Ethereal transition had surprises. I found out two things after I dutifully went towards the light: first, it needed a better soundtrack, second, I had choices.
Stay here in the light and do, well, whatever, or go.
Go: wander, haunt, be a muse, join the Guardian Angel Corps, whatever floats your soul. Reincarnation and possession also came up but those aren’t very nice.
I mulled the options. Guardian had a nice ring to it, and I’d get wings. And some kick-ass boots— didn’t know that, did you? Wandering would get dull and haunting sounded mean— then I saw that kid eating. Great. Crumbs in the coffin. And then a wrapper tucked under my pillow. Oh, I’m going to haunt you thin, kid.
Ok, haunting: still mean. Fun. But mean.
I started humming some new tunnel-of-light music and then she walked in.
Wearing red, even! I had no idea who she was, but wow. Had I breath, I would have been breathless. She put her hand on mine.
Then she looked at me. Not the me lying there— the me here.
“Are you ready?” She asked.