Karl groaned softly as he blinked his eyes open, pain pulsing through his skull. His head throbbed from where it had struck the hard floor. The room around him was dim, the air musty and thick, and the only light came from a cracked window covered in grime.
He tried to sit up but winced, realizing his wrists were tied tightly with coarse rope.
His heart began to race.
"What the hell..." he muttered, trying to pull free. His voice trembled—not with fear yet, but confusion. He was never treated this way before. Not at home. Not with his family. Not even when he was annoying or dramatic.
This... was something else.
As his eyes adjusted, he noticed two other ghosts nearby—one was curled up and shaking silently in the corner, the other...
The second ghost looked up—and his jaw dropped too.
"Jo!?" Karl said, completely stunned. "What are you doing here?! You... you ran away with that Witch, didn’t you?!"
Jo’s face crumpled with guilt and sadness. He was much thinner now—his once plump face looked drawn, his shoulders slouched like he carried something heavier than his body.
"I—I didn’t know, Karl," Jo sniffled. "She told me I could become a star. She said my wife was cheating on me, and if I left and worked with her, I’d get fame and make my wife regret everything."
His voice cracked as he started crying. "But it was a trap... I believed her... and now I’m stuck here."
Karl looked at him, stunned into silence.
The other ghost, bound like them, was quietly sobbing. The three of them sat on the wooden floor of what looked like an abandoned storage room—bare walls, no windows big enough to climb out from, and only one locked door.
"We need to leave. Now," Karl said quickly, twisting his wrists against the rope.
Jo nodded. "You’re right... because I heard them whispering earlier—they’re going to sell us. To a brothel." His voice dropped to a whisper full of fear. "They sell ghosts like us to rich witches..."
Karl’s eyes widened in horror.
He was about to speak again when the door creaked open, and a tall figure stepped in.
Her once-sweet smile was gone. Her face was cold now, eyes sharp and lips thin with disdain.
"Don’t even think of running," she said, her voice icy. "Or I won’t mind being ruthless."
Her eyes gleamed with something cruel. She slowly walked in, her footsteps echoing on the floor.
Jo shrank back against the wall. The other ghost whimpered.
Karl glared at her, anger finally rising in his throat.
"You lied to me! You said you were taking me to a set—"
She laughed, dry and cruel.
"Oh, darling," she said, looking him over. "You really are cute. And famous in your little countryside, hmm? That face... those blue eyes, that soft hair... do you know how many rich witches pay good gems for a ghost like you?"
Karl’s stomach turned.
Jiri smiled again, stepping closer. "Jepsi didn’t even tell me you were this well-liked. She just wanted to humiliate Ruby. But now..." She chuckled darkly. "You’re the most valuable one I’ve ever caught."
Karl’s blood ran cold.
He tugged at the ropes harder, panic flooding his chest.
"They’re going to come for me," he said, glaring at her. "My wife’s going to find me."
Jiri laughed. "I hope she does. Let’s see how far her little businesswoman charm gets her in this world."
Then, without another word, she turned and left, locking the door behind her.
Karl sat frozen for a second.
Then he whispered to himself, furious and scared:
"Wife... please find me soon."
Karl sat in the dim room, his back against the cold wall, ropes burning lightly against his wrists. The pain in his head pulsed with each heartbeat, but his thoughts were louder—fast, panicked, tangled.
How do I get out of here?
He looked to the side—Jo was still crying softly, and the other ghost had curled up, muttering under his breath. There were no windows large enough to escape. The only door had been locked with a heavy bolt from the outside.
Karl bit his bottom lip, frustrated.
"Stupid... stupid... why didn’t I notice anything strange?"
He leaned his head back, shutting his eyes tightly, willing himself to think.
’If Brother Adi were here... he’d figure it out in two seconds.’ He could almost hear Adrian’s calm, serious voice pointing out the weaknesses in the room.
’And wife... haah... she’d burn the place down with her glare and walk out like a queen.’
His lips twitched into a crooked smile.
"I wish I could borrow their brains just once..."
But wishing wouldn’t save him now.
He shook his head and slapped his forehead with the side of his tied hands.
No. He had to think. Think with his brain. Even if it was slower. Even if it was silly. Even if he messed up—
He looked around again. The ropes were tight, but they were rough—the kind that frayed if rubbed long enough. Maybe...
He discreetly shifted his hands behind his back, pressing the knot against the sharp edge of a wooden splinter poking out from the wall.
It hurt. But that was good.
If it hurt—it meant something was working.
He just needed time. And patience. And a little bit of the reckless courage Ruby always scolded him for.
He puffed his cheeks, muttering under his breath.
"Alright, Karl... You wanted to be a star. Well, stars don’t give up. Stars escape."
And he began slowly rubbing the knot back and forth...
The ropes rubbed quietly beneath Karl’s wrists, the splinter from the wall digging into the knot one thread at a time. His hands were sore. His head throbbed. But he kept going.
Just a little more... just a little—
The door opened again.
Karl stiffened instantly, heart slamming against his ribs. He quickly hid the movement of his wrists behind his back, his breath catching in his throat.
This time, it wasn’t Jiri.
The figure that stepped in was a witch tall, dressed in a flowing dark crimson robe. Her hair was long Black, coiled with golden pins, and her heels clicked softly against the floorboards as she stepped into the room.
Karl kept his eyes down, pretending to look weak, lost, quiet.
But her eyes had already landed on him.
—To be continued...🪄