Another World

By M. Kelly

In "Another World" I have travelled to the immeasurably corners of the universe to create an imaginary conclusion to Marion's story looks using my experience in Theology to create a different outlook from the ones often seen.
Marion dies and finds herself in another world. It is not exactly what she expected. She seeks to find the answers to the eternal questions. Where am I? What am I? What is the purpose of this place? She is continually drawn back to the Earth hoping she can help the people she had loved. This does not happen as each time she interferes things seem to get worse for those people. She is surprised when Flynn who was her bodyguard and former lover comes into her world. Together they set off on an odyssey to find a mysterious body of blue water in the hope that they will solve some of the answers they seek. There are many challenges along the way, and at one point they are torn apart causing her horror and grief. Eventually, they each find a reason for their journey. Then when all seemed lost they re-encounter each other reason for their journey. Then when all seemed lost they find each other and their love remains even on different terms.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Mar 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543409499

M. Kelly

M. Kelly was born in Western Australia. She has written many academic papers and authored four books in a series. She has a strong belief in social justice, and is the proud grandmother of seven. Kelly shares her life with one of her grandchildren and crazy cat, Cookie. Her interests include in psychology, technology, and abstract art.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Being Dead

Marion deduced she had been dead for about three days. For a long time, there had been the long black tunnel. Her overall perception was of travelling at high speed, but she couldn’t feel her body, only a lightness. She didn’t want to die, but this time she knew there was no turning back. Landing with a light thump, she looked around and found herself in a place that was almost black. It resembled a night where there is the moon to see by, but here there was no moon, and the sky was dark grey. The ground felt like soft grass, if a bit spongy; it was comparable to walking on a foam mattress. Marion didn’t feel dead, it was as if she still had her whole body, just like the one on the world below. She perceived her dark hair was long again, and she was in a white hospital gown that looked like a long housecoat with buttons down the right-hand side. She remembered she’d worn something like this at the clinic in Geneva where she had been clinically dead for nearly twenty minutes. Maybe she was supposed to die at that time, but then she wouldn’t have spent the passionate time with her minder, Flynn, as she had done.

She tried to see around her, but as far as she could tell there was nothing either above her or on the ground. There were no clouds, wind or sound. The place seemed empty. She was alone in this space with no idea of where she was or why she was here. This wasn’t her idea of heaven or hell, it had to be another world. But where were all the people? With all the people dying on Earth each day, she would have thought this place would be full.

She walked around for what felt like a long time. It could have been days or even weeks, time had no meaning here. In the distance, was there the sound of someone whispering? It seemed to be a long way off, or it could have just been her imagination. Feeling lost, lonely, and wondering why she was here and what she was meant to do, she would have cried, but no tears came.

After a while, she came to a barrier of some sort. It had the appearance of dull plastic, and she could see the background reflected in it. However, when she stood in front of it, she couldn’t see herself. She touched it; it felt sticky and the more force she put on it, the more it seemed to push back. Maybe it was meant to keep people from getting out. But then she wasn’t a person anymore. She was dead. What did that make her? She didn’t sense anything about her was different; she was the same person but without the sickness that had killed her.

She remembered her last moments on Earth, her husband Riccardo going to have a shower not knowing she was dying. She had tried to move but couldn’t. The light had just faded away. Now, as she pictured Riccardo in her country home, she could almost reach out and touch his face. Suddenly, to her surprise, she was there. She looked around the lounge room and saw the boxes he had collected from her psychiatrist’s office. She’d known he would do this because he always covered his tracks. She wanted to talk to him, but she couldn’t make her presence real.

However, he looked up and saw the pale shadow of her standing there looking at the boxes. He yelled in surprise. The noise startled her and she found herself back in the other world.

Marion sat down on the grass and contemplated the implications of what had happened. She wondered if it was an empath thing. She had used this gift often in life, and maybe she could still use it.

One thing she’d noticed was that time was different here. Was time in this world out of synchronisation with the world below? She had the impression she had been away for a long time, and it seemed as if it was only a couple of days on Earth. She thought she should try again and see what happened. She would have to wait until she found the courage, as this was a great discovery and one that seemed impossible.

The next time, using her mind, she tried to find her house. George and Flynn were there. In life, they had been her bodyguards and friends. She had trusted them and had also kept their secrets. They were searching the house, looking for something. They came into the lounge room, where George poured out a generous portion of scotch for both of them to drink, and they sat down, unaware of her presence.

‘We have to find the files,’ George said. ‘Or we’ll never know if she spoke to the psychiatrist about our other job and this could compromise us big time.’

‘I’m positive Riccardo didn’t take the boxes with him,’ Flynn replied. ‘I’m sure he didn’t look at them all, so he would have kept them. They must be here somewhere; we’ll try again after this drink. I’m sure it will give us some insight as to where he could have put them.’

Marion didn’t know what to do. Should she show them the secret room behind the bookcase where she expected Riccardo would have put them? She wandered into Riccardo’s study and thought she would have to make her presence seen. This required her to concentrate on the moment to make herself visible.

When the boys came into the room, she knew they could see her outline, and she pointed to the lever that opened the door to the secret room. She felt a pull as if she was tied to an elastic belt and she was back in the other world once again.

She fell back on the grass, tired from the mental effort. As she lay there, doubts started to come in. Had she done the right thing? Marion felt she had broken some unknown law. She had interfered with the lives of the living, and that could change the course of their lives. What if they read the whole file? What would Flynn think of her?

The trouble with being dead was the same as in life. It did not come with a manual on what to do or how to do it. She had a feeling she had broken some unwritten rule. Perhaps she shouldn’t interfere in the world anymore, or at least wait for a long time to try again.

Marion tried to think about what she was and why she felt as if she was alive. Maybe it was her conscious mind, spirit or soul that was still alive, and it imagined that the body was there. This made some sense, as she knew her body was buried in the ground. However, there must be something else, or she wouldn’t be able to manifest herself to people on Earth. She deemed that it was her spirit that lived on, even after death.

She lay down on the ground, thinking of Flynn. Even across the divide between the living and the dead she could feel his distress. She felt compelled to do something. She needed to talk to him. She could picture his face in her mind. He was in bed, and his short dark hair, usually combed up, was lying flat. His blue eyes were closed, leaving his dark lashes resting on his face. It was a face that still showed the strain of the last couple of days. At first, nothing changed, and she thought she couldn’t reach him. She waited a long while and tried again and this time, she was standing by his bed. Shivering, she called out his name.

He stirred and looked at her. ‘What the fuck?’

‘I’m cold. Can I get into bed with you?’

Flynn couldn’t move. He was rooted to the spot and just stared at her. Marion climbed into the bed anyway.

‘I can feel you, and you’re freezing,’ he said, sounding surprised. Was he speaking out loud or was it just in his mind?

‘What the hell are you doing here?’

‘Do you want me to go? You only have to say leave and I will.’

‘No, it’s fun having my own ghost here.’

‘I’m not a ghost, I’m a spirit. A ghost is an earthbound imprint of someone who was once alive, and now they are stuck here to the end of time. I am a spirit who lives in another place. I imagine that ghosts are scared of spirits because it reminds them of what could have been and they have no