THE END?NOT YET!

Edna opened his door very anxiously. Inside she found him crouched against the wall sobbing his heart out. “ Nicky…….” She called softly. Why wasn’t he answering? “ Nicky..”
He looked up slowly. Edna couldn’t bear her son’s pale tear stricken face or his flushed out blue eyes that no longer twinkled brightly in mischief. “Oh darling!” She went quickly to his side. “It’s alright. I’m back. I’m not sick any more. I don’t have to stay at the hospital either. I ---“

“ Nicky it’s time to go! ”
Edna jumped high in to the air. An elderly woman, a complete stranger to Edna stood at the door to her son’s room. “ Excuse me ---“ Edna began, but the woman walked right past her as if she was a piece of furniture. Stunned to silence by her rudeness Edna watched and listened not entirely sure what was happening.

“I had your stuff packed and moved, only things you are going to need badly of course.
Nicky I know this is hard for you but you have to come with me. Hurry now let’s go, please.”
“ Go? Go where? This is his home!!” Edna spluttered at last after the awkward silence that followed this senseless request. Once again the woman chose to ignore her, and went and stood by the window, staring outside.
Edna would take no more of this.” Listen here you! Who do you think you are? Huh? Walking in to my house! Daring to touch my son’s stuff!!”
The audacity left Edna breathless.
“ LEAVE AT ONCE! OR I SHALL CALL THE LAW!!!”

As she gestured furiously with her hands the vase by her side flew to the floor and crashed to a thousand pieces. Both Nicky and the woman looked wildly about.
“ How? What? “ They looked all around the room.
The woman yelled in awe, “ The vase flew off the table by itself!!!!”

Edna couldn’t believe her ears. “ What kind of sick joke is this? ARE YOU SOME KIND OF NUT? GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!!”
In uncontrollable anger she kicked the floor making the broken vase pieces fly.
“AARGHHHH!!!!!” With a cry of terror the woman backed against the wall. Nicky gaped completely perplexed. The woman suddenly without any warning grabbed Nicky by his collar and dragged him forward to the door.
“ LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!” Edna banged the door shut, and jumped in their way. There was no way she would let anyone do this!
“ Oh lord, Oh lord… “ She went full speed ahead to the door but Edna was in the way.

Edna screamed in shock as Nicky was dragged right THROUGH HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She stood there petrified, unable to move.
A very weird, unlikely idea had occurred to her. But it possibly couldn’t be true.
Maybe the reason that the woman and Nicky ignored her was because they really couldn’t see her. And maybe they couldn’t see her because she was a -----

“ You are a ghost!” said the short boy, in the striped tee shirt and baggy trousers, who looked older than he actually was because of the thick spectacles that he wore.
Edna stared at him with eyes round as saucers with fear.
“ Yep.” The boy went on cheerfully as though enjoying the look on Edna’s face. “ I’m Wesley. You probably know me as the ‘kid who died in this house 36 years ago’.”
Edna tried to shake her head clear. A kid who died 36 years ago had just called her a ‘ghost’.
“ So how did you die? “ he asked unaware of her disbelief.
“ Deep breaths, deep breaths” She whispered to herself.
“ Don’t remember? That’s okay, it always takes awhile to bring back your last memories.”
“ What……….What?”
She could feel warm blood rushing all through her. Her heart was thudding away inside of her. Even the oxygen entering her lungs was giving her life!! How could she possibly be dead!!
“ I know what your thinking” Wesley declared “ that’s also the title of a book by a woman called Lillian Glass, but I really know what you are thinking. You are wondering how being dead can be so uncannily similar to being alive.”
“ Well yeah!” Edna confessed “ I’m breathing, I’m talking, I’m ……………….OH GOD!! I’m TRANSPARENT!!!!!”
“ Wow it took you that long to notice. Not a particularly sharp observer are you?”

Comprehension dawned on her face like the sun from behind scenic hillocks.
“ After… After I had my morning cup of coffee there was this pain……………”

Wesley could see the pain in her eyes. He knew how the pain had blinded her, and then overpowered her, how she spent the days in the hospital unconscious, oblivious to Nicky’s tears and whispers.
“ Then, yesterday I died! “ She ended abruptly.
Wesley smiled at her “ So... wanna hang?”
“What?” Edna snapped.
“ You know just hang ………they don’t say that anymore do they?” He said almost apologetically, catching the Are – You –For – Real expression on her face.

Edna could almost imagine Nicky listening to Wesley and whispering “ What a dweeb!”
Her heart almost flew to her mouth. Nicky! They had taken him away!

“ My SON, NICKY!!………I...I need to find him!”
Wesley asked, “ Do you know where he is?”
“No!”
“Do you remember what he looks like?”
“ What do you mean by that? Of course I do?!!” Edna said indignantly.
“ Then think of him.”
“Alright!”
Edna thought hard of Nicky.
“ Now concentrate on a happy memory you shared with him.”
“ Mmmmm………okay.”
“ Concentrate hard “
Edna willed all other thoughts out of her mind. Just that one happy moment.
“ Harder”
“ I’m trying!”
“ No you’re not!”
“ YES I AM!”

“ Nicholas you need to think ahead. Edna would want you to do that”
It was a balding man in his late thirties. He stood with a deadpan expression on his face, but staring straight at Nicky, whose face was in shadows. But she knew that he was in tears. She flinched involuntarily when the man called Nicky by his full name.

“ He doesn’t like it “ She whispered to the balding man helplessly, knowing that he could not hear her. Edna felt her heart wring painfully. She burst in to tears, transparent pearly white tears. Ones that Nicky couldn’t witness.

“ Why are you crying?” Wesley asked curiously.
“ I w. want…. t…to hug…h.him..Tell him not to c.cry” She sobbed out her need.
“ Wait till he’s dead!” he advised, making Edna break in to more noisy bawls.
“ No, not so loud, sshh!”
“ HEY YOU TWO!”
“ An old man, transparent like either of them, floated forward. He wore the blue uniform
of security officers and a badge on his chest. When his bulging red eyes fell on them, Wesley ducked behind Edna.
“ What are you doing here Wesley Hart?”
Edna jumped to aside to reveal him hands over his head.
“ Why MR Brown, How do you do? We…. uh…. She “ Edna noticed how quickly he detached himself from her companionship.” She just died and wants to see her son”.
Brown’s terrible eyes fell on her taking down every bit of her.
“ LEAVE!”
Edna tried to protest but Wesley grabbed her away.
“ As you wish, have a nice day! “
“Leggo of me!“ But she was whisked in to the corridor of what she recognized as the district juvenile home. Wesley dragged her in to a cupboard and quickly placed his hands over her mouth.
Within seconds they heard Brown’s raspy voice cursing the children and fading away.
Wesley peeped out first and then gave an all-clear sign to Edna. They stepped out in to the corridor, which was filled with children both living and dead.

“ All you have to do is wait till he’s asleep. Then his body closes down and his mind opens up.Then he can hear you and feel you”. He explained.
“ Really? Then I can tell him that I’m here like this! That I still exist!”
“ Uuuhhhhh… Don’t start weeping or anything but you can’t do that! Listen, Listen to me” He said hurriedly seeing the excitement wipe off her face like a bulb being turned off.
“ You can talk only to his subconscious mind. There everything you say will become feelings, emotions and dreams. When he awakens from sleep, he will feel your love and affection for him.”
“ But you said that I could touch him.” Edna said, disappointed.
“ Only at night! Like I said, his mind can pick up your senses and you can feel his body and he yours. In a subconscious way of course.”
“Wow!” Edna was really impressed with Wesley by now. “ How do you know all this?”
“ How do you think I spend 36 years in your attic?”
“ You were in my attic for 36 years?”
“ Oh Yes, right above your bedroom.”
“ Have you ever tried to peep in to my room?” Edna asked suspiciously
“ Details, details..” Wesley went very red.
“ You creep!” Edna said in disgust.
Both of them settled on a chandelier looking down upon all the children.
Edna said thoughtfully after a long silence, “ Wesley, then being dead isn’t being dead. !”
“ No, being dead is just that!” He replied sadly and softly


When the night finally washed over the day, Edna willed herself close to Nicky. He lay on his side on the cold floor. She knew that he had cried himself to sleep. His blond hair formed a mop on the bundle of blankets he used for a pillow. His breathing was loud and laborious.
She put a transparent hand on his cheek. The warmth from his mother’s hand flew to him as his breathing evened out.
Wesley whispered, “ I’ll be outside.”
Edna hardly heard him. She laid herself next to Nicky and whispered
” I love you!”
She felt strong warm emotions in Nicky.
“I ‘ll always be at your side.”
He turned over in his sleep and Edna could see the peaceful smile on his face.
“ I’m hugging you now.”
She told him as she put her arms around him.
Nicky opened his eyes and they held a brilliant light in them.
“ Mom?”
Edna sensed with grim despair his mind closing down to her touch.
“ No, sleep, please sleep.”
But by now he was wide-awake and his mind asleep.
“ THEY”RE GOING TO KILL HIM!!” cried Wesley flinging the door open, befuddling
Nicky who sat gaping open mouthed at the door. He shook his head as Wesley slammed the door shut and stood against it.
But the door was opened, throwing Wesley aside, but by human hands. Two men entered the room. “ Here he is,” Said one while the other moved towards him menacingly.
“ Who…who are you?”
Nicky sensed the evil in their intents. He got up slowly ready to defend himself. But the men were faster. They wrestled him back to the floor. Nicky screamed. The men cursed.
Unheard by any of them Edna yelled for them to leave her son alone. Unfelt she tried to fight them off him.
They struck him savagely again and again. When Nicky tried to shelter his face they went for his ribs and when he curled in agony they booted the back of his spine. Finally he lay on the floor too overcome to fight. Edna fell on Nicky. His body was cold.
“ I’m here, I’m here!” she shouted desperately through her tears.
“ I’m here too, for you friend.” Wesley shouted with her.
But there were no warm emotions flowing between the transparent people and Nicky, only the pain his body felt flew between them. Both Edna and Wesley felt panic flare in Nicky. They whispered to him, trying to soothe him, comfort him.
The taller of the two men slipped a towel around Nicky’s neck and pulled, with the tiniest hint of a smile flickering on his face. Nicky gasped painfully for air. His whole body twisted and arched in agony. The tiny smile on the man’s face widened to a grin as he tightened the towel. Incomprehensive words and hot tears escaped Nicky. His eyes had now lost the beautiful shine. The ever-widening grin was all Nicky could see in the dark universe around it.
His ears were filled with heartbeats and many voices. Nicky heard his mother pleading with the men to let him be. He closed his eyes slowly “ I want to see you.”



Edna strained her eyes. She could now see a boy at her doorstep. He was long and lanky. His long silvery blond hair that fell neatly over his blue eyes made her realize for the first time ever how much Nicky resembled her.
He saw his mother just as transparent as himself.” Mom?” he stared on in disbelief.
They ran to each other in a tight hug. Weeping in his mother’s arms he whispered
“Why did you go away?, why did you leave me?” Edna answered with a kiss on his forehead.
They wept together watching the rising sun.
“ Mom where are we?”
“ We are home, Nicky!”
“ Are we ghosts?”
Wesley answered that one
“ Scientifically we are endoplasmic projections, though according to psychologists we are super charged matter without physical or quantum barriers. I’m Wesley by the way.”
Nicky stared blankly at him.
“ What’s all that in English, Wesley?”
The humor however didn’t click.
“ But I did speak in English.” Wesley said without a clue.
Nicky leaned towards his mother, who didn’t miss the Is-He-For-Real expression on his face. “ What a dweeb!” he whispered cracking in to a familiar mischievous giggle.

Gregory had moved in to his sister’s house after her and her son’s tragic deaths, with his family.
His wife however had a bad feeling about it.
“ Darling, killing Edna and Nicholas was just the means, this all that we see around us.The house, the money…It is the end!” he assured her.
“Edna and Wesley watched with smiles on their faces as Nicky lifted a vase and held it above Gregory’s head, the smile back in his eyes, whispering lightly “ The end? Not yet!”