I wonder if my family is doing well in their afterlife. That’s something I often find myself thinking about as I sulk around my lonely and sullen household. Once filled to the brim with light and love, bustling with the little pitter patter of the young ones feet as they ran from room to room screaming and playing. The running water as my mother washes off the potatoes in preparation for whatever meal it was we would be having that night. Creaking doors opening and closing as my father makes his way to the couch to lounge around for the evening after a long day at work. I wish it could have stayed that way for the rest of my life, but change is inevitable. Change came quickly, and before I knew it, the house was empty.

One by one the members in my family had all met their end. My father and the youngest in our family died in a car crash. My brother's school had called my father to come pick him up one day on grounds of him running a fever, of course my father was in no position to argue. As they drove home however, they were struck by a pickup truck running a red light. Both were killed upon impact, no one survived the crash. While the loss of not one but two family members might have hit our household strongly, it served to bring us together in the end.

My older sister decided to move back in, hoping to ease the financial void that was beginning to open up in the wake of our father’s death. That didn't last long though, for another death was going to strike the family. Course, it just had to be my older sister, having just moved back home. She had left behind some friends, coworkers, lovers and the likes when she moved back in with us. Unbeknownst to both her and the rest of the family, was the fact she had left behind more than just friendly loving relationships, but a stalker as well. Mister stalker didn't like that she was no longer within his grasp of course, and her disobedience, as he called it in a letter he left at his apartment detailing his plan, prompted him to follow her to our house. He broke in during the night, found his way to her room, and sliced the flesh of her throat, before making his way to my younger sister's room. The ensuing commotion woke my mother, who grabbed my fathers old hunting rifle and quickly buried two shots right between his eyes.

My mother had never shot a gun, hell I'm not even sure she had ever held one before that night. It was no surprise then, that in trying to protect my younger sister from her would-be assailant, she wound up hitting her as well. In one night, both my sisters were gone, and it was just me and my mother remaining. My grandparents had died several years prior to my father, our family was nearly wiped completely off the map. Mother struggled hard to find ways to stay happy in this trying time. Stricken with grief over the loss of our family, she would bury herself in her room for hours upon hours at a time.

Until one day finally, a loud bang rang out through the house. I didn't even need to go look to see what had happened, the sound of a gun still fresh in my mind from the time my sister was killed. Almost dull to the emotions that come with the loss of family by this point, I called once again to the police to come and take away the now cold body of my mother. With my family now deceased, I was the only one left from my family, everything had gone to me, our estate, cars, savings, everything. Which leads me to today, sitting here at the edge of my bed, listening to the somber silence that haunts the halls of my house, far too large for one person.

I should get out of bed and go look for a job or something, I can't continue living off the money left to me by my deceased parents forever. Yet the thought of having to work a regular job bores me endlessly, slaving away from morning till evening, just to come home and go to bed. Wake up the next day and repeat the same steps over and over until I grow old and die, if I grow old that is. I think I'll go for a walk, try and clear my head of all this fuzz, thinking about what used to be and what could be isn't going to do me any good.

I slip on my all black worn down sneakers, not having bought a new pair for nearly two years,  as well as my fluffy plaid patterned coat, trusted for cold weather. The handle of the door leading to the outside world is cold, maybe I should have grabbed some mittens, but I'm already in the entryway, there's no point in turning around now. Greeted by the bright sun on a not so snowy January morning, wincing in pain. It's been far too long since I even thought about stepping outside, moping around my property has become my new pass-time. Although I mustered the courage to go out and take a walk, I'm not sure where I'm going to go, my path is directionless, as is my life. I suppose the best course of action would be to just pick a street and start walking down it then.

“Oh, the sun’s setting already? Have I been walking for that long?”

I wasn’t even aware that I was speaking my thoughts out loud this entire time. I had been walking long enough that the sun was already setting, and hadn’t seen another soul for the entirety of it.

“You know, you really should keep some thoughts to yourself”

There was a girl's voice ringing out in my ears, something about keeping my thoughts to myself? Who was speaking to me? I didn't see anyone around, but how would someone communicate with me, and not even be present?

“Hello? Who’s there… show yourself!”

“You have no class you know, you should properly address someone when you speak to them, especially when they’re your superior.”

“I don’t even know who the hell you are, and I can’t properly address someone I can’t see or know, now can I?”

“Hmm,.. I suppose you have a point, though I can't do much about it, because I'm not anywhere even remotely near you.”

“Hah? You expect me to believe you’re not anywhere near me, and yet have the capability to both hear what I'm saying, and speak to me?”

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I wasn’t sure what was happening, somewhere inside me I believed them when they said they weren’t nearby. In fact no one was nearby, I haven’t seen anyone in days, even after I Chose to leave my house. There’s no way though, surely they’re just hiding in a bush nearby or something, I just need to weed them out. I refuse to let myself be pranked by some girl who thinks it's funny to scare strangers.

“You really believe I'm nearby huh? Hmm, I guess I do have one way to prove it to you.”

“Oh, I'd love to see some proof, actually I'm dying to see some, feel free, I'm eagerly waiting.”

And just as the final words escaped my lips, from behind a telephone pole roughly ten feet away, a teddy bear walked forth. Surely this was just a part of the prank, this teddy bear has gotta be some sort of toy you get at a supermarket that you can control. Like one of those rc cars you'd get as a kid that you could control with a little remote.

“Well, believe me now?”

It spoke. The teddy bear spoke to me.

“T-this is a prank right? There’s no way a bear can talk… right? Surely it's just a silly little toy.”

“Hmm, well I guess it is technically a toy by virtue of being a teddy bear, but this bear is not speaking to you. Rather I'm speaking to you through the use of the teddy bear from a faraway location.”

“I just wanted to go for a damn walk, what have I gotten myself into.”

“Hmm, well I suppose it wasn’t really your fault, we’ve been watching you for some time, mister Obake.”

“How do you know my name… and can you stop saying Hmm every time you start a sentence, no one talks like that.”

“Hmm, well first off its how I speak, have some manners. Secondly we’ve been watching you for quite some time now, you’ve experienced a great deal of loss these past few years haven't you?”

They know things about me that only those close to me would. This random talking teddy bear drawing closer to me every second is starting to really freak me out.

“How do you know that? Who the hell are you? I won’t ask again.”

“We’re here to protect you mister Obake, you’re being followed by the ghosts of your family. You’ve seen them haven’t you? Walking through the halls at night when no one should be around. Cleaning their faces in the bathroom as they would every morning. Going about their day as if they’re still alive. It's only a matter of time before they realize you can see them, and when they do, they will kill you. We’re here to prevent that. Believe me or not, that's up to you, but you're in very real danger right now.”

She wasn’t wrong, ever since my father and brother first passed away, their ghosts had been moving around the property as if they weren’t dead. I could see them, but I was the only one who could. No one else acted in a manner that would indicate they could see their ghosts. Looking up at the sky, the sun is completely set now, though a tinge of light shines just over the horizon, enough for me to still see in front of me.

“How the hell do you know this? You say you’ve been watching me, why. You say I'm in danger, danger of what, what could my family possibly want to do to me?”

“Hmm, as much as I'd like to answer your questions, we really shouldn't just be standing in the middle of the street. Come, pick me up, it's hard to move around as a teddy bear you know. You’ll go where I tell you, and there we can meet up. I'll answer all your questions, as long as you agree to help exorcize your family.”

“What?! You want me to exorcize my family? Are you insane? Those are my loved ones, they're already dead, and you want me to kill them again in their afterlife?”

“Hmm, well it's not quite killing them again. Look, just go to the abandoned school building south of the drawbridge, you’ll see it if you just continue on this street for another two or so miles. I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Hey! Wait! I wasn’t done talking to you”

I got no response however, the teddy bear slumped to the ground. I suppose that means she wasn’t lying, she actually was controlling the teddy bear to speak to me. What in the hell was that all about? The old school building, right, I know where that is. Only one way to get the answers I actually desire then huh. All this talk about spirits got my stomach churning… danger? How could I possibly be in danger, they seemed harmless, they were just going about their days as normal. No point sulking around here, I've done that plenty at my house.

I rush over and pick up the now limp teddy bear. I figure whoever is waiting for me at the old schoolhouse would appreciate having it back. I set one foot in front of the other and begin walking again, sliding the bear in the pocket of my jacket. Soon I’ll come face to face with whoever it was on the other side of the bear. It makes me anxious just thinking about it, but if I'm truly in danger as they say I am, I’ll choose to put my faith in believing them for now.