52.6 Ghost....Writer

Ghosts, as in beings who were at one time alive. Do you believe?

If you do are there ghost rules or restrictions?

I am reading Her Fearful Symmetry written by Audrey Niffenegger the same author that wrote the fantastic Time Traveller's Wife (which was made into the film starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana) Niffenegger has an interesting writing style that consists of a well woven narrative with no discernible antagonist. The only antagonist in Time Traveller's Wife was the genetic condition that allowed/forced the character to travel in time.

Her Fearful Symmetry is a ghost story, the story is about estranged twin sisters that have spent 20 years more than 3000 miles apart, one of the sisters has twins daughters as well and on their 21st birthday they learn that they have inherited their recently deceased Aunts central London flat as well as a large endowment. When they first arrive, everything seems to be new and exciting and ordinary until their dead aunt leaves them a message in the dust on a piece of furniture:

Greetings Valentina and Julia

I am here

Love, Elspeth

It is this message that has inspired this weeks post, We have all known people who have died either by natural or unnatural causes. Depending on what you believe the generally accepted idea is that when you die, you find yourself elsewhere, be it Heaven or Hell or for those of us that aren't restrained by religion just gone. My question is what if we chose not to go, dead, inevitably to be forgotten, but still here?

I love the idea of being a ghost (though I am less enthusiastic about being trapped forever in a single apartment/flat as is Elspeth) The idea that my story (as life would no longer be accurate.) could possibly continue in a new way is very interesting and even exciting to me. Would you want to know if I was still around, possibly haunting you or a place you associate with me?

I am torn on this idea, I love the idea of knowing that my story doesn't end simply because my bodies sell by date has expired. My hesitation stems from whether or not I would want to burden others with that knowledge. Could my wife (and inevitable offspring) live their lives to the fullest extent with the knowledge that I could be there watching without the ability to interact.
Is that fair to them? Is it fair to me? What do you think?

Random Fact: Area 51 is 575 square miles in size, and located in the middle of the Nevada Test & Training Range (NTTR), which covers 4,687 square miles.