Oh man, right? That's gotta sting. The reflection idea is solid though, I dig it. You could also make it so the ghosts can only talk through old technology, like radios or payphones. Keep the bones, just change the skin a bit.

Wait, your grandson got you off-brand markers for your birthday and you didn't just smile and set them aside? How do you even throw out a whole card without testing the pen on a scrap piece of paper first? I learned that the hard way with a $15 pack of "premium" gel pens that turned my bullet journal into a swampy mess of blue fuzz. Now I keep a cheap notepad just for swatching anything new, even the stuff that looks fancy in the package.

Man, I used to think I had it all figured out with hot tools. Thought I could just grab and go because I had been doing this for years. Then I had a close call with a curling iron and someone's ear. Nothing bad happened but it was enough to shake me. Now I am a total temp checker before every single use. It is not worth the risk even if you are in a rush. People trust you with their heads and that little extra second saves a lot of pain later.

Had you ever watched him work a rush before you helped him out, or did it take loading those bags yourself to see what you were missing?

Nearly lost it in the aisle" - yeah I've shut down three people by just microwaving them store-bought taquitos and air frying the same batch side by side.