The In-Between and After: A Ghost's Story

Introduction

For some, dying is a lot like waking up from a dream. We all know that feeling, waking up from a great dream that was so real and vivid, but you just can't for the life of you remember any of the details. Unfortunately, as if dying wasn't enough, there is a distinct possibility that you can end up being in a constant state of feeling that exact way after you die. Struggling to hold onto those fleeting memory fragments before they slip off into the abyss and are forgotten. You may be thinking that that's an interesting notion and all, but how can I know for sure?

Well, I know because that my current situation, my reality. Unbelievable as it may be, I'm dead, so you can take my word for it. I expect you are dubious, so allow me to explain as best as I can. Hopefully, I can answer a few of the questions you may have. Though I have to warn you some of my answers are based on gossip, guesses, some rumor, and a lot of speculation. It's really all us ghosts have to go on, there wasn't any Afterlife 101 class, no Idiot's Guide to being a Ghost, not one single pamphlet to answer our basic questions.

First things first, I died... but I didn't stay that way. Instead, I became a ghost. Or a spirit, a specter, apparition, a phantom - whichever word you prefer, that's what I am.

Yeah... Big surprise to me as well. Ghosts exist, those stories you have heard all your life, those cheesy ghost hunter TV shows, those supernatural Hollywood movies, are all based on some amount of truth. Though, I do have to say most of that stuff is fairly, if not substantially, exaggerated. It's not glamorous by any stretch of the imagination, but don't feel sorry for me. It's not so bad. I mean, I no longer have to contend with all the worries and the stresses that you living have to deal with. I don't have a physical body so I don't have to eat or drink or any other unpleasant bodily functions for that matter. Because of my incorporeality, I can walk, or phase through, most walls and objects. Though, the whole not-being-able-to-touch-anything thing presents problems every now and then. Also, there's no money in the afterlife, so I don't have to get a job. I don't have to worry about if my clothes are trendy or fashionable or even clean because all ghosts have the same standard-issue tan clothing. I look about the same as a person, albeit a bit paler. So I can't really complain all that much. Though the biggest drawback I've found is that it does get boring, the days get pretty long when you don't have anything to do. So if you find yourself like me, you don't have to worry that much about it. But how did I end up like this, you may be asking, why am I a ghost?

Short answer: I don't know. Though, I really wish I did, because if I did, I could do something about it. But I don't, so I'm essentially stranded here in the spirit world, this boring plane of existence that has come to be called the In-Between. I don't know why it exists. For all I know, it's some cruel joke or some strange form of punishment, or maybe a gift to humanity, or some cosmic accident having to do with the conservation of energy. So you want to know if I know your Mom or such-and-such celebrity. To answer bluntly, Probably not. For a few reasons, firstly and mainly, not everyone becomes a ghost. So why did I become a ghost?

From the little information that I've been able to pool together with other ghosts, it has something to do with the final thought I had right before I died. That thought could have been anything, some lifelong regret, some unfulfilled dream I had, some unfinished business I needed to do, or even some random idea that popped into my mind. Whatever it was it must have been strong or important enough to keep me in the In-Between. Though this isn't just wild speculation or just wishful ghost thinking, It's a tried and true theory. There have been countless ghosts who, as soon as they accomplish their dream or finish their unfinished business, get to pass over. But that just brings up another question, where exactly are they passing over to?

Again, no one around here knows for sure. What we do know is that passing over is the goal. Us ghosts have come to call whatever the next plane of existence is, the After. What's supposed to happen is when you die and become a ghost, you handle your business right away, when you and your memory are the strongest. No fuss no muss, just bing bang boom, you get it done, start up the band, queue the spotlights, you pass over, enjoy your time in the After. However, there lies the big problem, you remember that whole "dying is like waking up from a dream" thing, yeah... Ghosts don't always remember that final thought. So what's a forgetful ghost supposed to do?

Well, I'm happy to tell you there is finally a definitive answer. Though I wish that the answer was better because it's the situation I currently find myself in. But If you're like me and you've forgotten your final purpose, you have basically two options. You can either relegate or you can dissipate. What do those mean? Well, Relegation is still kind of a mystery to me, but it's how ghosts can get to the After without having to fulfill their final purpose. Not much is known about the process, it's suspected to be like a work release program for ghosts. Relegated ghosts are given a new purpose to fulfill so they can pass over. So that seems pretty good an all, you say, but there's a catch. I've heard stories that Relegation takes a long time. Some say at least a few decades or even longer to pay off. Also, no one knows what you'd be doing. There have been rumors, of course, about seeing relegated ghosts in the In-Between. Everyone knows a ghost in the town over who says they know a ghost who says they've seen a relegated ghost. Though those are just stories and there is no way to separate the truth from the rumors. What I do know is that there is a glowing door in town that every day a few ghosts line up to go through in order to relegate, and I've never seen any of those ghosts ever again. That mystery that surrounds Relegation is why many ghosts delay going through it for as long as they can because the other option is pretty bad.

That option is Dissipation and it's when a ghost fades away out of existence. Forget what you think you know about ghosts, they are not immortal. Ghost's lifespans depend on a few things, which I'll go into, but it all boils down to the amount of energy they have. Ghosts are made up of spiritual energy, which we usually shorten to just Spiragy. Not much is known about the stuff and since I am not the most science-minded, I only know the practical relevant facts. I do know that we have a finite amount of the stuff at first and the longer you stick around the more you lose. I heard that you know dissipation is starting when you get a chill in your body that you just can't shake. Then it begins to affect your hands and legs, your limbs becoming more are more transparent until one day they are gone. I know that your spiragy levels must be associated in some way with your memories because the ghosts who are the most transparent are the ones who have the most trouble with remembering their lives. Lastly, I know if you exert yourself physically it takes its toll on your levels. Everything a ghost does expends energy, so you have to be smart about what you choose to do. For example, ghosts ARE able to interact with the physical world. They can move objects, communicate with the living, switch on and off lights, affect the temperature, really almost anything, but bigger actions like that take huge tolls on your spiragy. Such a toll that really only the newly dead are able to do them. They have the most spiragy and can use these actions in order to quickly finish their purpose. So, why don't I just relegate if I have forgotten my purpose?

Good question... I find myself asking myself the same thing every once in a while and to tell you the truth, I've come close to making that decision. But every time that idea pops up in my mind, I back out. Maybe it's because I'm stubborn or because I see it as a failure on my part. Plus, It's hard to give on on my purpose because I feel that it's right there, like a word on the tip of your tongue. I do remember some things about my life, but so far it's only random details, I get memory flashes every once in a while - like when I was a kid I had a red bike or that I didn't like onions. So I figured that it could be any day now that I get the right flash and remember something big, something that will lead me to remember my purpose. I also feel like I have sometime before I really have to choose. I have been dead for about a year and thankfully haven't done much to expend my spiragy, so I'm doing fine, still mainly opaque. Also, I'm not alone, a lot of ghosts choose to delay Relegation, they all have their reasons. Some are like me, still holding on to the hope of remembering and fulfilling their purpose. Others, who call themselves Wanderers, spend their time traveling around. A prospect that does seem interesting but also has its drawbacks. The biggest, at least for me, is that if you delay too long, there's a chance that you won't be able to Relegate. Ghosts that wait too long act very differently. Not only are they forgetful, but some get so bad that they lose all sense of who they are, some have sudden mood swings and lash out for no reason, some isolate themselves. We called those ghosts Old Timers, for obvious reasons. There are a few that live in town, you see them sometimes, puttering about, some almost completely transparent. If it starts to get to that point or even when I first get that unshakable chill, I'll bite the bullet and relegate, but until then I'm intent on trying to remember my purpose. I might even do some wandering, you know, see the sights. I've hung around here for awhile and it's a fine town but not much happens here. I've been in a few scrapes since I died, usually stemming from my impulsive nature. Finding myself in situations where I shouldn't be in or saying things when I should have been quiet. Ghosts, surprisingly, tend to hold grudges. Other than that, the people here are alright, mostly low key for the most part. I think...