More dust swirls, adding words.

WHY COME BACK

"I need a quiet place to work, but wasn't planning on sleeping here."

Mmmrn.

WHAT WORK? 

"Witch things."

WHO ARE YOU? 

"My name's Ellie."

The house shifts. 

WHAT WITCH THINGS? 

"Stuff out of my grimoire, mostly." She pats her bag. "I haven't gotten all the way through it yet."

WHAT CAN YOU DO? 

"One time I exsanguinated a mouse and then made it run around on its hind legs."

SMALL. 

CAN YOU MANIFEST ANCHORS?

The handwriting (wind writing?) has an almost desperate air to it, letters slashed quickly. 

"Dunno what those are. I can check. Everything else I've tried has worked."

I NEED ONE TO LEAVE.

And then a gust of wind smudges out 'leave,' and then changes the message to:

I NEED ONE TO EXIST.

A pause, before:

I CAN TEACH YOU.

Huh.

"Okay..."

The wind - jitters a bit, back and forth, the writing all smudging, though none of the dust swirls up into Ellie's eyes.

I WANT TO SEE YOU.

GO UPSTAIRS.

"-Do you have a name?"

NOT ANYMORE

Hmm.

Upstairs, then.

A very helpful breeze and some arrows in the dust point her to... A very creepy door into another room near the back of the main house.

She hesitates before opening it.

It doesn't attack her, or do anything weird, or make odd noises -

The room beyond is entirely intact, like the inhabitant got up and stepped out to get some coffee five minutes ago. A dress draped across the back of a chair, a messy pile of blankets and dolls on the bed, a hand mirror and comb askew on the vanity, ashes in the fireplace and stacks of books on a side table and in a corner and on a chair...

It's faded, though. Not dirty, not dusty - drained, all the color and life removed. It's quiet, and the windows don't show the world outside, just - a soft, unreal glow.

"Was this your room?"

There's a girl, the same grey and silver tones as the room -

A woman, perhaps, but she looks young and lost even though she's probably a bit older than Ellie (even ignoring how long she's been dead). Her clothes are... Old fashioned, but it's hard to place the era. She's in a pretty simple night dress.

"Yeah," she says, softly.

"Oh." Wow she's pretty.

"Uh, hi?"

Small smile.

"Hi."