through the camera's lens

“Typical man,” She half-joked, eyes twinkling while she chuckled before continuing. “But don’t worry, I won’t hate you for it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.” She went back to looking in her aisle, searching for a pair of wireless headphones. It was then that her eyes landed on a pair of black beats and she bit her lip. “Why are the cooler headphones so damn expensive.” Jules muttered, looking at the price-tag.

“Well I’m certainly glad to hear you won’t hate me,” SIlas laughed. He glanced around at the display where she was looking for headphones, quirking a curious eyebrow at the store’s selection. “At the rate I lose those things, I don’t think I could ever spend that much money on them,” he sighed. “They sound amazing though.” 

Hayden was sitting behind the counter, legs up and reading a magazine. She looked up at someone apparently talking to themselves. She’d seen the guy here plenty of times before and she was curious what the excitement was about. It was so weird, seeing people their age still excited over records. Cool though, it was always nice to meet an old soul like herself. “What treasure did you find this time?” she asked him curiously.

The sound of Hayden’s voice made Silas look up immediately, his eyebrows lifting in slight surprise, though his lips curled into an instant smile. Silas stopped by the record shop fairly often, which meant seeing Hayden fairly often. He had always kind of admired her in that cool girl who wasn’t afraid to be herself kind of way. Silas didn’t know very many people like that. So to be talking to Hayden, even casually about records, which could very well just be part of her job was pretty fucking cool. “Ghostbusters soundtrack,” he said, holding up the record so she could see it clearly. “It’s one of the best film soundtracks there is, so I’m psyched.”

Merrick had actually just been looking for Hayden, but then she got distracted by cover art and abandoned her mission entirely. Mission? What mission? Anyway, she had not been expecting anyone else’s enthusiasm in here, so she jumped in initial response. “Oo, which song is that? The Monster Mash?” So Merrick did not have the greatest ear for music.

“Close but no cigar,” Silas grinned. He held up the record to show her what it was he’d been humming. “It was Ghostbusters by the great Ray Parker Jr. You know, Who you gonna call?” Silas cupped his hands around his mouth, the record tucked safely under his arm, loudly whispering “GHOSTBUSTERS” in the classic call and response fashion.

Jules had been coming into the shop to search for a pair of new earbuds for work when she found herself getting distracted by a person who seemed to be talking to himself in the otherwise silent shop. “Are you… Is that the Ghostbusters theme I’m hearing? Because the new movie was on point.”

“Only one of the best themes in film history,” Silas grinned at the young women. “I thought the new film was just okay. Not nearly as bad as some people have said, but it’ll never beat the original for me. I’m Silas by the way,” he added with a small wave.

Adam had been around long enough to recognize a true believer when he saw one. It was in the brightness of the eyes; a certain perking up of someone’s expression that sent a thrill of excitement through Adam’s whole body. He felt it now, an illicit buzz, and he grinned reflexively.

Of course, he’d also been wrong, but hey, he wasn’t going to spoil the moment for himself.

“I am!” Adam replied enthusiastically. He marveled at the kid for a moment, fiercely proud his posters had had the desired effect. He thought for sure that after the run in at the physics department some members of staff would take it upon themselves to take his posters down…Clearly not!

“And yes, I did go ghost hunting. Past and present, man. I think once you’re bit by the paranormal, it’s like a really bad STD, you know? Just won’t go away.” Adam lapsed into a contemplative pause, then focused on the kid with greater intensity. “So you’re a student,” he mused. “Are you a freshman? Decided on all your classes yet? Ever heard of The Monster Under the Bed: Modern Suburban Gothic Literature? You should take that class.” He coughed. “I’ve heard it’s, uh, pretty outstanding.”

Silas’s excitement grew as the familiar stranger spoke, a grin spreading from ear to ear. An active ghost hunter, someone with a genuine interest in the subject. Silas wasn’t sure such a person existed in this town and was happy to discover that person had been here all along, right in Elkridge Hollow. “I’m a sophomore,” he corrected, his words cascading from his lips in a hurried excitement. “I’m studying film and that class- is that your class? I think I read about that course! Or someone told me about it, anyways, I was thinking about taking it next semester.” 

Silas realized then that the other man would be a perfect subject for the documentary he was creating. He probably knew more about the paranormal than anyone in this town and he had actual ghost hunting experience. Silas clutched his Ghostbusters record to his chest. 

“I have so many questions to ask you. When does your discussion meet?” he asked then, remembering the pink flyers. “Do you think anyone would mind if I filmed some of it?” He realized he hadn’t explained he was in the process of making a documentary and quickly backtracked. “I’m really interested in the subject and I’m actually making a film- a documentary actually, about the subject.” Silas talked animatedly with his hands, something he often did when speaking about film. It was one of the few things he was truly passionate about, one of his greatest loves. He could sense a friendly presence urging him onward - Grayson, no doubt. And Grayson was a pretty good judge of character. Silas could sense that the other man was a kindred spirit, someone he could trust and relate to. “I’m sorry, I haven’t even introduced myself,” he laughed sheepishly, sticking his hand out. “I’m Silas, Silas Greene.”

Ghostbusters was like Adam’s catnip. With pricked ears he looked over at the kid beside him, hands pausing on flipping through SYNTH SOUNDS, A-D. “Woah, good find, man,” Adam remarked, catching his eye and shooting him an approving grin. “Jesus, that’s a trip down memory lane. Reminds me of my own ghost-hunting days.” He was only partly joking.

Silas had sensed someone behind him before he heard the stranger’s voice. He quirked an eyebrow at the mention of ghost hunting, a conversation topic that he had recently take great interest in himself. “You’re kidding?” he asked, his tone conversational. Silas’s eyes were bright with curiosity, turning around and giving the man his full attention. “You used to go ghost hunting?” He thought he might have recognized him then. He had seen him around campus for sure. He broke into a wide grin. “Are you the guy with the flyers? The ones with the little ghosts on them?”