Do you believe in superstitions?

  I’ve only recently begun to believe in them.

  Rumors about the supernatural are commonpce among Arcostans in all elevations, although most of them are made up to have a scary story to tell on the tavern table. Some are also made up to scare children into behaving properly.

  Even the ones that have proof or some substance of being real were mostly caused by man-made instances. One such case would be reports about strange noises from various alleyways that would turn out to be merely coming from animals.

  Why am I telling you all of this now? It’s because this is the next rumor picked up by the ears of Fontaine, and thus I am once again hired by the rich and comfortable to do their dirty work! Oh, poor me!

  Okay, I'm exaggerating. I wasn't hired per se, but he and I did come to an agreement that if I were to spot anything of interest and could write a compelling report on any fascinating anomaly I could find on my own, he would pay well for it.

  I have no compints. If I can't find work, then at least I have an avenue of opportunity to create my own work. Work means money, and money is essential for me to live and maybe even spoil myself a little bit.

  Anyway, the next target to investigate was an old building. It was around five to seven stories tall, and I forgot if this used to be an office or part of an educational institution. I'm not sure how long it's been abandoned, but I'm certain that there are people that trespass into the area, either to seek shelter, or… ahem, I'll get to the second part ter.

  The rumors that surround the area are simir to the superstitions I've mentioned earlier. Reports of weird noises echoing from the old building which could be heard faintly when you’re in close proximity outside. It could be described as a ‘guttural groaning’ when heard up close.

  The residents felt antsy with the issue, so I decided to brave the unknown and enter the abandoned building.

  “Ugh, it's musty here…” I groaned, reeling at the uncomfortable stench of the pce.

  The building itself was wide facade-wise, but the halls were narrow and long. The area was filled with old gss cabinets and torn paper, and there were doors that led to cssrooms.

  All of the rooms seem unoccupied. I had thought I would stumble into people that were using the building as an informal or temporary home, and yet I found myself completely alone inside.

  It doesn't help that I chose to investigate after nightfall, either. They did say the noises only occurred between nine to midnight, so I have no choice but to navigate in the dark.

  “Flicker.” I whispered, flicking my wand to emit elemental fme as a torch. My footsteps echoed through the halls as I waited anxiously for any noises that I could hear.

  I contempted climbing up to the topmost floor to do a full sweep of the area. Hell, why not? Better than I just sit on my ass twiddling my thumbs to wait for a sound.

  With that, I began my ascent starting from the first floor.

  “Hah… What the hell…?”

  I climbed from the first floor and made my way up. All I can say is whoever designed the staircase did an absolutely terrible job.

  The steps were too steep and it twisted upwards that left little room for footing! The handrail was rusted and left powder traces on my hand, which made me feel very uncomfortable.

  Before I could reprimand myself mentally for even attempting this idea, I finally found what I came for right as I arrived at the fourth floor.

  “....uh………”

  A low hum resounded through the halls and sent a shiver down my spine. I'll be damned, that did sound a little creepy.

  I held my breath and concentrated, attempting to zero in as to where the noise came from.

  “....mgh… grk…”

  At the end of the hall!

  Quieting my footsteps, I crept up towards the ever growing sound. I bit my lip to stay calm, but I'll be honest, I felt shaky at the possible thought of a ghost or something occult could be the cause of this commotion.

  Inch by inch, I managed to reach the end of the hall where there was a sliding door.

  “...agh… hah… baby…”

  Baby?

  That was the only comprehensible word I deciphered from the noises. This one definitely sounded like a woman's voice, and it seems that she was crying.

  My heart pounded against my chest. At the back of my mind, I wanted to turn and run away, but my morbid curiosity won out, and I slid the door open.

  To my surprise, the door did not lead to a room, but rather another staircase. This was a narrow passage, and the steps…

  “What the hell?” My face contorted with confusion. The steps weren't steep. In fact, they seemed to be only an inch high per step, and were barely wide enough to provide footing for my feet. It was some sort of emergency exit that went into a spiral motion.

  “Baby… baby… ooooh…”

  My confusion melted into fear as the haunting voice filled my ears. Whatever the source was, it was down this dark staircase.

  Goddess be with me as I venture down into the dark.

  I swallowed a lump in my throat and crept downstairs. The woman's voice grew louder and more frequent with each step I took.

  I began to question my sanity if what I was hearing was real or not. The artificial light from my wand wavered as my hand trembled in fear.

  Stay calm, Lucille. Think of the money Fontaine will pay you after this!

  A smile crept up my face at the thought of commission money.

  “Agh!”

  And that smile nearly cost me my life as that short flicker of excitement made me lose my footing and tumble down the stairs. I stopped and nded on a narrow nding with a thud. Thankfully, it was my ass that nded first and not my head, so the injuries I suffered were of no concern; just a sore behind.

  “Ow… Damn it…” I rubbed my back which got hit by the concrete.

  Blowing my hair off my eyes, I raised my wand to illuminate my surroundings only to see two figures staring down at me.

  For a moment, I felt my heart drop and remain still for a few seconds before I processed what I was staring at.

  “Ah…”

  “HOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

  I shuffled to my feet as I saw a man and a woman before me. In a panic, the fme from my wand grew rger to form a defensive shield around me.

  “Hot! Turn that off! You’re burning our skin!”

  And after a few more seconds where my panic began to settle and reason and logic took hold, I realized the man and the woman… were ordinary people, albeit… naked!?

  I controlled the fme from my wand just enough to provide light for our surroundings. I was not mistaken; what stood before me was an ordinary man and woman covering their bodies either in horror or shame as I interrupted their business.

  “W-Who are you!? W-What’s your deal, huh!?” The woman snarled at me.

  I don't know what to say, for starters.

  Sorry, I'll leave you to your love making! No, it doesn't seem appropriate.

  What are you thinking, doing something like that here!? No, it's not like I can dictate to them where they should do their deeds.

  I just went straight to the point.

  “I was sent to investigate the building because of strange noises,” I said with a firm tone. “And it seems that I now know what's causing them.”

  The couple exchanged gnces then scowled at me. “Oh yeah? Now what?”

  Good question. As much as I'd love to make a profit out of a scandalous story like this, I don't think the payoff is worth it if it means to drag a man and a woman's dignity through the dirt and snow.

  “...I'm just gonna leave and pretend I saw nothing.” I gave them an awkward look as I turned around and headed back to the nearest floor connected to the emergency exit.

  I left the building with a confused scowl on my face. Well, this blows. And here I thought I could make an interesting story from that rumor!

  To make up for it, I humored myself by creating a joke name for that cramped passageway: Baby Steps.

  Get it? Because they were moaning ‘baby’, and the steps were so small that a baby could climb up?

  Ha ha ha! Ha ha… ha…

  By the Goddess, I wish I was paid to write jokes, too.

  But as, for this expedition, I came up empty-handed. I dismissed the case to the public that the source of the guttural sounds were just some kids pying with the echoes of the cramped staircase, and everyone was more or less either relieved or disappointed about it.

  Personally? I’m with the tter of the crowd.

  I’m disappointed that I won’t get any pay for this! Haaaaah…