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"It still does not prove this is a portal between the worlds." Egon began to circle the hole. As he rotated around the hole, its shape reduced to a sliver of black, and then widened again. From the back it looked the same as the front. A two-dimensional hole hung at chest level in the break-room. Egon almost smiled at his accomplishment.
But, the portal was much too small for a person to enter. It was almost too small for his instruments to cross through. Although what effects may happen if something from the living crossed into the spirit world was only speculation. Bodies, corporeal or not, did not normally cross in such a manner.
"You know what we should do," Ray said. Somehow Ray's smile had widened and his eyes with it. Egon raised an eyebrow. What crazy ideas followed that expression Egon knew were rarely logical or usually sane.
"We should lure a ghost from the spirit world." Ray pointed. "Through the portal. To prove it is what we think."
Egon shook his head. "The likelihood that there is a ghost nearby and that any lure we put through the portal would attract it strongly enough to cross over." Egon frowned. "The odds are astronomical." There had to be some other way. He had so concentrated on how to make the portal, he had not thought about how to study it.
"What the..." Winston rounded the corner to the break-room and paused. "What is that?" He pointed at the hole. "Do I want to know?"
"It is a portal between the living and spirit worlds," Egon explained, not waiting to consider whether Winston really wanted to know the answer.
"A what?" Winston stumbled forward. "You just made a portal between worlds... in the break-room."
"This is proving a rather important theory of paranormal activity." Egon swung his scanner through the air.
"In the break-room?" Winston now stood beside Egon. He shook his head. "You can't be trusted to ever play with the big toys, can you Egon?"
Egon turned to Winston and blinked. "It seemed the best place to do so." He didn't explain all he had reasoned, Winston didn't really want to hear it.
"And why would making a hole be good in the first place?" Winston waved his hand at the portal without taking his eyes off of Egon.
Out of the corner of Egon's vision he saw Ray grab a long metal pole with a thick piece of rope attached. He turned to watch as Ray gathered the rope, leaned back the pole and cast the rope and sandwich attached to the end through the portal.
"Ray." Egon reached out an arm too late. Whyever would Ray have thought such a wacky idea would work? At least when they pulled back the sandwich and rope, Egon might have a better idea what occurred to anything passed into the spirit world from the living and taken back to the living.
From the other side of the room, Peter came strolling in, paused and then stumbled the rest of the way to Egon and Winston. A befuddled look covered his face, his jaw hung down and his eyes never left the portal. Egon sighed, the man was such an actor. Science had been a waste of his talents.
"It's a portal between the living and spirit world," Winston informed Peter, who nodded.
Peter pointed to the metal pole Ray held and rope that now disappeared into the portal. "And just what do they mean to do with this?" he asked Winston.
"Catch a ghost," Ray answered without skipping a beat, as if doing so was a normal activity in the firehouse.
Winston frowned. "This isn't like fishing, Ray."
"This is a serious experiment," Egon said, or at least he had intended it to be. "We're answering an age old, and until now seemingly untestable, hypothesis."
The portal shimmered and the sparks surrounding it turned green. Egon stepped closer to get a reading.
"Maybe we should close it." Winston took a step away.
"Why?" Peter circled the portal now, leaning his head in closer, squinting. "It'll be good for business," Peter added.
Egon sighed. "We are not in the business of confidence artistry," he said. How one could use this for business, besides to know more about the spirit world and its connection to this one, Egon couldn't and didn't wish to imagine.
Peter paused to meet his gaze with Egon's. "Sure we aren't," Peter said with a wink.
Egon shook his head and continued his scans. It would take him months to analysize all this data.
Ray pulled in his line, gathered the rope up and cast it back out. Just like fishing. Why again was Egon associated with these people, besides the fact that they had become his dearest and closest friends.
"Come on," Peter said as he encircled the portal to stand beside Egon. "Letting a few ghosts slip through would make more business for us."
Egon frowned, "We usually have quite enough business already."
"When can you have enough business." Peter put together this thumb and fore finger and made the usual gesture for a small amount. "Just a few." Peter cocked his head. "What would it hurt, Egon?"
Ray's eyes widened. "I think I caught one!" he yelled.
Egon sighed at Peter. "This was created to study." That is how we can better our business, to know more about ghosts."
"Uh, guys," Winston said, his voice pinched. "Guys!"
Egon snapped his head in the direction of Winston's voice. Winston had a hold of Ray's torso. It hung in the air, Ray's head and most of his arms inside the portal. Egon paused for a moment, while the thought rushed through his brain that Ray had caught a ghost, with a sandwich on a rope.
Then, Egon took off after Peter to help Winston. The three of them latched onto Ray and together pulled. Whatever had him on the other side of the portal was putting up a good fight. Egon grabbed tighter to Ray's shirt, leaned back and pulled. They must look a horrible sight, he thought.
With a pop, Ray sprung out of the portal, and before they could stop pulling backwards, flew towards Egon, Winston and Peter. The four of them stumbled and tumbled over each other before ending up in a pile on the floor.
The portal still hung in the air above them. Ray's metal ghost fishing pole banged to the ground. Half of the rope drifted into a pile atop it.
Ray jumped to his feet. "That was great, guys. A whole other world. We should go again. You all should." Slime in green and blue hues covered Ray's head and arms. His hair stood at all angles. And a huge smile covered his face, showing off his flushed cheeks and matching his wide eyes.
Egon rolled his eyes. Only Ray. Peter sighed. Winston shook his head. Together the three of them shared an expression, one that doubted Ray's sanity, but loved his enthusiasm. Then, they helped each other to their feet, clapping Ray on the shoulder and peering more intently at the portal.
Sometimes, Egon rather enjoyed being part of a team.