Stave Five.
The value of death.
"Come on! I know it's you." said Grant referring to the third ghost. "Where am I going this time?" he said laughing.
Everything went quite again. Black smoke was coming from his bed. It then began forming some sort of shadow. Not human. Grant opened his eyes in amazement. He did not like what was happening. The windows of his apartment exploded, the floor started to crack and Grant fell. Then the shadow pointed at him.
"Who are you?" said Grant scared. His voice was trembling. "What do you want me to do?" Look...look behind me?" The shadow nodded. When he looked back, he noticed that he was now in his house in Miami, standing in his bathroom. "Home? I am home?" he said.
"What am I doing here?" he asked as he stood up.
The shadow pointed once more. This time to the mirror in front of Grant. He turned back and we he did, he started seeing things... images. The first thing he saw was Marius and his wife in front of a big crystal window. They were looking at someone. It seemed to be a hospital.
"I'm so sorry honey." cried Marius with tears in his eyes.
"Marius!..." Jenny could barely talk, she was crying too much to keep on talking. Both of them were hugging each other.
"Lourdes?" wondered Grant. "She died!?" he said as another image was reflected in the mirror. "This is the future..." whispered Grant. The next image showed people he didn't know. It all seemed as if it was being recorded through a camera.
"Well, I'm not sure how he died, but everyone will remember him. Especially his fans." said a young man who was speaking into a microphone. It looked like he was being interviewed. Actually he was, there were alot of reporters and people around a house that Grant recognized.
"Matthew." he whispered.
"We are live from Matthew Rayburn's house, Grant's nephew. Apparently, the star of... oh, wait, Tobey come quick, he's coming." The reporter said to his cameraman when she noticed that Matthew was coming out of his house. There were flashes of camera and people gathering around Matthew's car.
"MATTHEW!" yelled the reporter. There were like 28 people around him. "Can you tell us how this tragedy has affected your life and your family's? I was told he was the only family you had beside your wife."
"I don't think this is the best time to talk about this." replied Matthew with his eyes watering. "Come on Neve, let's go."
"Do you know how he died?" insisted the reporter.
"I said this isn't the right time." he said angrily and seriously. A flash came out of nowhere. "Who's taking pictures? Get out of my house now! All of you!!" yelled Matthew.
"I died?" Grant asked to himself. "I can't believe this. Why did you bring me to my house to show me this?" he asked the shadow. It didn't move.
"Tobey, did you recorded everything? We need more information." she said as she walked away from Matthew's house. "Did you added the date?"
"No, I forgot." answered the cameraman.
"Put it on." she said.
Suddenly a date was shown on the right corner of the mirror.
"DECEMBER 30 2005!!!!!???" yelled Grant. "I died that day?" he asked to the ghost. But the shadow just pointed once again to his back. "You want me to look back?" he asked. The shadow nodded.
When Grant turned back he was standing in a cemetery. Suddenly he was in a whole different place. It was raining and thundering. There was no flora and the ground was muddy.
"Where am I? What am I doing here? What is this place!!!???" asked Grant nervously.
The shadow didn't answer. He just pointed once more. Grant's clothes were all wet and he barely could walk because of the mud. His feet sank deep in it. A crow flew over Grant's head and landed in the gnarled up branch of an old, dead tree. The shadow started moving, guiding Grant to the next territory of the cemetery. When it stopped, a huge lighting bolt made Grant noticed that there was a hole dug where he was standing. There were worms in it. Ants were walking on Grant's shoes. A horrible smell of bones and flesh made Grant wince. Suddenly the shadow pointed at him.
"No. NO!" said Grant almost crying. "I'm so sorry for everything! I... I have learned my lesson." he said trying to walk to see his tombstone. When he looked at it he read:
"Here lies Grant Rayburn. May his soul rest in peace. 1961 - 2005."
"That can't be right..." he said to himself. "Take me back! I promise I'll change. God forgive me!" he said out loud. "I have now seen my mistakes. I promise I'll change, I promise!" he said crying.
Then the rain stopped and he heard no more thunders. A weird feeling came over Grant's heart that made him collapse. Eventually, his clothes started to dry up. His hair too. The stone on which his head had rested, was now a pillow. The earth that was covering his face and clothes became robes and the ants disappeared from his shoes. Everything became normal again. As if everything he saw and lived... had been a dream.
The value of death.
"Come on! I know it's you." said Grant referring to the third ghost. "Where am I going this time?" he said laughing.
Everything went quite again. Black smoke was coming from his bed. It then began forming some sort of shadow. Not human. Grant opened his eyes in amazement. He did not like what was happening. The windows of his apartment exploded, the floor started to crack and Grant fell. Then the shadow pointed at him.
"Who are you?" said Grant scared. His voice was trembling. "What do you want me to do?" Look...look behind me?" The shadow nodded. When he looked back, he noticed that he was now in his house in Miami, standing in his bathroom. "Home? I am home?" he said.
"What am I doing here?" he asked as he stood up.
The shadow pointed once more. This time to the mirror in front of Grant. He turned back and we he did, he started seeing things... images. The first thing he saw was Marius and his wife in front of a big crystal window. They were looking at someone. It seemed to be a hospital.
"I'm so sorry honey." cried Marius with tears in his eyes.
"Marius!..." Jenny could barely talk, she was crying too much to keep on talking. Both of them were hugging each other.
"Lourdes?" wondered Grant. "She died!?" he said as another image was reflected in the mirror. "This is the future..." whispered Grant. The next image showed people he didn't know. It all seemed as if it was being recorded through a camera.
"Well, I'm not sure how he died, but everyone will remember him. Especially his fans." said a young man who was speaking into a microphone. It looked like he was being interviewed. Actually he was, there were alot of reporters and people around a house that Grant recognized.
"Matthew." he whispered.
"We are live from Matthew Rayburn's house, Grant's nephew. Apparently, the star of... oh, wait, Tobey come quick, he's coming." The reporter said to his cameraman when she noticed that Matthew was coming out of his house. There were flashes of camera and people gathering around Matthew's car.
"MATTHEW!" yelled the reporter. There were like 28 people around him. "Can you tell us how this tragedy has affected your life and your family's? I was told he was the only family you had beside your wife."
"I don't think this is the best time to talk about this." replied Matthew with his eyes watering. "Come on Neve, let's go."
"Do you know how he died?" insisted the reporter.
"I said this isn't the right time." he said angrily and seriously. A flash came out of nowhere. "Who's taking pictures? Get out of my house now! All of you!!" yelled Matthew.
"I died?" Grant asked to himself. "I can't believe this. Why did you bring me to my house to show me this?" he asked the shadow. It didn't move.
"Tobey, did you recorded everything? We need more information." she said as she walked away from Matthew's house. "Did you added the date?"
"No, I forgot." answered the cameraman.
"Put it on." she said.
Suddenly a date was shown on the right corner of the mirror.
"DECEMBER 30 2005!!!!!???" yelled Grant. "I died that day?" he asked to the ghost. But the shadow just pointed once again to his back. "You want me to look back?" he asked. The shadow nodded.
When Grant turned back he was standing in a cemetery. Suddenly he was in a whole different place. It was raining and thundering. There was no flora and the ground was muddy.
"Where am I? What am I doing here? What is this place!!!???" asked Grant nervously.
The shadow didn't answer. He just pointed once more. Grant's clothes were all wet and he barely could walk because of the mud. His feet sank deep in it. A crow flew over Grant's head and landed in the gnarled up branch of an old, dead tree. The shadow started moving, guiding Grant to the next territory of the cemetery. When it stopped, a huge lighting bolt made Grant noticed that there was a hole dug where he was standing. There were worms in it. Ants were walking on Grant's shoes. A horrible smell of bones and flesh made Grant wince. Suddenly the shadow pointed at him.
"No. NO!" said Grant almost crying. "I'm so sorry for everything! I... I have learned my lesson." he said trying to walk to see his tombstone. When he looked at it he read:
"Here lies Grant Rayburn. May his soul rest in peace. 1961 - 2005."
"That can't be right..." he said to himself. "Take me back! I promise I'll change. God forgive me!" he said out loud. "I have now seen my mistakes. I promise I'll change, I promise!" he said crying.
Then the rain stopped and he heard no more thunders. A weird feeling came over Grant's heart that made him collapse. Eventually, his clothes started to dry up. His hair too. The stone on which his head had rested, was now a pillow. The earth that was covering his face and clothes became robes and the ants disappeared from his shoes. Everything became normal again. As if everything he saw and lived... had been a dream.