“There are two beings you need to be aware of,” she said without watching me, “the spirits of the departed and demons.”

I could feel the winter breeze trying to detach my soul. The candles weren’t strong enough to heat my petite body. My mistress came closer and placed a warm blanket around my shoulders. Her pale hand fixed my hair, while a fox-like smile traced her perfect features. She mesmerized me from the start.

“Demons?” It’s funny how my thoughts weren’t mimicking the tremble of my voice. My mind rushed and split between the temperature of my body and the information I was supposed to digest. “I mean, the boy I’ve seen... he was a ghost or a demon?”

“Ghost is such an ugly word,” she grabbed a pipe and released the smoke that had been taunting her all day long, “call them spirits. He was a spirit, one that couldn’t move on. Remember, when you see one, always ask this: are you from here or from somewhere else? A demon will always answer you, a ghost will question back.”

I couldn’t understand well. Everything happened so fast.

---

It was the first day of October and amazingly warm. Yet, my body couldn’t stop trembling as I searched each part of my new apartment. I was sure something lurked somewhere in the darkness and I could swear somebody touched my back the moment I stepped inside. You see, ghosts are funny things. Most of them can hide from plain sight. In theory, people like me could easily see them. At the same time, how powerful their spirit is matters a lot in how they appear. That is why I can rarely see a ghost with all of its original features in place. I’d tell you more about the raccoon one that gave me some trouble a couple of years ago at the temple I had wanted to visit, but I’m so sleepy, I cannot. The ghost won’t let me shower or eat. Every time I try to do anything, my whole body freezes. It’s so darn cold.

“Ya!” I heard myself shouting out of exasperation. It was getting annoying. “Are you here? Come out! Now!”

It was pretty foolish of me to do that. Mind you, they’re not stupid and I will end up being mocked on for days to come if I couldn’t quickly get rid of the spirit. My shoulders dropped as a long sigh escaped my mouth.

“Look, I don’t mean you harm. I just want to sleep already, I’m tired. Okay?” my smile made my cheeks hurt. Ugh. Why do I need to be so polite with ghosts anyway? If they just went away from time to time and would let me do my job without them constantly interrupting me, it would be a nice change of pace. Most spirits bother me with trivial things, unsolved matters after death. I don’t deal with that anymore. Well, sometimes I do, but not when I’m grumpy and when my stomach sings loudly out of hunger. I hugged a pillow to my chest and waited for an answer.

“Hey! Hey! ...are you from here or somewhere else?”

Suddenly, a recognizable sound, something like a clunk, came from the kitchen. I was so sure it came from there that I rushed without thinking twice and ended up on the bedroom floor before I picked myself up and ran down the hallway. To my surprise, there was no ghost. You see, ghosts are easily identified. Most of them are translucent or simply cannot touch the objects in this world. They do however interact with anything burnt: burnt buildings, burnt objects, burnt clothes... they all become theirs. The so called guest that gave me the chills looked like a harmless boy with blonde hair that had been the wind’s playmate, small eyes and full lips twisted in a pleading manner. He pushed open the lower cupboard door as his body crawled out from beneath the sink.

“OI! ARE YOU FROM HERE OR SOMEWHERE ELSE?!” I wish I could see my expression. If the boy had been a demon, I was screwed. You don’t mess with demons.

“Woah woah, what do you mean?” his hands flew before him. He looked terrified. So, he’s not a demon and not a ghost. What is he?

“Who the heck are you?”

“I can explain everything, I swear!”

Once again, the noises of my stomach destroyed the mood. Shocked, I turned to him. They weren’t my noises, but his.

Well, I guess the welcome party rested on my shoulders. How in the world did the boy get in?

---

“Which should I fear most?” my mistress stopped her musing and petted my head.

“Humans.”

“Humans?”

“Yes. Fear humans. Fear me, fear yourself. Humans are capable of everything and anything, that’s why they are the most dangerous. Do not forget: if it’s not a ghost or a demon, it’s probably a human. And humans are the worst.”