Day 4

Eclipse

Eclipsed Truth


Two women, standing side by side loading their weapons in near silence. One wore her teal blue hazmat suit whilst the other wore an ectoplasmic powered suit with many technological gizmos built into it. They would usually both go in, guns blazing, but the little child accompanying the ghost may have been put in danger, after all ghosts were evil.


Maddie knew ghosts were evil. She had science to back her up and prove it to any willing person who'd listen. Of course, no one wanted to listen. The people of the town she needed to protect were ignorant and unwilling to consider her life's work. Ectoplasm was a constant. It released only one type energy, which she and Jack had named the energy 'The Ecto Wave'. The Echo Wave had various wavelengths and magnitudes unique to every ghost, but no matter what ghost it was, it'd remain consistent.

This meant ghost never changed, they never adapted and more importantly, they never felt emotion. Humans' brains release chemicals that indicate an individual's mood, and thus their emotions. If a ghost didn't do anything chemically then it must not have the capacity to feel.

Additionally, when you considered every ghosts' actions, there were none that could claim to have their ectoplasmic hands clean of evil deeds. And, as mentioned before Ghosts never change, thus any single deed could factually dictate a ghost's allegiance.


Valerie also knew that ghosts were evil, though she didn't care about Maddie's scientific proof at all. Her knowledge came from her experiences. The Ghost Boy who tore apart her high school life. The plant thing that subjected her and her father to mind control and desired to make them fertilizer, the idiotic hunter ghost who forced her to work with the Ghost Boy, the big bad ghost king who dragged her town into the home of said evil ghosts and the Ghost Boy revealed her to her father who wouldn't let her avenge his job or anything.

Anything she may have considered as an act of kindness from a ghost quickly revealed itself to be a ghost's attempt to manipulate her to their own goals and obsessions.


Maddie's and Valerie's beliefs made it impossible to see any other idea- it eclipsed the opinions of others.


Both of the women were taking great care to make sure the young child would not get injured, and unfortunately, that meant they had to wait for Phantom to move far enough away from the kid, so it'd be impossible to take the poor boy hostage. The kid was about four years old and was in the park's sandbox with Danny Phantom who was, like the child, sitting criss-cross-applesauce.

"Why can't we make a castle with this sand? I made one at the beach."

"It's not wet enough."

"But I want to make an Elsa castle for Mom."

Phantom blinked, "An Elsa castle?"

"Yeah!"

Phantom's hands and eyes lit up in a blue light and he essentially made an Elsa Castle with ice just like Elsa. Maddie and Valerie were surprise at the power the ghost had yet to unleash in public and steeled themselves to attack if he so much as laid a hand on that innocent child. The child however was not impressed. "But I wanted to make it!" He whined.

Phantom just chuckled and began to break the castle into pieces. He shot come sections with mini ectoblasts from one finger and added some extra ice to the other pieces. When he determined himself done he gave all the pieces to the little boy.

"It's cold." The little boy looked up in awe.

"it's ice."

"Really? It's not plastac?"

"Really."

"Were you related to princess Elsa when you were alive?"

"No."

Rather than the amused and gentle tone he took earlier, his was now more solemn.

"Oh."

Phantom watched the boy put together the little castle ice blocks he had built till he decided to ask a question he seemed hesitant to ask the kid.

"Do you think Anna would've hated Elsa if she was taught to be scared of ice magic?"

"No! They're sisters!"

"But what if she thought that having ice powers made her a bad guy?"

"But Elsa is a good guy."

"Yeah, but what if Anna didn't think so?"

"But Anna's a good guy."

"Yeah… but…"

Phantom seemed to be at a lost, but finally pulled himself together. "Don't you think I'm a good guy?"

"Yeah. You're a superhero!"

"Do you think the Fentons are good guys?"


Maddie gritted her teeth. If this ghost was trying to turn the town against her, one of the few people who actually saw through his ruse, he was going to be directed very slowly and she'd strip the molecules away manually. However, everyone there, ghost or not, was surprised by the little boy's unique answer.


"They're dumb good guys."

"No they're not. They're super smart and all their stuff works really well and sometimes it works too well. They're super smart and know exactly what to say."

"But the think you're a bad guy and you're not."

"Yeah, but they're still smart."

"But they're dumb at being good guys."


Maddie did not like that answer but at least she knew that the ghost hadn't infected the boy with his- his what? Didn't the ghost boy just say that her and her family were smart? It was almost as if he took offense at the statement.


"I guess your right." Phantom muttered something under his breath about being unable to tell and neither Maddie nor Valerie knew what or who he was talking about.

The boy had finally put together the little castle and asked Phantom what else he could make. Phantom proceeded to construct multiple figurines of the characters.

"Can you make Hans?"

Danny nodded and formed the miniature jerk. The boy began to list off more and more characters, most of which had nothing to do with the Frozen. Phantom began to have a very questioning face as he was asked to make characters from Tarzan, Cars, Diego, Cyberchase, and Ben 10, but he ran with it anyhow. It wasn't until he was asked to make a replica of himself that he verbally questioned the boy. "But I don't belong to that world."

"What world?"

"The one you're making."

"I'm making a kingdom."

"But I don't belong in it."

"Yes you do. Do you not want to?"

"No! No!" Phantom waved his arms trying to appease the worried child. "I'm just not used to people wanting me for who I am rather than what I am."

"But you're a person right? Why would someone want you just because your a person?"

Phantom just smiled and shook his head, "You'll understand when you're older."

"Okay. I want you in my kingdom because you can save everyone!" Phantom continued to smile, though it seemed different. It unsettled both huntress to feel the change in their own hearts. Somehow, without even knowing that they were there, Phantom had made them question their beliefs. When Phantom formed a miniature version of himself the boy made his own 'move'.

"I'm older now."

Phantom laughed, it was a hearty and happy laugh, something no one had heard from him in a while. "I guess you are." He sombered up a bit. "Sometimes, when you work really hard you can get stronger than everyone around you. When you get really strong some people want to be just as strong as you but can't." The boy nodded along. "People think if they can have me in their kingdom I can help them take other peoples kingdoms."

"But that's not nice."

"No it isn't, only bad guys do that."

"Then why don't you protect the kingdoms that bad guys are trying to take?*

"Because the good guys think I'm helping the bad guys."

"Why?"

"Because, I'm a ghost." Phantom gasped as frosted air escaped his mouth, "I have to go. Be safe your majesty."

As the ghost flew off the boy grinned ear to ear, "Bye Phantom!"


That night, the two women who had seen the exchange had their beliefs shift. It was a minute shift, but just enough to reveal what the falsehoods eclipsed. Behind the walls was a glimpse of truth, and after seeing the brightness thereof, it was up to them to be either blinded by it, or seek it out.