I Am Alive.
All sensations fade away, replaced by a strangely comforting darkness.
His nose almost peaks out of the murky waters where his body lays lifeless. Were the dead man's eyes still functioning, he would see a light come down to meet him just above his watery grave. He would see this light shine with the brilliance of a cosmic cloud, uncountable bits of stardust moving about like a fluid. Were he still able to feel sensations, he would notice the stardust encapsulating his rapidly cooling anatomy. He would feel his once shattered bones mend and his battered body return to pristine condition.
Though he didn't feel any of this, because his eyes had stopped observing his surroundings and his body had no feeling left.
The man was most definitely dead.
Thoughts return to his mind as the man senses himself being ripped from the dark abyss. His eyelids slowly part, and sunlight pours into his vision from above the water's surface. He can feel the water around him and the cold mud he rests in barely holding him down with subtle suction. Springing up from the mire to breathe, the man swiftly turns to his Ghost in disbelief. "I-I died!" the soaked man cries as he lifts himself from his brief resting place.
"That's two times now," the Ghost says in an almost cheery tone while the last of the light disperses from the space, like fog on a cool morning.
"You brought me back again?" the man asks as he wrings the filthy water from his clothes.
"I'm here to help you, remember?" says the Ghost as she watches water drip from her partner's drenched outfit.
"I do remember. Why do I remember this if I can't even recall my own name?" Clearly befuddled, the man rests against the side of the vehicle.
"Try to think of it like this. You were reborn when I met you. Your past self died, and when I found the body, you were reforged in the Light as a new man. What matters now isn't who you were, it's what you can be!" the spark says in a voice that could evoke inspiration in even the most crestfallen. "Something about you means you were chosen to wield the Light."
"The Light?" he inquires with genuine curiosity.
"It's a power that lives all around us. It's what made me and it's what allowed me to bring you back… both times." The Ghost has finally gained the full attention of her new companion. "I'm not the best at explanations, but the Speaker would be more than happy to tell you everything when we get home."
There is a moment of silence before the man simply asks, "So what's the plan?"
The Ghost floats about joyously for a few seconds before divulging. "I'm sure you have been well acquainted with this thing now," she says playfully while gesturing toward the helicopter that had recently played a role in the man's death. "Well, I know of an old military base where more should be! In much better condition of course. We will have to cut through an… old tunnel to have any hope of making it there before dark…"
The man continues to try and get dry as he listens to his little friend.
"Oh yeah, let me help with that," the Ghost shines her light on the man's ruined clothes, and inch by inch they are dematerialized and replaced by new attire.
The man is astonished as his distressed garments are substituted for much better gear, including tall waterproof boots, thick but flexible gloves, and a long durable coat. This new equipment may not be much, but it is definitely more suitable for trudging through the flooded streets.
"So you can bring back the dead and conjure fashionable survival gear, huh?" the man asks with a smirk.
"Well, technically I didn't 'conjure' anything. I reorganized the available materials in the area into a more appropriate outfit," the Ghost explains.
"Thank you," the man says sincerely. "Now let's get moving."