#3 Ectopus?!
It was surprisingly an ok time when I was reading or more like staring at the open book in my hands as I tried to focus on keeping the book there in my hands instead and not on the ground after being phased out of my hands,even did a pretty good job only dropped it twice. My life is so much weirder then it was before which should of been impossible but I guess nothing is impossible for Ben Arken.
"Ben your father and I are off,get going on cleaning the lab before you go to bed ok?! Also we locked down the portal so it should be safe but be carful anyway!" My mother yelled from the bottom of the stairs as she and my father quickly go through the front door and toward the Arken mobile to 'patrol'. "Of course mother,getting right on that." I say to the empty house knowing there gone but still saying that just because before sighing and getting up and putting the book back into its proper place or at least trying is the key word there as it phased through the bookcase and onto the ground. I sigh again as I focus on staying tangible and try to put the book back in its proper place. It worked but I wasn't in the best of moods,mostly because I even need on something simple like putting something somewhere.
As I am getting down the last few steps I put down the cleaning supplies and starting cleaning. Putting weapons on racks,putting paper in filing cabinets, using the broom when needed,and just wiping down stuff. It doesn't usually take me a real long time to clean the lab only about half an hour maybe an hour if it really messy but it usually doesn't matter how long I take as long as I get it done that night because when my parents finally get off 'patrol' it's usually early in the morning.
You would think with it being a lab for ghost hunters/scientists it would be pretty interesting but nope,it's actually pretty mind numbing which is great because all the cleaning helps keep my mind off the stuff that is going on with me and I don't even drop anything while I'm cleaning up. I've been keeping my thoughts very physical if that makes any since. Which it probably doesn't but whatever.
As Ben cleaned and pointedly didn't look at the closed portal it seemed to open on its own and of course Ben noticed immediately because not being in green light then suddenly being bathed in green light is very noticeable. As he turned around something new seemed to spring up about him as there seemed to be grey mist came out of his eyes,or more accurately his tear duct's."Well I guess I should of expected this." Just as Ben was going to hurry and close the portal something came out of it. It was…
"A little green blob?" Well wasn't expected that. It even a little cute actually. I hope my parents don't find it,would hate for the little guy to get ripped apart.
What happens next diminishes those feeling's quit a bit. What Ben thought to be just a little green blob was actually a much bigger being,what it actually was and what Ben would learn soon after that supposed green blob came out of the portal was actually connected to an ectoplasmic octopus! Ben stared in shock and growing horror as he realized that the thing he thought was kinda cute just seconds ago turned out to be a much bigger and scary thing.
Maybe its friendly thought Ben hesitantly but that thought went out the window as soon as it had come because as soon as the ectoplasmic octopus came fully through the portal it immediately zeroed in on our dear protagonist. "That's not good." Ben said with a scared look on his face as he immediately tried to get to the weapons rack by side stepping the ecto menace but sadly luck didn't seem to be on his side as the ecto creature used one of its eight limbs to grab onto him.
Ben didn't know what to do and as the ecto creature moved Ben closer and closer towards its beak all he could think is that he didn't want to die. As he became more erratic he pointed his closed fist at the creature and as he tried to uselessly try to punch it if only for it to let go,something even more surprising happened. A gray blast shots from his fist and hits the creature straight in it's opened beaked mouth stunning it and letting Ben go.
I fell heavily onto the ground as did the creature though thankfully not onto me,with how my luck has been going I would of thought it would of fallen right on me but I then hurriedly stand and while the creature was still disoriented and seemed to be in pain i then got to the work bench and grabbed a ghost container/catcher,kinda looked like a soup can or a hydro flask and is supposed to contain ghosts so my parents could study and take them apart in the comfort of their lab rather then having to do it at the place they got the ghost or trying to take the ghost to the lab without it escaping. Though my parents say it doesn't work for some reason. I didn't care though and just hoped with the rest of this strange stuff going on my powers or whatever would be able to help me out here as well.
The creature seemed to be getting out of its funk as it seemed to be slowly started to float off the ground again. When I saw this I hurriedly took off the top and pointed it toward the creature nothing happened at first until I had an idea and tried to concentrate like how I do with keeping visible and being able to hold things while also trying to get the same feeling I got when I shot that whatever from my fist. It then seemed to suck the creature in with some sort of light beam or something and then I hurriedly put the top back on and breathed a sigh of relief.
I thought about what to do with it and thought about giving it to my parents but quickly let that go because one,how do I tell them how I got it? I can't just tell them I found it especially when it's in one of their containers. Then two,I don't want them to tear the creature apart,even if it tried to hurt me I don't want to send it to that fate. Besides it only seems like a rather simple creature, a ghost octopus. As I think that I decide to put it back in the zone,as I got and shut the portal I then put the container in the spot that will shoot whatever is in it into the zone while doing that I think of a perfect name for it.
A ghost octopus huh well what about ectopus! That's good haha! As I think of how good my naming since is I decide to go to bed. Fighting otherworldly beings sure makes a person tired. Going back to the house and now in my room I realize I still had the ghost container. I shrug and say,"I'll just put it back tomorrow,it's not going to be noticed anyway." As my parents don't like inventions that don't work like intended and would of thrown it out or put it in the armory. Yawning,I look at the clock next to my bed only to see it's already 12:40! I quickly get settled into bed and as I'm about to go to sleep I promise myself I will learn to control these powers better if not only because it is annoying always turning invisible without meaning to and dropping things but also because I could hurt someone badly if I ever lost control around someone like how I shot that ectopus in the beak and something is telling me that ectopus is a lot more resilient than a regular old human. As soon as he promised himself to get better he immediately fell asleep.
While our protagonist gets some well deserved sleep,forces in and out of the zone look or awaken and face the new opening in between dimensions,some go back to sleep and some don't care but some look on in interest. A lot of things are going to change in the sleepy town of Solemn Valley.