware of his surroundings. You are a hard worker, even if you complain while doing it.” Phil chuckled. “A fast learner too, once you see something go wrong you know how to protect others from getting hurt. You’re constantly looking out for others safety, even if you don’t realize it half the time. You’re everybody’s third eye, even Tubbo’s.”
“Especially Tubbo’s.” Ranboo had corrected. Ranboo moved about an inch closer to where the ghost of Philza sat, out of habit. He frowned underneath his mask once he remembered that he was talking to a ghost, and not the alive Phil that he knew. “I just wish he’d be a bit more careful. That’s all.”
Phil laughed. “I wish that too, but you can’t control the kid.” He smiled, and Ranboo smiled with him. “However, you can look after him.” Phil looked at the fishing rod. “You’re about to get another bite.”
Ranboo knew by now to trust Phil’s judgement when it came to fishing, so he kept a good hold on the fishing rod in his hands. Once he felt a tug, he reeled in what got caught on the hook. He groaned once he realized it was just a lilypad. “Phil..” Ranboo sighed, and set the lilypad on top of the water. “If it’s not anything special you shouldn’t tell meee.” He dragged out the sentence, and looked back at Phil, who chuckled with a grin.
“Mate, if you don’t pull up the lilypad now, that lilypad could be pulled up in the future. Better to get it out of the way with now so you don’t have to deal with it later.” Phil once again reached his hand out, but this time touched the top of the lilypad. He didn’t move the hand down any further, so it looked like he was physically touching the plant, Ranboo knew better.
“I guess so, I’m just so tired Phil. I need this process to move faster.” If Phil had a physical body, Ranboo would one hundred percent dramatically fall onto him, though that wasn’t an option, so instead he just set the fishing rod down and started to look through his bag.
While Ranboo looked, the ghost beside him continued the conversation. “Well, fishing was never meant to be a fast thing. At least using a fishing rod, people who use nets often have a much better time getting fish. I don’t know about other, possibly enchanted items though.” He laughed. “Besides, none of you know how to create a net anyway.”
Ranboo pulled out a loaf of bread as Phil finished his sentence, and replied. “I bet I could if I tried hard enough. It’s probably just a whole bunch of string, can’t be too bad. Tie a million knots and you’d get something close enough.” Ranboo pulled his mask down and took a bite out of the bread in his hand. It was made about two hours ago, so it was fresh.
The teen was comfortable having his mask down around Phil, the two trusted each other. Phil never made fun of Ranboo for the scars that covered him, and Ranboo was grateful for that. He also had scars on his hands, but he’s never taken his fingerless gloves off to show anyone. Nobody would be interested, anyway. He went to go break a piece off the other end of the loaf for Phil to have, but then he remembered. “Oh.”
Phil, the ghost beside him, broke out into a laugh again. “Yeah! I can’t have that, mate! Glad you noticed!” He slammed his transparent hand against the stone floor, and it didn’t pass through. Ranboo never understood that. “Maybe if I was alive I would have some.”
Ranboo stammered for a moment, “I was going to offer just to be nice! You can’t blame me for that! You would have totally wanted the bread if you were alive, don’t say ‘Maybe’,” He made air quotes with his free hand, “because that is a lie! I made good bread, you even agreed with me once!”
The other grinned. “Haha whoops I’m a ghost I don’t remember!” Phil elbowed Ranboo, and it passed right through him. “Sorry, us ghosts just don’t remember certain parts of our life!” Phil couldn’t help but laugh again, which caused Ranboo to sigh and put his hand up to his face. He still smiled, though.
“Oh come on. Out of all things, you don’t remember that? That’s quite convenient for someone who’s remembered most of their life in this box!” Ranboo removed his hand, and took another bite of the bread.
Phil waved his hand in dismissal. “It’s quite weird how ghost memory works, trust me, I’m a ghost, I know.” Phil chuckled once he saw Ranboo roll his eyes. “If you were a ghost you would believe me.” He paused for a moment. “Probably.”
Once Ranboo finished his bite, he spoke. “No, no Phil I still wouldn’t.” He now held the loaf in both of his hands, and looked back at the clock. He continued to smile at the obscurity of this conversation. A ghost and a teenage boy debate about if one of them could remember how the others bread tasted, all while sitting at a pond that was floating in the sky. Ranboo still had no clue how things appeared in the pond.
“Whatever you say, Ranboo.” Phil had now dropped the conversation, and joined the other at the staring of the clock. As it ticked down, Ranboo sighed. He could see out of the corner of his eye Phil tilting his head, and Ranboo looked back at him. Phil spoke up. “You know, you’re going to be here for quite a while.”
Ranboo rolled his eyes and looked away. “That’s if I’m alive the entire time, which I probably won’t be.” Ranboo reached into his bag, and pulled out something to wrap up his unfinished loaf of bread in. He started to wrap up the loaf as Phil next to him continued the conversation the two were having.
“There’s a chance you won’t be, but there’s also a chance that you will. You should believe that you will live the whole time, you know? It’s at least something to do, you won’t have to sit in the dark the whole time while you’re waiting for someone to come to where you died so you can have someone to talk to.”
The teen looked back at Phil, who still smiled despite the darkness of the subject. “Is that what the afterlife is like?” He asked, and finished wrapping up his bread. He stored it back in his bag, for another time. The bread was still good, and there was no point in wasting it. At least, that’s what Phil had taught him. Never to waste food, because you never know when you’ll actually need it.
Phil didn’t agree or disagree, he just pushed the conversation forward. “That doesn’t matter to you, does it? You are still very much alive. It’ll stay that way for awhile. You don’t need or even get to know what the afterlife is like just yet.”
Ranboo sighed. “I could die within the next hour! You can’t control when I die.” He chuckled at his own statement, the thought of Phil having some control over who dies was funny to him, especially now that Phil himself was dead, he can’t affect anyone else's death.
“But will you die? The others need you, you know. You are the reason that they are all eating bread right now. You are the reason that some of them are still alive. You help them keep each other afloat, even if they don’t even realize it all the time. You will be an extremely important part in what comes next.” Phil smiled and looked away, back towards the direction of the clock.
The other tilted his head, and stayed like that for a moment as he processed the words that came from Phil. “I mean, I guess so." . . . "What do you mean, ‘what comes next’? What do you know Phil? Can I know?” Ranboo stared at him for a moment, as if that would get the answer out of the ghost. But he just seemed to stare right through him, Phil didn’t even flinch. Eventually, Ranboo looked back at the clock with the ghost.
“Ehh…” Phil finally made a noise, but it quickly died out. After a moment, Phil spoke again. “Just. Whatever happens, Ranboo, promise me that you’ll try your best. Alright? Try your best to keep your allies alive, along with Jack and Tommy if you want as well, they probably need the help.” Phil laughed at his own statement, before he stopped suddenly and went back to the serious tone that he had before. “Keep your allies alive. Especially Tubbo. Can you do that for me?”
Ranboo’s gaze went from the floating timer to the water in front of the pair. He took a deep breath, before a small nod of agreement came from him. “I can try. It doesn’t mean I will succeed, but it is something I can attempt. I trust your judgement.”
“Good.” Phil replied, and hummed for a second afterward. Ranboo felt a wing being wrapped around him, with it physically touching him. The gray wing pulled Ranboo close for a moment, but he didn’t complain. “They’ll need your help, and my advice. Seeing as you’re one of the only one’s willing to heed advice when it’s from me, that’ll come from you too.” He chuckled.
Ranboo nodded in response. “Yeah. I guess it will. I guess it will.”
The two sat in comfortable silence in the night, only the sound of the clock in front of them ticking down filled Ranboo’s ears, along with the sound of fire from a torch from across the pond. It was comforting, the teen had decided to himself. Even though Phil wasn’t alive anymore, and the two could only talk through whatever magic the floating pond possessed, that was good enough for him. He just hoped after the countdown reaches its end, he’ll still have a way to talk to the other.