"Daddy! Daddy! Wake up! Today's the day! You promised! Daddy!" a girl with curly brown hair said impatiently as she shook her slumbering father.
"Uh…What…" he yawned getting up slowly, his wife groaning as she opened her eyes.
"Daddy!" the girl exclaimed with joy and clung to him, "You said we could go to the ravine today!"
Her father rubbed his eyes and stretched, "I did didn't I. Alright, Mira. Let's go."
Mira giggled and jumped off the bed, "Bye Mommy!" she called behind her.
Her father smiled and kissed his wife, "We'll be back by lunch."
"Be careful Brian, its dangerous." she cautioned.
"Don't worry, Liz." Brian added and combed his short blonde hair quickly.
"Daddy!" Mira hollered, "Hurry up!"
"Hang on, babes. Liz, if Jameson calls tell him I'll be in at the office by 1 o'clockish." Brian finished and grabbing his coat and kissing his wife once more.
"Have fun, you two!" Liz beamed but I sadly have to say this would be the last time she ever saw her daughter alive.
"Look Daddy! A bunny!" Mira whispered with excitement pointing to a near by bush as the two hiked through the brush.
"And what's that on the tree?" Brian asked and his daughter giggled.
"It's a woodland beetle found only in the northern forests like this." Mira classified and her father smiled proudly.
"Very good, you are beyond ready for pre-school!"
"Really?" Mira retorted, "I did learn from the best Daddy ever."
"And I have the best daughter ever." her father chuckled ruffling her hair, "Shall we continue?"
"Hold on, Daddy! I want to pick up the bug, it looks cool." Mira gently scooped up the beetle with an amused grin.
"You are the only four year old I know who loves bugs to the extent that you do."
"I like buggies. I want to study them when I grow up, or be just like you." Mira told observing the beetle before setting it down as gently as before.
"You don't want to be like your, Daddy. Just between you and me: Jameson is a butthead." the two laughed together and continued until they hit the highest ridge of the ravine.
"Wow…Daddy we're too high up…" Mira said with fear clinging to his leg.
"Don't go near the ledge and you'll be okay. I don't want to find a Mira-pancake on these rocks." Brian joked which made Mira feel better, so she wandered closer to the side.
Something caught Brian's attention for a couple of seconds, he forgetting about Mira. There seemed to be something observing them…Brian didn't like the feel of the situation at all.
"Alright, babes! Let's go…Mira? MIRA!"
Mira who had been enticed by a butterfly; which was dancing toward the crevasse's ledge, with out warning lost her footing on a rock and tumbled off with a scream.
Brian rushed over to aid his hysterical daughter who was now clinging to the ledge with her life. "Daddy! Help! Daddy!" Mira cried grabbing her father's hand.
"Hang on, Mira…Hang on…" Brian whispered as he strained to pull up his child only for her fingers to slowly slip from his shaking hands.
"Daddy!" Mira screamed with terror as she began to lose her grip on her father's hands.
"Hang on a little longer…" he breathed with a tense tone. He began to pull her up and almost had her until…
There was a horrifying scream that would haunt Brian Jackson forever, Mira lost her grip and plummeted to the jagged rocks below.
"MIRA!" Brian screamed with mortal terror sliding down the ravine's slope with lightening speed.
There…the girl lay…on her fragile back with a monotonous expression. The blood had drained from her face and the very same butterfly she was chasing had perched on her curled palm. Her chest didn't move an inch nor did her body.
"No…" Brian gasped with sorrow caressing his daughter who was now as white as snow. "No…No…No…NO!"
Brian repeated that very word through out terrified sobs over and over until the afternoon begun. He repeated and embraced his only child for hours and hours before the devastating reality of death swept over. He didn't dare think about how his wife would react.
But when his watch showed it was clearly three o'clock, Brian emotionally picked up his daughter and started home.
Brian never had a happy moment after the trip to the ravine. His wife, Elizabeth Starkson never forgave him for Mira's death. Around a year after the funeral, she left Brian.
She said she couldn't be under the same roof as her daughter's murderer. Perhaps, that was the reason but Brian knew it was something much more. The two had been fighting before Mira's death and maybe Mira now being gone forever, Elizabeth felt no desire to live with him.
Whatever it was, it only resulted in her own undoing for she committed suicide soon after the separation. Brian had been told she was heavily into drugs at that time.
Guilt and depression soon became a way of life for the man. He didn't eat nor sleep or show any signs of love toward anyone. His family attempted to help him but he ignored them with emptiness.
They began to worry when he started to lose his golden blonde, straight hair and was replaced with a wild, pale blonde mop.
They worried more when he lost all interest in life completely and more into death. When Brian Edward Jackson died…there wasn't anything alive to start with…
"Welcome to the afterlife, I am your social worker, Juno." an ancient lady introduced.
Brian sat vacantly. Juno lit up a cigarette and sighed with a puff of smoke. "I know it's hard for you, it's hard for all of us…death is a factor you have to deal with…"
"I'm not afraid of death. There are worse things than being dead." Brian whispered gloomily.
Juno seemed disturbed by this remark. "Tell me, Brian. Ever since the deaths of Mira and Elizabeth…"
"Don't you dare talk about them!" Brian interrupted angrily, "How do you know about them! I never want you to talk about them! NEVER!" he was now standing up and crying into his hands.
Juno disposed of the cigarette with a snap and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." she apologized.
Brian calmed down and returned to his seat in front of her desk. "What am I supposed to do here." he said quietly.
"Tell you what, how would you like to work for me?"
Brian eyed Juno with gratitude, "Really?"
"I've seen your file, Mr. Jackson. You're a bright man, with expertise in office work. This may be an easy job compared to your old one but you can work as an apprentice. What do you say?" Juno smiled warmly and Brian smiled back.
"Why not."
So Brian worked for Juno, less grimly than before and soon developed many friendships with his colleagues. I wish I could tell you, Brian lived a happy or almost happy afterlife surrounded by friends but as you can tell this cheerful point in his life was short lived.
Brian had been at the office late, doing file work when he saw a beetle scamper across the floor. Mira's scream echoed in his head and a flashback of the very room he died in occurred.
There had been a battered beetle beside his body, some liquid had been oozing like blood; it must have died when he did. Something clicked in Brian's head and a wave of fury over swept him.
"Hey, Brian! What are doing here so late?" a ghost greeted and Brian grabbed him by the throat.
"I'm not Brian." he hissed.
The ghost saw a yellow gleam in his eye and his almost alive complexion had morphed into a snow white tone in a heartbeat. The ghost swore that Brian had black circles around his eyes.
Brian dropped him with a scowl and the ghost ran away. "You'll pay for that, Brian! My brother is here in the afterlife too and he will hear from me!"
Brian laughed insanely, "Oooooooo. Scary."
The ghost ran away with a mix of terror and anger but Brian didn't care. This new sensation of cruelty had filled the void of where his soul must have been.
His conscience was replaced by a wicked voice. Brian liked the new him and a terrible, rotten idea came to mind.
"Good morning, Brian." Juno welcomed, sitting down at her desk.
"My name isn't Brian." he responded with a scratchy voice that startled Juno.
"Uh…are you alright? You sound, act and look…different." she wondered.
Brian had kept his snow white skin and black circles around his eyes only for a haughty scowl to stay in place.
"My name is Betelgeuse."
"Beetlejuice?"
"Betelgeuse: like the star." Betelgeuse said icily.
"Oh, I see. Very well…Betelgeuse, let's move on to today's work."
Juno didn't know what had got into Brian but she knew it wasn't going to end well.
Word about Brian's attack on his colleague had spread through out the Agency not to mention his new personality. Juno began to worry about his growing talent in shape shifting. He had been teaching himself from the Handbook for the Recently Deceased along with thinking of more frightening tricks.
Ghosts stopped calling him Brian and called him Betelgeuse, some even Beetlejuice for his sudden interest in bugs.
"Betelgeuse, there is a form that needs to be edited." a blue lady ghost began quickly, "And Juno wants to talk to you about your request."
Betelgeuse swiped the file out of her hands, "Where is she?"
"In her office."
Betelgeuse walked over to Juno's office door, "Come in, Betelgeuse."
As he sat down she looked at him uncomfortably, "Betelgeuse, this request about you introducing black magic into the Handbook isn't safe. I know you have been meddling but it has already taken a toll out of your spirit."
"I'm fine. I've found some side effects to the black magic." Betelgeuse caught a beetle and ate it, "Sorry, it's a new habit."
Juno began to rub her eyes wearily, "You have to be careful, Betelgeuse. Some of your ideas could get you in trouble…Deep trouble."
"Juno, lighten up. Some of my ideas could change the Outerworld forever…like getting rid of the living; those Mortals who deserve to die…I call it a bio-exorcism."
"Betelgeuse! That is exactly what I'm talking about! If the Agency finds out about these ideas you could get…" Juno stopped nervously, "…Cursed…"
"Some ghosts, not many do, but some who are a threat to Mortals and the Deceased alike, are stripped of their freedom and sent to the grave…for eternity."
Betelgeuse snickered, "Juno, give me a break."
"I'm not fooling around! If you keep it up, frightening Mortals the way you do, not to mention your colleagues it could happen! Betelgeuse please don't keep it up!"
"Know what your problem is…you're too soft." he growled, "The living have it too good. Especially those rich who are too selfish to give to the poor, those crooks that get bailed out of prison, those heartless dictators. They all deserve it. Admit it, Juno. You're scared I might get promoted."
"Betelgeuse, Brian. This idea is insane." Juno said sternly, "I never want to hear about your ideas. Got it?"
Betelgeuse glared and stormed out. He wasn't going to listen to her, not anyone.
"Help! Someone help!" a woman screamed as she was chased by an armed man.
The man tackled her and began to strangle her with a cord. "Shut up." he ordered as she gasped for air.
As he reached for her hand bag something flung him into the wall. When he looked up, no one was there except the woman whom was now untying the cord around her throat with a purple face.
The man reached for the gun but something hissed, "Stay away from her…"
"Where…where the hell are you!" the man demanded with fear, "Come out you coward! Show…show your face!"
On cue a pale man with a black and white pinstripe suit appeared with a deadly scowl. "No point on trying to kill me…I'm already dead…" the ghost laughed lowly.
The man trembled at the sight, dropped his gun and ran. The ghost beat him to the only exit out of the alley way. "Leave…leave me alone!"
"Why, so you can slay innocent hearts…I hate murderers…"
"Who the hell are you!"
"Betelgeuse."
The woman covered her mouth with terror as the ghost morphed into a disgusting creature and silently killed the man.
Betelgeuse turned around and the woman began to shake. "You didn't see anything." he whispered and vanished into the shadows.
Betelgeuse worked at his desk with a scowl. He hated Juno for ignoring his ideas that could, in his opinion, change the Living and the Deceased.
There was a scream followed by others as a squad of ghosts with laser bazookas entered the Agency. "Where's Betelgeuse!" the Commander barked.
Betelgeuse stepped out of his office fearlessly. "Can I help you, Commander?" he replied smoothly.
"You are under arrest for murdering Mortals and taking advantage of newly-deads!" he growled as two officers cuffed Betelgeuse.
"Excuse me! Those newly-deads wanted my help!"
"You manipulated and tricked them into destroying the Living family in their assigned resting place!"
The squad roughly pushed Betelgeuse along, his colleagues gaping at the sight; Juno was waiting at the exit door.
"I warned you, Brian…you just wouldn't hear me…" she said sadly, "I'm sorry I have to do this to you…it's the only way…"
"No! You're not going to! JUNO! I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS! MARK MY WORDS! I'LL FIND YOU!" Betelgeuse exploded as the squad took him away from the Agency, and never to return to the Outerworld again.