A Ghost in My House
The Vanishment of Drev
A Ghost in My House is a legend regarding the Cloak of Vanishment, a legendary enchanted item in Totania that turns the wearer invisible. The legend centers around the famed creator of the item, a Mamman named Drev.
The Legend of the Cloak
Drev was a Mamman clothier in Ruzrugh. He was not particularly well known, but business was doing well enough. He was getting by, and for this, many believed Drev was content. However, Drev sought more than simply getting by. Drev wished for wealth, for those around him to praise him as a great craftsman and worthy man. He made fine clothes, but fine was not dynamic enough for Drev. Fine was mediocre.Crafting a Masterpiece
Therefore, Drev began work on the finest piece of clothing: a cloak that could be worn over ones shoulders. However, as much as he adored cloaks as a piece of fashion, he knew that no simple cloak would get him recognition. So he decided to create something that would get at least assassins to look favorably upon him: a cloak that could mask ones presence and turn them invisible. He called it: Drev did not tell anyone of the item he was working on. He only said it was a special surprise, for he wanted to see the look on their faces, hear their reactions to his great work. After all, it was hard work to make, and to spoil such a surprise would be to undermine all of it. He wouldn't tell any of them, be it his assisstants Thramul and Virmul or the woman he loved, Zosmo. All he would say is:"You'll love it. I'm sure of it... I'm sure you'll love it."It is said that Drev overworked himself every day. His assisstants would tell him to be careful, to know that his work was only worth it if he was around to enjoy it, and he couldn't do that if he worked himself to death. Still, Drev continued at a worrying pace. Still, Drev worked for praise. Killing himself every day on the spinning wheel, with his needles and threads and cloth, with his enchantments, all so that he could make something wonderful for himself and those around him.
Alone for the Day
The day came where Drev finally knew it was soon to be finished. He told everyone around him that they wouldn't want to miss that day, and yet each of them told him they would be unable to come. They would not be able to see his creation on the day it finished. So Drev decided to test it alone. Above his shop, in his home where he completed the stitching and finished the enchantment, he donned the cloak... and waited. He knew not if it worked at first, until he looked into a mirror and saw nothing staring back at him. That was when he knew he had succeeded. Yet he was invisible in an empty home. What worth was work if no one could see it? Still, he knew there was no one to see it. Everyone else was far too busy to concern themselves with his work. He would simply have to wait. And so he sat down, waiting, still donning his Cloak of Vanishment.Vanished Into Thin Air
The next day, Thramul and Virmul came into work. They went in, expecting to find Drev at his station working on the cloak... and yet he was not there. They looked all around the shop, then the house, but could not find him. Drev, all the while, watched on. At first, he took it as a sign that he had succeeded. That he had made the Cloak perfectly. It hid him as it was meant to... and yet now, as he sat and as the assisstants now shrugged and went back to work, he wanted nothing more than to be seen. He wants someone to see him, to applaud him for his work. It didn't need to be much, but even a bit of acknowledgement could go a long way. No one noticed it, for it was not something visible. Still, Drev would not say anything about it. Out of some twisted form of pride, he wanted someone to notice him, but did not want to give up his ego for help or for praise. He hoped only that someone will simply see him for who he was and what he had done, but everyone simply turned their noses at him. Drev refused to take off the cloak, even as Zosmo came in asking for him. He knew she was his love, he knew that she had to see him. That if anyone could understand what he was going through, what he was looking for, it would be her. Yet this did not happen. Even Zosmo ignored him.In the End
Drev never took the cloak off. He simply sat in his shop, waiting for someone to notice him. Waiting for someone to tell him how amazing his masterpiece was. Instead, those in his shop would often feel a chill. They would often look around, and if they heard any noise they would ask:"Is there a ghost in here?"The two assisstants eventually took ownership after Drev was presumed dead. He was not dead, they could have saved him... that was what Drev always said. However, no one could save the man who would not save himself. No one could save the man who would not ask for help, who would not reveal the problem plaguing him. For all intents and purposes, Drev was a ghost. Drev felt starvation begin after some time. Mammen are able to store food in their trunks, but after long enough, he had run out. Yet he would not leave to get food, he needed people to see him. He wouldn't leave until then, and so as his throat dried and his stomach grumbled, he remained stationary. In the end, starvation took hold of him. He died, alone, in his shop while being surrounded by customers and workers. He died with no one even aware he was there.
The Result
It's always when it's too late that you take notice of a problem. Hindsight, after all, is the most powerful force in the world, for if only anyone could see the future as well as they could see the past, then all worries would fade away.Drev's corpse appeared after his death. The Cloak only applies to living creatures, and with Drev dead, he could no longer hide. Thramul and Virmul found him, lamenting that he failed to reach out. Zosmo mourned, said that they never noticed anything was ever wrong.
Whether it ultimately was the fault of Drev for never saying anything to not ruin a perceived pride or of those around him for never taking the time to notice he was suffering is unknown. Could either have done anything else? Or was the work he had done always for naught, always something that could never be worth anything for no one could see it?
Long after his death, however, this work yielded fruit that could never be seen by Drev. For now, the Cloak of Vanishing is seen as one of the greatest enchanted items on Totania, a legendary enchantment that many seek to replicate in one way or another.
Lessons from a Psychiatrist
Dayoos, a Mamman psychiatrist, once said of the message that can be taken from the tale:"It can be difficult, at times, to reach out. Many find that they would rather someone seek them out than seek out help themselves, or say what is on their minds.
Drev was like this, but Drev is not alone. The popularity of the Cloak of Vanishing shows that there are many like Drev, many around the world who see Drev's story as a cautionary tale. Still, it can be assured that few will actually take the necessary warning from Drev. Few will truly reach out, for while they may understand the danger, they are afraid of other perceived dangers that may come from it.
However, all that can be said is... there is no harm in seeking help. There is no harm in telling people what you want. The only one stopping you is your greatest enemy:Yourself.Once you realize this, nothing will ever hold you back again."
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