The Supernatural Private Detective

The rain descended upon birchwood, its gentle patter echoing through the forests and the empty streets like a melancholic melody, chanting sadness and sorrow. In the cemetery, a young boy stood before his father's grave, umbrella in hand, whimpering morosely. This was Robert Bassey; he was only ten years old when his father passed away.

Rob's uncle, Uche, stood beside him, a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, as they shared their grief. In the background, Aunt Antonia sobbed quietly, surrounded by her son Victor and a blind elderly woman with her adopted daughter Nora. They had all gathered to mourn the death of Mr. Herald Bassey.

The dark-colored umbrellas in the cemetery could be seen from an even further distance, where the detectives James and Joe stood under a tree to avoid the rain.

"It's a shame what happened to this family." Jim said.

"Yeah, feel bad for the kid; almost makes me want to shed a tear, you know." Joe replied.

The two detectives have a brief moment of silence.

"Did you know him?" Joe asked.

Jim shot Joe a curious look.

"Herald was a lawyer, a good one too; you've been on the force longer than me; you must have at least met him once."

"It's shocking; I've seen him before on multiple occasions, but we've just never exchanged words." Jim responded.

"Is that so." Joe answered, his expression neutral.

Jim pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one, taking a long drag.

"When did you start smoking?"

"About a week ago, it helps calm my nerves after a long day of dealing with all the crap that goes on in this crazy town." Jim responds, his cigarette dangling from his lips; the smoke curling upward, disappearing into the damp evening air as the two detectives stood there, watching the funeral proceedings unfold.

The rain ceased; the weather changing much like Rob's life after the death of his father. The media dubbed the investigation the "Easter Bunny case," a name that now accompanied his father's memory. Detectives James and Joe were handling the case.

"It is hereby decreed that the inheritance of Mr. Herald Bassey shall be managed by the brother Mr. Uche until the son Robert reaches adulthood. Custody of the child shall also be granted to Mr. Uche, with the court reserving the right to review and modify this arrangement if necessary." The judge's words hung in the air like a verdict as Rob stood in the witness stand next to Antonia. His gaze fixed on his uncle, whose face showed no hint of emotion despite the weight of responsibility placed on his shoulders. 'His own brother died, and he hasn't even shed a tear, Did he even care about my father?' A spark of resentment ignited within Rob.

He moved in with his uncle's family; Antonia, Victor, and Uche were ready to accept him as one of their own, but refused to accept them. Despite their warmth and welcoming nature, he kept them at arms length. As time passed, his grades plummeted, and he distanced himself from friends.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here; it's Robsterino!" Reggie, the star quarterback at Rob's school, approached Rob with a group of jocks, surrounding him at his locker. 

The other jocks snickered as Reggie slammed Rob against the locker. "You think you're so smart, don't you?" He drove his knee into Rob's stomach repeatedly, making him vomit.

Reggie hurriedly let go of Rob, who slumped against the locker. "Hey gross! What the heck, man, look what you did to my new jeans! You are such a nerd!"

Rob remains silent, his face expressionless.

"Hey, answer me!" Reggie yelled aggressively, his face reddening.

One of the other jocks chipped in. "Hey, I think he's insulting you, Reggie."

Reggie's face lights up in anger. "You better apologize if you know what's good for you." He grabbed Rob by the collar and raised him off the ground, but Rob still didn't react, his face as blank as an empty piece of paper.

"Let go of him, Reggie!" A bold voice intervened. It was Victor; he stepped forward, his eyes locked on Reggie's with a fierce glint in his eyes. Nora was also there to help Rob; she cowered behind Victor, her eyes wide with fear.

Reggie sneered, his voice dripping with malice. "Or what? You'll do something about it, Victor? I doubt it. Besides, look what he did to my new jeans."

"That's because you beat his lunch out of him, Reggie; it's your fault." Reggie cocked his head sideways in irritation. He shoved Rob into the locker and slammed it shut, the metal reverberating with a loud clang. Then he took a step closer to Victor, his massive frame looming over him as their eyes locked on each other. Norra was so terrified of this teenage boy in a letterhead jacket that she hid her face behind Victor's back. 

Victor didn't flinch, his eyes never leaving Reggie's face. The air was thick with tension as the two boys stared each other down. The other jocks watched, frozen in anticipation, waiting for someone to make a move.

Finally Reggie spoke, his voice low and menacing. "I respect you, Victor, but if you're going to hang out with the nerds, at least teach them some respect." With controlled frustration, he turned around. "Come on, boys, let's get out of here." The gang of jocks followed Reggie out of the scene. Victor watched them go, his eyes fixed on Reggie's back.

Rob sat in the darkness of the confined walls of his locker. Vomit stained his lips as he stared at the locker's ventilation holes. Soon the darkness we chased away by light as the locker door creaked open, Victor and Nora pearing in, concerned. "Are you okay, Rob?" Nora asked, offering him a tissue.

"You really need to try standing up to that jerk. He can't bully you forever." Victor chimed in.

Rob remained silent, his expression unreadable. He slowly crawled out of the locker, took the tissue from Nora, and cleaned his lips. Without a word, he began to walk away. "I need to get to my next class," he muttered.

Victor and Nora exchanged a frustrated glance. "That's all you have to say?" Victor asked. "Can't you at least thank us?" Nora added, her voice rising.

The commotion began to attract the attention of passing students. Rob halted, his back still turned to them. "I didn't ask for your damn help," he snapped.

Nora frowned with anger, ready to scold, but Victor intervened, holding out a calming hand.

Rob took a deep breath before speaking in a measured tone, "Just leave me alone, guys. I'll see you at home." He began to take steps again.

Nora pushed Victor's arm aside and marched up to Rob. Rob turned his head just to be slapped across the face by Nora. The sound, echoing through the hallway, leaving Rob staring back at her, stunned and speechless. "Nora…you…" He stammered.

Tears streamed down Nora's face as she sobbed, her voice cracking with emotions. "You've changed, Rob; you're not you anymore!" Her words pierced through Rob like a dagger. "I miss the old you!" She wailed.

Rob stood at a loss of words; he couldn't believe it; he just made Nora cry. Victor came up to her and placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. "It's ok, Nora; let's leave him be." His words, comforting sound amidst the sadness.

Nora nodded, wiping the tears off her face. As they turned to leave, she glanced back at Rob, her eyes filled with deep concern.

Rob waved his head "no" before he turned and continued on his way. 'They just don't understand; they never will.' He thought.

At home, things were not any different from school. Rob would regularly get into fights with his uncle, arguing over the littlest things. 

One day, when Rob was thirteen, the inevitable happened. A particularly heated argument erupted, with both Rob and his uncle saying things they couldn't take back. The fight ended with Rob storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

The following evening, Rob made a decision. He packed a small bag, grabbed Shaggy's leash, and slipped out into the night, leaving behind the only other home he had known.

The cool evening air enveloped Rob as he walked, Shaggy trotting faithfully by his side. The darkness seemed to swallow him whole, but Rob felt a twisted sense of freedom. He had no destination in mind, no plan, and no idea what the future held. All he knew was that he had to get away, to escape the toxic atmosphere that had been suffocating him.

Rob and Shaggy wandered aimlessly through the streets of Birchwood. They had not eaten, and Rob had no money with him, so they were incredibly hungry. Shaggy made a whimpering sound to express her hunger.

"I'm hungry too, girl." Rob said. He looked around his surroundings till he noticed an open convenience store.

"Darn it! Again! That annoying camper!" The cashier sits at the counter playing a mobile FPS game. The store door swung open, and Rob walked in, his eyes briefly meeting the cashier's, who ignored him and continued gaming.

Rob proceeded to the shelves, out of the cashier's line of vision, and slipped a small pack of brownies into his hoodie pocket. 

The cashier notices this on the CCTV monitor hidden behind the counter. Just then a bearded old Asian man with gray hair, wearing a cloak over a shirt and dark trousers, approached the counter, placing a box of ginger tea.

"Bro, is that a cape?"

The old man studied his outfit consciously. "More like a cloak, don't you think; it's even got a hood." He wore the hood, and the cashier gave him a blank look. 

As the cashier passes the pack of ginger tea over the barcode scanner, Rob emerges from the shelves, heading towards the doors. "Hey kid, you have to pay for those brownies." The cashier raised his voice.

Startled, Rob instinctively ran towards the doors, attempting to flee. "Hey!" the cashier yelled, rushing around the counter to catch up to Rob. He grabbed Rob's arm, and they began to struggle.

The old man watched the commotion unfold; his eyes narrowed in concern. "Give it back, kid!" the cashier yelled, trying to restrain Rob.

"Hey, stop it, both of you." The old man intervened. "Don't worry, I'll pay for the brownies." He said.

Rob forcefully freed himself from the cashier's grip and walked out of the store.

"Let's go Shaggy." He said to his dog, who was patiently waiting outside.

After paying, the old man came out of the store and caught up to Rob. "Hey kid, slow down!" He called out.

Rob stops and turns. "Thank you, paying for the brownies."

"You're welcome." The old man responded with a warm smile.

Rob was about to walk away when the old man spoke. "Are you alone? Where are your parents?" He looked left and right in an attempt to spot Rob's parents.

"I don't have parents anymore; I'm an orphan." Rob replied, his voice slightly shaky.

"Oh, sorry to hear that; let me cheer you up; wanna see a magic trick? I'm a magician."

"No, I'll pass." Rob said, attempting to walk away again.

"Those brownies won't satisfy you and your dog; tell you what, just watch my magic trick and I'll take you to my place and give you some food."

"For real?"

"Yeah, for real." The old man's eyes twinkled with mischief as he raised his grocery bag of ginger tea in one hand. With his other hand, he wiggled his fingers in front of the bag, and it disappeared into thin air. Shaggy's eyes went wide, and she let out a startled yelp, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as she bounced up and down. Rob, however, didn't seem excited; instead he raised an eyebrow in a skeptical manner.

The old man opened his cloak wide. "As you can see, there's nothing inside my cloak." Then he put his hand into the cloak and fabricated a balloon. He untied it and sucked in the air, causing his head to inflate. Shaggy's eyes widened in amazement. The old man opened his mouth, and a stream of flames shot out, causing his head to deflate. Shaggy yelped with excitement, racing around the old man in circles. Rob, however, still looked unimpressed, his frown deepening. 

"Haha, be more like your dog here, kid." The old man mused, noticing Rob's expression.

"Is that it?" Rob asked, a frown still etched on his face 

"Not quite." The old man began to stroke his beard. "Hmmm, I didn't want to do anything too fantastical, though."

"Can we get going to your place now?" Rob insisted.

"Hold your horses' kid, one more trick." The old man says before he dramatically stretches his arms forward. "Now kid, watch as I make everything on this street defy gravity itself." The old man declared with confidence.

"You'll do what?"

The old man took a deep breath, and his eyes locked onto some distant point, his gaze burning with an inner intensity. 

Rob raised an eyebrow. "Look, old timer, the balloon trick was cool but I'm not really in the mood for..."

Rob's attention was caught by a nearby dumpster that suddenly began to shudder and vibrate, as if some invisible force was stirring it to life. Rob's eyes widened as he looked around, realizing that everything on the street—cars, litter, fire hydrants, and even street lights—was trembling and shaking, as if the very fabric of reality was being warped and distorted.

Rob turned to look at the old man. The man's concentration had not wavered even the slightest; his eye's incredibly focused with a confident grin on his face.

"Hey, are you actually doing it?" Rob spoke in disbelief.

Then, in an instant, everything lifted off the ground, hovering effortlessly in mid-air, as if suspended by a magical force. Rob's jaw dropped in amazement, his eyes wide with wonder, as he stared at the surreal spectacle unfolding before him.

Inside the store, the cashier was still playing his mobile game, oblivious to what was going on outside his store. "Dang it! That darn camper again!"

Shaggy was barking excitedly, racing around the floating objects with an ecstatic yelp. Rob, meanwhile, was frozen in awe, his mind reeling with the implications of what he was seeing.

The old man turned to him, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. "You see, kid, I told you I'd cheer you up!"

A large smile formed on Rob's face.

"Now let's go a step further." The old man said.

"Huh?"

Before Rob could respond, the world around them began to dissolve, like paint melting in the rain. The stars twinkled to life, and the ground beneath their feet vanished, leaving them floating in the vast expanse of space.

Rob's jaw dropped as he gazed into deep space. "What the—" He turns his head, and he can see the earth in all its glory. A stunning blue-green jewel suspended in the blackness. The curvature of the planet glowed with a soft, ethereal light, as if the very essence of life was radiating from its surface. The oceans sparkled like diamonds, and the clouds shone with a radiant whiteness. 

Shaggy floated into view, her little legs doggy-paddling as if she were swimming through the cosmos. Rob couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. "What are you doing, girl?" he chuckled.

He turned to the old man, his eyes shining with wonder. "This is incredible! Geezer, you're amazing!"

But as he gazed out at the stars, a memory flashed into his mind—the night his father died, and both of them had stared up at the stars through his window. The recollection brought a pang of sadness, and Rob's smile faltered. He forced himself to look away, his expression turning sullen. "I guess this is cool," he muttered.

The old man's eyes twinkled with understanding. "Don't hold in your laughter, kid. Laughter is the best medicine. Let yourself feel the joy."

As he spoke, the stars around them began to fade, and the world slowly reassembled itself. They found themselves back on the street, the old man leaning over to wipe the sweat from Rob's face with a handkerchief.

"Listen, kid," the old man said, his voice low and gentle. "I don't know what you've been through, but happiness comes from acknowledging life's good things. Reflecting on what you're thankful for, even on tough days, can shift your mindset and bring smiles."

Rob looked up at the old man, his eyes searching. The old man's smile faltered for a moment, and Rob caught a glimpse of something deeper, something sorrowful.

"Eh, you alright, old timer?"

Ichiro's smile returned. "Stop calling me old? I'm still in my prime, you know." He flexed his forearms. 

This made Rob laugh. "You're kidding, right, Houdini?"

"That's a funny one, kid." The old man chuckled. "Now how about we go get you that meal?"

"Finally, I'm so hungry; aren't you hungry, girl?"

Shaggy barks a happy response.

The old man stretched his hand out. "Take my hand." He urged.

Rob's eyes narrowed, and he took a step back, his body curling in slightly as he asked, "Could you be a pedo by any chance?" His voice laced with caution.

The old man's face contorted in disgust. "What? No! Eww. No!"

Rob's wary expression remained; his eyes fixed on the old man for a while before he relaxed.

"Now you've made it weird." The old man chuckled, scooping Rob off the ground and plopping him onto his back.

"Hold on tight!" He warned

"Hey, what gives!?" Rob yelped.

The old man snatched up Shaggy, and before Rob could protest, flames erupted from Ichiro's feet, launching them skyward.

"Ahhhh!" Rob shrieked.

"Come on, kid, you've never been on an airplane before!?"

"This is not the same thing!" Rob retorted.

Ichiro's obnoxious laughter echoed through the air. "Hahahahahahahhahha, of course it isn't! Better not let go."

"Uhhh, no shit."

Ichiro pretended to loosen his grip. "I could drop you now, you know."

Rob's voice trembled. "Goodness gracious, please don't!"

Ichiro chuckled, his amusement mingling with the wind.

They flew over the forests of Birchwood, heading toward Mount Seabrooke's volcano located in the center of the island, Birchwood Bay. As they approached the top, a wooden hut with a leafy roof came into view. Outside, an extinguished campfire, a clothing line, and a cave surrounded the hut.

The old man landed at a clearing near the hut, dropping Rob and Shaggy. 

Shaggy whined and started running in circles as though she was thankful for touching ground again.

"Is this where you live, old timer?"

"Yup, home sweet home,"

"You're one crazy old dude; you got literal magical powers, and you live on Mount Seabrooke."

The old man chuckled. "Ichiro Daichi's the name. What's yours?" The old man says as he stretches out his hand.

"Robert Bassy, but you can call me Rob."

They shook hands respectfully.

"Now, how about that meal?" Rob asked.

"Well, I kind of have to prepare it."

"Aww." Rob pouted. He turned his head, and the nearby cave caught his attention. Rob dashed into the cave.

"Hey Rob, slow down!" Ichiro shouted.

"I just wanna try spelunking a bit!" Rob yelled back, Shaggy tailing him.

"No wait, it's dangerous; there's—" Ichiro warned, but Rob was already out of earshot.

Inside, the cave was dark, with only a faint reddish-orange glow ahead. The bubbling sound grew louder, piquing Rob's curiosity. As they reached the cave's inner edge, Rob and Shaggy halted, awestruck by the lava pit that was before them. The heat emitting from the pit was so intense it made Rob's skin prickle with sweat.

Suddenly, the earth below Rob split, and he felt himself plummeting towards the lava. "Ahhhh!" he screamed, his voice echoing off the cave walls as Shaggy's terrified barks pierced the air.

Ichiro appeared just in time, catching Rob's hand, pulling him back onto the ledge. "Common Rob, you just got here; you're not ready for the hot tub yet."

"What do you mean by hot tub?" Rob asked, catching his breath.

"It means what it sounds like," Ichiro said, stripping down.

"Ahhhh! Why the hell are you stripping? I knew you were a pedo!" Rob exclaimed as he covered both his and Shaggy's eyes so they don't witness Ichiro's likeness.

"Relax, kid, I'm just taking a swim."

"A what?"

"A swim." 

Rob peeked through his fingers to find Ichiro walking toward the lava pit.

"Hey, don't do it, old man! Life is still worth living! Even at your age!" He said, his eyes still partly covered.

"Yahoo!" Ichiro yelled, somersaulting off the ledge.

Rob's face contorted in horror as he watched him dive off the ledge. "Nooooo!" he screamed, falling to his knees; his voice cracked with despair. "I didn't even know him that long. He may have been a weird old man who liked kids a bit too much, but he didn't deserve to die."

Shaggy came and lay beside Rob, whimpering in sadness too.

Just as Rob thought all hope was lost, he heard a familiar voice.

"For goodness' sake, I'm not a pedo!"

Rob's eyes snapped open, and he scrambled to the ledge, peering over into the inferno. The intense heat from the lava pool wafted up, scorching his skin. Yet, amidst the swirling flames, Ichiro floated serenely, his body immersed from the chest down.

Rob's gaze locked onto Ichiro, his expression shifting from grief to stunned incredulity. "Ichiro!? How are you... alive? Is this your magic?" he stammered.

Ichiro's calm tone was a stark contrast to the raging lava. "Technically, it's not magic. For me, this heat is nothing. It's like a warm bath."

Rob's eyes widened, his mind struggling to comprehend. "Huh?"

Ichiro's smile gleamed through the flames. "This is Ember Flux Mastery. A martial art I practice."