Spookyness

The Afterlife Experiment

*Credit to The_Dalek_Emperor on reddit*

I’ve always felt a little lost in life, like I never received complete instructions on who I'm supposed to be. Everyone else around me seemed to know exactly who they were. Their lives would fly right by me; their GPS’s locked on to destinations while I just sat idling in the street. In high school I never did any extracurricular activities because I couldn't figure out if I was a sports person or a music person. And it was no different in college. I wandered through four different majors, unable to decide who I wanted to be. I just felt like a blank slate.

And if I was a blank slate, Micah York was The Starry Night - authentic, beautiful, perfect. He was my exact antithesis which is what attracted me to him in the first place. He was born knowing exactly who he was and what he was about. His confidence and certainty in himself was an all but tangible element of him.

We first met in our freshman year of college; he was a Neuroscience student and I was majoring in History. We dated our sophomore year, after I changed my major to Computer Sciences. We broke up in our junior year, just before I decided I wanted a degree in Psychology, instead. And he asked me a favor our senior year, just after my guidance counselor told me it was too late to switch majors again.

Our last semester of college was beginning soon and Micah had been applying to grad schools. He wanted to get his Masters in Neurobiology and I helped him with the applications when I had time. I knew Micah was under a lot of stress to nail his senior thesis so I was surprised when he asked me over to his house for a “party” that January. I should have known something was up because Micah was a meticulous student and he didn’t throw parties – ever.

When I arrived at his off campus apartment, I considered not even getting out of the car. His flat was dark and quiet, there was definitely no party. Just what was he up to? I picked up my phone to call Micah and beg off but curiosity suddenly got the better of me and I hung up.

When I walked into the familiar TV-less living room I saw two familiar faces and two strange ones.

There was Micah, of course, and Micah’s friend Sean Nichols, an Organic Chemistry major. The other two people were introduced to me as Irina Bradley, another med student, and Holly Bishop, a Philosophy major. Irina the med student scooted over and made room for me on the couch. I sat down hesitantly and waited for Micah to begin whatever it was he was doing. He rose and walked to the middle of the room.

"Thanks for coming, guys. I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here because, clearly, this isn’t a party. The truth is I have something of vital importance to ask each of you.”

Micah paused, for effect I’m sure, took a deep breath and dropped his voice an octave.

“I have selected each of you to take part in the greatest experiment of not only your lives but perhaps even in human history. I am asking you to take part in my doctoral thesis."

I rolled my eyes. Classic Micah. He may be many things, but humble wasn’t one of them. Jackass appeared to be, though.

"And what is your thesis?" I asked him nonchalantly, as if his previous statement hadn’t been utterly stupid.

"A conclusive essay detailing what happens after human death.”

Irina the med student laughed. Sadly, I knew Micah well enough to know he was being serious.

"How do you intend to prove anything?" I asked. "What kind of experiments have you designed?”

"Well, Bridget, I’m going to kill myself."

The room fell quiet and Micah, mistaking the shocked horror for awed silence, stood a little taller and finally smiled.

"You can't be serious."