Release The Ghost Within

One

Samuel and Gordon had always been friends. At school they did
everything together. If either one got top marks at maths, the other
would achieve the second highest mark. They both played rugby for the
school and were each made captain for alternate seasons. Samuel
excelled at cricket whilst Gordon played wonderful tennis. They were
also joint holders of the 'Sportsman of the Year' Trophy. They were not
insufferable swats, however, and neither of them showed off on the
sports field.

Their tastes were quite alike. They both enjoyed sausages and mash, the
FA Cup, big hairy spiders, marbles, choc-ices, pulling girls' hair,
playing soldiers and rice pudding. The only difference was that,
whereas Samuel was lucky, Gordon was not.

Samuel lived happily with his mother and father and sister and Jacob,
the labrador. Gordon's father had left home and his brother, Joe, was
killed by a hit-and-run driver and his mother was crippled with
arthritis. Samuel was a handsome boy with fair, wavy hair and deep,
blue eyes. Gordon wore thick glasses over his brown eyes and his dark
hair was straight and always greasy. The two boys loved to laugh - but
Samuel's laughter always seemed much brighter and more spontaneous than
Gordon's.

When they left school, Samuel went to university, but Gordon had to
find work so that he could support his crippled mother. The two friends
kept in touch for a while, but soon the letters became less frequent
and the reunions dwindled until, finally, they saw nothing of one
another.

Gordon worked harder and harder. His mother's condition continued to
deteriorate and the treatment became more and more expensive. Before
long it became obvious that she was going to die. Gordon wrote to his
father and begged him to come home, but the letter was returned
unopened and marked, 'Gone away'.

That night Gordon's mother called to him. Her voice was very faint,
because she was so weak and Gordon had to put his ear very close to her
mouth so that he could hear her speak.

"Gordon," she said, "you are a good boy. You have worked hard and
looked after your mother very well. But now I have to leave you. First,
I must tell you about the things you must do when I die."

"No mother!" Gordon cried, "You must not talk that way."

"You have only yourself to look after now," she continued, "and you
must make something of yourself. Promise me that you will." She
summoned all her strength to gently squeeze his hand.

A tear rolled down Gordon's cheek as he said, "I promise mother."

"I believe you, my son." She said. And then she died.

Two

Just after the funeral, Samuel arrived back in town. He had been newly
appointed as a Director of the company that employed Gordon. One day,
Samuel bumped into Gordon on the shop floor, but when Gordon tried to
greet his old friend, Samuel simply turned his back on him and went
about his business. The very next day, Gordon lost his job.

Times were hard and, although the Government spoke of unprecedented
economic growth, it was not easy to find work. After searching in vain
for many weeks, Gordon decided to call on Samuel and, if necessary, beg
him to give him his old job back. Samuel refused to see him.

Soon, Gordon became desperately poor and was unable to pay the rent on
his apartment. After several weeks, he received a letter demanding that
he settled the arrears on his rent or be faced with eviction. it was
with some surprise that Gordon noticed Samuel's name amongst the
Directors of the company that owned the apartment building. He thought
that if he could speak to Samuel, they might be able to come to some
arrangement with the rent and he might also persuade Samuel to give him
his job back. Again Samuel would not see him and the following week the
bailiffs came and made him leave his home.

Gordon was at an all time low. He had no money, no job and no home. He
was forced to walk the streets begging for crusts. He had to sleep in
shop doorways or subways or any nook or cranny that might offer shelter
from the elements. People were unkind to him. They would throw stones
or shout abuse for no other reason than it made them feel good.

Somehow, perhaps by chance, Gordon found a job as a janitor. The pay
was not fantastic, but he was given an apartment rent free and things
started to get better. Especially as, at nearly the same time he landed
the job, he met a wonderful girl called Penelope and fell instantly in
love with her. Each day, as soon as Gordon finished work, he would call
on Penelope and they would hold hands and say silly things to one
another. For the first time in years, Gordon was staring to feel happy.
He would say to Penelope, "I love you more than sixpence." And she
would blush and rest her head on his shoulder and say, "When will we be
married?" and Gordon would say, "When things get better."

After a few months, Gordon did not call on Penelope quite so often,
because she would say that she had to wash her hair or that she was
going out with a girlfriend. Finally, Penelope told Gordon the truth -
that she did not love him any more and that she was seeing another man.
Gordon knew that the other man was Samuel even before Penelope told
him. Not long after losing Penelope, Gordon also lost his job and
apartment, because of a redevelopment involving one of Samuel's
companies.

It seemed that the more Samuel prospered, the more Gordon suffered.
Gordon started to feel hatred for his former friend and when he fell
asleep at night, he would dream that he was an insect and Samuel kept
crushing him underfoot.

The time soon came when Gordon was so poor and despondent that he
decided he no longer wanted to live. He walked a few miles to the
middle of a high bridge that spanned a very fast flowing river and made
his mind up to throw himself into the water and die.

He would have done it too - if the man has not stopped him.

Three

The man appeared as if from nowhere and he told Gordon that he was
being extremely stupid - wanting to die. Not knowing what there was
left to live for, Gordon asked, "What good is life to me?"

The man laughed loud and long and, as he did so, a strange wind sprang
up, ripping the leaves from the trees. Gordon was frightened.

"What good is life to me?" the man mocked, "What good is death? Ha! Ha!
I have the power to give you the very best of both!" The wind died down
as suddenly as it started.

"I do not understand." Said Gordon quite truthfully.

"I don't suppose you do!" snarled the man, "But I will explain." At
this point the man paused as if to provide his next statement with the
full theatrical effect that he felt it deserved. "Do you believe in
ghosts?"

"No," said Gordon, "it's all idiotic nonsense."

"Don't be so quick to deny it!" There seemed to be a little anger in
the man's voice. "You ought to believe in them because they are real.
They do exist. They are as real as you or I. In fact, you and I are
ghosts."

"What are you talking about?"

"You re a ghost - a spirit."

"I'm dead?"

"No. You are not dead. But your life-force is your spirit and your
spirit is your ghost and so that ghost is you. This body of yours is
merely a vehicle for your spirit. It serves to transport your spirit
within this lifetime. Your spirit may inhabit many bodies over many
lifetimes, but there is always the same problem. Whilst in your body
your spirit is trapped within its mortal limitations. But I can show
you how to break free of the chains with which your body shackles your
spirit. I can show you how to release the ghost within."

Gordon said, "I do not know if I want to."

"Come now!" the man roared, "You made a promise to your mother. You
promised that you would make something of yourself. Do you want to fail
her?"

"Of course not." Gordon said. His eyes filled with tears at the thought
of his poor dead mother.

"Then it is agreed. I will give you the gift you need."

"And what do you want in return?" asked Gordon.

"Nothing." Said the man, "Except one tiny drop of your blood." And the
man pricked Gordon's hand so that s single drop of blood fell to the
ground. The man started walking away.

"But what about the gift?" Gordon shouted at the retreating
figure.

"Your must turn to your dreams tonight." The man replied and, as he
walked away, Gordon noticed that the sun was playing tricks with the
man's shadow. It was not the shadow of a man, but that of some kind of
horned animal. A goat, perhaps, walking upright on its two hind legs. A
trick of the sunlight.

Four

That night, Gordon decided to sleep by the river inside a large hollow
tree that would protect him from the cold wind. He rolled into a ball,
covering himself in fallen leaves. As he lay there waiting for slumber,
he could hear the gurgling water protesting as it hurried towards the
ocean many miles away. He heard the screech of an owl as it conducted
its nightly patrol in search of prey and then he slept.

He dreamed, at first, that he was a fly. He sensed the freedom of being
able to go wherever he pleased. It was an exhilarating feeling. He
climbed up sheer walls and climbed over ceilings. He flew into larders
and feasted on gorgonzola cheese and sugar. He watched the world with a
myriad of eyes and rejoiced in his freedom. He crawled into an open
cupboard where there was an enormous piece of cake and he started to
gorge himself with the tasty treat. Soon, he had eaten so much food
that he was too heavy and could no longer fly. Then he found that he
could not walk either. His six legs were stuck fast. His heart pounded
fiercely when he realised that he was trapped in a spider's web. His
whole body shook with fear as he saw the spider creeping towards him,
its huge jaws moving to and fro in anticipation of the meal to come.
Gordon watched transfixed as the spider's face began a horrible
metamorphosis. Instead of a hungry spider bearing down on him, he saw a
hungry Samuel preparing to devour him. Samuel - the spider opened its
mouth and the jaws stretched wider as they closed in on Gordon. Just as
the huge mouth was about to engulf him, Gordon awoke from his dream.
Although the night air was cold, he was sweating. He thought about this
terrible dream for a while, but decided that it did not contain the
secret of the man's gift and so he settled back down and was soon
asleep again.

Five

In his second dream, Gordon was a mouse. He lived in a very large house
where the owners were lazy and rich and had no cat. The owners would
never clear away after their meals and would fall asleep at the table.
They never saw Gordon the mouse as he climbed up onto the table and ate
the remains from their dinner plates. Gordon would climb onto the fruit
bowl and take just one bite out of every piece of fruit. Then he would
wash down his feast with some wine from an upset wineglass and, when he
had eaten and drank all that he could; he would go back to his hole and
sleep until the next mealtime. He enjoyed the freedom of the whole
house and ate and drank as heartily as the owners did.

One day he climbed up onto the table to have his dinner as usual, but
the mistress of the house woke up before he had finished and, when she
saw him, she let out a terrible shriek. Gordon scampered back to his
hole in an awful fright. After a while, he heard something being pushed
up against the entrance to his home. He went to investigate and, to his
surprise, found that is was an enormous piece of gorgonzola cheese. It
seemed the owners were not afraid of him after all and they wanted to
feed him and look after him. The cheese smelled delicious and, as he
had not finished his meal, he decided to eat it. But no sooner had he
sniffed at the gorgonzola than a huge metal bar slammed down on him,
shaving off one of his whiskers - he had seen the trap just in time. He
was a very lucky mouse to still be alive as he scampered further in to
his hole. The owners were trying to kill him and he must always be on
his guard in the future whenever he went near any food.

The owners soon grew tired of trying to catch Gordon in their
mousetraps and so they bought a cat. They called it Penelope and it was
very hungry for mice. Gordon knew that he could no longer live in the
house and so he left and went in to the garden. It was a dark night and
he was very frightened as he scurried across the lawn.

"Look out!" warned a large bullfrog and Gordon just managed to dive for
cover as a huge owl swooped down. Luckily the owl missed Gordon and he
ran on and on as fast as he could into the night. He ran in terror
across a busy road where he nearly met his death in the heavy flow of
traffic. He ran and ran until it was morning, too tired to carry on,
but too frightened to stop. Finally, he had to rest so he dropped to
the ground quite exhausted.

He gasped to catch his breath and there, quite close by, he saw an eye
staring at him.

Gordon was very scared, but he was far too tired to be able to run
away. The eye moved closer and he could see that it belonged to a
snake. He was still too tired to run as the snake slithered towards him
at a frightening speed and the snake's jaw unhinged to swallow him
whole, he saw that it had Samuel's face.

Gordon woke up in another sweat and knew that this was not the dream
that he was waiting for either. By the light of the moon, he saw an owl
swoop down and grab a mouse in its talons and fly off with the poor
creature squealing in terror.

Six

In his third dream, Gordon was a young boy again. He was sitting down
to dinner with his mother and father and brother Joe. They were eating
a Christmas dinner and a huge log fire was blazing in the hearth.

"Gordon," his father said, "why are you so sad?"

"Because you ran away father," he replied, "why did you leave my mother
to care for Joe and I on her own?"

"That is easy to answer, my son. Samuel told me that I must go. He told
me to stop loving you all." Gordon's father said and then vanished,
leaving behind a pile of ashes on the chair where he had been
sitting.

"Gordon," his brother Joe said, "why are you so sad?"

"Because you are dead my dear brother." He replied, "Why did you have
to die so young, leaving our mother with a broken heart?"

"That is easy to answer, my brother. Samuel caused my death and he will
cause yours too, no doubt." And, so saying, Joe vanished, leaving
behind a pile of black rose petals on the chair where he had been
siting.

"Gordon," his mother said (her voice was so weak that he had to put his
ear close to her mouth to hear her words), "why are you so sad?"

"Because you are dead too, my beloved mother. Why could I not have
earned more money to pay for better treatment?"

"That is easy to answer, my son. Samuel would not allow it. He hates
you and wants to bring you nothing but misery." Then she vanished,
leaving behind a pile of dried leaves on the chair where she had been
sitting.

Gordon buried his face in his hands and wept. The three people he loved
most had all been destroyed by Samuel.

"Do not cry Gordon." Said the man, "I have come to give you the gift I
spoke of."

Gordon looked up and saw the man standing by the fire. "What do I have
to do?" he asked.

The man gave Gordon a Leather pouch and said, "Fill this with the
ashes, black rose petals and dried leaves that your loved ones left
behind." Gordon did as he was told.

"Now, hold out your hand." The man added. Gordon did so and the man
pricked his hand so that a single drop of blood fell to the
ground.

The man said, "Now you must swear allegiance to me and I will grant you
the gift of being able to free your spirit from the confines of your
body. You will be able to release the ghost within. Do you swear
allegiance?"

When Gordon awoke the sun was high in the sky and the birds were
singing a most glorious song in the trees. He felt rejuvenated and knew
that things were going to get better. As he stood up to stretch the
sleep from his body, something fell from his lap. He bent down and
picked up the leather pouch from where it had fallen. He could not
believe that it was really there. When he opened it, he found that it
contained a mixture of ashes, black rose petals and dried leaves. It
was really true. The man had given him the gift to release the ghost
within. Gordon put the leather pouch in his pocket ready for the
journey to town. As he left the hollow tree, he passed the place where
the drop of blood had fallen from his hand to the ground. All around
the place where it had fallen the grass was burned away and the ground
was full of dead worms. Gordon felt a shiver fun down his spine as he
took the road that led back towards the town.

Seven

As Gordon walked into town, he passed a shop that had a notice in the
window. The notice read, "WANTED: ASSISTANT - APPLY WITHIN". Gordon
went into the shop and the shopkeeper gave him the job right there and
then. Gordon knew that his luck had changed for the better. He worked
well and the shopkeeper let him live in a spare room above the
shop.

When night fell, Gordon went up to his room and lay on his bed. He took
the leather pouch out of his pocket and held it tightly in his hand.
"Now, my sprit," he said, "I set you free." He closed his eyes and
waited - but nothing happened. He had been tricked. He was unable to
release the ghost within. He sat up on the edge of the bed and opened
up the pouch. It was full of ashes, black rose petals and dried leaves.
It was truly amazing, the way in which he had come by this trinket, but
it was useless for the purpose it was given to him.

Gordon was about to toss the leather pouch to one side when he noticed
something written on the outside of it. It was a strange-looking word
written in dried blood. He lay back down on the bed again and studied
the strange word. He tried to say it out aloud, but it was an extremely
difficult word to pronounce.

After a little practice, however, he managed to say it without too much
trouble and, when he was confident that he had mastered it, he closed
his eyes and said it out aloud and added, "Set my spirit free."

Gordon's eyes became very heavy and it felt as if he was falling into a
very deep sleep. His arm and leg muscles tensed slightly before
relaxing completely and soon he could not feel his body at all.

Gordon sensed that, at last, he was free from the confines of his body,
but was not really sure what to do next. He thought about it for a
while and decided that he would like to look down on his body from
above. No sooner had this entered his thoughts than he felt himself
rising up into the air. He looked around and saw that he was floating
just below the ceiling of his room. He looked down and saw his body on
the bed, lying in a peaceful slumber. On seeing his own body lying
there seemingly lifeless, he was filled with tremendous apprehension.
He wanted his spirit to rejoin his body. Almost at once he felt himself
drifting down and entering his body again. He said the strange word and
added, "Rejoin my body and spirit!" After a short while he could feel
his arms and legs again and was soon awake. Gordon's pulse raced. He
was both frightened and excited by his new power. All he had to do now
was work out how to use that power to his advantage. It would take
time, but eventually he would work it out. Before long Gordon fell
asleep.

Eight

That night Gordon dreamed that he was a bird flying freely through the
sky, catching insects in his beak. As he soared through the clouds he
looked down and saw the whole world at his feet. He was flying so high
that he could see the roundness of the Earth. It was as if he was only
a wing tip away from the sun.

Gordon flew higher and higher and was soon weaving in and out of the
stars until he finally came to rest on the topmost branch of a tall
silver tree on the bright side of the moon. He had transformed into a
splendid red and gold eagle and the surface of the moon below him was
made of gorgonzola cheese. The moon was overrun with enormous mice, all
hungry for the gorgonzola cheese. Gordon knew it would be easy to catch
these slow, overweight mice and have a feast. He watched them for a
while from his perch in the tall silver tree towering over the moon's
surface. He saw how they were all so fat from eating gorgonzola cheese
that they could not run very fast at all. Easy pickings. He stretched
out his gigantic wings and swooped down to pick several mice up in his
powerful claws. As he carried them back to his perch, he noticed that
their faces were all the same - they all looked like Samuel. He
devoured them all with one swallow.

Nine

In the morning Gordon awoke refreshed. He had slept well and went about
his work in a cheerful manner. He could not remember the last time that
he had felt so happy.

He pondered all day over his wonderful gift and how he might be able to
use it to his advantage, so much so that he did not work as well as he
should have and the shopkeeper became angry.

"I do not pay you to sit there and daydream!" the shopkeeper cried.
Gordon apologized and worked harder than ever. When his work for the
day had finished, Gordon ran up to his room and quickly took the
leather pouch from his pocket and gazed at it. His heart began to pound
at the thought of setting his spirit free again. He lay down on his bed
and said the strange word and added, "Set my spirit free!"

This time, when his spirit floated free from his body, he drifted up
through the roof of the shop and up into the night sky. He did not feel
the coldness of the air, only his freedom. He felt like the bird in his
dream as he looked down on the world below and almost considered flying
to the moon. Just then a light went on in the backroom of the shop and
he decided to go and investigate. His spirit drifted down into the room
and he saw the shopkeeper doing his accounts. The shopkeeper was a very
rich man indeed. Gordon wondered how he could make the shopkeeper's
wealth his own. Surely with that much money he could make something of
himself and fulfil his promise to his mother. And maybe get back at
Samuel at the same time. He had seen enough for one night and decided
to return to his body. That night, Gordon dreamed that the shopkeeper
died and left his entire estate to him in his will.

The dream of the shopkeeper's death played on Gordon's mind until it
became an obsession. It was the ideal way to get hold of his fortune.
He worked harder and harder in the shop and worked on befriending the
shopkeeper and, eventually, he came to regard Gordon as his own son.
The shopkeeper made a will bequeathing his entire estate to Gordon. The
plan had taken quite some time to put into place and Gordon used that
time to practice his power and became stronger. All that was left to
do, was for Gordon to arrange for the shopkeeper to die.

Ten

One evening, Gordon went into the town for a drink and, when it was
time for the inn to close, he started arguing with the landlord.

"You cannot close yet", Gordon shouted, "I have not finished."

The landlord threatened to call the police if Gordon did not leave, but
Gordon said, "I will not leave yet, because I have not finished."

So the landlord did call the police and Gordon was arrested and put
into a cell for the night. This was exactly what he wanted. He had been
able to keep the leather pouch, because he persuaded the police that is
was a herbal remedy for asthma and that he needed it in case of an
attack. When he was quite alone, Gordon lay down on the prison bunk and
closed his eyes and said the strange word and set his spirit
free.

Higher and higher he floated until he rose far above the church
steeple. He could see the whole town beneath him. He could see the
school where he had first met Samuel. He could see the apartment block
where he and his family had lived. He could see the multi-storey car
park where his janitor's apartment had once been. He could see the
factory where he had worked until Samuel had thrown him out. More
importantly, he could see the shop where he worked and lived.

Gordon floated across the town until he was above the shop and then,
like the eagle of his dream, he swooped down into the shopkeeper's
bedroom. All that was left to do was to press the pillow against the
shopkeeper's face until he was quite dead.

However, when Gordon reached for the pillow, he found that he could not
pick it up. His hands passed right through it. He tried once more, but
again he could not grasp the pillow.

"You can do it, Gordon." The man's voice said, "Concentrate. Will
yourself to do it. You have the power."

"I can do it." Gordon said as he reached for the pillow again. This
time he could actually feel the pillow with his ghostly hands and he
knew his plan was going to work. He placed the pillow across the
shopkeeper's face and pressed down firmly. The sleeping figure did not
even struggle.

Suddenly, Gordon heard a sickening, piercing, high-pitched scream as
the shopkeeper's spirit leaped from its body with a grotesquely
contorted face filled with agony and terror. The spirit moved
menacingly towards Gordon, but some unknown force was pulling it back
until it faced, screaming, into nothing. The shopkeeper was dead and,
with the knowledge of the wealth to come, Gordon guided his spirit back
into his body. Next - it would be Samuel's turn.

Eleven

Although Gordon was quite rich, nothing could rid him of his desire for
terrible revenge against Samuel. Samuel, who used to be his dearest
friend, was now his bitterest enemy. It was plain to see that Samuel
was evil incarnate and had to be destroyed. Was it not Samuel who
destroyed Gordon's family? Was it not Samuel who took Gordon's job and
home away? Was it not Samuel who stole Penelope away and nearly caused
Gordon to take his own life? Well now it was Samuel's turn to suffer.
These were the thoughts that occupied Gordon's mind day and night
until, finally, he knew that the time had come to kill his one-time
friend.

Gordon called his doctor and complained of terrible stomach pains. The
doctor arrived and gave Gordon a very thorough examination, but could
find nothing wrong. When Gordon insisted that he was in terrible pain,
the doctor admitted him to hospital for observation. Gordon's plan was
running like clockwork. This spell in hospital would provide the
perfect alibi for Gordon on the night of Samuel's murder. He would be
above suspicion.

Twelve

A nurse came and gave Gordon some tablets to ease his 'pain' and help
him to sleep, but when Gordon put them into his mouth, his hid them
under his tongue and did not swallow them. He pretended to be asleep
and, when the nurse went away, he took the tablets out and threw them
away.

The other patients were very restless and moaned in pain for a long
time, but eventually they all fell asleep. Gordon slipped out of bed
and checked ever patient and, when he was satisfied that they were all
asleep, he climbed back in his own bed, closed his eyes and said the
strange word. In no time at all, his spirit was floating free. He
drifted through the large hospital, looking down on all the captive
spirits inside their pain-ridden bodies and he laughed a long laugh of
joy at his own, perfect freedom.

Gordon's spirit drifted higher and higher. Through the hospital roof he
rose up into the clouds. He looked down on the town below and was
filled with an immense feeling of power.

"Ha! Ha!" he laughed, "All you poor wretches below! You are mine to do
with as I please! I have the power of life and death over you all! I
have the power of a God!" He laughed again. He laughed loud and long
and a wind suddenly sprang up which ripped the leaves from the trees.
He flew across the whole town, laughing maniacally as he went and the
wind he had conjured laid all the trees bare. Dogs howled at the
moonless sky and the creatures of the night hid in fear.

By the time he had reached Samuel's house, his faithful wind had worked
up into such a frenzy that it tore up trees in its path. Storm clouds
gathered overhead and bolts of lightning flashed to the ground causing
a great deal of damage. Gordon could feel a surge of power every time a
lightning bolt flashed through the sky. The dark storm clouds bubbled
and boiled and their underbellies changed colour incessantly,
displaying every hue imaginable. The lightning bolts no longer crashed
to the ground, but sent their charges directly towards Gordon's spirit,
strengthening it for the task ahead. Gordon raised his hands and
streams of pure electricity pulsed from his fingertips. He pointed his
forefinger at a car in the street and it disintegrated with a flash of
blinding light as the energy from Gordon hit its mark.

Now that Gordon was the storm, the redundant clouds grouped together
and, as Gordon summoned them to him, they transformed into a host of
demons from the depths of hell and they bowed down before Gordon's
spirit and paid homage to him. There were hundreds of bestial forms
waiting to do his bidding. Gordon pointed to Samuel's house and cried,
"We must destroy that man!"

The thunderstorm emanating from Gordon's spirit grew in intensity and
the air was filled with demonic laughter. Two of the demons, with
twisted and tormented faces, descended on the house and carried Samuel
aloft to Gordon. Samuel awoke from his sleep and saw the terrible sight
and thought that he was having a nightmare - unfortunately for him, he
was not. The host of demons bore down on him at Gordon's command. They
were all hungry for the taste of human flesh. Samuel's screams filled
the night sky.

Horrid, horny hands tore at Samuel's flesh until it hung from his body
in ghastly ribbons and distorted, fiendish faces feasted furiously on
him. Samuel shrieked as ghastly, gangrenous ghouls grabbed his arms and
legs and tore them from his body before devouring them whole. All the
time Samuel wailed in agony and terror. All the time the demonic
laughter grew louder.

Finally, Gordon thrust his hand deep into Samuel's chest and tore out
his living heart. The demons begged him for the tasty morsel, but
Gordon denied them all as he opened his mouth and swallowed it whole.
Then Samuel was dead. The hordes from hell departed and Gordon's spirit
made its triumphant way back to the hospital. The taste of revenge was
sweet in Gordon's mouth and he was happy.

Gordon floated back down to his hospital bed and said the strange word
- but nothing happened. He could not re-enter his body because it was
no longer there. He began to feel afraid. Where would his body be? He
searched all over the hospital but was unable to find it anywhere.
There was but one place left to look and Gordon was afraid that he
would find his body there. It was the mortuary.

Thirteen

Gordon floated down through the ceiling of the mortuary and there he
saw his body. He was not alone, for there beside him floated the spirit
of a beautiful young girl.

"Are we dead?" she asked.

"You are!" he said rather abruptly, "But I shall return to my body and
walk away from this place."

"But how can you do that?" asked the young girl.

"I have the power." Gordon said as he descended into his body. He said
the strange word - but still nothing happened. He tried again. Again
nothing happened.

When he floated out of his body again, the girl asked, "Why have you
not walked away from this place?"

"I do not know," said Gordon, but when he looked down upon his naked
body, he saw the reason why he was unable to return. The leather pouch
full of ashes, black rose petals and dried leaves was missing.

"Oh, no!" he cried, "They have taken my leather pouch."

"Do not despair." The young girl said, "Dead people do not need such
things."

"I am not dead!" Gordon shouted.

The young girl's spirit laughed gently and said, "I did not believe it
at first, but it is true. You must accept it."

"I am not dead, I tell you!" Gordon argued.

But the young girl was not listening. Instead she was looking ahead of
her. Her ghostly face bathed in a soft warm radiance. She said, "I am
coming now. I am ready." And, slowly, her spirit faded away.

Gordon looked down upon his poor lifeless body and cried, "I have been
tricked and now Samuel has destroyed me too!" And then he wept a
ghostly tear.

Fourteen

"Gordon," his mother said, "why are you so sad?"

He looked up at his mother and said, "Because they have taken away my
leather pouch and now I am unable to return to my body."

"Even with the pouch it would be impossible, my son." She said, "For a
priest has ministered the Last Rites over your body and no spirit may
enter it."

"Then I am dead, mother?"

"Yes, my son. You are."

"Mother! I tried to make something of myself, but I have failed you and
I have also done the most terrible things."

"Yes, I know. And now I must show you exactly what you have done." She
waved her hand above her head and they were transported to someone's
bedroom. Gordon did not recognize the room at first, but then the
shopkeeper came in through the door and climbed into bed, whereupon his
pillow immediately sprang to life and smothered his face. The
shopkeeper struggled and struggled, but could not break free. Soon his
spirit departed from his body with an agonizing shriek, its face
distorted beyond recognition and then spirit and body both disappeared.
After a few seconds, the whole scene repeated itself. This went on over
and over again and would continue to do so throughout eternity.

"This," said Gordon's mother "is what that man's soul is condemned to.
Are you happy with what you have done Gordon?"

Gordon was not and said, "No mother. I am not happy. This man should
not have died and I feel much sorrow for what I have done to
him."

"Well, your sorrow is no comfort to the poor wretch now." She said, "Do
you feel any sorrow for what you did to Samuel?"

"No! I feel no sorrow for that!" Gordon said, "Not after the way he has
destroyed me and my family."

"Destroyed you, Gordon?" she said, "What do you mean?"

"Just after you died mother, Samuel took my job away from me."

"You are wrong Gordon. Come, I will show you." She waved her hand again
and they were transported to Samuel's office.

Fifteen

The door opened and in walked Samuel with the Managing Director. They
were having an argument.

"I'm sorry, Sammy old boy." Said the Managing Director, "I don't care
if this Gordon What's-his-name is a friend of yours. He works in a
section that we can no longer afford to operate, so he has got to
go."

Samuel said, "But, sir! He is my best friend. Surely he could be
transferred to another section?"

"No! It's quite out of the question." The Managing Director replied,
"We cannot afford the cost of retraining him. Now there's an end to the
matter." The Managing Director then left the room and slammed the door
behind him.

"Poor old Gordon." said Samuel, "How am I going to tell him?" Gordon's
mother waved her hand and the scene disappeared.

"Well, why did he not tell me?" Demanded Gordon.

"He was going to." Replied Gordon's mother. "But when he bumped into
you he was too upset to say anything."

"But when I tried to get my job back he would not even see me."

"That is what his secretary said, but Samuel did not know about
it."

"Well," said Gordon, "it was one of Samuel's companies that sent the
bailiffs to throw me out of our home. How do you explain that?"

"He was on the Board of Directors, but he did not know about you
eviction."

"There is one thing I can never forgive him for." Said Gordon,
"Stealing Penelope away from me."

"He did not steal her away from you at all. Penelope was not what she
seemed Gordon. She really wanted to marry a man in a high position
above all else and when she met Samuel at a party, she thought she had
found the man that she had been looking for. Luckily, Samuel saw right
through her charms and sent her packing with a flea in her ear."

Gordon felt so confused. He did not know what to do. If his mother was
right, he had killed the only true friend he had ever known. But then
he remembered the dream that had started this whole crazy thing, in
which he had discovered how Samuel had destroyed his whole family. He
was about to tell his mother, but she anticipated what he was going to
say and she waved her hand above her head.

Sixteen

Gordon was a young boy again. He was sitting down to dinner with his
mother and father and brother Joe. They were eating a Christmas dinner
and a huge log fire was blazing in the hearth.

"Gordon," his father said, "why are you so sad?"

"Because Samuel told you to go away. To stop loving us all." Gordon
replied.

"But this is untrue, my son. I have always loved you and I always will.
The truth is that I did not run away. Times were hard and we had no
money. I was forced to steal in order to feed us all. I was caught and
sent to prison. Your mother did not want you to be ashamed of me so she
never told you."

"Father, when will you return?"

"I will never return Gordon. For when I was locked in my cell one
night, there was a fire and I was burned to death. But remember - I
will always love you all." Having said this, his father disappeared,
leaving behind a pile of dove feathers on the chair where he had been
sitting.

"Gordon," his bother Joe said, "why are you so sad?"

"Because Samuel caused your death - and mine too, now." Gordon
replied.

"But this is untrue, my brother. Samuel was nowhere near when I died.
He could not have possible caused my death. The truth is that I never
heeded the words of our wise mother. I was playing ball by the roadside
when I dropped my ball and it rolled into the road. I never looked to
see if anything was coming before I ran out into the road to fetch my
ball. I was hit by a car and died instantly." And, so saying, Joe
disappeared, leaving behind a pile of sweet smelling herbs on the chair
where he had been sitting.

"Gordon," his mother said (her voice was so weak that he has to put his
ear close to her mouth to hear her words), "why are you so sad?"

"Because Samuel prevented me from earning enough money to pay for your
treatment. He hates me and wants to cause me nothing but misery."
Gordon replied.

"But that is untrue, my son. Samuel is the only true friend you have in
this world. The truth is that there was no cure for me. I had no choice
but to die." His mother disappeared, leaving behind a pile of wishbones
on the chair where she had been sitting.

Gordon gathered up the dove feathers and the sweet smelling herbs and
the wishbones and put them into a silk pouch that his mother had given
him for Christmas. "Oh Samuel! What have I done?" he sobbed, "How can I
undo this dreadful wrong I have done to you?"

"You can't!" bellowed the man, "You have done my work well and now you
are mine - forever!"

"Who are you?" Gordon demanded.

"You fool!" the man screamed, "Haven't you guessed yet? Are you so
stupid that you can't recognize Satan when you see him?"

Gordon trembled with fear as the man's head spouted long, twisted horns
and the eyes burned with a terrible fire - a fire fuelled by pure
hatred. Gordon wanted to fight, but he had no weapon. He only had the
silk pouch containing the dove feathers and the sweet smelling herbs
and the wishbones and that would not stop a wild mouse, let alone the
devil himself.

Satan raised his arms above his hideous head and began summoning his
minions. The flames in the fire grew bigger and took the form of
strange beasts that leaped out on to the hearthrug, causing it to
smoulder. The foundations of the whole house trembled with the awesome
power Satan was using to call his slaves from the deepest, darkest
corners of hell. The room filled with the stench of foul smelling
beasts and hideous forms of fearful proportions.

"Come!" Satan called, "Come all you demons of hell! Come to welcome
another into our midst! Let him discover suffering!" He laughed loud
and long and the walls of the house started to crumble.

Gordon's fear and anger combined and, with all his might, he let out a
yell and hurled the silk pouch containing the dove feathers and the
sweet smelling herbs and the wishbones at Satan. It struck him right in
the middle of his forehead. The silk pouch split open and the dove
feathers fell on to the devil's right shoulder. Satan shrieked with
fear as Gordon's father appeared and said, "Let these dove feathers
represent the peace on Earth that will defeat your dark and evil
forces." Satan dropped to his knees.

Then the sweet smelling herbs fell on to the devil's left shoulder.
Satan shrieked again and Gordon's brother Joe appeared and said, "Let
these sweet smelling herbs represent the love that man has for his
fellow man that will defeat your dark and evil forces." Satan fell down
onto his stomach.

Then the wishbones fell onto the floor beside the devil's face.
Gordon's mother appeared and said (in a loud and strong voice), "Let
these wishbones represent the hope of the future generations that will
defeat your dark and evil forces."

Satan cried out aloud in defeat and turned to water, whereupon all his
minions fled back to his kingdom. Gordon fell to his knees and wept and
his mother comforted him.

"Gordon," she said, "You asked how you could undo the terrible wrong
you have done. You have defeated the evil within you and therefore
banished the hate trapped inside you. Your victory over the devil was
so powerful that you have disrupted time itself. Your body is in the
hospital bed where you left it and Samuel is still alive. Go and return
in peace." And, so saying, Gordon's mother and father and brother Joe
disappeared, leaving behind their undying love.
Gordon returned to his body and said the strange word to reunite body
and soul.

Seventeen

When Gordon awoke, he was not alone. There, sitting beside his bed, was
his friend Samuel. When Samuel saw Gordon open his eyes he became
excited.

"Nurse!" he shouted, "He is regaining consciousness."
A nurse came in and ushered Samuel out whilst she attended to Gordon.
When she was satisfied with her work, she let Samuel back in.

"Gordon." He said, "I'm so glad to see you. I have been looking for you
for ages. I have so much to tell you."

"Samuel." Gordon said in a weak voice, "I am so very sorry."

"Whatever for?" Samuel asked, "Listen, I've got some great news for
you. You know how you lost your job with the company? Well don't worry
about it. I've told them what they can do with their Directorship and
now I've set up on my own. What is more, I want you for a partner. What
do you say old friend?"

Gordon could not understand why he was feeling so weak. He said, "You
cannot want me for a partner, Sam. I have killed a man."

"Nonsense!" said Samuel, "You did all you could. It was a very brave
thing you did, jumping into that freezing, fast-flowing river to try
and save a stranger. You could have been killed yourself. You were not
to blame. He was dead before you pulled him out. You would have been
dead too, if the other man had not come along when he did."

"What are you talking about, Sam? I killed him."

"You are delirious, Gordon. You did not kill him - you almost saved
him."

Gordon felt strange inside and got up from his bed and said, "I must
see the dead man's body."

"I do not think they will allow it. You are not related to the dead
man."

Gordon pulled on his dressing gown and walked out of the ward. Samuel
followed him, protesting as they walked. Gordon was still quite weak
and stumbled several times. Samuel had to hold him up for the last few
yards to the mortuary. Gordon hesitated a little when they reached the
mortuary door, but soon found his nerve and entered. They passed by the
body of a beautiful young girl as they went in and laying next to it,
in exactly the same place Gordon's body had lain, was the corpse they
were looking for. Gordon pulled back the cover. It was the man who
turned out to be Satan. There was a small dove feather on his right
shoulder. Gordon smiled.

Samuel and Gordon walked back to the ward and, on the way, they saw a
man with his back to them. Samuel knew that it was the man who had
saved Gordon.

"Would you like to meet the man who pulled you from the river?" he
asked Gordon.

Of course, Gordon wanted to meet this man. Samuel went over and spoke
to him and, when the man turned around, Gordon saw that is was the
shopkeeper whom he had not yet murdered.