Walk-In Spirit

By Franklin Eddy

He opened his eyes and saw he was in an expensive-looking hospital. He saw in the mirror a young man in his early 20s. He lacked muscle tone so obviously he didn't take care of his body. His eyes were streaked red as if he had been drinking too much.

He took a shower and found some clean clothes in the closet that fit him perfectly. A nurse came in and told him that he had tried to commit suicide by overdosing on prescription pain killers.  His sister had found him on the floor and called 911.

He had never tried to commit suicide in his life. The last he remembered he was old and deadly sick with cancer and was dying. He had always wondered what the hereafter would be like.  He grew up as a Southern Baptist and they believe you went to Heaven if you were saved.  Otherwise you went to Hell where you burned for eternity. Where he was now was neither one of these places. The Catholics believe in Purgatory so maybe that is where he was.

His sister came in and called him David Randolph Madison and was worried about him. He told her that he wasn't going to try to commit suicide again. He was going to change his life by going back to college in a different state and get away from his friends that were a bad influence on him. She told him that he was rich so he could do whatever he wanted.

The next day he drove away. Suddenly he had a strange thought. Maybe he was a walk-in spirit and had taken over this young man's body since Dave didn't want to live any longer. Perhaps Dave was in the hereafter instead of him. Now he was David Randolph Madison and had a full life ahead of him. He drove down the highway and wondered what his future would be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Franklin Eddy
• Release date: Aug 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9798201698256

Franklin Eddy

Franklin Eddy has been writing for more than 30 years. He gets most of his ideas from people that he knows. He writes a diverse range of shorts stories and novels from science fiction, mystery, westerns, and romance. He lives in Colorado with his wife and his faithful writing companion Otis.

Book preview

Chapter 1

I opened my eyes and saw I was in an expensive-looking hospital. I had a private room which looked new and had all the comforts that rich people enjoyed. I got up and went to the bathroom and after I took care of business, I looked in the mirror and saw a young man in his late teens or early 20s. He lacked muscle tone so obviously he didn’t take care of his body. His eyes were streaked red as if he had been drinking too much.

I opened the medicine cabinet and saw a new electric razor, a comb, and a tooth brush.  I shaved and brushed my teeth and combed my hair. I took a shower and found some clean clothes in the closet. I got dressed in clothes that fit me perfectly so they must belong to me.

A nurse came in and brought breakfast.  She put it on a table so I sat down in a chair.

You gave us a scare last night since you overdosed on your prescription pain killers.  Your sister found you on the floor and called 911.  We were able to stabilize you and you will be fine after a couple of days.

The nurse thought for a moment and said, We would normally label it as an accident, but you have tried to kill yourself a couple of times before. The hospital psychologist will come up to speak with you later in the morning.

I started eating my breakfast which was scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast with jelly.  There was also orange juice.

If you need anything else, you can push this button and we will come to see you.

I thought about what she had said as I ate my breakfast.  I had never tried to commit suicide in my life. The last I remembered I was being deadly sick with cancer and was dying.  I had always wondered what the hereafter would be like.  I grew up as a Southern Baptist and they believe you went to Heaven if you were saved.  Otherwise you went to Hell where you burned for eternity. Where I was now was neither one of those places. The Catholics believe in Purgatory so maybe that is where I am.

I hadn’t mind dying since I was old and widowed.  My children were grown and had moved away so I had nobody to leave behind. I went from a feeble old man with his life behind him to a young man with problems who had his whole life in front of him. This was a strange hereafter though and it wasn’t bad being in Purgatory.

A woman in her 20s walked in and rushed over to me and hugged me. Randolph, I was so scared when I found you lying on the floor last night.  I thought sure you had finally managed to end your life.

I smiled and said, Would you like to join me for breakfast since I can order some for you?

She sat down and said, Maybe I could get some hot tea; I only have tea and a donut for breakfast.

I pushed the button and got some tea for Judy who I found out was my only sister.  She was a senior in college and was supposed to look out for me while my folks were overseas on business.

Judy sipped her hot tea and said, David Randolph Madison, what am I going to do about you? Our folks were terrible parents and gave us material things instead of love and attention. I started out the way you did, but I took a hard look at my life in high school and decided I wanted to amount to something.  You were wild in high school and worse in college; you had sex with any woman who was willing to put out regardless of how ugly she was.  You have been in college for two years and only took easy classes and don’t have a major that will let you get a job. You still had lots of sexual liaisons with any woman willing.

I smiled and said, If I thought the woman was ugly, I put a paper sack over her head and fucked her anyway.  Pussy is pussy and feels just as good with ugly women as beautiful ones. Ugly women need sex too.

Judy frowned since she didn’t know if I was teasing her.

I finished my toast and said, If we are rich, we don’t need to worry about having a job.  College is more for social status anyway.

She frowned and said, Our parents have business degrees so they work although they are rich.  Our family has plenty of money so you will not have to work if you don’t want to.  However, you should get an education that will give you pride in yourself.  Otherwise, you will end up thinking your life is meaningless and not worthwhile. I love you and want you never to kill yourself.

I thought about it and it didn’t make sense since I was already dead.  I had a successful career, a wonderful wife, and great children. Now I was expected to start over and amount to something. At least this time around I would start out rich from the beginning."

Why do you call me Randolph since that is my middle name? I preferred being called Dave which is my first name.

Judy smiled and said, You were named after your two grandfathers. The poor one was David and the rich one was Randolph.  So our dad called you Randolph after his father.

I got up and went over and lay on the bed. I have decided to turn my life around and turn over a new leaf. I am going to limit my sexual endeavors to only attractive women in the future.  I am going to move out of California and go to a different college. My friends are a bad influence on me.  I think I will major in accounting with a minor in computer science.

My sister looked surprised and said, What state are you going to move to?

I looked up at the ceiling for a moment and said, I am going to Colorado State University – Pueblo. I researched it on the Internet and it has only about five thousand students so would be perfect for me. I will stay away from wild women and bad influences.

She laughed and said, I think your expensive sports car will look out of place on that campus.

I sat up and put a pillow behind my back and said, I will sell the car and buy a new cheaper model like a Ford.  I want to fit in and act like middle class. I will buy some new clothes that are worn by students there so I can fit in.

She laughed and said, I was jealous when Dad bought that expensive sports car for you. Why don’t you give it to me and buy that cheap Ford since you have plenty of money?

I had never seen the car in question, but I doubted it would fit in on that campus. I guess you can have it and I can buy what I want.  It will be fun checking out cars anyway.

Judy got a shocked look on her face and said, Are you really going to give it to me since I love that car?

Of course I am since I am going to change my life and become a normal person.

She got a worried look on her face and said, Mom and Dad will think you have gone crazy and will have you committed.

At that moment the psychologist came in to talk to me. I gave Judy the keys to my car so she could drive it home.  She hugged me and left.

We sat down in sofa chairs so we could talk. I understand that you attempted to kill yourself last night.

I smiled and said, I overdosed on pain pills, but that doesn’t mean I wanted to kill myself. I am getting rid of all my pain pills and learn to live without them. I am going to change my life and am planning to move to Colorado and attend Colorado State University – Pueblo. I am going to major in accounting with a minor in computer science.  I have wasted a couple of years of college by partying too much, but that is in my past and I have decided to move on and make something of myself like my sister wants.

The psychologist thought for a moment and said, It doesn’t sound like you are suicidal so you can check out this morning.  I will put it down as an accidental overdose of pain pills. That is fairly common and sometimes results in death. Be careful in the future with pain pills.

I called Judy to come and get me since I was being released. She showed up after a while and we walked out of the hospital.

She was nervous and said, I hope you haven’t changed your mind about giving me this car since I really like to drive it.

I smiled and said, You can take me around to some dealerships so I can pick out a new car.  It will be fun and I can get the one I want.

We went to a Ford Dealership and I picked out a white Ford Focus sedan.  It wouldn’t stand out like my red sports car. I paid with my Titanium MasterCard. Within an hour I drove the car off the lot and headed toward my apartment.

The apartment was spotless since a maid came in each morning and cleaned and straightened things up. It was a huge expensive apartment with all the latest electronic gadgets and games.

Judy smiled and said, Are you going to get a smaller apartment in Colorado?

I thought for a moment and said, I will get an apartment like a normal student so I fit in.  I am going to buy my clothes at Wal-Mart so I don’t look like I am rich.

Judy was having a good time and said, Perhaps you should get a regular Master Card instead of Titanium Card since you don’t want to stand out.

Then she got serious and said, What did you do with my brother since he would never act like the way you are acting?

I got us a couple of cokes out of the refrigerator and we sat at the table to drink them.  There was plenty of beer, but I didn’t drink.

I gathered my thoughts and said, I am not sure what happened to your brother.  I have a strange story to tell you if you are willing to listen.

She seemed interested so I told her and how I ended up in her brother’s body. She listened without saying anything until I finished.

She thought for a moment and said, I am a psychology major so I know a lot of strange things happened to people.  Your mind made up your previous life to get you to change your direction.  You weren’t happy with your life so your mind made up a fictional story about living a full rewarding life and then dying. It seems real to you and there is no way we can disprove it, but it is very unlikely that it happened the way you think.  It seems like you are going in a new direction though which will be better for you.

I frowned and said, It sounds like you think I am lying.

She took a sip of coke and said, You are not lying since you really believe that happened. I was raised to believe that this is the only life we have and when we die we are dead and there is no hereafter. I never heard of anyone dying and moving to a person’s body that was trying to commit suicide.

She seemed deep in thought and said, Did you think you lived in Pueblo and went to that college before so that is why you want to go there? Like I said this story is only fantasy and it never happened.  I think your mind reacted to the attempted suicide and made the whole thing up. At least the results will be positive and I will not have to worry about you any longer.

I got on the computer and enrolled in the College.  Then I transferred my credits so I wouldn’t have to take classes again.

I looked around and said, What am I going to do with all this electronic junk since I don’t play games or care to learn?

Judy thought for a moment and said, Decide what you want to take and I will dispose of the rest of your things. I may take the video games since I like some of them.

Chapter 2

I chose a new laptop which I could use in college and a small TV. I looked at the clothes, but they were too fancy for the way I wanted to appear. There were some other items like a razor that would be valuable.

Judy went with me to Wal-Mart and helped me pick out clothes. She had never been to that Store since she shopped at stores that wealthy people went to.

She laughed and said, I doubt I could fit into a middle class college since I never went to one like that. Most of the people I know are wealthy.

I smiled and said, Most of the clothes I had were bought at Wal-Mart so I am used to shopping here.  I can always buy more clothes when I get to Pueblo.

She stared at me for a moment and said, I am almost starting to buy into your story about living a full life before.  It is not possible though so I am going to just accept that your mind is playing tricks on you.

We checked out and I put the items in my trunk. She drove the car since she wanted to find out how the Ford performed.

It isn’t a bad little car since it was inexpensive.

A couple of days later I got up early so I could get on the road.  Judy had stayed over so she could help me get off.

She hugged me and said, Dave, I hope you never turn back into Randolph since I like you better this way.

I laughed and said, I am David Randolph Madison, but I will go by Dave R. Madison.

I looked around and said, Won’t this be a big job to get rid of this junk?

She smiled and said, I don’t mind since I have friends that can help sort through it with me.  Call me every week and let me know how things go.

I hugged Judy and kissed her on the cheek.  I got in my car and drove off.  She stood there and watched as I disappeared.

I headed east and caught I40 and stayed on that until I got to Albuquerque where I switched to I25 heading into Colorado. I took my time and enjoyed the trip; I stopped and saw things which I had seen years ago with my wife. I still missed her although she had been dead for years. 

I thought about it and wondered if Judy could be right that my mind made the whole thing up.  Maybe I had never been married or had a former life. If my mind made it up then it must have been really creative since I remembered so many things.  I wondered if I would know my way around Pueblo when I got there.

I decided to stay overnight in Albuquerque in a nice motel. I called Judy before I went down to eat in the motel restaurant.

Where are you, Dave? Have you had a nice trip?

I am in Albuquerque and I will drive to Pueblo tomorrow. I love to drive and enjoyed it very much.  I loved to drive when I was young, but after I got old my wife did most of the driving.

Judy laughed and said, At least you are consistent in your fantasies. I guess it gives you some comfort to believe you have been through this before.

Did you get rid of all that junk?

I kept some of the electronics and gave the rest to my friends.  I called Goodwill and donated the clothes to them which they were pleased to get. You must have walked away from thousands of dollars of your property.

I am glad you took care of it for me. My wife was a pack rat and I had to dispose of a lot of her things after she died. If I get married again, I want to die first so I don’t have to go through it again.

I was beginning to think of Judy as my sister so I enjoyed talking to her.  In my other life, I was the only one left since I was the youngest in my family.

Judy thought for a moment and said, Your old girlfriend called me the other day and was surprised you moved.  You used to take her to expensive bars where you would both get plastered and then end up in bed. She said she will miss you.

Since I don’t remember her, I won’t miss her.  I don’t think I want a girlfriend that likes to go to bars and get drunk.

You seemed to have gotten moralistic since you don’t drink any longer.  You also gave up smoking which I was happy about.  You are a better person now than you were so maybe being crazy isn’t all bad.

I drove to Sonic and got a hamburger, fries, and a coke.  I preferred to eat in my room rather than go to a restaurant and eat by myself.

The next morning I left early and stopped in Santa Fe and ate breakfast at McDonalds.  Then I got back on the road. During the afternoon I arrived in Pueblo. It was familiar to me so I knew where to go.  I found a motel out toward the college to stay at until I found an apartment I liked.

I was curious so I called the nursing home where I spent my last days and they said they had never had a patient by that name. I also checked the phone book and my former name was not in it either. I called Judy and told her what I had found out.

Are you familiar with the city of Pueblo?

Yes, I know where everything is.

She thought for a moment and said, This whole thing does not make sense. It is unusual for a person to change as much as you have. You are familiar with the city so you must have lived there. I guess there is a logical reason for it all though, but I can’t figure it out. I even talked to my close friends that are psychology majors and they never heard of anything like what happened to you. I guess we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Chapter 3

Have you heard from your folks?

Dad is thrilled that you decided to put your life in order and get serious about college. Mom felt the same way. I didn’t tell them about that story you made up about having a previous life.

I found a bedroom apartment in a complex and moved into it.  It was plenty large for me and had a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, and two baths in case I decided to get a roommate. It was within walking distance of the college so I planned to walk when the weather allowed it.

I settled into college and had a wonderful time.  I had been an accountant so I didn’t have any problems with the accounting classes.  I had a lot of knowledge of computers so those classes were easy for me too.

One evening after I finished my homework, I heard the doorbell ring; I got up and opened the door.  There was an attractive young woman standing there. She hugged me and gave me a quick kiss.

I smiled and said, I enjoyed your friendly greeting, but I think you have mistaken me for someone else.

She pushed past me and looked around. This is a dinky apartment and hardly what you are used to.

I shut the door and replied, College students don’t need much room. You act like you know me, but I have no idea who you are.

She studied me for a moment and said, I am Julie Jackson who you used to date when you called yourself Randolph.  Your sister Judy says you go by Dave now.

All my red flags went up since Judy said Julie was a trashy woman and to stay away from her. She had called me a week ago to watch out if she showed up.

I motioned her to a sofa chair and sat down myself. I lost a lot of memories when I accidently overdosed on prescription drugs, so I have no memories of you.

She got up and went into the small kitchen which was actually connected to the living room. She looked inside the refrigerator and said, You only have Pepsi in here so did you drink all the beer?

I laughed and said, I gave up drinking and smoking after my accident.  Now I only drink pop or tea.

She gave me a Pepsi and kept one for herself. You lost a lot of weight and look in good shape.

I took a sip of my Pepsi and replied, I walk to college since it is not far and is good exercise.  I mainly eat at the college cafeteria and just keep snacks to eat while I am home.

She looked me over carefully and said, Dave, you look really good and I missed you very much.  I was in Kansas when you had your drug overdose. My sister had a rough divorce and I went up to help her get through that crisis.  I was surprised that you never called me so I thought maybe you have found someone else. I called your sister after I got back and managed to get a phone number and address out of her.

What are you doing with your life when you are not helping your sister?

She laughed and said, I am a college student in California, but I dropped out this semester to help my sister.  So I am not doing anything right now.  I am rich like you so it is not a problem; I will start back next semester.

She gathered her thoughts and continued, I flew to Denver and drove down to Pueblo since it has better flights than Colorado Springs or here. It was a nice trip since I got a large rental car.

She asked me to sit with her on the couch so she could show me pictures on her phone.  Randolph and Julie made a nice couple so they obviously spent a lot of time together.  She showed me many pictures of them spending time together.

What are you doing here since I am no longer Randolph? I go by Dave R. Madison now and I am nothing like your boyfriend.  I am a quiet student that puts his studies before a social life.  I don’t have many vices since I don’t drink or smoke tobacco or pot; I also don’t run around with wild women.

She smiled and said, Are you averse to having sex?

I gathered my thoughts since she had laid a trap for me. I don’t remember having sex with you so I am not sure.

Are you saying you are a virgin?

Well, only you would know about that?

She thought for a moment and said, It wasn’t the first rodeo for either of us, but we were sexually compatible. The major problem that Randolph had was he got depressed frequently since he had bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression. It is a mental disorder that causes periods of depression and periods of elevated moods.  He took medicine to control it and also pain pills.  There is not a lot of difference between mental problems and pain.

She studied me