Theron and the Dentist

By L A Morgan

Get ready for the sixth installment of Theron’s adventures in THERON AND THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL. That’s what you get when you follow a shooting star.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L A Morgan
• Release date: Oct 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466088542

L A Morgan

I am a lifelong writer of short stories, poems, novels, music and lyrics, and screenplays of an eclectic nature. Writing is my love and my passion. I've worked as the Director of Public Relations and Marketing for a professional symphony orchestra, editor of a leisure magazine, and I've been a successful fundraiser.

Book preview

THERON AND THE DENTIST

By L A Morgan

Copyright 2011

Published at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

CHAPTER ONE

Welcome to my fifth journal after my demise. I’ve been keeping track of my life since then, and it’s gotten pretty interesting. I’ll move on now to about a week after that horrifying curse business was settled.

It was a cloudless and unexpectedly warm day in November. The sky was dark blue. I had no reason to think that a great change in my life (actually, in my afterlife) was about to occur. Lena had taken the morning off from her duties as CEO of my family’s investment firm to spend some time with me. All seemed idyllic.

We were taking advantage of the beautiful day to spend some time in the heated spa in the back courtyard. This was a recreation of Sabbaday Falls’ upper basin that Lena had constructed as a present for me. She’s my best friend and an altogether wonderful woman. I may be a ghost, but I can turn on my mortal senses to actually feel the warm water around me.

Breaking our temporary silence, Lena said, There’s something I want to tell you, Theron.

What’s that?

While you were involved with the witch’s curse, I acted on a clause in your will, the one about leasing the empty suites in the mansion to impoverished people of good character for a nominal fee that would go to charity.

Come to think about it, I’ve never mentioned what happened to Carl, the elderly homeless man from New York City to whom I’d given my brother’s former suite shortly after it was vacated. I’ll explain what happened.

During a number of my frequent trips to eat in Chinatown with my friends when I was alive, we would pause at a certain stop sign on our way to the Williamsburg Bridge. Carl was also there, eager to clean our window with a dirty rag. The man was a bag of bones, but he was also one of the friendliest, most endearing people I’d ever met. I hadn’t thought of him in quite a while, but he came back into my mind when Lena first convinced me of the need to be good to others.

After that, I went back to find him and bring him to my home so that he might spend the remainder of his years in comfort. What I didn’t mention was that Lena, all on her own, started an intense search for any of Carl’s missing relatives. Two weeks after that, she found a granddaughter that was living in Great Neck, NY with her children and husband, a successful neurologist. She’d been looking for her Papa for years, and cried when she was told he was living with us.

This almost brought tears to my eyes. Carl had family that wanted him! The following day, the granddaughter and her husband came to take him to their home.

Two days later, just to be sure, I looked in on what was going on there. Carl was in his new, luxurious bedroom suite, sitting on an easy chair with a little girl and boy on each knee. He was telling them stories about his childhood, while the kids looked at him adoringly, calling him Papa when they asked him questions. The granddaughter was beaming in the background. There was no doubt that Carl was happily settled.

Moving on to the present, Lena continued, Our attorney, George, finally found someone that he felt was eligible for one of our suites. After I interviewed the man, I told George to go ahead with this. At the time, I wanted to include you in the interview, but you were so busy. I hope you’re not mad.

Not at all. Tell me about this man.

He was a dentist in New York before he lost his sight. His name is David Hoffman. He lost his fortune under the saddest of circumstances, and yet he still manages to maintain a cheerful attitude. George and I agreed to waive the fee. By the way, I’ve asked the kitchen staff to bring him three meals a day.

I was about to suggest you should do that. Is there anything else I should know about him?

You’ll like him. He’s moving into your brother’s former suite on Wednesday. I chose that one because it’s smallest. I bought some Braille books that I thought might interest him and left them on the coffee table.

I knew that you’d do a great job.

You’re embarrassing me. It was the least I could do.

We then spoke of other things. I still helped Lena with business concerns if she encountered a problem or wanted advice. Other than that, I left the decisions to her good sense. She’d managed the firm very well since I’d died, so I had no reason to doubt her abilities.

If you desire more details about former events that are mentioned, you might want to read my four previous journals. They will make everything clear. On the other hand, I believe you’ll be able to understand my continuing adventures without doing that.

A few days later, Damon told me that he needed to get away for a while. This whole demon business had made him very uncomfortable. He planned to look in on old friends, and, perhaps, to inform them of his new status.

Even though Damon was a pain, I felt terrible about his leaving. I’d come to rely on the fact that I would always be his mentor since I had been a ghost longer than he had. After disliking him for so many years in my mortal life, I’d come to count on him as my only ghost friend.

Do you think you’ll come back? I hesitantly asked.

Sure! Naturally, I’ll have to see how things pan out first. If I find out some of my former friends called me a freak, I might want to come back much sooner.

Why does this matter to you anymore?

Do I look like the sort of guy that would give up a grudge just because I’m dead?

I don’t know. I’ve never met anyone quite like you before.

It will be okay, Theron. I know I’m the only other ghost you’ve met, but you’ll still have Lena and Asher, and even Joy Luck and Grabby. Outside of you guys, I don’t have anyone else anymore.

But you have all of us!

I still can’t stand Asher, and Joy Luck is even worse. Grabby will never miss me because he doesn’t really know me at all. As for Lena, she’s your lady love and I don’t want to step on any more toes here.

We may love each other, but I still haven’t decided if it would be right for us to make a full commitment, considering I’m a ghost.

Get a grip, asshole! As far as I can tell, you’ve already made up your mind, but refuse to admit it to yourself.

I have to consider if this would be best for Lena.

Don’t tell me she hasn’t already decided for herself. The lady’s ready, willing, and able, Theron. You’re the only one who’s crapping up the works.

But she’s so good-hearted that she’ll overlook the problems for my sake.

You’re such a fool! No gal in her right mind would even think of taking up with a ghost, but Lena’s different. You’ve got one in a million and you don’t even know it!

That’s the problem, Damon.

I can’t stand anymore of this stupid drivel. I’m out of here!

Saying that, Damon flew off into the outer world. Just before he’d passed on through the ceiling, I heard his parting comment: Asshole!

I hoped that he’d soon learn that all of us had called him a freak for digging up the massive acreage on his estate to look for buried treasure. He might have been a pain, but he was my pain. I wanted him back.

For consolation, I flew over to visit Asher. When I found him, he was playing with Grabby. His first awareness of my presence was when Grabby leaped onto my shoulder.

Theron! Asher exclaimed. I’m glad you’re here. I was just trying to teach Grabby to nod his head after he’s been given a treat.

Why? Do you want to sell him to the circus?

How can you even suggest that! You have a wicked sense of humor, Theron.

Is that a bad thing in Buddhism?

Not exactly, but I wouldn’t suggest employing it anymore.

Damon’s gone.

What do you mean? Has he finally gone on to the Hereafter?

"No. After what happened with that curse thing, he felt he needed a change of venue for a while. He wants to look in on his old friends.

That’s understandable.

But he wasn’t sure when he’d come back.

Does it matter that much to you?

Yes! He’s the only other ghost I know.

Then don’t worry about it. He’s bound to miss you some time or another.

It still makes me sad.

In good, old, haunted New England here, you’re bound to run into another ghost sooner or later.

But he won’t be an old friend like Damon.

Change happens, Theron. Didn’t you notice that while you were alive?

At the time, I had too many friends to worry about it.

Well, you still have me.

And don’t think I don’t appreciate that. Since we did that Amazon thing, I’ve come to rely on you as my role-model.

That’s very flattering, Theron, but I hope you know that I also like to travel a lot.

Don’t tell me you’re about to leave, too!

I’ve been thinking about it. I miss New York and my penthouse on Fifth Avenue.

I might have known you’d have one of those.’

"It’s my favorite pied-à-terre. I love to visit New York, especially the museums."

What about the food, clubs, and the shows? I asked.

Ah! I see you know it, too. Don’t forget the concerts and the ballet.

I won’t because I never thought about them.

You’ve been missing half the fun!

I don’t call guys in makeup leaping across the stage fun.

You at least must have gone to the Met!

If you’re referring to the museum, I certainly have.

That’s wonderful! Actually, I was referring to the musical Met.

That’s not my style, especially the opera.

I have to agree with you there, Theron. Although I love several arias, I’ve never acquired a taste for the opera in itself.

It seems we share something in common. New York is my favorite city.

Mine, too. Perhaps we can go there together some day.

That sounds great! When do you plan to go? I asked.

During the Christmas season. The City’s at its best then.

Really?

Absolutely! People seem much kinder then, and, of course, there’s the tree.

What tree?

In Rockefeller Center, the big Christmas tree.

But you’re Buddhist!

That doesn’t matter. Most of the aura there at that time is Buddhist in nature.

Whatever you say.

Think about this next time you go there during the season. You can feel the joy.

At that moment, Grabby started to chatter ferociously into my ear. I suppose he resented being ignored. When I turned my head to admonish the little guy, Asher reached out and put him back on his shoulder.

Grabby thrives on attention, he said.

He’ll miss you if you go away for any length of time.

Not really. All of my staff adores him. Even though I told them not to bring him into the house, I find him in the kitchen all the time. My chef has taken a special affection for him, and he’s been feeding him special treats and trying to teach him tricks. All of the women love to cuddle and praise him.

Don’t be surprised if you find him sleeping in your bed when you get home, and I remember you telling me that Grabby’s a bed-wetter and cover-stealer.

This made Asher laugh. Shortly after that, I returned home. I was surprised to see that Lena wasn’t there. She hadn’t told me that she was going out today. So I flew to my attorney’s office to see if he might mention where she was.

I found George Hanover at his desk with Lena sitting in the chair across from him. They were discussing the necessary business concerns that had to be performed before the end of the year. As per my wishes, George had handled all of these for me during my mortal life. After all, I’d been his sole client. He’d been held on retainer as the family attorney for as long as I could remember.

It appeared that Lena had been true to her word when she’d told me she intended to be an active participant in all of my family firm’s affairs. As I listened to George speak, I realized that this year-end business had involved much more than I’d ever supposed. I had to give Lena credit for wanting to share this burden with him.

On the other hand, I understood that I wouldn’t be seeing much of her from now until after Christmas. What a horrible time for this to happen! I’d been counting on her to fill the void of attention I needed as a distraction from Damon’s unexpected departure. At least Asher would be around until after Thanksgiving.

The next day, I found a message from him on my answering service. He must have left it before I’d come out of my nightly meditation. He said that our conversation had made him so homesick for the City that he felt impelled to go there earlier than usual. He didn’t plan to come back before Christmas. Me and my big mouth.

Now, my entire friendship circle had fallen apart! I wished I’d been awake to receive Asher’s call so I could have at least said goodbye to him. For some stupid reason, this almost made me feel like crying. I hadn’t felt so miserable since I’d returned to my home as a ghost.

What could I possibly do to occupy my time during this lapse? I had no idea. I’d recently visited Hong Kong, but it wasn’t nearly as much fun as it would have been if I’d gone there with a friend. Having someone else to share your pleasures and problems was a major part of the enjoyment.

So what else could I do? All I could think of was being bored to distraction. I might look up some old friends and maybe Damon would be there. If he was, he’d probably have a lot to say about my horning in on his vacation. That would be something I didn’t want to hear.

Could I go out and try to make new friends on my own? Being a ghost, that prospect would undoubtedly be doomed from the start. I wished I’d asked Asher to give me his New York address so I might have popped in on him for an unexpected visit. Then again, if he wanted me to join him, he would have given me this information.

So I’d just be alone and friendless. Why hadn’t I appreciated my friends more while I had the chance? Hopefully, everything would go back to normal after Christmas.

Now that I was free to travel anywhere I liked, I’d lost the urge. As I said, it wouldn’t be fun without a friend to accompany me. Oh, well. I’d just have to be strong about it. Something else might come along.

CHAPTER TWO

I instantly felt bored. Since my demise, I’d become so accustomed to being on some kind of mission that my existence now felt dull without one. It’s strange I should feel that way; a number of times during my adventures, I’d heartily wished to have a quiet, peaceful life. And now that I had it, as I said, I was bored.

All of a sudden, I heard a commotion downstairs. I instantly flew down to see what was going on. Workers were carting in a number of boxes and taking them to my brother’s former suite. I’d completely forgotten this was the day the new tenant was moving in.

I followed them into the suite. Then I got my first look at David Hoffman. He was a chunky, balding man of average height. Apparently, he’d been in the suite before the movers arrived, for he directed the boxes to their correct places as though he was familiar with the surroundings and able to see them.

Very competent, I thought. I was surprised to see Lena there. She was opening the boxes for Dr. Hoffman and placing books, clothing, keepsakes, and the like wherever he wanted them. She could have had Mrs. Filstrom, our housekeeper, attend to this, but Lena loved to pitch in and be helpful. If Hoffman’s attitude had been in the least dictatorial, I would have swept her out of there. The new tenant was all smiles and appreciation.

The novelty of watching the move quickly wore off. I returned to my room, hoping Lena would soon come to tell me all about it. She didn’t. In the afternoon, I went out to look for her and she was gone, probably to George Hanover’s office to confer with him further and tell him all that I’d wanted to hear.

Having nothing better to do, I went back to the suite that I’d have to think of as the dentist’s from now on. I was awed to see that everything was already in place. I found Dr. Hoffman reclining on his bed. It looked like he was taking a nap.

Before I could fly off, he looked at me and said, Hello?

Without thinking, I automatically replied, Hello. For a second, I’d forgotten that I hadn’t turned on my powers. He couldn’t possibly know I was there, and I’d temporarily forgotten that he couldn’t see.

And yet, he repeated, Hello?

For some reason, he must have sensed my presence. I’d heard that blind people develop a sixth sense, but I wasn’t sure what that was. Since he obviously knew I was there, I felt I should say something.

So I switched on the mortal abilities and replied, Please excuse my intrusion.

Who are you?

I’m Theron. This is my house.

Ah. Lena did mention this morning that this is your family home.

Did she say anything else about me?

No. It’s nice to meet you, Theron. Please excuse me for not getting up, but I’m a little tired after the drive from New York and the moving in stuff. Have a seat.

I sat in the chair beside the bed and asked, Do you feel comfortable here? Is there anything I can get you?

Just relax; I’m fine. By the way, this is fantastic! I never dreamed I’d be living in a nice home again.

Where did you live before this?

In a charity facility for the handicapped. They fed you there, but that was it. It didn’t smell good. My caseworker saw your ad and wrote to your attorney about me. I wasn’t always so bad off, you know.

Yes, I heard you were a dentist. If you don’t mind my asking, how did you come to be in these straits?

Would you really like to hear about how I ended up here, penniless and blind? It’s quite a story.

Sure, I replied, having nothing else to do.

"All the problems started about a year after my wife died. There was this party at my friends’ house. That was before I went blind. The Singers were always having parties. They were usually casual and comfortable. Everyone always seemed to be have a good time. There would be plenty of laughter, drinking, and bitching going on, just like there is at every good party. So I walked up to