The ghost

Billy was a ghost. He thought he was, at least. He could walk through stuff. No one could see him unless he focused VERY hard on one person and then they saw a flash of him only for a second and freaked out and took off. He floated. But he could move around freely, to anywhere he liked. He didn't have or want to haunt anyplace. So he didn't know.

Of course, he had no memory of anything at all. The very first memory he had was of floating around in the clouds and suddenly being aware of it. He had no idea what his name was or even his gender, if he had one. So he picked a name and a gender based on the very first person he saw, a young boy named Billy.

To fill the time, Billy floated around and looked just looked at stuff or watched and listened in on people. When that got boring, he would watch movies or read books over people's shoulders. (Billy had taught himself to read by sitting in on a kindergarten class or two).

Billy wasn't the only ghost. He would sometimes meet others, floating around in houses or apartments but never outside like him. They didn't tend to talk, just wail and moan loudly and try and get whoever lived in that place now to notice them. When they did talk, it was only to talk about themselves, to the point he couldn't get a word in edgewise. So Billy tended to steer clear of other ghosts.

Finally one day something different happened. He was floating above the city taking in the sites when the clouds suddenly parted and a ray of light shone directly upon him, holding him in place. A large man, easily nine feet tall and naked, descended from the sky with large silvery feathered wings. he floated down until he was directly in front of Billy, then said

"Hello. Do you know who I am?"

Billy paused, trying to remember how to speak. it had been awhile.

"N..nah.." he sputtered out with difficulty.

The man smiled. His teeth shone pearly white.

"I am the angel Michael, the angel of mercy. I am here to end your purgatory."

Billy was still having trouble speaking and made a huh? kind of sound.

"You have earned the right to ascend this plane at last and take your place in heaven."

With that, he reached out and took Billy's suddenly touchable hand. It was like an explosion in his mind. he remembered everything now. Poisoning his wife. Strangling his infant son. The midnight burial and the cannibalism. The gun to the head as the police closed in. It was all there.

Billy, or Simon Watson as he was once known, let go of the angel's hand. He remembered speech again.

"No. I don't deserve it. Leave me here."

Michael smiled again.


"Very well, it is your decision. I will return again one day and offer you the same choice."

"Fine."

The angel rose into the clouds again and the beam of light released Simon and it was as if it had never existed.
Simon just hung there for a few moments. As the violent images of his life filled his mind he began to howl and tried to will his mind to forget.