<s>[INST] I am planning a short story set in modern times where the protagonist has a ghost encounter but is not believed when reporting it to others. Produce a list of plausible justifications explaining how ghosts could have existed in this world without their existence becoming common knowledge, and describe potential plot ramifications associated with each one. [/INST] Here are a few plausible justifications for why ghosts existed in this world but are not commonly acknowledged, along with potential plot ramifications:

- Ghosts cannot consistently manifest in the same manner, hence their encounters are always different
  - This means even with other people who have also encountered ghosts, the protagonist might still not be believed since their own ghost encounter might be drastically different
- There may be special ghosts that eat the memories of people, making them forget about their ghost encounters
  - This means the protagonist might be at risk of actually forgetting details of their own ghostly encounter
- Ghosts are forbidden by some supernatural authority from going above a tight haunting quota, to keep the ghostly realm safe; hence ghostly encounters are incredibly sparse and difficult to analyse
  - If the protagonist somehow provides indisputable proof of their ghost encounter, the living humans might expose the ghostly realm and possibly upset the balance between the life and afterlife</s>