Meadow Further

Hrmm. Well that first chapter wasn't the most inspiring start. But sometimes we fail before we learn how to succeed. I shall come back to this story another time and see how they fare.

"And that's how I failed my first Pöltr gig. Embarrassingly, and painfully. But I took a valuable lesson from the experience. Upgraded my Pöltr app with a ghost tracker so I wouldn't get in over my head next time.
There was, unfortunately, a next time."

"It hissed and surged towards me, emanating malice. I tumbled back, through the door. Crashed down the staircase, lucky that I didn't break my neck."

Another card has been flipped and laid partly over the previous card. The queen of clubs; one side, she is stoic and holding a small bottle; one side, she screams monstrously, swallowing a coin and holding a flower.

"I saw it immediately. The ghost. A massive, spectral snake. Coils on couls, shifting back and forth across the entire rooftop. Eyes glowing with purple flames, it swung its massive head around to observe me. I was transfixed. Couldn't act. Definitely couldn't do my job."

"I probably should have taken heed of my instinct to turn and run. I pressed on. Into a stairwell that led upwards.
I never should have opened that door. It hadn't been opened in what might have been decades; wouldn't even budge until I put my shoulder to it and forced my way through."

Another card has been flipped and laid partly over the previous card. The 9 of hearts.

"It took me some time to figure out how to reach the roof. I had to pass through what looked like it was probably a teachers' lounge. As I entered, I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Something entirely too large, that slithered in a way that raised the hairs on my neck."

"Maybe the ghost is trying to discourage me, I thought to myself.
Yeah.
No shit."

Another card has been flipped and laid partly over the previous card. The 9 of hearts.

"Outside that room, on the corridor wall, was a sign; Do Not Access The Roof. Seemed like an unusual place for it, nowhere near any roof access. Maybe something about the building layout had changed. I look back at this moment now with a measure of dismay at my naïvete."

"But the card was old. Very old. Pre-dated my time at Bardaway. Old as the school's first class, I was willing to bet. There's no way it could have survived on this classroom floor for over a century. The ghost, messing with me again."

Another card has been flipped and laid partly over the previous card. The 5 of spades.

"I'd found a science room; plastic skeleton in the corner, anatomy posters on the walls. I'm not sure how I noticed it, but I spotted an ID card on the floor. Oddly familiar, at a glance. It was a library card. But not just any library; my library. Not that strange, to find it in a school."

"I remember, at the time, feeling uncertain about whether there was a ghost. If not for being pelted with coins I would have written the gig off completely. That uncertainty melted away as I continued my investigation."

Another card has been flipped and laid partly over the previous card. The 7 of diamonds.

"I moved on to the dining hall after that. I confess, I was more interested in finding a snack than the ghost. I was surprised to find some high-end cheese back in the kitchen. Maybe the teachers got a higher quality of food at dinner time. Whatever, I pocketed the small block. Extra compensation."

"Fair. I wouldn't want some invisible creep watching me while I was...occupied. Still no sign of it though. Maybe the 'bleeding' was just rust from these century-old pipes, right?"

Another card has been flipped and laid partly over the previous card. The 5 of diamonds.

"I'd been told the ghost had a habit of making the urinals bleed. Reluctantly checked the boys' toilets on each floor. Couldn't help chuckling at some of the graffiti. All the usual, and it seemed the kids believed in the ghost; there were plenty of messages telling the "paedo ghost" to fuck off."

Another card has been flipped and laid partly over the previous card. The 10 of spades.

"I burst into the room, waving my devices around, but the plant remained real and not just a trick the phantom was pulling. I couldn't help wondering at the time whether my plant would be there in the hallway when I got home.
It was, by the way. But I didn't keep it after that. Too unsettling."

Another card has been flipped and laid partly over the previous card. The 5 of hearts.

"I remember, the first classroom I peered into, seeing a potted plant on the teacher desk at the front of the room. The sight was deeply unsettling, for it appeared to be identical to the peony I kept in my hallway. Even the pot was the same, down to a chip in the rim."

Another card has been flipped and laid partly over the previous card. The 10 of diamonds.

"In one of the cloakrooms I got pelted with loose change, a whole handful of coins that must have slipped free from student pockets over the years. And yet I still had no sight or readings on the ghost itself."

"I tried to take consolation from the incident as I gathered up the spilled contents of the pocket; seemed like the ghost must be real, right?"

Another card has been flipped and laid partly over the previous card. The 4 of diamonds

"I started my investigation in the music room, where apparently the ghost liked to mess with instruments. When a row of violins in cases twanged like the strings had been slapped I couldn't help but leap back in shock. Tore one of the pockets off my jacket in the process, catching it on the piano."

A deck of cards on a desk; gold backed and featuring a twin skull design. Overturned beside the deck is the 4 of spades. The cards are blood-red, and the symbols are gold and black.

"I remember, in the entrance hall was an old photograph, framed and faded, of the school's first class, from the 1800s. The faces were blurred and indistinct, giving me a feeling of creeping dread."

"The first gig I ever took, it was in an old school. Victorian-old. Red brick, draughty as hell. The clanging water pipes and flickering lights were really killing my enthusiasm for being there."

page from the game Pöltr: Welcome to Pöltr! Pöltr believes everyone deserves a safe space they can call their own, free from unwelcome visitors. By signing up as a freelance Pöltr ghost removal technician, you are helping bring that dream one step closer to reality! The rise in urban ghost sightings in recent years means that now is a great time to be a technician, and Pöltr helps you connect directly with clients, allowing you to be the boss you were born to be. All you need to do is complete the training (by watching our introductory video), and then you can get to work and start raking in the cash. Just remember, all ghost hunting is done at your own risk. Should you end up involved in a paranormal-involved accident, Pöltr is not responsible, but we will send our condolences to your family through email. [Note: The cost of writing the email will be removed from any pending pay). Good luck, and happy hunting! The Pöltr Team • Beneath is a mock-up for a website ad recruiting freelancers.

"You know, you'd think being a librarian in a prosperous country would be enough to get by. Instead, I had to take a second job; freelance ghost-hunting. The ad was...not inspiring. But they were willing to take me and willing to pay."

Pöltr by StarshineScribbles Ghost Busting In The Gig Economy

Hmm, seems we have a story today about a freelance ghost hunter recounting notable gigs
(cw: snakes)

I already like the little game I'm making so much for this.

If you haven't done a game jam before I'm gently nudging you to jump in and try because it's SUCH a fun way to make games

A private detective wandering through purgatory, choosing to pick his burdens up once more rather than accept rest. Spurred on by memories of those he'd be letting down if he left their cases unresolved. Very unsatisfying, mysteries that aren't solved. Very...motivating.

And then there was pain. I winced, shifted in the hospital bed. Nearly got my ticket punched for good this time, huh. Couldn't call it quits yet, though. Not while I had regrets I carried. No, I was going to put those firmly to bed before I was done. Get some justice for those who no longer could.

The grid of cards, a final card flipped; the ace of hearts.

From my seat over the wing, I watched the radial engine roar to life, spinning the‬
‭ propeller. Leaning away from the window, I pushed back against the leather seat and‬‭ felt the plane start to roll forward. I was getting the hell out of here. As the plane climbed, my eyelids drooped.

Not the people here. Too late to care for them. But I could still care about them, about what had happened to bring them here. Just so long as I caught my flight.
I flagged down a cab, bounced across the back seat.
"To the airport, quick as you can buddy!"
The cabbie tipped his brim and pulled away.

I practically ran back to my office. Decanted the goldfish into a cereal bowl that I was relatively confident was clean.
"Thanks, buddy," I whispered, as I rummaged through drawers.
Ah, got it. Passport. I knew I had a flight to catch. Wanted to catch. Places to go, people to care for.

I felt a little foolish, walking away from the fairground and making eye contact with the goldfish in the bag I was holding. Now what on earth was I going to do with a goldfish? Was I responsible enough to care for-oh. But it felt for sure like I was ready to care, didn't it?
Damnedest thing.