Ghost of You

Some spirits have unfinished business, as stated in earlier chapters. What draws a spirit to Earth, though, to finish this business? The possibilities are endless. The most common factor that draws back a spirit is the simple fact of saying goodbye. If you have ever thought about dying, then maybe you have thought about how there's a large possibility of never saying goodbye. When a spirit lets their family know that they are alright, they can then move on and all those in the spirit's family can be at rest.

Some spirits are restless, though, and wander forever looking for a chance to say goodbye, as they have no way of actually communicating to the ones they love. These spirits who wander, never moving to Heaven or Hell, are called Phantomriders. These Phantomriders, or Riders, wander around looking for a way to communicate. There are many who suggest these Riders will never make it past the in-between world. They will stay there forever.

Some spirits do get the chance to say goodbye. These spirits are called Humanoids. The Humanoids are granted ghost hearts from Thanatos, a God of death. It is believed that, upon request, Thanatos will grant a heart, sometimes permanently, to a Rider who wishes to say goodbye. It is rumored a human heart must be given up to obtain this ghost heart. Others, however, suggest Thanatos has the simple power to give out the hearts himself.


I snapped the book shut, leaning my head back. As I closed my eyes, I felt something wet on my cheek, realizing Lou was licking me. I opened my eyes again and leaned my head forward, reaching out to stroke Lou's fur.

“I don't understand,” I whispered, shoving the book from my lap. Lou sighed, his tail curling around my arm. “My brother is a... Phantomrider?”

“And I'm a Humanoid,” Lou said, licking gently at his paw.

“You have a ghost heart?”

Lou nodded, swirling and unswirling his tail around my arm.

“What does any of this have to do with the Carnie?” I asked, looking down at the cat.

He hopped off my lap and sat down next to me, tilting his head to the side.

“Who now?”

“The carnie. He told me to look for a heart, look for belief, and look for the dog. I found all three of those things... I think. But I don't understand what I'm supposed to do with them.”

Lou stood up. “Why don't you just ask this fellow yourself?”

I shook my head. “I can't. He won't talk to me. All he does is speak in rhymes and riddles. And my brother, I haven't seen him in who knows how long. This morning he appeared and told me I'm making a horrible choice, but I dunno what that means.”

Lou's tail swished behind him as he walked away. “I'm sure you'll figure it out,” he said, disappearing around the corner.


I followed behind Lou, watching as he hopped up next to the librarian, letting out a mew as she reached over and stroked his head. “Find everything okay?” she asked, looking up at me, a smile picking up the corner of her mouth.

I felt sweat dabbing the top of my forehead. Something suddenly felt... strange. I looked past the librarian, watching the sky through the tall windows. Dark clouds began rolling over the houses, blocking the sun. “Looks like a storm,” I muttered.

The librarian absently nodded her head, her hand continuously stroking Lou.

“Thanks for letting me use your books. I, uh, gotta go,” I said, stammering as I turned for the door.

Behind me, I heard the librarian let out a small laugh.