Three years ago…
They dwelled together in Southern California. They resided in a beach house just a coupla miles walk from the ocean. Shane gawked at the seashore. The gusty wind whistled in his ears. The ocean swirled, the waves clasped together, and touched his feet before it retreated. Across his head, a host of sparrows flew in unison which caused him to stare upwards as he noticed for the first time the beautiful sunset. Somewhere nearby he heard the crackling sound of burning woods. It was six p:m and twelve hours until his final moment.
Shane's hair was dyed blue. He was tall, handsome, well built and always looked cool. He had lived his entire life with his family on the beach house. The beach house was secluded from the noisy city. Smaller beach houses, six of them scattered around the beach, lodged guests who came to visit the ocean for vacation. The beach was private property but opened for visitors everyday till 6pm except for those who were on temporary accommodation.
He stared at one of the beach houses and drifted into a temporary reverie. He had come out on that perfect morning last summer to jog. He was going to sweep past her when his legs did an emergency break and a complete U-turn a few distance from her. She wore a fedora hat and a pinkish short town top gown. Her chocolate skin glowed! Her shape was a perfect eight, and her face was extremely beautiful. For a moment his brain interpreted her image as strawberry and chocolate ice cream on that hot summer.
"Hi, my name is Shane," he said.
"Hello Shane, Stephanie here," she chuckled.
He face palmed himself and pointed to her, "Nice, so do you reside in one of the beach houses?"
"Yeah. Problem?" she said, adjusting her hat.
"None! Just it's been a couple of years I've seen any beautiful person around here," he chided.
She smiled a huge smile, "Really appreciate the compliment. You're a handsome man yourself. Did you say years? That must mean you're in some way related to the Griffins."
"Yeah I'm the second and last child. So how long are you here for and are you with your parents or partner?"
He smiled inwardly, a sleek way to ask if she is single.
"Whom I'm with is none of your business Mr. Shane Griffin," Stephanie said, enjoying throwing him off balance. "You should run along now. I was enjoying the view and I think you've stolen enough of my time."
She was definitely still looking like an ice cream, but it seemed like he was a child being told, no ice cream today.
"I wish we could spend some other time together, perhaps one when the view isn't as important as the person."
"I'll consider it. Now go!"
Shane emerged from his daydream and the view of the ocean took its place in his eyes again. Now he understood what she was enjoying. Now he appreciated life unperturbed by thoughts of tomorrow, or people.
He walked away from the ocean back to the beach house. He crossed the front porch but stopped to stare momentarily at two rocking chairs which seemed like ghosts occupied them. As he entered through the door he saw everyone on the dining table.
"Shane, welcome home, aren't you going to eat with us tonight?" Mrs Jane Griffin asked. He simply waved his hand in the air and headed straight up the stairs.
In his bedroom, he was asleep for more than a few hours. All through the while he slept he coughed and wheezed. The pleasant ringing of the windchimes awakened him. Five thirty a:m he squinted at the lights emitting from his phone. He went to the dining table, careful not to make a sound. He made a cup of cold, highly flavored coffee and drank.
He was about to cross the front porch of the house again when the ghost from the rocking chair spoke, but in reality it was really Kane, his older brother. Kane had the more manly look compared to his brother. He had beards and moustache while Shane was just sprouting a few. He had dyed his hair red.
"Where are you going so early? What do you plan on doing?" Kane said deeply intoned.
"Mind your own business," Shane said, leaving the ghost behind. "If you insist on knowing then follow me, it won't change anything. Stupid."
The minute Shane had gone, Kane decided to follow, but he only had to go inside and grab his jacket which was a grave mistake. He spent ten minutes looking for a silly jacket. By the time he arrived at the shore of the ocean only a pair of sneakers awaited him. Shane, his little brother, had decided to drown in the deep. The word stupid echoed in his ears. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! The last word his brother said to him and it rang true.
Kane dropped to his knee and screamed at the ocean, "Fuck you! Argh! Argh!" Agonizing over his brother's death.
He mustered up the strength to pick up the sneakers. The waves came close to him but did not touch him. He sprinted home to break the news to his parents.
Three years ago. Mr. Atty Griffin, looked at the small crowd all dressed in black through a dark sunshade which concealed the tears that formed in his eyes. Most of them he recognized as family members he had not seen in a while. The others were close friends of Shane and Kane. They were also some of the neighbors from the smaller beach houses, who were under no obligation to be here. He was about to give his eulogy for his son. "Shane, I love you with all my heart! I'm profoundly proud of you. You've been a gentle soul. You have been described by many as humble. You have been a man of infinite accomplishments, but I did look forward to watching you reach the pinnacle of success. I wanted to be there for you on your wedding day. I wanted to be grandfather to your children. Today, I look forward to seeing you again in the afterlife…" Kane felt an upwelling emotion of sadness that could lead to uncontrollable tears, and so he bolted away from the sc
Stephanie exhaled, placed one palm on her cheek and held her phone in front of her face with the other hand. She listened. She had been pacing outside her compound on a video call with Tiffany. "Well it would seem that you and Kane are becoming attractively intimate these days." Tiffany appeared on Stephanie's android phone screen as she rode in the back seat of an Uber. She had lengthy black, and silkily hair. She was creamy silk in complexion. She had a bony face with a sharp jaw. She had thin, strawberry lips and a perfect set of teeth. "You believe so?" Stephanie said. "Well of course." Tiffany used her fingers to brush and tuck some of her front hair behind her ear. "It's not like you can't exactly say he is just your architect now, can you?" "Well that's all-"&
Simone's silhouette clicked louder with each footstep on the hospital floor. She arrived at the main administration area. "Come with me Miss Simone," the female receptionist said. The receptionist had already seen the striking resemblance and had earlier been informed of Simone's coming. Simone followed the woman. "Dad!" Simone ran into his arm. "I came as soon as I was told. What's happening?" "On his way to the party a truck collided with his car. Someone immediately recognized the Solomons plate number and called nine one one. The doctor said their ambulance arrived promptly and he began the defibrillation process but then Simon went into a coma. "He assured me everything will be fine. For now they've got Simon in the ICU and are trying to stabilize him. We can't see him right away, but tomorrow we can come." Mr Solomon said very calmly. Simone momentarily lost her balance but steadied herself. Mr Solomon was a well
In the final moments of Simon's coma, his soul was transcended into the spirit world. However, his brain still functioning, interpreted the world around him as a series of dreams. He would whoosh with each new scene and it would look as if his soul was being transported from one unfamiliar territory to another. He saw a dark skinned lady who sat idly on a rock. She wore a creamy silk nightwear. She seemed entirely lost in the view of the turquoise blue ocean underneath the silvery moon and starry skies. Firewoods burned brightly in different parts of the beach that assisted with the glow of the night. The crackling sound of burning woods; the sounds of water patting the rocks, and the ringing of windchimes filled the air. There was a guy with blue hair, approaching the lady from behind. He was cladded in a casual light blue tee shirt that accentuated his hair. He wore a pair of white shorts with a black and white croc slippers. His steps were orderly and light. "Hell
At the doctor's request, Simon had spent some extra three days in the hospital. He had to complete some final examinations before being allowed out of the hospital. The doctor was awed. Coma patients' recovery was almost always considered a miracle. Simon's recovery was just perfect according to his test results. The three days had passed and the day had come when Simon would finally reunite with his family.It was a couple of minutes past six PM. A black Rolls-Royce was pulling out of the gate of Solomon's mansion. Simone and her mother sat in the backseat with their seats reclining. Mrs Solomon was fifty but she looked thirty. She was beautiful and immaculate from head to toe. People often mistook her to be Simone's older sister. Mr Solomon was seated in the back seat too, but his seat was not reclined. He held a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Mrs Solomon and Simone were smoking too. 
Who he was, where he was and what he was doing had not fully dawned on him. For a moment, he thought perhaps he was dead again, for inside Solomon's mansion looked like heaven. The stars shimmered above them, the moon shone brightly too and although they were all artificial, its effects had been quite startling. They were having grilled chicken, potato fries and green salad for dinner. Simon licked his spoon savoring the tastiness of the food. For so long he had not tasted anything this good. The table was made of glossy ceramic which was shimmering with golden glitters scattered all around it like tiny grains of sand. Simone watched in awe as her brother ate ravishingly. "That's unlike you," Simone said. "You don't eat meat!" Simon paused, assimilating the information and then said, "Why?" "You're a vegetarian," Simone replied in shock.
The grim reaper had spared their lives. Instead of death they were given a choice. The gatekeeper to the afterlife had given them another chance. Perhaps it was a chance to say goodbye or a chance to start over. Shane had died in order to feel alive that very morning. So instead of waiting for the grim reaper to come for him he had taken the bold step to the gates of the afterlife.Death had been unwilling to claim Shane's soul and in exchange she took that of another. At first Simon had been unwilling to participate, but then he thought what the hell? Rather than die, if it was only his soul, the seat of his emotion, that was going to be exchanged to keep those his priceless memories then why not?However, memories were not just formed from experience of the mind alone. The soul, the centre of emotions, also stores
Stephanie was driving down the road from her new apartment to the Breakfast and Bed restaurant. Tiffany rode with her in the front seat. "Come on, look alive!" Stephanie said, eyeing Tiffany from the corner of her eyes. "You always tell me to go out with Kane. Today I've decided we will all go out on a friendship date and you look gloomy as hell." "I don't think he would appreciate me coming along," Tiffany said, not hiding her frustration. "Look at the bright side," Stephanie said, finally entering the street where the restaurant was situated. She could see its facade. "With you by my side I'll be more confident in playing along with his demands." "Just accept his marriage proposal already," Tiffany groaned. "Shane is gone, you should live on." "Honestly," Stephanie said, turning off the ignition as the car stood still in the parking lot. "I've considered d