Ghostfinders 03 -Ghost of a Dream

world might, too.
    If anyone had ever suggested to Happy that he was a hero, for fighting the good fight as a Ghost Finder, he would have been honestly surprised. Maybe even shocked. He had done some amazing things in his time, it was true, but only because the only other option had been dying horribly.
    The pills made things so much easier. His little helpers; his chemical crutch to lean on; something to make him brave when he didn’t have it in him. Melody could put his demons to rest, she could hold him in the early hours and make him feel safe in the dark; but she couldn’t make him brave. Happy still hadn’t got the hang of that. So it bothered him that JC had put the two actors in his care and expected him to keep them safe. That was JC’s job, not his. JC knew all there was to know about being brave. And cocky, and arrogant…Surely, JC hadn’t dumped the actors on him so he could go off with the lovely Lissa and impress her with how brave he was? No; JC wasn’t that small. That was Happy. He smiled slightly, looked out over all the empty rows of seats, and wondered what it would feel like to be applauded.
    Behind him, Benjamin cleared his throat, politely. He didn’t need to. Happy knew where everyone was, all the time. Even with all his mental shields in place, Happycould tell where everyone was, by the way their presence pressed against his shields. The world always wanted in…Happy looked back. Benjamin and Elizabeth were standing together, looking at him uncertainly. Happy turned around and gave them both his best professional smile, the one he’d copied from JC.
    “Relax,” he said because he thought he should. “Everything’s going to work out fine. I am a professional Ghost Finder. I do this for a living.”
    “Where do you think we should start looking, Happy?” said Elizabeth.
    “Beats the hell out of me,” said Happy with a certain gloomy affability. “It’s your theatre. Your past, your history. Whatever’s going on does seem to be linked to your time here, twenty years ago. Apart from the stage…which part of this theatre would you say was most important to the two of you?”
    Elizabeth and Benjamin looked at each other, and something passed between them that they clearly didn’t feel like sharing with him. Happy could have reached inside their heads and dug it out, but he didn’t. This was partly because the Carnacki Institute had pounded it into him, in a number of very firm ways, that doing so was
wrong
, and that if they caught him at it again, they would lobotomise him with a rusty ice-pick (and Happy didn’t think they were in the least bit joking, or even exaggerating), but also…Because opening his mind that much, in a place like this, definitely qualified as a Really Bad Idea. The psychic seas of the Haybarn Theatre were choppy and disturbed and full of killer sharks. So Happy waited patiently for Benjamin and Elizabeth to finish notsaying the things they didn’t want to say out loud, in front of him, and finally Elizabeth nodded, almost imperceptibly, and Benjamin sighed heavily.
    “Well, you said it yourself, darling; the best times we ever had were backstage. So I think our best bet would be to go check out the dressing-rooms, those shabby little corners full of dreams and ambition, terror and exhilaration, adrenaline rushes and panic attacks. And home to some of the best after-play parties ever. All human life was there…”
    “You always were the eloquent one, darling,” said Elizabeth.
    “Yes…” said Happy. “Strong emotions are good—exactly what we need. They always evoke the best memories and the most significant ghosts. Ghosts are memories, and vice versa. Are these dressing-rooms a long way away from the stage?”
    “Yes,” said Benjamin.
    “Oh good,” said Happy. “Let us go, right now.”
    “You’re not very brave for a Ghost Buster, are you?” said Elizabeth.
    “Brave gets you killed in this business,” said Happy, quite seriously. “I prefer to hang around at the back, out of harm’s way, shouting helpful advice while the big, brave, alpha types throw themselves forward into an early grave. There’s nothing like being able to see ghosts, to make you very determined never to become one. I have been in this business a while now, and I stay alive through a combination of applied caution and a complete willingness to turn and run like fun at a moment’s notice, and I suggest you do the same. If you can keep up with me.Show me