It happened quick, there was no pain or fear. One moment I was chasing my friend “Jumpy” across the street when suddenly he turned and went back. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to turn around. I paused for a second. I decided to follow my friend and turned around. This moment of indecision is what caused my death.  

The school bus that hit me was full of elementary school kids. Luckily, none of them saw it happen. As my soul sat at the side of the road, confused about the transition that had just occurred from alive to unalive, I was greeted by three ghost squirrels.

“Blinky”, “Limpy”, and “Jake”, three brothers who were also claimed by indecision on the very same road where I met my fate. They were talking over each other as they gathered around me in my new misty form to welcome me. They explained that I was now a ghost and that I would now spend my days haunting other animals.

Jake called me a liar when I said my name was “Spooky”. I didn’t understand why he thought I’d be lying. I was after all an albino squirrel, with pure white fur and bright red eyes. Spooky was an endearing nickname my mother gave me as kid, she said it was better to call out your own differences before someone else does. Like calling a tall guy “shorty.” Except I guess to many squirrels, I probably do look spooky, so maybe the nickname wasn’t so endearing in life. But now that I am a ghost, the nickname was quiet fitting.

Blinky and Limpy both had fitting names as well. Blinky, well blinked a lot and Limpy had one leg that was shorter than the rest, so he limped as he walked. I don’t know what a “Jake” is but I’m going to assume that since they are all brothers that it must be something fitting to Jake’s personality or physical form. It was a mystery. I love mysteries.

The brother’s sure had a lot to tell me. They talked about how important it was to haunt other animals and how it was fun to haunt animals that would be considered predators in life. Because now they are dead – they weren’t afraid of getting hurt. That logic didn’t make any sense to me. I asked what happens if they spook a predator so much that in fear they run out into the road and get hit by a bus? The brothers nodded in agreement with excitement and said that would mean that they “won!”

Perplexed by the brothers’ lack of insight, I asked what would happen if the predator died? They said that it would be payback for all the other squirrels it ate in life. Then I asked them what happened when they died? They told me they found themselves in a new misty ghost form. I then asked what is preventing the hypothetical recently deceased predator, who is also now in misty ghost form, from hunting them down for the rest of their days?

The looks on their faces was priceless. Simultaneously, all three squirrels reached the same conclusion: haunting/scaring any animal to death was not a good idea, as they would then find themselves on the same side of existence together. Then Jake spoke up, “Spooky, thank you for enlightening us. We will no longer haunt any other animals. From this day forth….” Jake couldn’t finish his sentence as he was engulfed with a bright white light that was slowly raising him up towards the sky.

The two remaining brothers met the same fate as light engulfed them as well. I watched in amazement as they were lifted to what I could only assume was an unseen spaceship. I couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous that there was no light engulfing me. Then panic ripped through me as I cried out Jake’s name. He reached his paws towards me, and I yelled out “what does your name mean?”

Jake was too far up for me to hear his answer. I watched until the brothers were lifted out of sight, into the beautiful sky of rainbows and fluffy white clouds. “I wish I could have seen the spaceship” I muttered to myself as I scurred up a nearby tree. What was the point of being a ghost if I didn’t want to scare or haunt anyone?

Then I felt a wave of motivation pulse over me. I knew what my mission was. It was my destiny to find out the meaning of “Jake”. In my new ghost form I could practically fly from tree to tree. I swished my way over to the local library and in through a vent. I was determined to find my answer.

To Be Continued…