Living a Nightmare

A TWIST

We all look at the spot where Jane disappeared a few moments ago.

"What did she say?" I ask Markus, who had been talking to Jane just before she disappeared.

He has obviously forgotten that we are still standing there too, because he jumps slightly, when he hears me talking.

"She... she told me to let go... to be free," Markus stammers.

"Let go? Let go of what? What does she mean?" I look at Markus and then at the other two confused.

"I have no idea," Markus answers before anyone else has a chance to speak.

"She means... What she is trying to tell you is...," now Jay is the one stammering.

'But why is he acting like this? What could Jane have meant? It is not something bad, is it? I have never seen Jay act like this before.'

"What Jay is trying to say is a bit of a delicate situation. Maybe you should sit down, Markus," Cedric motions for Markus to sit down on the sofa. Markus hesitates for a second, but then goes over to the sofa.

"What is going on?" my eyes are filled with confusion and worry, as I turn to Jay, who has come up beside me.

"It's going to be okay, Ri," Jay tries to reassure me, but he seems a bit nervous. His nervousness is not helping my situation at all and I start to shift awkwardly from one leg to the other, looking at Markus, who is sitting on the sofa and has been listening to what Cedric has just told him. His head is now buried in his hands and he is repeating the same words over and over again. "This can't be happening. This can't be happening."

"What can't be happening? Will somebody tell me what is going on?" My voice is louder than I intended it to be and it startles me a little.

"Go on, Cedric. Tell her what you just told me," Markus mumbles without looking up.

"Okay. Well... what Jane was trying to tell Markus is that... well, how do I put this? Markus has found out about how his wife disappeared, right?" Cedric starts to explain. I nod. "And now that he knows the truth, he should let go, which means..."

"Means what?" I start to get impatient.

'Why does he not just say it? Why is he acting so strange?'

"It means that Markus can finally join Jane."

"Join Jane? You are not making any sense right now. What is he trying to say, Markus?" Confusion is written all over my face.

"Riley...," he starts, getting up from the sofa, "what Cedric is trying to say – in a really bad way, I might add – is that my time is up."

"Your time is up? Are you saying that you are dying?"

"Well, technically, I have been dead for a while," Markus exclaims, seeming to slowly feel a little more comfortable with the situation, as if talking about it helps him to realise it.

"What?" I look at them all, completely and utterly shocked.

'Why isn't anyone shocked by this? They act like this is something completely normal?' My head is starting to hurt from all the unanswered questions swirling around in my head.

"Well, it is a situation that does not usually occur in the everyday life of a ghost hunter, but nevertheless, Jay and I have heard about such a phenomenon some time ago, when we talked to a ghost hunter from Seattle."

"Where are you going with this? Just get to the point will you," I hiss at Cedric. It drives me crazy that everyone but me knows what is going on.

"Just listen, Ri, okay," Jay whispers, grabbing my hand and squeezing it again a little.

"Anyway, this ghost hunter from Seattle has had an encounter with a ghost before that was quite unusual. He got a call from a woman, that her dead husband was haunting the house. So, the ghost hunter went to help..." Cedric sees me getting annoyed again that he is taking so long to explain. "...Anyway, to make a long story short, it turned out that the woman had not really let go of her husband and did not believe him to be dead. When she finally found out, with the help of the ghost hunter, that her husband was really dead, she was able to let go. This not only set him free, but also set her free, meaning that she was finally able to find peace and join her husband in heaven."

"So, wait, let me get this straight. That means that Markus, you couldn't let go of Jane because you didn't know what had happened to her, what had kept her trapped here on earth and unable to go to heaven. And now that you have found out that she is actually dead, you have released not only her, but yourself too?" I ask, making sure I fully understand what Cedric has just explained.

"Yes, that's it," Jay answers, still holding onto my hand.

"But how long have you been dead, and why can we all see you as a person?"

"It is unclear, how long Markus has actually been dead for. It could have been years, for all we know. And as for the other question is quite simple. Markus was trapped in his own body, so his soul could not leave. You can look at it like he has some unfinished business here on earth that he needs to take care of before he can leave his body and finally be reunited with his wife in heaven," Jay tells me.

"I think it is time...," Markus interrupts. "Thank you all for helping me solve my wife's mysterious disappearance all those years ago, and thank you so much for setting me free. Now I can finally be reunited with my beautiful wife in heaven. You were the family I never had, thank you," Markus smiles at us.

I run to him and hug him tightly. "No, thank you, Markus, for being a part of this family and for being a grandfather to me that I never had and never thought I would ever have. We will never forget you."

Slowly, I feel his body disappear between my arms and I step back. He is fading, but he has a smile on his face. He is happy. And seeing that makes me happy too. He waves at us and we wave back. Then he disappears.