First Chapter
Ok, so I have been thinking about new projects and one story that seemed to stand out for me was an Urban Paranormal one.
Essentially, it is the story of a man who dies and returns… I don’t want to give away too many details but for anyone who is interested, here’s the first chapter (rough rough draft) which gives an indication of what is happening.
Any thoughts on this?
Chapter 1
I couldn’t quite recall why I had been in the park, standing in that pool of light beneath the Victorian styled street lamp. It had undoubtedly been for a specific reason and a slight nagging feeling at the back of my mind insisted that it had been important. As I stared down at my corpse as it lay on the damp green grass, I realised that perhaps I had other things to worry about.
Yes, I definitely had other things to be concerned about. The memories had begun to fade and were fast becoming as ethereal as the mist that seemed to cloud my vision. I was reasonably certain that the mist hadn’t been present when I was alive.
That was such an odd thought really. I was already comparing my current situation to when I had been alive as though it were such a long time ago and not merely minutes. I wondered what had killed me.
I had been in the park for a reason, an important one in fact. I was sure of that and my outfit certainly indicated that I wanted to be taken seriously. A dark suit and tie, hair neatly brushed and with perhaps a little bit of product in it. My hand looked to be clutching something in a deathly grip and try though I might, I couldn’t open the fingers…or even touch them.
In fact if I tried to touch my remains, my hands would pass straight through them in a most disconcerting manner. No doubt it was a by product of my deathly state.
I sighed and was surprised to find that I could do so. Since I was a ghost, disembodied spirit or whatever, I was fairly sure I had no need for breath and so therefore would have no air to expel from my ghostly lungs.
My second sigh was much the same as the first and I spent several minutes experimenting with breathing in deeply before expelling the air. While I could feel no movement of breath being expelled it certainly sounded like a sigh.
It was then that I realised that I couldn’t actually feel anything. I was neither warm nor cold, hungry or thirsty. The light summers breeze that was making the leaves rustle in the nearby oak tree didn’t touch me. I couldn’t even feel the metal of the lamp post as I leant against it.
I was leant against the post though. I couldn’t feel it but I could see where my body met the post. I gave it an experimental shove and found it to be firm and unyielding to my ghostly hands. Peculiar indeed that I couldn’t pass through the post but my earthly remains were as solid as water.
Another sigh escaped me as I pondered my plight. I appeared to be a ghost of some sort and I couldn’t help but wonder if the afterlife would just be this, standing around with nothing to do.
“Hello John.” A melodic voice that seemed to ease my troubled spirit spoke softly from behind me.
“Who are you?” I asked with a small spark of curiosity as I turned to the new arrival.
“My name is Aira.” The new arrival said as I studied them in the mist.
She stood tall at nearly six feet of height and was undeniably beautiful with hazel eyes that glowed faintly from beneath waves of dark hair that hung past her shoulders. She wore a simple dress of white material that seemed appropriate for a summers evening and her feet were bare.
“You can obviously see me, are you a ghost too?” I asked.
“No.” She replied with a smile full of warmth and comfort. “I am here to escort you.”
“To where?”
“To a place of peace and comfort.” She said gently, “A place where you will spend the rest of eternity in the loving embrace of the creator of all things.”
She spoke with such conviction and the promise of bliss in every word that I almost stepped towards her as though my ghostly self longed to go with her.
“No thanks.” I said.
“No?” Aira asked as she gazed at me with those glowing eyes, head tilted to one side and a slight frown marring her perfect features.
“Yeah, no thanks. Not interested.” I said.
“You do not understand.” Aira said her tone at once full of pity and concern for my foolishness. “I am here to escort you to heaven.”
“I can’t go just yet.” I said, “Things to do here.”
“Do you truly believe you have a choice?” Aira asked.
“Well considering you haven’t just dragged me kicking and screaming to wherever, I assume it’s because I have a choice.”
“You do not understand.” Aira said with a touch of urgency, “You have one chance and one chance only to move on. If you do not, you will no longer have the protection of heaven.”
“Why would that matter? I’m dead already.” I scoffed.
“There are worse things that death.”
“Sure.” I said with a ghostly smirk.
“You mock me?” Aira asked quizzically.
“Well considering I didn’t actually believe you or your god existed, this is all kind of new to me.” I said, “Now if you excuse me, I have things to do.”
I turned away from the open mouthed woman and returned to studying my corpse. Something had killed me and I really wanted to know what. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had an incredibly important reason for being in the park.
Through the haze that surrounded me I became aware of movement and light that I soon realised belonged to an ambulance as it pulled up beside my body.
A man and woman rushed out with all manner of medical gear and knelt beside my corpse. It was clear to me that they would have little chance of reviving me, but then I did have the advantage of being a ghost which did hint strongly that I was way past the point of resuscitation.
“Am I ghost?” I asked curiously as I turned back to Aira who was watching me with a stern expression and arms crossed over her chest.
“You are a spirit, a disembodied representation of your soul.” Aira said.
“So a ghost.”
“Of sorts.”
“That’s why I couldn’t touch my body.” I mused, “Why then can I touch the lamp post?”
“You are in the Veil.” Aira replied and ignored my questioning look. “Time grows short, you must come with me.”
“Why do you care?” I asked as I turned back to the two paramedics who seemed to have come to the conclusion that I was dead.
At least I assumed that was the conclusion they had arrived at, sound much like everything else appeared muted and all I could hear when they spoke was a buzzing. It was irritatingly like an out of tune radio station, static with the occasional word that you thought you might make out if you could just listen hard enough.
“My purpose is to protect souls and escort them to their eternal rest.” Aira said with the faintest hint of annoyance.
“Protect from what?” I asked with a glance back over my shoulder to see her almost glaring at me. “Are you an angel?”
“All will be made clear when you reach heaven.” Aira said, neatly avoiding actually answering any of my questions.
“How come I get to go to heaven anyway?” I asked, “I mean I’m not a bad person, but I’m fairly sure I broke more than one of the commandments. I stole a pencil once and I didn’t wait for marriage before I had sex.”
“The creator forgives.” Aira said.
“Really? Then why is it so important for me to come with you. Shouldn’t he forgive me for not going?”
“There are rules.” Aira said with growing frustration, “If you do not follow them then you will be denied heavenly peace.”
“Maybe so, but I’m not ready yet.”
“What would you stay here for?” Aira demanded, “You have no way of affecting the world in any way, you cannot speak to those you love or touch them one last time. All you can do is watch them until they come for you.”
“Who comes for me?”
“I will ask one final time.” Aira said, ignoring my question. “Will you come with me?”
“No.” I said and suddenly found myself alone. No flash of light or flutter of angels wings, just one second there and the next gone. I was almost disappointed.
I shrugged and turned back to gazing at my remains as I tried to hear what the paramedics were saying. I wanted to know what had happened to me and I needed to know why I had been in the park.
It wasn’t long before several new cars pulled up beside the ambulance, their lights flashing and sirens wailing distantly to my ears.
The police men and women wasted no time in setting up a cordon around the area with their tape and began doing whatever it was they do with dead bodies found in parks.
Since people had a habit of walking right through me which was a singularly disconcerting experience, I moved away from my corpse and leant back against the side of the ambulance only to fall straight through it.
I climbed to my feet and swore loudly at the vehicle. The rules of the veil were apparently something I would need to learn and while I could touch some things, I couldn’t touch others.
The mist that wreathed everything appeared to be darkening and for the first time since I had found myself standing over my own corpse, a chill gripped me.
My ghostly form shivered as the chill deepened in the gathering darkness and I found myself regretting my refusal to go with Aira.
I glanced around as I became aware of a presence but unable to pinpoint exactly where it was. Someone or something was nearby, watching me. If I’d still had flesh it would have been covered in goose bumps.
My back was to the ambulance and too late I realised how stupid that was when it was as intangible as fog. The dark claws that seized me dug painfully into my arms and I let out a scream of pain and terror as I was dragged backwards through the side of the ambulance and into a place of utter darkness.
