But who was phone? 👻

[Ashken]

The boy stammered and turned multiple shades of red as he tried to find a place to start his story and explain, he was hoping to fix it all before Wataru arrived. He wanted to could proudly present the thing he was able to do, but as he finally found words, the phone began to ring, it was a clear ring, normal even, slightly amplified by the sink that the phone had fallen into after the previous racket. 

Wataru on the other hand pinched the bridge of his nose as he heard the phone ring, "It's that a phone" he said calmly even though the answer was obvious, taking steps toward the sink and making eye contact with the device which golden body was somewhat covered in goop and laying in more of the black sludge. 

"Yes." the boy responded quietly, he moved toward the sink and picked up the device, "It was hurt" he said as he presented the phone to Wataru. Who did not take it, seeing that between the phone and the boy there was gunk everywhere. 

"You mean broken?" after all phones where not alive, no feelings to worry about. He tried to take stock of the kitchen, a knife was in the sink covered in more of the black ooze, he assumed the boy had used it, and then there was the rice.  

"Phone-Kun was lost and hurt" he insisted, "I..." he stumbled on his words, scared of making Wataru angry, "All this came out" he pointed at the gunk and hair and other detritus. Wataru raised an eyebrow, that was a substantial amount for such a small device and though he was busy filling out paperwork he had seen the boy come in and he was not covered in this gunk, nor did the floor show signs of he having stepped into the room with all this filth.  

"And the rice?" he asked looking at the messy yellowing and still foul-smelling rice, he wanted to get a full picture, before flying off the handle. He was trying to be better about not letting his emotions get the best of him. 

"Haru said rice was good for phone" 

Wataru started to put some things together, though there where pieces in the puzzle that were missing. The boy clearly found the phone somewhere, the ringtone was old, a relic even, though with its flashy construction he doubted it was a burner phone, he assumed the kid though rice was a cure all for phones since it had been used to salvage his phone after it took a dip in the water. "Go clean yourself" he said exasperated as he tried to find a way to keep himself from just getting angry, "Grab a towel and clean the phone, and bring it back" he took another look at the mess, he was hoping the goop would clean quickly, "I'll clean up here and then we can figure out who owns that thing just don't make a mess,"

The kid froze, he looked at himself, the floor and the phone, he was not sure how he would reach the bathroom without tracking more and making a bigger mess, "Just go!" Wataru snapped as he went to grab cleaning supplies. The kids practically darting to the small bathroom phone in hand. 

The small bathroom was just that, a small western style toilet, a tiny skink with a mirror and a cabinet with towels, there was a bin for the dirty towels and a waste bin for anything else. The kid fidgeted Infront of the sink trying to clean his hands and hoping. He could still help Phone-Kun before Wataru took over, after all he was doing so much better, he even rang like normal, maybe it was its owner calling for him. 

[mermalaide]

The goop that Phone-kun was a sticky black substance like blood. It stunk in the way a car accident would stink, oil, blood and god-knows what else. Phone-kun laid quietly after a few moments of making it's unnatural noises. It was thinking. Surely if it could get someone other than the child to pick it up, it could connect it could-

Curse

It was malicious in nature and the little boy could not have anticipated that. No. If anything, he was sweet and kind and what lie inside the phone was a monster. Something malicious, that had not been laid to rest, frankly had undead mean-girl energy. It was nasty and terrible, and it waited. It wanted Wataru to pick it up, and even now, it sent out the strong desire to be picked up and examined. It made it-self glimmer in it nasty puddle on the floor. 

It lay in wait.

Something about the name Haru and the suggestion of rice made Phone-kun want to heat up. It wanted something to blame for the fact it was stick in purification items. The little window on Phone-kun flashed a bit while no one was noticing. The time and date went away and it was a digital eye that looked about and around the room. It was something like Ju-on in regard to the wide open eye moving about.



The fact that the little boy had seemed scared, particularly because of the attitude of Wataru, made Phone-kun suck in negative energy unseen. When the little boy retreated, leaving little black foot prints down the hall, Phone-kun used all it's strength to lock the door after the child. As Wataru was cleaning, the door clicked shut and the cupboards began to slam and vibrate. The ringing was unbearable. The screen was blinking the time and something else-

Unknown Caller

[Ashken]

Raitaro started cleaning his hands and thought about the things he could do to help fix the phone. His soapy hands stopped as he realized he forgot to grab the phone, he looked around a small amount of desperation seeping on the boy. He was not sure what Wataru would do to the phone and he was clearly not happy. 

And happy he was not; having gotten his hands on cleaning supplies he turned around making eye contact with the phone which looked slightly less grimy. He thought he had told the kid to take that dirty thing and get it cleaned. He felt the tug of curiosity, his gray eyes piercing at the gaudy thing. "What did you do kid..." he grumbled to himself.  Shaking his head he started to spray cleaner on the surfaces and try to wipe things down quickly, he didn't want to spend all night here much less did he want his grandfather to make a grand entrance to this mess. The old man had already threatened to banish Raitaro once stating that he had the plot next to his wife empty he would not blink twice about burying his grandson. 

Infernal ringing began to fill the room and the cupboards began to go wild, Wataru shook his head and walked toward the dam think, "Let me guess, kid got no idea" he said out loud as he picked up the phone, its what the phone wanted after all, "Hi there, welcome to the home of Osamu Ishinomori" he knew he made himself the target of whatever messed up thing the kid had brough into the house, he just hoped that meant that any interest it had on the kid was lost, he hoped he could bluff his way through this situation.  

[mermalaide]

There was a gurgling noise on the other end. There was static, as well and it was hard to here what the other person had said. "Ev-------g -ill be out -- th- open soon. --- can't hide." There were sobs on the other end. Whatever it was sounded so angry, so bitter, and it was the kind of feeling you got when  you were dealing with someone at the end of their rope. "Just like me." That came through clear and sharp, it was a moment where the static cut out. As they were talking, something was transmitting from the phone. Any social media he had, any online presence began to transmit itself. The phone started to ping when the caller hung up and the line went dead.

Ping!

Ping!

Ping!

It was like the phone started to have a seizure. He was starting to get notifications about posts that he didn't make, but that were very personal. Embarrassing thoughts that he had never said, but had thought to himself. And the worst part was, people were commenting on them! The shop's page, his personal Jtube account, everything he had online. Embarrassing comments were cropping up, as if he had posted them. It was bad. People were give all kinds of the most brutal comebacks too. The voice on the other end had said something to this extent, and it might be good to put the phone down for a moment and think. It is clearly some kind of yurei possessing this phone, and a somewhat maliciously bitter one at that. Clearly what the kid had done to it instinctively to try to help had weakened it somewhat of made it go dormant. 

What did all of it mean though?

In the meantime, poor Raitaro was stuck in the bathroom. The door was jammed, like someone had stuck something in it. If and when he wiggled the door a bit, some paper fell out. Ripped little scraps of paper that one could put together to form a picture or a letter. But who could have done this? Had it been Phone-kun? But how? There was the sound of someone crying in the bathroom somewhere. A shadow moved across the frosted glass, showing a female form.

[Ashken]

Wataru held the phone away from his ear as it started to make gurgling noises. Raising an eyebrow, he tried to make out the words mixed withing the static. "The store is closed and I'm not hiding" he said relatively calmly if somewhat annoyed at the situation. The sobbing did catch him off guard, and the fallowing words had a bitterness that he felt familiar. 

"Just like me."

The call seems to cut off as the static and other sounds stopped replaced by loud pings, "Hello?" he really didn't feel like trying to unravel the mystery, the day had been long, and he just wanted to call it a night. The phone started vibrate with great intensity, its screen flashing with hundreds of notifications, he curiously went through some of them, they seem to have been floating from everywhere in the web, from his old school pages to the shop store. Mostly violent thoughts he had keep simmering under his skin as he tried to be a better example for the kid. The comebacks where scathing as many had the validation to declare him the criminal, they always though him to be.  

He could feel the anger boiling, it was not the first time he had heard these things before, he had been the odd one out growing up, his mix heritage making him as other, his attempts to do his best marked him as a know it all, and once he cracked and let it all out, then he was a hooligan and a criminal, he was never good enough, he chucked the phone at the sink, expecting it to be fine, "Yes I though those things" he said out loud, "But your ignoring the kid" he tried his best to turn a new leaf, but it was the kid that gave him the strength to truly try, after all the little shit pushed through his flaws and saw part of him he had trouble seeing in his own reflection. 

He was angry, and wanted badly to lash out at something, clenching his fist, he dug his nails practically drawing blood, he took a deep breath, why was this bothering him so badly? This was confirmation of what he thought the world thought of him, and it had not stopped him from trying to be different, even if every day he felt like a wolf getting dressed as a sheep in order to fit in.

Raitaro tried to open the door, yet it would not budge, he pushed, he pulled, he tried to wiggle the handle, sparks danced on his skin as he tried and tried, but nothing seem to work. From somewhere, he was to focused on opening the door, paper seem to fall. Stopping for a moment he saw the scraps of paper, he didn't remember them earlier, tilting his head he began to pick them up, originally, he was going to drop them in the waste basket, but then realized there seem something printed on them as some of the scraps seem too somewhat fit together. 

Lowering the lid of the western style toilet he had a small working surface to start putting the scraps, for a moment he forgot he was locked away and tried his best to put the paper together, for a moment the shadows seem to shift from his peripheral vison. It seems like something walked past the mirror. The sounds of crying started to creep up on the small bathroom. Stopping from his little paper jigsaw puzzle he moved toward the sink and climb on it to be closer to the mirror. It seemed like the shadow had come from there, so he leaned forward and spoke softly. "Phone-Kun?" he wiped the mirror trying to make sure it was as clean as possible. "Sorry" he felt bad, he wanted to help, "Wataru not bad, just sad" he tried to tell whoever wanted to listen, "He will help, pinky promise" he held his hand up outstretching his pinky in the air. "You have me." he tried to comfort the crying voice, "You are not alone" Wataru had to comfort the kid many a times when he felt lonely, when he was not allowed to play with other kids or join their games, similar words had been told to him many a times, it felt warm to share the same hope forward. 

[mermalaide]

Phone-kun was vindictive, and a lot of this was coming from a space of unyielding judgement. To judge as one had been judged. Middle school and high school had been a nightmare for the person that had been on the other end of Phone-kun. The malicious text flew at Wataru, but it was not from Phone-kun as much as it was Phone-kun recalling. The possessed phone chimed like it was broken. After a bit, the phone texts and emails that were aimed at Wataru stopped, and he was getting emails that were addressed to a girl. They seemed to be malfunctioning, and while Phone-kun's screen was not broken, there were parts that seemed warped, or glitched out. 

There were also bit of text from a group chat. One that seemed to be bullying a single girl that had been added to the chat. The people in the chat seemed downright repugnant. And as Phone-kun seemed to run on it's own, you got the feeling that this was a deep seeded grudge, of cement that had been poured by girls that tormented another girl until she got utterly desperate. It was horrifying what was flying through the circle of about five or six girls. It was hard to tell, because there would be points where Phone-kun would spaz out like it had corrupted data, or was trying to power off. Almost as if did not want the words and images to be seen.

Chi-chan: Oh come on girl, seriously! Don't lie! Just fess up already!

Ako: Look, I get you think my boyfriend is hot but why would he like a nobody like you when he has me?

Chi-chan: Yeah, even if you would put out!

Maki: I didn't! I don't even know your boyfriend! 

***Unreadable***

Kei-sama: Uh huh. Okay, so who was that note for?

Ako: Wait! What fucking note?

Chi-chan: The one we took off her at 5th period.

March 8th-

Kei-sama: Money's late. Better have it after lunch.

Kei-sama: Answer me!
Kei-sama: Well fuck you bitch!

Ako: Respond or we post your little video session.

Maki: Please. I have it.
Maki: Just don't ok?

Phone-kun is glitching out really bad at this point, images of an adult nature flash along the screen, they are pretty explanatory, even if they are glitched out. The worst part of it, is that the sobbing from the phone is unbearable. Meanwhile, while all of this is happening, Raitaro is trapped in the bathroom with a spirit. An angry dark spirit, yet, Raitaro's innocence and kindness shield him so much from whatever maliciousness is attached to Phone-kun.

A girl's finger broken to all hell, complete with a torn nail reaches out. "M...Mari. My name is Mari." Her voice was a little distorted. "P-p-p-please don't look.. I am scary." The voice sounded so hurt. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. The papers that Raitaro had pieced back together seemed to be a few childish doodles, and part of the remains of a letter. The picture showed girls surrounding another girl and throwing things at her and taking pictures. There were tears in the eyes of the girl in the middle. On one side of the paper were shoes that had been drawn near a railing. All over something that read:

I really admire you so much.
To be honest, to me you are very brave and strong.
I'm not sure how to be this kind of person. My voice is small.
I feel like I could get carried away by just the sound of your voice.
You probably didn't know I felt like this, how could you really?
I watch you being you everyday, and I feel envy to the people that
hold you dear. And I wonder, if you would let me, even briefly be in 
that kind of intimate space with you. If you could, I just don't know
what I would do. It's probably a stupid thing, but, please consider me.
My heart feels like it is going to explode.

The light blue ink was pretty against now grimy stationary that was marked with stars.