The female ghost hadn't even managed to free her hips from the TV frame when heavy footsteps approached from the yard. It was Dad. He came in carrying a heavy toolbox, complete with a large hammer and a screwdriver tucked into his waistband.
"Huh, Yuna, what's wrong with the TV?" Dad asked in surprise when he saw the bizarre scene in the living room.
To Dad, who had absolutely no psychic talent, the old tube TV looked like nothing more than a broken electronic appliance with wires sticking out in every direction, covered by a heap of shabby white cloth wrapped around a large ball of black thread.
"Uh, well, I think a wire shorted out and made the screen bulge," I answered quickly. For some reason, I immediately turned around to cover the increasingly panicked female ghost from view.
"How did it short out? And what's this? How did it come out of the screen? Wires don't look like this." Dad narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He walked closer while pulling the hammer from his waistband.
The female ghost, who had been struggling to break free all this time, glared. Her face looked even whiter than usual. Maybe like a sheet of drawing paper. Her body also trembled when she heard the metallic sound of Dad tapping the hammer against his palm. Could she actually be scared? I wondered.
"W-wait! What is your dad going to do? Help me, Yuna!" Widya whispered frantically, her voice changing from fierce to shrill, like a frightened chick.
"For something like this, Dad can fix it with a little knock magic," Dad said enthusiastically. He took aim, then raised the hammer as high as he could, ready to smash the top of the TV—exactly two centimeters above the female ghost's forehead.
"H-hey! Don't, Dad! This TV is expensive!" I shouted instinctively, grabbing Dad's arm.
"Expensive? This is an old TV. It probably isn't worth much. Those thin TVs, now, those are expensive," Dad argued. "Move aside. Dad's going to tap the TV. TVs from back then really did need to be handled like this."
Meanwhile, the female ghost below had squeezed her eyes shut. Her whimpers could faintly be heard. "I just wanted to ask for help. I don't want to die twice."
Her heartbreaking whimpering made me feel sorry for her. Like a hero arriving embarrassingly late, I stepped forward and pulled Dad's hand away from the living room. "It's okay, Dad. Zayn and I will take care of the TV. You go keep Mom company."
Dad looked confused. Before he could object, I said, "TVs have feelings too, Dad. What if you keep hitting it until it gets upset and never turns on again? Then we'd be the ones losing out because we couldn't watch TV."
Dad nodded repeatedly. He put the hammer away and headed toward the kitchen. The moment Dad disappeared from sight, I let out a sigh of relief. I knelt in front of the TV and looked at the female ghost, whose hair had become even more tangled.
"Still want to bother me?" I asked smugly.
"N-no... Never again, I swear. Please get my hips out of here. They're killing me," she whined, her eyes glistening with tears. So much for the dignity of a house-haunting ghost.
I let out a long sigh, then pressed the TV's Power button again.
Click.
The TV screen lit up at once, emitting electromagnetic waves that kicked the female ghost's body out. POP! She was flung backward and landed flat on her back on the carpet with a fairly loud thud.
She clutched her hips and grimaced. "Ow... that hurts..."
"All right, now stay far away from me. If necessary, leave this house right now." I pointed toward the front door.
The female ghost weakly shook her head. "I can't. I can't leave this place."
My eyebrows drew together. "Why?"
She shook her head again. At the same time, Zayn entered the living room. From the corner of my eye, I saw the boy staring at me in confusion.
"What are you doing talking to the TV, Sis?" Zayn asked.
"I'm sweet-talking it so it'll turn on," I replied offhandedly. I signaled to the ghost to leave immediately.
Without putting up a fight, the ghost nodded. Then, with awkward, jerky movements, she quickly crawled out through the wall, leaving me finally able to breathe easy on the sofa.