The Unchained Melody of Life

This story is yet another variation of the Astro Boy origin story. More emphasis has been placed on Tobio in this version than on Astro, for reasons that will become apparent as the tale unfolds.

NOTE: Astro Boy is the creation of Osmau Tezuka.

Chapter Four

Hoshie alternated between whimpering and outright bawling. Uma did his best to comfort his wife but was having little success. He would occasionally wipe his own eyes and blow his nose, but for the most part he had kept his own grief to himself. He had asked that someone call him a cab so he and Hoshie could go home, but the doctor informed him that the police would probably want to talk to him right away, and that there was another matter that the hospital needed his signature on.

Tobio sat next to his mother. He tried to get her attention but it was immediately clear to him that nobody could see him. He reached out to hug Hoshie but his arm passed right through her as if it didn't even exist. Yet he could clearly see his own self, he was still dressed in the same clothes that he had been wearing to dinner just hours ago. He looked down at his shirt and could see the bullet hole where the fatal shot had entered his body. Tobio wanted to cry, but his eyes could produce no moisture. He felt so alone. Why was he still here? Had God abandoned him to walk the earth forever, all by himself?

Detective Tawashi had drawn the short straw that evening to cover homicide duty at the emergency rooms for the hospital district near the Institute of Science. He found Dr. Tenma arguing with one of the hospital staff.
"For crying out loud, my only son was just killed, and all you bozos care about is for me to sign you damn paperwork! I need to get my wife home and sedated." Uma yelled.

"Excuse me sir, maybe I can help?" Tawashi came up to Tenma and flashed his badge.

"What do you want?" Tenma barked.

Tawashi put his arm around Uma and his wife and gently shuffled them over to a bench to sit down.
"Wait here." he said softly.

Tawashi grabbed one of the nurses and flashed his badge. "Would you get that woman over there a mild sedative please. She's just witnessed her son's murder and she's just about lost it."

The nurse nodded to the detective and hurried off.

Tawashi returned to the Tenma's. "I'm very sorry for your loss Dr. Tenma. I'm detective Tawashi. Look, I know this is a real bad time but I need you to answer some questions. Also there is this little matter about an autopsy. Metro City law requires that an autopsy be performed for all homicides. We need your signature for our records to show that you've been informed about this."

The nurse returned with a syringe. "I have a mild sedative for your wife." she said to Uma.

"Thank you." Dr. Tenma whispered.

The nurse gave Hoshie the shot and she gradually calmed down. Towashi handed Uma a clipboard and a pen. Tenma quickly read the document, signed it, and handed the clipboard back to the detective who backhanded it to an orderly.

"While we are waiting for your cab, can you give me your story, Dr. Tenma? I only need the basic details for my preliminary report now."

Uma quickly recounted how Skunk had appeared from the shadows with a gun drawn and demanded their valuables. He held back his tears as he told how Tobio had tried to make use of his new Judo skills to disarm the thief, the struggle for the gun, and the boy falling down fatally shot. Tawashi handed the doctor a small package of tissues from his pocket and Tenma wiped his eyes again and blew his running nose.

"Thank you detective. Mine was full." Tenma said softly,

"I'll need you both to come down to the police station to give a statement, and whatever description of the murderer you can for our sketch artist. If we are lucky, maybe you might be able to pick him out from our on line mug shots."

"Sure, Detective Tawashi. I don't know what kind of shape Hoshie will be in come the morning, but I'll come down myself to the station if necessary."

"Someone call for a cab?" A man wearing a Metro City cab uniform called in from the door.

Tawashi helped Dr. Tenma and Hoshie to the waiting vehicle. He palmed the driver a couple of bills and told him that the police department was picking up the fare. Tobio followed his parents out of the hospital and into the cab. He sat up front next to the driver, but no one noticed him get in. The seat next to the driver wasn't depressed from his weight, as he had none. They drove back to the Tenma residence in silence. Hoshie was still in a sedated state from the shot and was calm, though her eyes were glazed over with tears.

Dr. Tenma carried Hoshie up to their bedroom. He undressed her, and manged to get her nightgown on her. Hoshie climbed into bed instinctively. She whimpered softly for a while before falling into a restless sleep. Uma took care of his own hygiene before getting into his bed clothes. He lay down next to his wife and turned out the lights in their bedroom. It took him awhile to silently cry himself out before he also fell asleep.

Tobio walked into his parents bedroom after they had fallen asleep. He tried to kiss his mother goodnight, but he couldn't touch his lips to her cheek, his face simply went through hers. Again he felt like crying but could produce no tears. He went to his own bedroom and quickly discovered that a ghost can't change its clothes. He lay in bed, but couldn't sleep. Perhaps that's something that ghosts can't do either he thought.

It was now about 2:00 in the morning and Tobio couldn't stand the silence in the house. He walked out through the front door and headed into the city. He didn't know what to do, but he couldn't stay in the house alone with his parents sleeping. He decided he'd come back in the morning when they were awake. He walked along the sidewalks of his neighborhood, and onto the main street of town. He headed toward the bright lights in the distance, and soon found himself in the center of the city. Though the hour was very early in the morning, there were still many shops still open to take cater to the night people. He could hear the rumble of a subway train though the ventilation gratings in the sidewalk.

Tobio walked down the stairs leading into the downtown subway station. He passed right through the turnstile without dropping in any fare, entered the station proper, and sat on the platform bench. A train had just left the station servicing traffic going in the opposite direction. He looked down the tracks but couldn't see the headlamps of the next train on his side. Suddenly he heard a voice yelling at him.

"Get out of here, this is MY station!"

The voice came from a dirty looking individual in torn clothing. He'd been hiding behind some vending machines when Tobio had entered the station. The man pointed at Tobio and yelled again.
"I said GET LOST kid!"

"Wait! You can see me?" Tobio asked.

"Of course I can. YOU can see ME can't you, stupid!" The man yelled back at him.

The angry individual kicked a soda can lying on the platform. If flew right at Tobio, and passed through his head. Tobio didn't even feel it, and the can bounced behind him eventually falling off the platform onto the tracks.
"This is my haunt kid. Go find your own!" he yelled.

Suddenly Tobio realized what was going on. The noisy individual who was yelling at him was also a ghost!

"Wait, Please!" Tobio pleaded. "I need your help!"

"I don't help nobody! I'm a mean, angry poltergeist!" the man sneered.

"Please, you're the only person that I've been able to talk to since …." Tobio sobbed.

The poltergeist looked at Tobio's face and seemed to understand.
"You've just passed over haven't you kid?"

"What?" Tobio asked.

"I mean, you just died, didn't you kid?" he asked.

"Yes. Someone tried to rob my parents and I got shot. I watched my own death. Now I'm all alone."
Tobio tried to cry, again he was able to sob, but without any tears.

The poltergeist walked over to him and put his arm around the boy.
"I, I can feel that." Tobio sobbed.

"That's because we are on the same plane of existence. We can see and hear each other, we can even touch each other."

"No one can see us?" Tobio asked.

"Well, mostly." the poltergeist said. "There are some sensitive types that can see a ghost, but those people are very rare. Many people can hear us, especially when they are in the right frame of mind. There are others than can sorta sense a spirit is nearby, but they don't know they are doing it. I think most people are actually like that to some degree. Then there are the very rare folks that are so sensitive that a ghost can co-exist in their consciousness. I've taken control of a few willing hosts, and that's a real gift to be able to feel what it was to be alive again. You can't take over a person's body unless they allow it, and they can usually evict you at anytime."

"How were you able to kick that can at me?" Tobio asked.

"Ah, so you want to learn all about this ghost stuff, don't you. OK, I'll teach you. You've got all the time in the world now, you know."

Tobio looked up at the clock on the wall. It would be daylight soon. He wanted to get back home before his parents woke up.

"I've got to go now. Can I meet you here again tomorrow?"

"Sure kid. Till tomorrow."

"You Bloody Idiot!" Marukubi Boon yelled at Kusai as he slapped him across the face. "How did you manage to fuck up such a simple task. You handled that like a damn amateur!"

"I didn't know the stupid kid was going to practice his Judo on me!" Skunk yelled back. "He grabbed for my gun and then his father jumped into the fray. The gun just went off! I didn't intend to shoot anybody. Shit, I thought I had left the safety on!"

"I'll bet you didn't wear a mask or some kind of disguise either, did you?" Boon groaned. "Between Dr. Tenma and his wife, the police probably have a damn good description of you by now. You'd better lay low for a while, but don't even think of leaving town. You are going to help me get that memory fob from Tenma soon enough. I guess I'll have to put the screws to Mr. Drake myself!"

The Institute of Science's board of governors had interceded on Tenma's behalf with the police to get Tobio's body released from the hospital in record time. There wasn't much needed on the autopsy anyway, the cause of death was obvious, and it took the medical examiner under an hour to perform the procedure and sign the death certificate. Uma wanted to get the funeral over as quickly as possible so his wife could get on with her mourning.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Uma", Dr. Ochanomizu said placing his hand on Dr. Tenma's shoulder.

"Thank you", Uma said as he held Hoshie's hand. They sat next to each other in the middle of the first row of seats in the funeral chapel.

Ochanomizu walked up to the open casket in front of the room to pay his last respects. He had been Tobio's god father, and he'd admired the boy very much.

Hoshie got up and walked up to the casket to gaze upon her son's face one more time. He looked so peaceful lying there. She started again to sob, and Uma had to get up and walk her back to the sit down before she lost all control. They'd been doing this for the last few hours now.

"Dr. Tenma?" Poindexter said. He was wearing the only suit that he probably owned. It fit well enough, and it smelled a bit of moth balls.
"I'm so sorry. I heard all about it at the Institute yesterday."

"Thank you for coming", Uma replied.

"Listen doctor, I know this isn't the best time, but I have something I need to tell you. It's very important." Drake stammered.

Dr. Tenma looked around. The crowd had thinned out some. There were only a few hours left for the viewing, tomorrow would be the funeral proper. He put his right hand on Poindexter's back and directed him toward the back of the room.
"OK, he said calmly, what's so important?"