Alice Worth 1.75: Ghosting 101 by Lisa Edmonds

Author:Lisa Edmonds [Edmonds, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lisa Edmonds
Published: 2023-07-03T14:00:00+00:00

About a half-hour later, we floated in the alley, watching the excitement below. A man taking his dog for a middle-of-the-night walk had finally found Abe’s body and called the police. Suddenly the quiet neighborhood was a hive of activity, the night sky lit with flashing lights. The alley was full of cops while others were canvassing Abe’s building looking for possible witnesses. Soon they’d figure out which apartment was his and then they’d have to piece together the events that led to Abe’s demise.

“You think they’ll figure it out?” Abe asked.

“Hopefully,” I said. “The clues are there. After all, we figured it out and we’re not professionals.”

“Well, I’m not, but you are,” Abe countered. He shook his head ruefully. “I can’t believe it. What a way to go.”

“Well, if they do figure it out, you’re likely to become internet famous,” I pointed out.

“Sure, after a pigeon flew into my apartment through an open patio door and the cat went berserk trying to catch it, and then, in an attempt to both shoo the bird back out the door and keep the cat from running after it, I went out onto my rickety old balcony that had been needing repairs for years and promptly fell to my death five stories below.” He sighed. “Maybe it will make the news.”

He was taking it better than I’d thought he would, really. I’d expected furious denials and more yelling, but instead he’d listened to my theory, looked around at the scene in the apartment, and come to the same conclusion I had.

The cat had seemed to watch us floating around the apartment for a while, then gone to sleep in his bed. “Can’t blame him or the bird,” Abe said. “It was all just an accident.”

“A really bizarre accident,” I agreed.

We looked down at the sound of heavy vehicle doors slamming. The medical examiner had arrived.

“They’re going to flip your body over soon,” I told Abe. “You probably don’t want to see that.”

“Yeah, I don’t need that image in my head. I’ve already seen more than I wish I had.” He shuddered.

“If it’s any consolation, my memory is a lot like it was when I was alive,” I said. “Things fade, even the really bad things.” And wasn’t I grateful for that small favor.

Together, we floated out of the alley and headed down the street away from the police cars and growing crowd of onlookers.

“Do you think I’ll get a chance to move on someday?” he asked suddenly.

I debated what to say. Ghosts bound to people either gained in power or stayed relatively stable. Unbound ghosts, however, gradually diminished, eventually fading away entirely and moving on to the afterlife. Some became poltergeists or wraiths, insane spirits whose remaining time on earth was usually spent tormenting the living by moving small objects or inflicting minor wounds before they too faded.

I didn’t think he needed to hear that, though. He’d had a rough night. “Yes, someday. I’m not sure when, exactly; I think it varies. Enjoy the time you have.

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