[Goldberg leads Sissel and Tracey into a bedroom, containing a mattress and doorway into another room. Goldberg moves into the centre of the room, turning back at the two confused teenagers.]

Goldberg: Okay… I’ve been doing some thinking about the afterlife. What there is past… this. And I’ve been trying fairly hard to just figure out a good way of moving on, which is harder than it sounds, but I’m realising… I think the answer is right in front of us all.

[Sissel and Tracey very quickly look at each other then back at Goldberg.]

Tracey: [confused] So…?

[Goldberg smiles smugly, stretching his arms out to the side.]

Goldberg: [triumphant] Unfinished business! We all have it. In this case, especially me and you or else we wouldn’t still be here.

Sissel: That’s not necessarily true, we don’t understand any of this still-

Goldberg: [triumphant] That’s true, very true, but tell me if you’ve seen any other ghost around here? Any spooky ghouls?

[Sissel thinks for a few moments.]

Goldberg: [triumphant] Look, I’m not saying that I’m completely correct but I’m trying the hardest I can to give a reason. Give a way.

Tracey: [confused] Way to what?

[Goldberg looks to Tracey, smile faltered slightly.]

Goldberg: Moving on, we… we should move on. To… y’know.

[Tracey goes wide eyed, looking quickly between Goldberg and Sissel while nervously chuckling.]

Tracey: [nervous] Um… no, thanks, no, I’m fine.

Goldberg: It’s really best that we-

Tracey: [nervous, yelling] No!

[Goldberg stays silent.]

Tracey: [nervous, panicking] I… I just got back! I-I’m back with Sissel and I-I’ll be able to see my friends again…

Sissel: [worried] Tracey?

Tracey: [nervous, panicking] W-we don’t even know if you’re right! You could be wrong! What if you’re wrong? Then what?

Sissel: [worried] Tracey, calm down.

[Sissel tries to put his hand on her shoulder, but she quickly moves away from him and towards the wall furthest from Sissel and Goldberg. She’s crying.]

Tracey: [panicking] Please, don’t. Don’t try to- Please, I’m just...

[Sissel tries to moves over to Tracey, but Goldberg stops him by putting his hand in front of Sissel.]

Goldberg: [quietly] Let me. Go.

[Sissel hesitates but Goldberg pushes him enough to get him slowly moving out the room. Goldberg moves in front of Tracey, blocking her view as she cries.]

Goldberg: [kind] Hey, look at me. Okay? Look at me.

[Tracey looks at Goldberg, panicking.]

Tracey: [panicking] How do you even know that any of this is going to work?

[Goldberg chuckles awkwardly.]

Goldberg: [embarrassed] I made it up.

Tracey: [panicking, confused] W-what? Why did-

[Goldberg quickly shushes Tracey.]

Goldberg: [quietly] Look… your friend is worried about you. He thinks that if you stay around here then… let’s say that things are going to get pretty damn bloody.

Tracey: [confused, upset] He wants me gone?

Goldberg: [quietly] That’s what you took from this? Really?

[Goldberg sighs.]

Goldberg: [quietly] Look, this is the best option for the both of you right now. If he thinks that you’re gone somewhere… anywhere… all you have to do is disappear.

[Both of them look at the ground, staying silent.]

Tracey: [upset] Do you have a plan? Or do I just leave again before I say goodbye?

[Tracey looks up at him.]

Tracey: [upset] They lost me before I could even think about saying goodbye. Before I could say what… what I needed to. Do you know what that’s like?

[Goldberg looks at Tracey, upset.]

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Goldberg: [upset] Her name is Rachel Parker. In 2011, she fell out of the sky. I took her in and I raised her because she’d lost everything and there were dangerous people after her… and because she was like me. She was like me and she was like Sissel and all your other friends. I have spent seven years protecting her from people like the White Rabbit and the March Hare and now…

[Goldberg scoffs, going silent.]

Goldberg: If there’s anything I should’ve told her, it’s that I was sorry that I couldn’t get her home. [angry] So yes, I know what it’s like to have regrets.

[Tracey stays silent.]

Goldberg: [faux-calm] But we’re both gonna just have to live with that… because I’m not gonna let you see where this goes. I know where this goes and people start to die. Very quickly.

[Tracey hesitates but slowly nods.]

Tracey: Can I say goodbye?

Goldberg: No. I’m sorry, but no. I can’t risk it.

[Tracey looks at the floor.]

Goldberg: Look at it this way, you can go wherever you want to. No limits. Think of the possibilities.

Tracey: [upset] I don’t care about that, I just want to… Tell him something for me. Please.

[Sat on the stairs outside, Sissel is looking down. He can’t hear anything outside of the room, waiting impatiently while fiddling with his thumbs. Slowly Goldberg exits a room and moves to sit down next to Sissel, who quickly brings his attention to Goldberg.]

Sissel: [confused] Where’s… where’s Tracey?

[Goldberg gives a side glance to Sissel, looking down the staircase at the front door as he sits.]

Goldberg: [nervous] She’s… moved on.

Sissel: [confused, upset] Oh… she’s… okay then.

Goldberg: [nervous] She did have… a request for you.

Sissel: [upset, quickly] What? What is it?

[Goldberg sighs.]

Goldberg: [nervous] She wants you… to bring her back.

[Sissel freezes for a moment, surprised.]

Sissel: [upset, nervous] I… well, um-

Goldberg: [quickly] Not yet. I was very insistent that you should be focusing on the whole “supervillain” problem that we’re currently going through at the moment.

Sissel: [nervous, excited] Yeah, no, yeah… but I could do that.

[Goldberg chuckles.]

Goldberg: Cecil, “buddy”, I’ve been doing this for a whole lot longer than you. I have never met a person who can bring the dead back to life.

Sissel: [nervous, excited] But you were doing this, what, twenty years ago?

Goldberg: Had my powers since about 1900’s, why?

Sissel: [nervous, excited] New storm, new powers, right? Maybe this time…

[Sissel sighs.]

Goldberg: Don’t get your hopes up, that’s all I’m saying.

Sissel: [nervous] Yeah… no, yeah, definitely…

[Sissel sighs. Goldberg hesitates, but turns to look at Sissel.]

Goldberg: If it’s okay with you… I have a bit of a request.

Sissel: [surprised] Really?

Goldberg: Yeah, um… can I stay?

[Sissel looks at Goldberg surprised.]

Goldberg: I’d… I’d think it’d best for you to, y’know, have the information about… stuff at hand, if you need to know. And maybe I could teach you a few things or I can-

Sissel: You can stay.

[Sissel nods slowly.]

Sissel: Course you can. You helped Tracey to move on and still have a little bit to make up for the whole “killing her” thing… so you can stay.

[Goldberg gives a weak smile that quickly fades.]

Goldberg: Shall we go then?

Sissel: Yeah. Sure.

[Sissel hops up and starts to walk down the stairs, Goldberg following. At the very bottom, he quickly turns around to face Goldberg.]

Sissel: [embarrassed] Hey, um… thank you. For helping us.

[Goldberg nods slowly.]

Goldberg: [nervous] Any time.