To Ghost or Not To Ghost - That is the Question - [HHWC]

Author’s note - Here’s my ‘frightening’ Halloween story entry. Actually, it’s not that frightening. It’s one of those ‘once upon a time’ stories with a teaching kind of ending. It’s mostly fictional and a bit of rant thrown in. It was good therapy for me - gives me something to look forward to – being ethereal! The best spook stories told are those that could be real and are therefore all the more frightening.

TO GHOST OR NOT TO GHOST? THAT IS THE QUESTION!

Once upon a time, in a town much like any small home town, there were three disembodied souls who were trying to get used to the fact that they were no longer counted amongst the living, although they were really quite alive in their own way. They were souls newly deceased from their human bodies and therefore hadn’t quite figured out how to get around in their new ethereal ones. They sat upon a large granite gravestone in the cemetery where their funerals were then taking place, discussing their situation with each other. The three had their human lives end just 3 days prior. As they chatted away, they marveled at how all three had died on the same day and were being buried at the same time Further, they found it intriguing that their funerals would be held on October 31st; All Hallows Eve.

Jon Lathrop, the first of the three to be buried that day, was speaking about how frustrating it was to have to learn how to be in a new ‘body’ and he really was surprised to be aware of anything at all.

“I’m a religious man, after all! I should be asleep in the grave. I should have awoken to the sound of heavenly trumpets and the flutter of angel wings as they came to take me home to heaven!’ Jon bemoaned to his fellow deceased as he looked down and wagged his head slowly and thoughtfully. “What did I do to deserve this banishment from The Kingdom?” he queried no one in particular.

Jon’s new spectral companion, Marcus Solomon, looked over at him and while grinning an ironic grin said . “You think YOU are surprised? At least you thought some kind of life was coming! I’m an atheist and I was absolutely convinced that once I was dead there would be NOTHING.” Marcus also cast his eyes downward as Jon had, and while wagging his head he further gave himself a hard time; “I should’a paid attention to those quirky spook shows on TV. Ghost Hunters. Paranormal State. All those ‘true’ Ghost Story books. But I thought they were all money making schemes for the gullible.”

The third ghost sitting on the cool granite looked over to the two poor souls who were trying to get their spiritual bearings. Elizabeth, trying to make them feel better about their situations, said “Marcus, those shows and books probably WERE put out so people could make money. That’s the way things are done when folks are alive. Remember? It wasn’t that long ago that we all needed money to eat; to have a roof over our heads; to take care of our families; and to have fun.”

Marcus’s ears (what ears a ghost can have) perked up at the words ‘have fun’. Slowly his eyes raised from the cold cemetery ground upon which he had been starring. He looked around and took in the scene that lay before him. It was October 31st. He was in a New England Cemetery. It wasn’t an old creepy cemetery, but it wasn’t exactly new either. The trees, full with the bright colors of autumn, hung overhead throughout the cemetery giving it an appearance of having a red and yellow roof. The sun was setting and the few mourners who had bothered to shown up for the last funeral of the day, Elizabeth’s funeral, were leaving. The place was becoming rather creepy; creepy even for a ghost like himself. His thoughts paused. ‘a ghost like himself’ he thought. And he thought of what Elizabeth had said - ‘have fun’.

‘Booooyaaaaa!’ yelled Marcus.

Jon, who was deep in thought and lost in confused sorrow over his new situation, jumped and fell to the ground. No thud was heard of course. But he was instantly brought back to reality.

Elizabeth, startled at first, was instantly tickled by Marcus’ enthusiasm and could feel life flowing into her. Ethereal life. Better than human body life. Much better.

‘Booooyaaaaa???’ asked Jon as he stood on the cemetery ground; jumping off an old grave in order to be polite and have proper cemetery manners.

‘Oh yeah, booooooooyaaaaaaaa!’ said Marcus with what was probably the biggest grin of his life, and his afterlife as well. ‘We are ghosts. It’s Halloween. Let’s party!’

“I’m in.” said Elizabeth.

“I’m not!’ Jon screamed. ‘I worked hard all my life. I was good. I was moral. I expected things to be different. I was supposed to sleep and then go to Heaven! I am very ANGRY and don’t want to party! I want to be left alone!’ With that, Jon crept off across the cemetery. Sulking, he looked around and found yet another aged granite tombstone to sit upon. ‘Sorry’ he muttered to the body he assumed was sleeping under the stone.

And there he sat. Alone. In the dark.

Elizabeth and Marcus sat on their respective tombstone, engaged in conversation and banter about how what they were going to do on Halloween night. They wondered if any of the living would notice them.

Suddenly a light appeared in the middle of the cemetery; a beacon really. It shot down from the cloudless sky. The upper most end was near the full moon. The bottom was smack dab in the middle of the cemetery that had three newly released souls pondering their fates and their futures. From this light knowledge came forth. An understanding really. It was calling to the three souls. Although none of them hear the voice with their ears, they heard in their hearts all the same - ‘come forth and into the light. Come home’, it was saying

‘Interesting’ thought Marcus. He looked at Elizabeth. ‘Sorry Elizabeth, I’ve gotta go check this out. All my life I didn’t believe in anything. Now I have a chance to find out what is really going on. I’ve got a ton of questions I need answered. I have to put off our Halloween fun date. Hope you don’t mind’. He looked at her sideways.

Elizabeth’s response surprised him. He had expected her to jump into the light beam with him and follow him ‘home’. Instead she said something that would have broken his heart, if he still had one. She said ‘No Marcus, I don’t mind. Go get your answers. I can’t go right now. You see, for the past 12 years I have been very sick. I had devastating disease after disease with no cures. The diseases progressed so I couldn’t walk. My body hurt without end. There were few medicines I could take since my body rejected them all. I was a shut in at home, and then when I could no longer take care of myself I was a shut in at a nursing home. During this time I went blind from glaucoma as well. One disease actually stole my voice and I couldn’t speak. I was unable to eat most foods and was so thin that a breeze could blow me over. I kept breaking my bones from osteoporosis. I had cancer surgery twice. I was always in pain from something. Did you see how few people were at my funeral today? Did you see how few people came when they put my ashes in that moss covered mausoleum? That’s because I couldn’t even leave the house or the nursing home so fair weather friends forgot about me. I was alone. I had to rely on others to take care of me; others who were, many times, uncaring and harsh. Now I’m free to do the things I wanted to do while I was still alive. Well .. if you can even call that living!! True, I can’t go out for a spaghetti dinner or have an Oreo cookie like I wanted to, but I can now go to the beach again and see the sunlight dance on the waves!! I can go for a walk in the forest and watch the animals without disturbing them. I can go on my dream trip to Antarctica and then Egypt to see the pyramids. Heck, I can go to the North Pole and see the Northern Lights! No Marcus, I am too restless right now. I HAVE to do these things before I can go where you are going. I know where I can find The Light, and I will, after I have actually lived … and I’m going to do that now!’

Elizabeth smiled a most wonderful smile at Marcus and then she disappeared in puff of mist and a laugh. She had discovered how to travel in her new ‘more than alive’ body and she was off having the life she wanted but never had.

Marcus, his heart warmed that Elizabeth was off being a happy ghost, walked to the beacon Of Light. He found himself really looking forward to what was coming. ‘TRUTH is coming’ he thought. ‘Finally, TRUTH!’ Stepping into The Light he discovered a warm embrace and a feeling of going home. ‘I can accept truth once I know it really is truth’. This was the last thought Marcus had while on earth. He lifted up into The Light.

The quiet white Beam of Light remained. Jon, still sitting on the old headstone at the far corner of the cemetery heard The Light speak to his heart. ‘come … come home’ it said to him. Jon’s heart, which had spent a lifetime preparing to ‘go home’ now protested. ‘I was lied to. I did everything right. This isn’t the way it’s supposed to work’!’ His heart rebelled. His anger grew. ‘NO!’ he yelled.

The Light immediately left.

Jon’s anger grew. His frustration grew. ‘How dare The Light treat HIM like that’ he snarled! ‘I need to fight the liar. I need to go out and speak to the people. I need to tell them The Light is really a liar so they don’t waste their time like I did.’

CONTINUED

CONTINUED ...

With that, Jon left the cemetery and made his way through town. That Halloween night was his first night on Earth as a damned soul. A soul damned to everlasting separation from The Light. A damned soul who was full of self hate and who wanted the living to feel what he felt. ‘I’ll start with the living who trust The Light’ he thought to himself. And off he went, in search of those trusting souls, in order to whisper in their ears that their faith in ‘The Light’ was all wrong.

The moral of this ‘once upon a time’ story is this … WE decide if we want to be ghosts who wander the earth or not. It is our choice. Our free will. It all depends on what we want to carry with us and what we let go. To ghost or not to ghost. That is the question.



[edit on 9/3/2010 by FlyersFan]

Um ... I hope the edit was okay.
I did the second part wrong and had to hit 'edit'.
I didn't change the story.
I just got confused with how much I had previously posted.

reply to post by FlyersFan


The edit is fine, FF. No problem at all.

Good story. Thanks for posting it. I do find it interesting that the religious man was the one who ended up not going into the light. That was a surprise.

reply to post by Skid Mark


That was part of the 'meyhem'. The ghosts ended up going in opposite places than they expected to .. or that the reader expected them to. Everything is backwards. The 'good' person rejects heaven. The 'bad' person wants truth and therefore goes on. The nice suffering person has all her 'friends' abandon her but then, when invited to go on with someone in the afterlife she decides to be on her own and travel, which she couldn't do while in a human body.

I tried to make it all backwards.

What an amazing tale you spun for us Flyersfan, I have chills and it had me so deep that when the wind blew through my house and clanked the back door I jumped heart racing.

I especially loved the part about the little old lady, that was pure brilliance my friend, I wish you the best in this contest.

Well! What an amazing story. Beautifully written with much to say. "To Ghost or Not to Ghost?"
Could there be a more appropriate Halloween story?
It made the little hairs on my arm stand up at times, but I loved it anyway.
And by the way.......Thank you for it.

Nice story, enjoyed it! Story was amazing.

I like it the best!! But of course I am a bit prejudiced.

reply to post by FlyersFan


I thought your story was well-written and thought-provoking. It also had a nice twist at the end. Good luck in the contest.

Thanks for all the nice comments. I enjoyed writing it.
I especially liked having the 'good' fella pick damnation; the athiest pick heaven; and the lonely person who was stuck in the nursing home pick not to go where there were a lot of souls, but instead picked to continue being alone but to travel the world. That's the meyhem .... nothing is as it was supposed to be in the end.