she? He checked his hair in an ethereal mirror that he thought into existence. He looked fine.
*
“Trial is next year. Tony Stone is denying everything of course, but Marilyn isn’t looking forward to prison and will do anything to lighten her sentence of aiding and abetting, or whatever it is they have charged her with.”
Simon was staring out of the window; when he turned around to face her, she could see that, like a sorcerer’s apprentice, he’d learned from Juliet some of the rules of the condition . He had imagined himself a new wardrobe since they’d last met: a leather jacket with tassels, cowboy jeans complete with a belt and Stetsons. He was even sporting an abdominal muscle six-pack, which was bursting through his white t-shirt. The crow’s feet around his eyes had even disappeared. A scar on his cheek had also gone and he even seemed tanned. He looked like a Hollywood reboot of himself.
“Why can’t I leave the grounds of this property, Juliet?”
“I don’t know.” she began. “I can walk out of my body anywhere, but some spirits seem to be grounded near the scene of death. I don’t know why. Why do you ask? Were you thinking of going on vacation or something?”
He started to smile but the expression didn’t take. His appearance and manner were worrying her; he circled her, saying nothing. He pulled out a Cuban cigar and then eyeballed her.
“You ready to go Simon? We had a deal.” She tried to say the words with authority, but couldn’t help but think that they sounded a little croaky.
He paused and puffed ghostly cigar smoke into the air. He continued pacing around like a caged lion. He then held his hand in the air, “Watch this Juliet.” He rubbed his hands together and a pattern of lights appeared above his head. When he moved his hand away, the lights stayed, lingering over his head like a halo. With another command from his hand, the circle of light rotated around his head. Eventually the light show faded.
“Can you do that?” he asked her.
“It’s a neat trick.”
How the Hell had he done that?
“Learnt a lot of neat tricks ― oh, thanks to you, the apprentice should always acknowledge the master.” He made a gesture as if he were a gentleman doffing his cap to a lady.
“Simon, are you ready to go?”
He smirked at her and then blew smoke in her direction. “What’s actually in the Light, Juliet?”
Juliet paused, then said, “It’s where we go.” The answer was not going to pacify him and she knew it.
“You’ve no idea what’s behind the Light do you? You’ve no idea what awaits us.”
She paused again, briefly calculating that it would be pointless to lie. “No I don’t.”
“Why do you think I should take the trip then? See, in my human state I didn’t believe in Heaven and Hell, God and the Devil. But I think, given my current predicament, that I may need to re-appraise my beliefs. I wasn’t quite an angel in my human condition, so maybe I’m better off here. What do you think?”
“You can’t stay here.” Juliet replied meekly.
“So I just go to the Light? A Light you don’t understand!” His tone was getting amplified. “See maybe there’s Heaven, maybe there’s Hell, but maybe there’s neither. Maybe there’s nothing out there Juliet, what about that? The greatest act of evolution, God didn’t create us, we created him, we evolved to this stage and nothing more. Behind the Light, there’s just a work in progress, or maybe nothing, maybe it just eats you up into a void of nothingness. Maybe this is as good as it gets for a ghost.”
Now he was circling her, like a bird of prey before the mortal swoop. “Maybe I’m better off like this; you’ve taught me some real neat tricks lately. Maybe this condition is not as bad as I thought. I’m happier than I’ve been in a long while.”
Not expecting this confrontation, she didn’t quite know how to respond to it. The problem was that he was right and she didn’t
*
“Trial is next year. Tony Stone is denying everything of course, but Marilyn isn’t looking forward to prison and will do anything to lighten her sentence of aiding and abetting, or whatever it is they have charged her with.”
Simon was staring out of the window; when he turned around to face her, she could see that, like a sorcerer’s apprentice, he’d learned from Juliet some of the rules of the condition . He had imagined himself a new wardrobe since they’d last met: a leather jacket with tassels, cowboy jeans complete with a belt and Stetsons. He was even sporting an abdominal muscle six-pack, which was bursting through his white t-shirt. The crow’s feet around his eyes had even disappeared. A scar on his cheek had also gone and he even seemed tanned. He looked like a Hollywood reboot of himself.
“Why can’t I leave the grounds of this property, Juliet?”
“I don’t know.” she began. “I can walk out of my body anywhere, but some spirits seem to be grounded near the scene of death. I don’t know why. Why do you ask? Were you thinking of going on vacation or something?”
He started to smile but the expression didn’t take. His appearance and manner were worrying her; he circled her, saying nothing. He pulled out a Cuban cigar and then eyeballed her.
“You ready to go Simon? We had a deal.” She tried to say the words with authority, but couldn’t help but think that they sounded a little croaky.
He paused and puffed ghostly cigar smoke into the air. He continued pacing around like a caged lion. He then held his hand in the air, “Watch this Juliet.” He rubbed his hands together and a pattern of lights appeared above his head. When he moved his hand away, the lights stayed, lingering over his head like a halo. With another command from his hand, the circle of light rotated around his head. Eventually the light show faded.
“Can you do that?” he asked her.
“It’s a neat trick.”
How the Hell had he done that?
“Learnt a lot of neat tricks ― oh, thanks to you, the apprentice should always acknowledge the master.” He made a gesture as if he were a gentleman doffing his cap to a lady.
“Simon, are you ready to go?”
He smirked at her and then blew smoke in her direction. “What’s actually in the Light, Juliet?”
Juliet paused, then said, “It’s where we go.” The answer was not going to pacify him and she knew it.
“You’ve no idea what’s behind the Light do you? You’ve no idea what awaits us.”
She paused again, briefly calculating that it would be pointless to lie. “No I don’t.”
“Why do you think I should take the trip then? See, in my human state I didn’t believe in Heaven and Hell, God and the Devil. But I think, given my current predicament, that I may need to re-appraise my beliefs. I wasn’t quite an angel in my human condition, so maybe I’m better off here. What do you think?”
“You can’t stay here.” Juliet replied meekly.
“So I just go to the Light? A Light you don’t understand!” His tone was getting amplified. “See maybe there’s Heaven, maybe there’s Hell, but maybe there’s neither. Maybe there’s nothing out there Juliet, what about that? The greatest act of evolution, God didn’t create us, we created him, we evolved to this stage and nothing more. Behind the Light, there’s just a work in progress, or maybe nothing, maybe it just eats you up into a void of nothingness. Maybe this is as good as it gets for a ghost.”
Now he was circling her, like a bird of prey before the mortal swoop. “Maybe I’m better off like this; you’ve taught me some real neat tricks lately. Maybe this condition is not as bad as I thought. I’m happier than I’ve been in a long while.”
Not expecting this confrontation, she didn’t quite know how to respond to it. The problem was that he was right and she didn’t
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