Archive of Our Own ^beta

Tried and Tested Methods for Effectively Handling a Haunting

by Ivan K.

Not many know what truly happens after death. Not many harbor the desire to know. Given the sensitivities of the living, the topic can be a hard one to approach. But no one is impenetrable to the blade. Not even those warm-blooded and thrumming with motion. Fuller than existence itself. In fact, evidence shows that they may be even more vulnerable to it.

So, how should you anticipate this inevitable change in state? Preparation, if excessive, provides no solace. Death always seems to arrive without warning. If you are particularly unlucky, it may even arrive wearing a face you never wanted to see it wear. Literally.

The Existence of the Supernatural

Understandably, the suggestion of paranormal activity can cause a wave of contempt in a respectable mind. However, various surveys conducted over the years indicate that a large number of individuals share a belief in the supernatural. For example, a study conducted by Science Direct revealed that 40% of participants believed they had a ghostly encounter at least once over the course of their lives, while 30% held a strong belief in the possibility. Among those with such inclinations, 22% are those who have had access to a higher level of education. In the end, it seems that logic surrenders to emotion.

Loss can be quite damning. It makes you eager to the suggestion that something lies beyond the obvious conclusion. You may even actively go looking for it. Seances are growing more popular, and Ouija board sales have been on the rise by the day. The human brain is more susceptible to hope than you realize.

Identifying a Haunting

Say you have a childhood acquaintance who recently met an unfortunate demise. A week or so later, you might start seeing strange occurrences around your house. A half-eaten orange on the ground, peeled halfway, the way he liked to impatiently peel his. A few creases on the left side of the mattress, the side you still leave empty out of habit. A handprint on the bathroom mirror, right beside letters spelling out G O O D M O R N I N G. S T U P I D.

After a few such instances, you may notice that haunting is taking on a more definitive shape. A hazy reflection in the glass, unkempt gray hair falling over blurred, green eyes that refuse to look straight at you once again. A familiar shoulder turning around the corner, a few inches shorter than your own. Even a tickle on your shoulder, followed by a burst of laughter in the dark, the sound of which makes your heart race as usual, but this time, for a different reason.

The question is, can you put your biases aside and arrive at the truth? Say death is really here. Say it is 178 centimeters tall. Say you have to call it by his name. Will you?

Initial Doubt and Disbelief

To verify the validity of an apparition, you might have to rely on your own mind. However, memory can be quite fickle, even if you were praised for it in the past. It just takes a few days for your brain to start erasing the outline of the mouth you have stared at for a decade. In such cases, it may be harder to tell if what you are seeing truly exists. Did those lips always twist so awkwardly? Did the eyes droop to this extent?

To confirm, you may have to carry out a couple of small tests. Try telling that joke about the star wearing the sunglasses. Even better, try challenging the apparition to a game of rock-paper-scissors and then lose on purpose. You may not know many things, but that smile you would know anywhere in the world.

Settling In

If somehow, you have decided to take responsibility for your apparition, then it is important to familiarize them with your space. Apparitions may be drawn to certain locations based on the circumstances of their demise. For example, if your apparition perished in the rain, he may find himself more comfortable in the bathtub or shower of your apartment or bungalow.

Apparitions also prefer rooms with good surround sound, especially if they enjoyed singing when they could breathe air into their lungs. To ensure that he is not discomforted by the weight of the silence, try humming his favorite songs, including the ones he always hid from you. Do you love me? Don't you leave me. Recall all those lessons on vocal control. It is essential that you do not allow your voice to waver. You have used it to say many untrue things. For once, say the truth where it matters.

Clothing

Initially, your apparition may still be dressed in the well-ironed suit from the day of their burial, with a few specks of dirt here and there. You might have imagined him dressed like this in a different setting. A dance or a wedding. You placing his hand in someone else's, giving him away. Giving him away, you say, as if he were ever yours. Still, you would have liked to do your part, telling the story about the flower crowns, smiling in all the right places. He, soft-eyed in the crowd, hair parted to the side. Looking every bit like someone's handsome, loving son.

In the end, when you gave him away, he still looked as handsome. Perhaps it is a good thing that best man speeches can be made into eulogies with only a few edits.

Still, death can turn the body stiff, which can make a suit even more stifling. To provide your apparition with a more comfortable resting attire, try offering him the jacket he forgot the last time he was over. He may feel more at ease smelling the ginseng and mint of his own body soap. If his scent is fading fast, try giving him your black shirt, which he liked to borrow every sleepover. Habitual proximity is better than nothing. Make sure not to confuse it with anything deeper.

Nourishment

For the first ten days after passing, the apparition may still appear to have a sense of taste. If you still have the beef soup and rice cakes remaining from the funeral service, you can try feeding him. He may miss the taste of his mother's food.

Save the fried potatoes you planned on eating with him for another time. The texture may not be as kind to his rotting teeth. Instead, boil soft noodles on the stove. Dice the tomatoes finer than usual. Scoop spoonfuls carefully into his mouth, giving him many minutes to chew. Between yourselves, savor the tinges of what could have easily been.

Growth and Development

Apparitions might be a few steps behind in terms of the developmental milestones of the living, but they are quick to learn. Think of him as being three years old again. Teach him all the words as he did to you when you were little. Flower. Loser. Hug. Even the ones that are unfamiliar. Careful with the S's. He may tend to trip on those. The sounds you always wanted to convey to him. Stop. Sorry. Stupid. Should have been me instead. Do what you did not back then: Give him the time neither of you has left anymore.

To help him build up his tactile skills, give him loose flowers, all of them the color of blotted blood. Let his muscle memory awaken, tying each stem in careful knots. When he places the finished ring of petals on your head, accept it without being crushed afterward.

Playtime

Death can get lonely, especially for those apparitions who disliked being stationary when alive. To ensure that your apparition stays mentally engaged, hand him a pencil and paper to keep himself entertained. In the first few days, he may be especially clumsy and stick to juvenile shapes, unable to get the grip quite right. A circle. A triangle. A rhombus here and there. Even your own face. Wait for him to hand it to you with trembling hands. A hesitant smile. Discard the pages immediately once he is out of sight.

Providing Comfort

Even apparitions have their challenging days. If your apparition falls strangely quiet, scraping under their chin might prove effective. Depending on your previous relationship, they may be somewhat used to this action. Try to keep your hands steady so as not to shake the balance.

You may be tempted to rub off the smears on his bruised cheeks, just as you once tended to his wounds. But this is not the same mud you pushed him in before you grew so much bigger than he did. This mud is from somewhere much deeper. Its stain so permanent, it is inerasable by your futile fingers.

Common Myths and Superstitions Regarding Ghosts

While many myths regarding ghostly apparitions have no basis, some do carry inklings of the truth. Perhaps it would be beneficial to go over a few of them below.

• Levitation range appears to depend on the duration one has spent as an apparition. Typically, apparitions start with six to seven inches, slowly reaching a height of three or four feet off the ground. If you have a habit of putting dishes on the higher shelf so they are out of reach for certain individuals, this prank may no longer work. It seems death is quite the bigger joke.

• Apparitions do run quite cold. If you are used to leeching off their body warmth, this may disturb the natural order of things. If it helps, try to think of a comparable event. Say you and your childhood acquaintance often shared a bed in winter. Say his feet always touched yours under the sheets. Try to think of his freezing toes from that moment. That is simply the temperature of the rest of him. For the rest of forever.

• Apparitions can be quite temperamental. Check the floor when you walk into the kitchen. You may have to step over a broken dish or two. The radio may screech, the television screen bleeding into static. The messages in the mirror may gain a swear word or two. D O N T B E L I K E T H I S. S L E E P W E L L. E A T W E L L. C H E E R U P. B A S T A R D. C H E E R U P. It seems that even in death, you have managed to evoke his anger. As it turns out, you cannot even repent right.

Conclusion

Generally, the spirit of a deceased person stays in the world of the living for 45 days, after which it passes on to the afterlife. In this period, family or friends of the deceased may encounter an apparition resembling them in various ways. If this occurs, you can try out the above recommended methods.

Remember that spirits are drawn to fear and other states of emotional turmoil. Make no mistake. The very presence of an apparition indicates a disturbed mind in proximity. Perhaps even his numbness you have stolen from him.

It is alright. It will not last forever.

Know that all hauntings are temporary. There is nothing special about your grief.