Ghost Whispers |-/ Joshler

al·le·vi·ate

/əˈlēvēˌāt/
verb
make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe.

"The attic, huh?" Joshua mused as he trailed up the winding staircase behind Tyler. "I could always see right into it from my bedroom. If I'm right, there should be..."

Tyler opened the door, the quiet screams of the loose hinges invading Tyler's unsuspecting ears. He winced at the ghastly sound.

As Joshua stepped in, he saw what he had predicted. He chuckled in triumph. "Yup, a set of skis leaning against the sill. Look, they even have that 80's squiggly design on them." Joshua ran over to them.

Tyler set down the box of his most personal belongings on the floor, causing dust to fly up from underneath it. The floorboards creaked under his shoes and the sudden weight of the box.

They had moved into the tall, old house across the street from the Dun's. It was grey, much like the fall sky above them.

Tyler claimed the attic long before anyone else. That was before he knew there was a rogue draft from a small space beside the edge of the glass pane of the window. He unknowingly walked through Joshua and moved the skis to the side. Joshua reached out to catch them but it was in vain. They slid down the wall and crash landed on the floor. More dust.

Tyler scrambled to stuff the sliver of a hole with the scarf he had been wearing, yet nothing happened.

"It's not worth trying it, Tyler. Have your dad patch it later." Josh said.

Ten minutes had passed and Tyler officially gave up. He fell to his knees on the floor with the scarf in his hands.

Tyler's emotions had been kicked into high gear. He was on the verge of tears as he stared down at the chocolate colored scarf. It was just another symbol of his failure at something so simple.

The tears came down his cheeks and were absorbed into the scarf. He couldn't think straight now that the grief had washed over his mind and was gripping it like a vice. He just felt so...worthless.

"Tyler..." said Joshua softly. He crouched down next to him, eyes trained on the glistening tears. One stayed on the tip of Tyler's nose; a straggler. If only he was alive, he would brush it away and hug him.

"It's okay, Tyler. It's just a window. It's just some stupid wind. This means nothing."

"I'm so pointless..." Tyler murmured to himself. "This world isn't for me."

Joshua's chest swelled with sorrow at the boy's words. Those words were so disgustingly wrong, especially from his lips. He couldn't believe that he even entertained that train of thought, that he felt that way. Even though Joshua knew Tyler was battling depression and insecurities, he had never said any word of suicidal implications.

"Tyler! Come get your mattress!" His mother's voice called from downstairs.

Tyler wiped up the tears with his arm, snorting loudly. He was a slobbering mess of a boy with emotional problems showing clear in his tears.

"Tyler, you need to tell your parents. I know what you're thinking about." said Joshua. He stood solemnly over Tyler, hands at his sides.

Tyler stood up, tossing the scarf on the floor. Breathing in deeply, he turned on his heels and walked out of the door.

Joshua was left alone in the room. His head hung and all he could feel was anger.

"Why can't he just listen? He has the ability to, he just...won't. What's stopping him?" Joshua's teeth were gritted, muffling his words slightly.

But what he didn't know was that the reason Tyler couldn't hear or see him was because of the chemical imbalance in his brain. And not just that, but his soul was dying. In order to see Joshua, one of those two things had to be fixed.

Joshua had been given to him so he could heal the boy's soul, though he had no idea he had to do this.

Joshua Dun would save Tyler Joseph.

Joshua Dun would give his own life for Tyler Joseph.