[ the remaining children start walking again without waiting for their say so, although river briefly makes eye contact with jessalyn to nonverbally confirm that they are in fact taking the path toward their own house. all three of them seem to stare at wilhelm as they walk past, silent and intense for a long moment before they return to their whispered conversations.

river can't quite detect any malice in them but it's vaguely disconcerting nonetheless. it's almost like looking into a mirror; maybe this is a time to self-reflect...

no, that's nonsense. there are ghosts to catch! river continues to watch the kids closely as they both follow behind the group this time. ]

There's no scientific basis to the concept of spectral entities like ghosts or poltergeists, but reports of unexplained phenomena are pretty much universal across various cultures throughout recorded history. And in a world where everything is magic and anything is possible...

[ she trails off, giving a hapless shrug, and smiles at wilhelm. ]

I thought it would be fun to find out together. Not sure this is proof of anything, but look. Can you see them?

[ river isn't sure if he can, if it's only there by virtue of her third eye or because she looked into the doll. ( she doesn't discredit the notion it could be a figment of her own overactive mind either; it's not like she's a stranger to hallucinations. ) but she'll try to point it out to him anyway, where the shadows on the ground seem to move on their own behind the children that seem otherwise oblivious. ]