Post-work on the run up to Christmas, hordes of shoppers
Post-work on the run up to Christmas, hordes of shoppers thronged Marylebone’s streets. Laden with bags full of presents and giddy on the highs of consumption, they fed off each other’s desire to buy more than they could afford. Up on their wires suspended between the heaving shops, neon angels blazed overhead in the late afternoon gloom as the clouds released their burden and rain hammered down onto the pavement as though a hail of bullets, leaving the crowd to pull their heads down into their ...

Edward swore at the taxi as he crossed the street. It
Edward swore at the taxi as he crossed the street. It wasn’t the taxi driver’s fault – it wasn’t like he could see Edward – but by now it was habit. Taxis were there for swearing. At his advanced age, Edward had learned quite a few good words. If he was stuck doing this for eternity he’d pick up quite a few more. He tried out some of his newest ones.
Sometimes he couldn’t tell if these new words he heard were proper swears or only some sort of internet slang said in an angry voice.
He stopped in...

Edward walked into Filcroft Arms for the second time
Edward walked into Filcroft Arms for the second time today, feeling weighted by the choices ahead. A Marley may lose their chains for an assignment, but guys like John don’t need physical restraint to keep a man down. Choose Claire and potentially have longer chains, or choose Lucas and likely never be unburdened. And what about poor Margaret? Edward failed her for so many living years, could he risk failing her in death as well?
Business had picked up as the holiday shoppers and exhausted tour...

Edward walked into Filcroft Arms for the second time-1
As Edward arrives, Claire sits at a desk piled with paperwork and electronics, staring intently at the computer screen. She is being served with another set of subpoenas and the dates are beginning to interfere with the launch dates for “Share”.
She takes a sip of coffee before ranting, “Imbeciles. The whole lot. Do they really think they would have gotten anywhere without me? I did them a favour. Catherine, Catherine? Can you get my lawyer on the line?”
After a minute passes, Claire smooths he...

The red brick mansion block on George Street was undeniably copy
The red brick mansion block on George Street was undeniably impressive; the elderly man standing before it undeniably less so. What made the mansion block so impressive was just how imposing and solid and there it was. By contrast, the elderly man standing outside was not there at all—not in body, anyway. He was dead, to begin with. Dead as a particularly deceased dodo.
If he wasn’t there in body, then how could he be there at all? Without a physical presence, how was it possible to exist at a p...

The red brick mansion block on George Street was undeniably copy-1
Edward floated for a bit. He floated through brick walls, through plaster ceilings and hardwood doors. Edward loathed the floating—it made him nauseous (“floatsickness” they called it)—but it was always better to materialise only once you were inside the subject’s home, to avoid any unnecessary clamour.
Presently, he rose through the plush carpets of Lucas Rennall’s lounge and lurked in an insubstantial manner, getting his bearings. Lucas’s apartment was what estate agents called “spacious”, an ...

The red brick mansion block on George Street was undeniably copy-2
The one thing Edward hated more than floating was materialising. You had to go from a state of near-nonexistence to a state of near-existence through an exertion of nothing but pure will. It was a matter of focus. (Actually, it wasn’t a matter of anything, there being no actual matter involved.) It was a process that felt precisely like the strain of forcing a compacted, rock-hard, tennis ball-sized turd though a sphincter that had shrunk to the dimensions of a pin hole. Which happened to have b...

“So you’re a ghost here to convince me of the error
“So you’re a ghost here to convince me of the error of my ways and save me from the monster I’ve become,” Lucas said, casually placing a tray with apple wedges and Keurig-brewed coffee on the end table before flopping dramatically across the couch. “Then convince me.”
Before Edward could begin, Lucas swiped the remote and turned on Netflix. “Hmm, I planned to put on A Christmas Carol, but this works, too.” Jimmy Stewart’s image filled the screen. “Hey, I bet you were around when this movie was m...

“So you’re a ghost here to convince me of the error-3
The image of Paragon’s board room faded back into the apartment. Lucas grinned, recognising Edward’s surrender, until he sat back into the couch and realised it was occupied. He yelped and bolted back to his feet, wheeling around to where a version of himself sat at the opposite end from a gorgeous blonde. The rift between the two was evident, their conversation animated.
“Thea Hartley,” Edward announced from over his shoulder.
Lucas scowled. “I know who Thea is.”
“You left her six months ago, a...

“So you’re a ghost here to convince me of the error-1
The apartment dissolved around them. They were now standing on a street a number of blocks away. Lucas spun around to check the traffic; he cringed when a bus drove straight through him.
“Bloody hell,” he cried, pulling himself off the ground. “You couldn’t have put us on the sidewalk?”
Edward pointed at one of the houses. Part of a row of homes five stories tall, Edward passed straight through the front door to the spacious ceilings and grand architecture inside. Spiral staircases, furniture wo...

“So you’re a ghost here to convince me of the error-2
The condo faded away once more, replaced by the living room of another flat. Judging from the furnishings, the owners were modestly successful, though the ambience lacked a sense of the polish that Lucas’s had. A man sat at the dinette as a woman carried a dish toward him using potholders.
Lucas craned his head around the woman to get a better view of the man. “That’s Frank Mailer. He was in my graduating class. Works at Sotheby & Price. Looks like he’s got a nice broad, too.”
Lucas studied her ...

CHAPTER SOMETHING
Lucas’s face was lit dramatically as he leaned into the SMEG and felt the cold. “Stella, old man?” he shouted from the kitchen, with a wry smile on his face.
“Can’t,” Edward called back, “But thanks.”
“Does it run right through you to the floor, like in Pirates of the Caribbean?” chuckled Lucas, walking into the living room, sipping from a tall glass that looked like an opening lilly.
“Never tried it,” Edward replied, “When I’m not on duty, I wouldn’t be able to even hold the glass.”
“Hmm,” Luca...

CHAPTER SOMETHING-1
Projected into Lucas’s mind, a memory Edward had collected. The back bar at The Tooth & Nail, with Gregor at the piano, softly torturing Christmas carols into notes and phrases of acid jazz that jilted lovers might cry into the night, yet each stanza ending with an edge of straight powdered sugar. There were three men on tall stools at a tiny round table. Two held wide-mouthed crystal glasses of clean amber scotch that almost glowed. The other had a similar glass containing a darker liquid that ...

CHAPTER SOMETHING-2
A blur, then Edward induced another recent projection. A hospital room. He hadn’t had to risk St Thomas’s, thank God. Edward had traced Lucas’s cousin’s wife and new son to the more down-market St Simeon’s. Flora Carter was lying exhausted in the hospital bed. Bob, the eldest son of Lucas’s Aunt Tilly, was looking into an incubator at his premature son, Tim. Flora turned her head to watch. “Isn’t he tiny?!” she said.
“So tiny,” agreed her husband, “And so helpless.”
Unseen, since this was just a...

CHAPTER SOMETHING-3
The Christmas menus were out at Swan’s Nest, and the women had already ordered cocktails and were considering the unusual lunch menu.
One of them women, a blonde, was putting away a notebook. “No more planning, let’s enjoy lunch. Our New Year’s Party is in the bag — I’ll still be with George though.”
“Look! Quail’s eggs!” Penn Jones said from behind the red and gold menu. Penn was one of Lucas’s latest interests, and the reason Edward recorded this conversation.
“Yeah, and look at the prices!” t...

CHAPTER SOMETHING-4
And just like that, Lucas found himself back in his own living room, on the sofa, forgotten beer glass on the side-table.
“You really feel nothing, Mr Rennall?”
“Well, perhaps you think I should feel grateful? I really am picking up some useful information,” said Lucas.
“No, that’s not what I expect you to feel at all — these people, people closest to you… they all….”
Lucas interrupted, “You keep talking about what I should be feeling or thinking. What do you care? What do you care how I feel or...

“But I don’t want to see my future! Just leave me alone
“But I don’t want to see my future! Just leave me alone.” Lucas began to take off his dressing gown as he re-entered the bedroom, with Edward following him. “I’ve seen enough already!” He threw the maroon silk dressing gown onto the floor and moved back towards the bed. The dragon across the back of the dressing gown slithered and settled, as though ready for sleep. “For Heaven’s sake, just let me sleep now.” But Edward was already lying there, in Lucas’ space in the bed. Laughing.
“So, what did...

“But I don’t want to see my future! Just leave me alone-1
Lucas followed Edward through the magnificent entrance hall with its huge staircase, past what looked like a room with a stage, piano and bar and through a dining room, white-clothed round tables set out with bowls of fruit of various recognisable and exotic kinds. Lucas swiped at an orange from a display as he passed but was unable to feel it and his hand passed right through. They continued through several doors and corridors throughout the ship until he was completely disorientated. Finally t...

Edward left the lavish flat in very different spirits
Edward left the lavish flat in very different spirits than he had come. It wasn’t as though he had never failed before, there was a plentitude of bull-headed people in the great, wide, living world - he should know - but the stakes had never been quite as high. He was given a chance he could have never expected and he had bungled it, just as he had bungled his whole life, and by extension, his death. Maybe Margaret would recover, but either way at least he could go see her one more time before s...

With his lower lip tucked between his teeth, Lucas
With his lower lip tucked between his teeth, Lucas jerked off to the financial spreadsheets in front of him. He's seen what the future holds, he knows the way it sits now, the way it reads on his screen, he's taking a risk. A risk that involves his own money, but the profits he will reap in the end, it's just another thing he can flaunt in his father's face. He's already made more than the bastard ever has.
He caught movement in his peripheral vision, slowing his pace to scan his office. He twi...

With his lower lip tucked between his teeth, Lucas-1
Lucas' eyes snapped open. It's cold. Too cold since he tends to keep his apartment on the warm side this time of year. Only he's not in his apartment, he's sitting on a street corner, holding an aluminium mug in a dirty hand, pleading for anything they can spare. He dropped it, the metal clanging to the pavement.
"This is my corner." A rough voice hissed, shoving his feet at him.
Lucas turned to stare at him in confusion. He opened his mouth to ask him where he is, but any answer he's going to...

Maerahn’s Chapter (Novella-in-Day, 17th June 2017) Lucas
Lucas glanced down at his expensive watch and then back up at the window of his office on the third floor. “You have one hour, tops,” he said to Edward, “so you’d better give it your best shot, because that’s time I could be giving to a paying client.”
“You make more money in one month than most people earn in a year. You can afford an hour.” Edward swept his hand forward, gesturing along the street. “Follow me.”
“Where?”
“You’ll see.”
Edward turned on his heel and headed away from the building,...

The coach squealed as the brakes were rudely applied
The coach squealed as the brakes were rudely applied.
“Fifteen pound even.”  The driver turned in time to see Lucas scowling at the empty seat next to him.
“This is literally the worst dream I’ve ever had.” Lucas mumbled.  “I only have a 50.”
“First run of the night, guv.  No change to break something that large.  We got that Square thing.  You have a card?”
“Do I look like I have my wallet?  I’m lucky I have what I have.”
“There’s a pub round the corner - maybe five miles.  Course that’ll run y...

Lucas could feel warm satin sweat against his cheek
Lucas could feel warm satin sweat against his cheek, and his fingers curled slightly, moving through slick stickiness to a little node of firmness. It was curiously cool, curiously crumbly. Crumbly? But… already it was gone, the details of the dream fading with the night. It had been so clear, so vivid – so real. And now nothing but a lingering feel that something important had happened, something life-changing.
He opened his eyes to a dawn barely peeking through the windows of his bedroom. And ...

Lucas could feel warm satin sweat against his cheek-1
An hour later, he was himself again. Clean, dressed in neatly-pressed grey slacks and a tailored shirt, and with the reassuring chunk-chunk of the washer faintly in the background, washing his sins away.
What sins? He took a sip of orange juice – fresh-squeezed from Selfridges twice a week – and rolled the sweet tartness of it round his mouth, and let it chase away the lingering remains of last night’s dinner. A bite of toast and blueberry jam to give his palate something new to think about. It ...

Lucas could feel warm satin sweat against his cheek-2
It was only once he reached the High Street that he remembered that the Princess Grace was closed for refurbishment. The emergency room, at any rate, though he was less and less convinced that this was an emergency. The walk was doing him good; he felt stronger, his stomach more settled.
He’d been walking in his dream, he remembered. Somewhere in London, though perhaps not here. He turned down the High Street. He’d walk down through Mayfair to St. James’ Park, and across the river to St. Thomas’...

Lucas could feel warm satin sweat against his cheek-3
It was a quiet morning at the Accidents and Emergency ward, but the doctors had given him nasty looks anyway. “Drink some water,” they’d said. “Raise your fluid levels. But water, mind you. Or tea. No beer, no hard alcohol.” And they’d written on their charts and sent him away.
Fine. He was officially fine, pronounced well by sages and mystics and green clad witches in white capes. He found himself in an unfamiliar hallway, turned around somehow in the maze of signs and swinging doors. There was...

Although Edward was pleased Dr Brooke had responded
Although Edward was pleased Dr Brooke had responded positively to his suggestions, he felt a little shook up. It was the first time he’d seen his own inner ugliness reflected so keenly back at him. The doctor’s casual disregard for her husband reminded him of how badly he’d treated his own wife.
Walking down Boston Place, he noticed a discreet plaque mounted on a wall. Fertility Clinic. By appointment. Running his fingers over the letters, he felt a searing sensation. Yanked his arm back.
“Ow, f...

Edward stumbled and only barely got hold of the low
Edward stumbled and only barely got hold of the low fence that encased the front of his old house. Now wouldn’t have that been a pity if he had fallen and ruined his immaculate suit?
He giggled. Gosh, I’m sounding like a silly little schoolgirl, he thought, and the thought made him giggle even more. Before it could turn out to be a full-grown laughter, however, he saw something that choked him up instantly.
There she was. Just as beautiful as she had been twenty years ago. Good Lord, twenty yea...

From far above, London looked peaceful, the millions
From far above, London looked peaceful, the millions of lives it contained erased amongst rows of ant-sized buildings. Edward glanced at the binders he’d been given and sighed; he was going to need some more drinks for this. In the blink of an eye he was back in front of the Filcroft Arms.
The scruffy bartender Joe was still there. Concern flashed across his face as Edward settled in at the bar. Of course he was concerned—the same customer twice in one day probably didn’t bode well for him—but h...

Tink
Tink
Mary grabbed Lucas's shoulder. "Lucas, did you hear that?"
"Huhh? Whaat? Ohh. It's you. Go back to sleep."
Tink
She shook him. "Lucas, there's somebody out there! Do something!"
"Huhh? Ohh. Stop it. You're dreaming. I've got a busy day tomorrow, and I don't need this nonsense. If you can't be quiet, get your clothes and get out of here."
"But Lucas..."
"SHUT UP. Don't make me mad. You'll regret it."
Tink
"LUCAS," she hissed.
He turned his back to her. Facing the door now, he saw the light c...

“So you’re a ghost here to convince me of the error copy
“So you’re a ghost here to convince me of the error of my ways and save me from the monster I’ve become,” Lucas said, casually placing a tray with apple wedges and Keurig-brewed coffee on the end table before flopping dramatically across the couch. “Then convince me.”
Before Edward could begin, Lucas swiped the remote and turned on Netflix. “Hmm, I planned to put on A Christmas Carol, but this works, too.” Jimmy Stewart’s image filled the screen. “Hey, I bet you were around when this movie was m...

“So you’re a ghost here to convince me of the error copy-1
The image of Paragon’s board room faded back into the apartment. Lucas grinned, recognising Edward’s surrender, until he sat back into the couch and realised it was occupied. He yelped and bolted back to his feet, wheeling around to where a version of himself sat at the opposite end from a gorgeous blonde. The rift between the two was evident, their conversation animated.
“Thea Hartley,” Edward announced from over his shoulder.
Lucas scowled. “I know who Thea is.”
“You left her six months ago, a...

“So you’re a ghost here to convince me of the error copy-2
The apartment dissolved around them. They were now standing on a street a number of blocks away. Lucas spun around to check the traffic; he cringed when a bus drove straight through him.
“Bloody hell,” he cried, pulling himself off the ground. “You couldn’t have put us on the sidewalk?”
Edward pointed at one of the houses. Part of a row of homes five stories tall, Edward passed straight through the front door to the spacious ceilings and grand architecture inside. Spiral staircases, furniture wo...

“So you’re a ghost here to convince me of the error copy-3
The condo faded away once more, replaced by the living room of another flat. Judging from the furnishings, the owners were modestly successful, though the ambience lacked a sense of the polish that Lucas’s had. A man sat at the dinette as a woman carried a dish toward him using potholders.
Lucas craned his head around the woman to get a better view of the man. “That’s Frank Mailer. He was in my graduating class. Works at Sotheby & Price. Looks like he’s got a nice broad, too.”
Lucas studied her ...

Edward Myer wandered slowly around Lucas Rennall’s
Edward Myer wandered slowly around Lucas Rennall’s flat. Although it wasn’t to his taste, he supposed he could see why the younger man had bought it. Modern living. Edward chuckled. In his day, ‘modern living’ had been the introduction of the television. Now it was the ‘internet of things,’ whatever that was. But two and a half million pounds for an apartment! Edward shook his head. It was ludicrous. It was insanity. Property prices kept on going up and up, and up. The Georgian town house he and...

Edward Myer wandered slowly around Lucas Rennall’s-1
“You do not care,” Edward said, “you simply do not care.”
“Finally he gets it!” Lucas said, perusing the wines in a temperature controlled rack by the fridge. “It’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all along. But no. You’re so busy trying to convert me, or whatever it is you’re trying to do, that you don’t pay attention. You don’t fucking listen. I wouldn’t change for my parents. I wouldn’t change for my best friend, and I certainly wouldn’t change for those fuckwits from the office. So why you...

Edward Myer wandered slowly around Lucas Rennall’s-2
Back in Lucas’ flat Edward sat on a leather sofa facing Lucas, across what was, he considered, a hideously expensive, glass topped coffee table. At any rate, it was hideous. On the table a bottle of Cristal sat in an ice bucket along with two glasses.
“You going to be mother, then?” Lucas said, nodding towards the bottle.
“My story, your bottle. You be mother.”
“Only because you’re mildly entertaining, old man,” Lucas said, and poured.
Edward looked at the bubbles, then sipped. He pursed his lip...

"Now, there is a thing to miss. Scotch." Edward Myers
"Now, there is a thing to miss. Scotch." Edward Myers tipped his glass.
Lucas gave a slight raise of his glass in agreement. The two had repaired to the dry bar. Scotch in hand, Lucas returned to theme. "You just need to consider seriously the possibility that I have exactly the life I want right here, now."
"It's not all that you think. I'm offering you inside information on this."
"I know you're saying that, but let's talk investment here.
You're wanting me to make an investment, but I'm jus...

"Now, there is a thing to miss. Scotch." Edward Myers-1
Edward walked Lucas through parts of his flat that hadn't existed moments before.
"I like it. It suits me."
"It should. You will design it. More mirrors, more empty space. More empty." Edward paused for effect. "More empty."
"Yeah, spacious. I get it. But how? It's huge. Multi-level."
"By this time, you own half the place."
"Bryanston Court?" Lucas considered this. "Well, smart move."
Lucas had found the spacious wardrobe closet off the master bedroom. He was looking over the array of clothing a...

"Now, there is a thing to miss. Scotch." Edward Myers-2
A clock somewhere stroked midnight. The windows on the far side of the room lit up under full sun. Shafts of sunlight gilded the casement, shifted and moved rapidly across the floor. Lucas ran to a window. It should have been Seymour Place, he figured, but Lucas found himself looking out from a considerable height on a cold but extraordinarily blue day. The assemblage corporate buildings, the whole scene, was reminiscent of the view from his office, only higher and nothing was quite right.
"You ...

"Now, there is a thing to miss. Scotch." Edward Myers-3
But he was looking at himself in the mirror, his bathroom mirror. He was wearing his best "closure" suit, just as his future self had been. Unusual attire for either of them just then.
"Crap." He grabbed a toothbrush from the cabinet and called out, "Help yourself to the booze! I am going to bed, goddammit."
That suit was always good on him. He looked sharp in the mirror. This was a suit he reserved for special occasions — when it was time to cinch the deal, lower the boom on a company they had ...

"Now, there is a thing to miss. Scotch." Edward Myers-4
Lucas knew who it was, knew what to expect, but he had to look anyway. The figure was slumped forward onto the desk on which were several empty file boxes. The scene was illuminated only by a blank computer screen — a square cursor blinking at the command line prompt and that was all. Another document box, half empty, sat on the ground beside the shredder. The fingers of the man's left hand were in the shredder. There was blood there.
"Heart attack," said Edward right behind his ear. "The Feds ...

"Now, there is a thing to miss. Scotch." Edward Myers-5
"Ugh! Ugh!!" Lucas shoved the pillow away from him at full force. It slapped up against the glass pane of the gas fire and thumped to the ground. He was sitting on his own couch. The gas fire was lit. There was a glass of scotch on his side table and another empty on the coffee table in front of him. Edward sat on the other side of the couch looking at him as if they might have been sitting there all night. He had heavy chains around his ankles which wound away and trailed out of the room.
"But ...

"Now, there is a thing to miss. Scotch." Edward Myers-6
"You know, if you're not leaving, if you're just going to sit there and brood, I'm having a snack." Lucas stepped into the kitchen and set his glass in the sink. He pulled the double doors of the refrigerator wide — onto inky blackness — the howling gaping void. His chest burst forward as he was sucked toward the swirling dark before him. But the doors, pulled by the same gale, swung back and pinned him from both sides and held him fast — looking into the falling, twisting maw of darkness that w...

NIAD_June 2017 Waleed Ovase
He wasn't a stranger to failure, in this life or his previous one. Not every deal made him money, and not every person could be changed. The success rates were well known among Marleys, and sometimes they had to suck it up and move on. Learn to love pain as much as joy.
Everything was a learning opportunity. And this time around, he was feeling something new. There was the guilt, there was the general sympathy, and of course there was the burning feeling of having failed Margaret. But something ...

Edward stood before the door to Lucas’ office. Reading copy
Edward stood before the door to Lucas’ office. Reading the gold plaque on the door with Lucas’ name and title made his blood boil. One way or another they were done with this impasse today.
Lucas was at his desk typing away on his computer when Edward floated through the door. The clicking clatter of the keys grated against his ears. The sound was as pretentious as the charcoal grey designer suit Lucas wore.
“Lucas,” Edward forced through his teeth. He couldn’t lose his temper. He had more cont...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care
“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care.”
“This damnable prick!” Edward couldn’t tell if he said that out loud or to himself. “I’ve got to remember my training. Explain, connect, emotion, convince, close. But this c*** has no emotions. He doesn’t give a rip about anyone, let alone me and Maggie. I have to think…”
Lucas had walked to the office door and was deriding some underling. “Are you trying to make me look like a fool?! If I didn’t care so much about my shoe I’d have my foot so far up...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care-1
Edward and Lucas found themselves standing in a 1 bedroom apartment. It was clean but everything about it said “poor”. Mismatched, heavily worn furniture what would have been old in 1980. The only decorations were hand made or broken nicknacks. There was no TV or radio to be seen. Three children, somewhere between 8 and 10 sat on the floor. The fair haired and light skinned boy and girl were obviously siblings. The dark child “belonged” to the room judging by the patched denim pants and the thre...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care-2
Lucas’ laughing made Robert nervous. Robert’s job was to drive. But this guy was… wrong. Talking to himself about some woman. Then three kids. Crazy hair and that hole in his jacket. Something wasn’t right.
“Unlike you Claire worked for what she has.” Edward’s comment hit the target.
“You arrogant c***. I’ve worked just as hard as she has. Sure I started off with more, but that’s just chance.”
Could there be a domestic disturbance, Robert thought to himself. “Inbound needs watched 2 men. Woman i...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care-3
A crowd had gathered to investigate the car/pig fender bender. It’s not every day that a pig gets loose in London. As Lucas started to push his way through the crowd Edward started phase 2 of his plan…
Edward flicked Lucas’ ear with his finger. Lucas spun around. “What the f***!”
Edward shrugged. “What’s wrong?”
“Don’t screw with me!”
“Mummy, who’s that man talking to?” a girl asked her mother.
“Ignore him sweetie”.
Lucas glared at the pair and pointed at Edward. Just as Lucas took his first s...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care-4
“While I have you with no distractions, let me show you something.”
“I have a headache” Lucas complained. Edward didn’t care and started “the vision”.

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care-5
Edward and Lucas found themselves standing in cramped, dark room in stifling heat. The sound of a generator running near by pounded in Lucas’ ears. The walls looked to be some rough made brick and the ceiling, which may have been the roof based on the exposed rafters, was made of corrugated tin. The smell of livestock, freshly butchered animals, and human sweat made the motionless, damp air seem like a leaden coat pressing their clothes into their suddenly sweaty skin.
“That’s perfect Aman. Usin...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care-6
“That’s a lot of bullocks” Lucas said.
“Who *is* he talking too?” Roger wondered aloud.
“Is it?” Edward asked rhetorically. “How would you know? When have you ever helped anyone? Or had a relationship for more than someone to shag?”
“Go to hell.”
“Someone get him out of there. He’s bloody mad and I don’t want him going off in our room.” Roger’s team went into action.

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care-7
Walking down the hall Bart started the introductions. “Hello Mr. Rennall. I’m Bart and this is Samuel. We will be your guides and escorts for your time with us today.”
“Bartholomew, I would…”
“It’s Bart sir. Just Bart. That’s what you will call me.”
Edward slapped Lucas in the forehead hard enough to make him take two steps backward.
“Son of a … Why did you to that!? That was uncalled for! You apologise!” yelled Lucas
“Sir, I’ll not apologise for correcting you when you call me by a name that is...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care-8
“Hello Lucas. I assume you’re here to inform me of a new action?” Claire stood up behind her desk. Her fit business suit showed off her modest, but very feminine physique. “Have a seat” she said as she motioned to sitting area next to her desk. “You look awful today.”
As Lucas walked toward the offered chair, Bart and Samuel moved to opposite sides of the room. They made it clear to Lucas that “no” was still an option if he wanted to risk a confrontation. Lucas nodded to each with a sheepish smi...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care-9
In the private elevator Edward decided it was time. Time for the final set up. He could see that Lucas was trying to understand something. Something that Lucas was just not able to wrap is mind around. Edward made his move.
Lucas was standing in front of Bart and Samuel. Edward positioned himself between them and flipped both Lucas’ ears.
“Stop that!” Lucas yelled.
“We’ve done nothing.” Bart replied calmly. Samuel’s eye twinkled.
“The hell you didn’t!”
Edward did it again.
“I SAID STOP IT!” L...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care-10
“Ma’am I’ve reviewed the tape. It was clean. Unprovoked attack on Bart. I’ve uploaded a copy to your private site. I’ve kept a copy for the company vault.”
“Load that bastard in his car and send him … anywhere. Our doors are closed to him. Next time he shows up, call the bobbies. And … send that Irishman back up here. I’m lonely.”
“Yes ma’am. Bart, put him in his car. It’s out front. Pulled up about 10min after he got here. Samuel, the old lady wants you. Grab a cover from the top drawer.”

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care-11
Lucas started to recognise the inside of his car.
“How did I get here?”
“They said you attacked a security guard, sir, and they tasered you. I saw that man. I saw the tape. Are you feeling ok sir? You’ve been acting … oddly.”
“How would you know if I’ve been acting oddly you twat? You only started this morning and I’ve already fired you.”
“Oddly as a general rule, sir. People don’t normally try to hit a man like that. Not with his buddy right next to him. And not without a bit of backup.”
“He’s...

Situated in the heart of Marylebone, the Myer Home
Situated in the heart of Marylebone, the Myer Home stood, tall and proud. Edward glanced at the building, face carefully devoid of expressions, but Lucas had been around people enough to tell glimpse the turmoil of sadness, guilt and—above of—regret.
Lucas averted his eyes.
Edward cleared his throat, a scratchy sound that grated on Lucas’ nerves. The mere presence of the older man—ghost, he corrected mentally—already pained him. It was as if Edward went out of his way to make his life difficult....

Situated in the heart of Marylebone, the Myer Home-1
He was eighteen when he saw his mother lying in the hospital bed, half a dozen needles poking in her arm. It had been a nasty disease, not exactly incurable, but, it’s expensive, and we don’t have the money. What about his education, dear? I’d be fine. She did not survive that day, and his father did not survive that night. His eyes were dry throughout both funerals. Relatives extended offers to take him in, and he refused every single one.
He grew, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, and graduated ...

Situated in the heart of Marylebone, the Myer Home-2
There was a ringing in his ear and a pounding in his head. For a moment he was confused. Until he blinked. Once, twice.
Lucas, he thought almost breathlessly. I’m Lucas, alright. That was some weird imagery memory-travel shoved right into my mind. Talk about warnings.
Edward only snorted at his apparent discomfort, sparing him no sympathy.
"You think that you are special. You think that you are some special snowflake," the ghost drawled, each word purposefully icy and intended to hurt. "Wake up....

Situated in the heart of Marylebone, the Myer Home-3
Lucas stuffed his hands into his pockets as he strolled through the corridor. The air in the hospital smelt of antiseptic and felt bit too cold for his liking. Eyes scanning through the names indicated on the front of each door, Lucas finally stopped at one which read, MARGARET MYER. He pulled the door open without knocking and strode in.
Aside from the beeping of the machines, the room was silent.
An old woman with greying hair and wrinkled skin as pale as the shade of death lied on the hospita...

Lucas Rennall wakes up in his apartment. It’s Saturday copy
Lucas Rennall wakes up in his apartment. It’s Saturday morning on the 23rd December 2017. The opening scenes of ’28 Days Later’ are playing on the 65 inch 4K TV that’s wall-mounted opposite his bed. The volume level wouldn’t have been loud enough to wake him, and he’s momentarily confused. He feels awful, and consciousness is having a tough time pulling him from slumber. What had he been dreaming? As Lucas glances at the TV screen, he focuses on the film’s main character wandering through the d...

Lucas Rennall wakes up in his apartment. It’s Saturday copy-1
Lucas had met Claire McCaffrey through contacts at Berry, Lawrence and Webb. They’d represented Claire during a number of rather messy lawsuits involving “friends” that had been around during the development stages of OurLink. Claire had been working on the social media site for many years during her studies at Cambridge University. Selling the company behind OurLink for £1 billion appeared to have attracted anyone that she’d so much as shared a cup of coffee with during the idea gestation perio...

Lucas Rennall wakes up in his apartment. It’s Saturday copy-2
Lucas had remained at the foot of Margaret’s bed. The chill he’d experienced had dissipated some time ago. He’d been standing there for at least half an hour without anyone disturbing his thoughts, or coming to cover the ashen countenance of Margaret that his position afforded. Lucas had been thinking fairly intently, and not related to something as frivolous as the cavernous cubic dimensions of the double door stainless steel fridge in his kitchen. He’d been thinking about Claire and Share. Eve...

Joe looked up from the glasses he was drying as the
Joe looked up from the glasses he was drying as the door to the Filcroft Arms opened. The older white gentleman walking through the door wasn’t a regular – in fact, Joe was certain he’d never seen him before. The way the man was dressed, he might be one of the rich locals, as self-assured and confident in their inherent superiority as any medieval noble. “Afternoon,” he called out. There were a few regulars tucked away at their tables drinking, but otherwise it was a slow day, and Sue was upstai...

Edward stood with one hand on the wrought iron fence
Edward stood with one hand on the wrought iron fence outside his house, looking in the window at his wife–his widow he reminded himself–watching TV. He knew he wasn’t meant to be here, knew the consequences if she turned around saw him, but could’t tear himself away.
He looked at the light from the TV flicker blue on Margaret’s neck. No pearls there now. Just pale skin wrinkling and smoothing as she occasionally sipped her gin and tonic. If not for those sips, he might have thought her dead.
D...

Edward stood with one hand on the wrought iron fence-2
Dead men don’t have keys.
It sounded like an aphorism his parents would say. Except that he was dead, and as a Marley he could have no keys. He couldn’t get into his own house! Well, his wife’s house. His widow’s house.
He paused, remembering the true choice he faced: eternity with his own sins if he made contact with anyone he knew, or an eternity with other people’s sins if he stayed a Marley.
He thought of the reflected light of the TV on Margaret’s face. Muttering, “Play your own rules!” h...

Edward stood with one hand on the wrought iron fence-3
Time stopped.
Or rather, his hand did. It was moving through the air and just stopped. It felt like someone had grabbed it and was pushing it into the knocker so that he couldn’t pull it back and let it drop.
After a confused moment, Edward realised that someone was doing exactly that. And that someone was John Huffam. John wasn’t the rent man but, given that Edward hadn’t worked for anyone other than himself since he was 22 years old, he was someone just as bad. He had another title Edward’s pa...

Edward stood with one hand on the wrought iron fence-1
Edward sat in John’s car while John rummaged in the boot. Not for the first time he wondered how ghosts could have access to a car. Who paid for it? Who was John’s boss? He wanted to ask again, but knew any answers John could give wouldn’t be enough. He looked up as John got into the driver’s seat carrying two briefing packs. He handed one to Edward.
“This is your regular Scrooge: Claire McCaffrey – one of those kids who made a packet on the internet. The analysts reckon with her background, her...

The Filcroft Arms was much busier than it had been copy
The Filcroft Arms was much busier than it had been earlier in the day. Even on a cold December night, the drinkers and vapers were standing seven deep outside, pints and bottles in hand, the sombre impression of their black winter coats relieved by Santa hats, reindeer deely-boppers, and a general air of festive frivolity. Edward pushed his way through the crowd, still clutching John Huffam’s dossier binders under his arm, and walked through the door. If anything, there were more people crammed ...

“Surely we can’t be expected to control that, it’s
“Surely we can’t be expected to control that, it’s just the natural ways of the market. If the shareholders are-”
“May I help you, Sir?”
“If they are selling, it’s their bloody fault, isn’t it?
“Sir, excuse me; may I help you?”
“No, I’m at Rennall’s, we’re just going to fill it here- hold on a sec”
Edward had already crossed the whole reception hall and had almost reached the lift, but the porter had came from behind the desk to intercept him, so he had to finally stop pretending the phone call ...

“Surely we can’t be expected to control that, it’s-1
When the lift doors opened again, Edward found himself staring right at Lucas Rennall. Rennall had just received a call from the reception desk and, for some reason, instead of locking himself up at home, he had decided to rush out of his apartment, only to find himself face to face with the stranger he was trying to avoid.
Edward raised his hands slowly, trying to reassure Rennall that he didn’t mean to cause him any harm. Lucas did the same, not really knowing why. He was still holding the tel...

“Surely we can’t be expected to control that, it’s-2
“Ok, so what is it you wanted to tell me? Is it really anything about Santander? Because I don’t really deal in the stock market, you know? I’m basically just mergers and acquisitions”
“Listen, where would you like to be?”
“What? What are we now, bonding? Don’t blow your chance, I don’t have time for this shit”
“No, listen, really, listen to me; it’s just a question: where would you like to be right now?”
“What? What the fuck is this? I don’t know, fucking Barbados, I don’t know”
Edward took the...

"I can pass you on the number of my Aethestician if
"I can pass you on the number of my Aethestician if you like."
"Fuck you I'm dead."
Edward was looking at Lucas' eyebrows. They were ridiculous.
"How LONG does someone have to take in the morning to look like that?" he said with discernible disdain. "Who has that kind of time?" Lucas looked for errant hairs in his mirrored living room.
"Its all part of my brand. I look this good to make people want to be me."

"I can pass you on the number of my Aethestician if-1
Edward noticed that Lucas' home was as immaculate as his complexion. It was Christmas for fuck's sake. No-one would know here. White marble one, Christmas nil.
"If you're going to take me on some journey of discovery I'd appreciate it if you could get on with it. I have reservations for eight."
"Eight pm, not eight people though right?" Edward said as he wet his lips at a particularly good bottle of Brandy on an exquisite corner cabinet. Lucas blinked at him in response.
"You won't have any exp...

"I can pass you on the number of my Aethestician if-2
"What the actual fuck?" Lucas was no longer in his million-pound apartment, but in his first flat. Gillian was there, as was Anthony and his girlfriend Christine. Gillian had been his second long-term girl-friend.
"Remember this night?" Edward asked, looking around at the flat that was the polar opposite of the one Lucas was living in now. It was chaotic. There wasn't much furniture. What there was was broken or stained, but there was an incongruous huge, beautifully decorated, real Christmas t...

"I can pass you on the number of my Aethestician if-3
Lucas put the empty Brandy glass down on the white marble coffee table. "You're going to have to go a long way to find something that makes me regret shit." He sat down on the sofa and began to remove his tie and fold it neatly.
Edward shook his head at him. "You didn't get any comeuppance at all did you?"
"Nope." Lucas was unbuttoning his shirt at the neck. "No, well-"
"What?"
Lucas looked around his immaculate non-festive apartment as he removed his cufflinks. It was perfect, clinical, elegant...

“It’s Macallan 18,” Lucas says holding up the bottle
“It’s Macallan 18,” Lucas says holding up the bottle. “Are you sure you don’t want any?”
Edward shakes his head. “Neither of us should be drinking right now.” Edward steps in front of the kitchen sink and leans slightly backward against it. As much as he felt frustrated with Lucas, there was a part of him that understood this lifestyle. It was like Lucas was living the dream Edward had lived, though Lucas was enjoying the benefits far sooner. Edward wondered if maybe he and Lucas weren’t so dif...

Lucas looked, maybe, a little winded. Edward would
Lucas looked, maybe, a little winded. Edward would have preferred 'overwhelmed' at this point, but he seemed more to be on the 'under' side of overwhelmed, if that.
Edward sat down. The white sofa was too clean and too low for his taste. He arranged his trouser's crease in an automatic gesture—he was reminded, again, of how nice it was to have his sense of touch—and looked at his objective, sprawled in one of the armchairs. He seemed to be in a bit of a contemplative mood. Edward hoped this was ...

Lucas looked, maybe, a little winded. Edward would-1
They were outside. The sun was shining, and the sky was blue, and birds chirped in the nearby chestnut trees.
"A picnic now?"
"For some," Edward said, and steered Lucas to a white building with a glass front and the words "RESPITE FIELDS" engraved in a white stone pillar by the entrance.
They passed through some sunny corridors with bright polished floors and tasteful abstract decorations and stopped in front of a tall white door. By the door a small plastic card read 'Rennall, L.'
It was a smal...

Once, long ago, when Edward was alive and his wife
Once, long ago, when Edward was alive and his wife was not yet retired, Margaret had brought home a parrot. She had burst into the kitchen, rosy checks sandwiched between her scarves and hat, and held up a large object covered in a shawl.
“Meet our new little friend,” she said, and yanked the shawl away to reveal a wire cage, and in it a bright green living creature with feathers. Margaret looked the creature up and down as if it was her finest work. “A formerly homeless parrot!”
It was not even...

Once, long ago, when Edward was alive and his wife-1
He located Margaret’s floor and nodded wordlessly to the nurse who happened to be passing as the lift doors opened. She turned away and then looked back, a double take, but Edward had already breezed down the hallway.
“Hello?” the nurse said, scanning the area around the empty lift in his wake. Odds were she would never think of the graveyard shift the same way again.
Edward planned to make this a quick trip. Even if his wife was awake, he knew he couldn’t talk to her; any attempt at contact gua...

Lucas poured two fingers of Macallan into a tulip-shaped
Lucas poured two fingers of Macallan into a tulip-shaped tumbler and added a quick splash of water. He relaxed into his leather chair and swirled the glass around, smelling faint hints of oak and butterscotch. Lucas took a slow drink, enjoying the smoothness as it washed over his palette. He set the tumbler down and began to thumb through the files he’d pulled together and piled onto the corner of his desk. With the visions Edward had shown him, he had a hundred ideas swimming around his brain, ...

Lucas poured two fingers of Macallan into a tulip-shaped-1
The music thumped through large speakers, and the electronic beats seemed to thrum into Lucas’ bloodstream. Blaine handed Lucas two open beers, took two for himself and instantly started drinking. Lucas watched Blaine’s eyes scan the crowd and then light up as he found the host of the party.
“C’mon,” Blaine elbowed Lucas and nodded toward a bloke with shaggy brown hair that hung down in front of his eyes. “I’ll introduce you to Devin.”
The two dodged their way through other partygoers and reach...

Lucas poured two fingers of Macallan into a tulip-shaped-2
She’d actually erased it.
It hurt to think about that day. It felt so much like a dream, there were times after when he wondered if it had really happened.
A sudden whistling in the outer office startled Lucas out of his remembrance.
“Who’s there?” he barked, his previously serene face turned to a scowl.
“Sorry. Sorry. Just me, Julio. Sorry. Sorry, Meester, Meester…” a broad brown face poked through the open door. The man gave a wide smile revealing a large gold front tooth.
“Mr. Rennall,” Luc...

This wasn’t working
This wasn’t working.
Edward watched Lucas as his face hardened, unwilling to listen to anything he had to say. If Edward were honest, he would have done the same thing, the chains – if not the weight, the sound – reminded him every moment.
“Alright, then,” Edward said, his own voice hardening, “you want to be thick?”
Lucas looked up, raising one coiffured eyebrow. “I’m being logical. Everything you suggest is ridiculous.”
Keeping his temper checked, Edward shoot his head. “For you, it might be....

Edward and Lucas stand outside the Myers family home
Edward and Lucas stand outside the Myers family home . Edward looks up and feels a huge sadness well up inside of him, realising what he has lost, and mutters loudly to himself, “what a stupid selfish bastard I have been, I really did have it all.”
He turns to Lucas as he opens the door, and smiling says welcome to my humble abode.” He laughs, but it is a sad laugh.
Lucas standing next to him did not outwardly show any interest in the place, but even he was shocked at the pure size of the build...

The starling banked hard left after noticing the fast
The starling banked hard left after noticing the fast approaching glass. The animal’s momentum proved too great for the manoeuvre. The startled avian glanced off the glass then off the sill then crashed hard into a pile of freshly turned earth. The bird shuddered to wobbly feet under the azalea bush recently planted in the space vacated by a dying Japanese red maple.
Inside the bedroom, Lucas’s eyes opened, frightened into wakefulness by the commotion at his window. “All quiet on the western fro...

The starling banked hard left after noticing the fast-1
Lucas stepped out of the tube dreading the walk ahead. He did not feel well. He focused on the hospital’s façade, it helped to see small increments of progress in most tasks. That was a bit of advice from dear old dad that always paid off.  He strode into the A&E looking for the NIC. There was one in every human organisation, the one person who made the real rules. Not the corporate rules, the board handed down. The street rules the way things needed to mesh together if the day’s tasks stood any...

Post-work on the run up to Christmas, hordes of shoppers copy
Post-work on the run up to Christmas, hordes of shoppers thronged Marylebone’s streets. Laden with bags full of presents and giddy on the highs of consumption, they fed off each other’s desire to buy more than they could afford. Up on their wires suspended between the heaving shops, neon angels blazed overhead in the late afternoon gloom as the clouds released their burden and rain hammered down onto the pavement as though a hail of bullets, leaving the crowd to pull their heads down into their ...

Edward thought ìBloody oik!î as the two young men let
Edward thought “Bloody oik!” as the two young men let the pub door slam shut behind them, not even noticing him. They were talking, loudly, about the election campaign, the third confused by election since the world had turned upside down. He knew so much had changed since 1997, and so much hadn’t changed, but he had a different perspective now. He took a deep breath and walked through the door.
As usual, it tingled, more than usual on this day when he had to deal with physical people. And, as u...

Edward thought ìBloody oik!î as the two young men let-1
He couldn’t quite blame Hallam for how upstairs seemed to be acting. It felt like blackmail, the proverbial offer you couldn’t refuse. It wasn’t the first time he had wonder just what upstairs really was. It was just slang, after all, and in life the upstairs was sometimes a gold-plated penthouse suite on the road to damnation. And what sort of threat could they make against his wife? What had she even done? Yes, he forgot things, and remembered again, but surely they would want him to remember ...

Edward thought ìBloody oik!î as the two young men let-2
Lucas, on the other hand, was one of those super-efficient corporate-law bastards, well paid, and worth what they were paid if you worked at that level. He knew the breed, though they were out of his class, in all sorts of ways. He had never needed that sort of help. The idea of leaving a scrooge like that as a whimpering guilt-ridden heap was certainly tempting but every page that he read was setting out why he would fail. He arranged deals that were rock-solid legal. His follow lawyers took bi...

Edward thought ìBloody oik!î as the two young men let-3
Edward sometimes wondered why his wife had stayed on in the house on Welbeck Street. It had been expensive when he had bought it, and it had always felt a little bit too big. Now, for an old lady on her own, it must have felt gigantic. And it would have been so good to release the equity, put the money in an offshore fund out of the reach of any government. Maybe it had been a bit of luck that she had still owned it in 2008, you only lose money on a house if you have to sell it. It was worth mor...

Edward thought ìBloody oik!î as the two young men let-4
He was standing at the shoulder of the Doctor who diagnosed a stroke, and explained to the Foundation Doctor that they didn’t know enough about the timing to risk some treatments.
“Will she recover consciousness?”
“I don’t know,” was the answer. “It’s not the way to bet. I would expect some signs of recovery by now.”
Most of the jargon was beyond Edward, but he had heard enough.
It was symbolic, nothing was real, but he watched the McCaffrey binder break up and scatter after he threw it out over...

The Filcroft Arms was much busier than it had been
The Filcroft Arms was much busier than it had been earlier in the day. Even on a cold December night, the drinkers and vapers were standing seven deep outside, pints and bottles in hand, the sombre impression of their black winter coats relieved by Santa hats, reindeer deely-boppers, and a general air of festive frivolity. Edward pushed his way through the crowd, still clutching John Huffam’s dossier binders under his arm, and walked through the door. If anything, there were more people crammed ...

The doors of Bryanston Court swished open and Edward
The doors of Bryanston Court swished open and Edward strolled into the building. Swanky, and not without perks, but not to his taste. He turned to his left and quirked an eyebrow. The porter stared at him, open-mouthed and coffee mug in his hand completely forgotten about. It seemed the young man had encountered him before. Edward searched his memories but drew a blank. No matter, the chains of damnation hadn't suddenly reappeared on his arms and he had work to do.
“Hello, my boy,” he said pleas...

The doors of Bryanston Court swished open and Edward-2
The porter didn't look at Edward as he opened the door to Lucas Rennall's apartment. Actually he didn't really look at anything, staring blankly ahead even as he carried out the instructions he'd been given. Edward grumbled to himself, well aware of the fact that he'd probably be expected to file some sort of report about this one. While repeated interactions with Marleys did make someone more pliable, too many encounters could turn them into brainless drones with the slightest effort and risked...

The doors of Bryanston Court swished open and Edward-1
Lucas frowned as he was forced to step around the porter to get out of the lift. He'd demanded that the other man move but the idiot just stayed where he was, hand hovering near the lift button. His nose curled. The man even appeared to be drooling a little. How unprofessional.
His frown deepened as he let himself into his apartment to find all the lights on. He was sure he'd switched them off before he left this morning – why waste good money on unneeded electricity?
“Good evening!”
Lucas yelle...

Edward places his hand on the bedroom wall of Lucas
Edward places his hand on the bedroom wall of Lucas’ apartment. Lucas squints and tilts his head to one side as the Victorian style, floral print goes out of focus then starts to move in a slow, swirling motion.
“You do realise that this isn’t helping me to think that you are anything more than a side effect of alcohol poisoning, don’t you?”
“Enough of that, now.” Edward glared at him to show his inpatients. “You know what I am. You know that I am as real as your own greed.”
“Perhaps, but I also...

Lucas awoke. Darkness enclosed him like a fog and beads
Lucas awoke. Darkness enclosed him like a fog and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead as he wondered where he was.
He coughed, reaching out for the switch and blinking in the harsh fluorescent light. He stared at the familiar bedroom furniture. He was back in the flat at Bryanston Court. What had made him think he was somewhere else?
Lucas peered at the Rolex on his wrist: twelve thirty am. How could this be? It was still the 17th of December 2017…
It must have been a bad dream, but he hadn...

Lucas awoke. Darkness enclosed him like a fog and beads-1
”Nice place you've got here," Edward said wistfully.
The open-plan, spacious flat reminded him of the London home he had once owned. Edward thought his house in Welbeck Street was far superior to this bland apartment with its brown bedroom and cream living room suite. Edward's house had been, and arguably still was, one of the finest properties in the whole of Marylebone.
"Or anywhere else, for that matter!" Edward muttered, allowing himself a little self-indulgent pang of regret in the manner o...

Lucas awoke. Darkness enclosed him like a fog and beads-2
Edward used his mind power and he and Lucas were transported to a large mansion house.
"Ah, where are we now?" Edward asked, smoothing his Victorian frock coat and removing his top hat to scratch his head. His mentor had insisted he dress the part of a Marley.
"Kensington Mews Parade," Lucas said with a sigh.
"And whose abode is this?"
"A girlfriend of mine lives here."
"Girlfriend?" Edward thought John Huffam had insisted Lucas was unattached.
"Lavinia de Rothsfield. And she is a sort of girlfr...

Lucas awoke. Darkness enclosed him like a fog and beads-3
Now they were in a hospital ward. The boy lay on a bed, still attached to a ventilator.
The consultant was talking quietly to the nurse and the registrar.
"Ideally, the child would be moved to better living accommodation," the consultant said to the child's mother. "There is a treatment but it's not available on the NationalHealth Service."
"Oh dear," Lucas said as Edward gave him a piercing stare. "But it's not my responsibility. He's not my child."
He recognised the girl of course: Penny. Penn...

Lucas awoke. Darkness enclosed him like a fog and beads-4
Moments later, they arrived back at Lucas' flat.
"Now can I get some sleep?" Lucas moaned.
"You just don't get it, do you?" Edward snapped.
"Get what?"
"This is your one chance to change and save yourself, for all eternity. You don't want to end up like me!"
Lucas simply laughed. "Oh, yeah! Tell me, why do you care, old man? Correction — old ghost? What's in it for you?"
"Well… if you must know." Edward began telling him about how John Huffam had mentored him and told him he could be saved but o...

"You're a terrorist’s dream, Lucas. Everything about
"You're a terrorist’s dream, Lucas. Everything about you smells of the West: your clothes, your expensive cologne and your stinking approach to those less fortunate than yourself."
"Did much for the poor yourself did you, before you became… this?" Lucas replied trying to avoid the voice in his head, he was convinced this was one of the alcoholic soaked conversations he had with himself. He didn't believe in ghosts and was convinced that this moment was just one of those dreams he had, a nightmar...

“Mind the gap
“Mind the gap.”
How long had it been since Edward had last heard that? He hadn’t heard it often in his later years, for certain. For quite some time a limousine with a professional driver had been his preferred mode of transportation—once he could afford such things. A tube ride would have been unheard of in those days.
Of course, he had taken that train to Sheffield…
But why was he in the tube now? Where was he going? He couldn't seem to remember. Things were fuzzy. Wherever he was going, he co...

“Mind the gap-1
He took his time walking across Westminster bridge. He could have whisked himself into the hospital straight away, but it seemed appropriate, somehow, to go to this one last sin a bit more… reverently than that.
St. Thomas’ Hospital stood off to his right as he crossed the bridge. It seemed to be saying, “There you are, then. Knew I’d see you before long.” The imagined voice of the hospital had the tone of a displeased butler who would never voice disagreement in the presence of his employer, b...

“Mind the gap-2
Margaret’s room at St. Thomas’ was plain. Simple. Ordinary. Not at all the sort of place befitting the wealthy widow of a successful investor. It contained two doors—one to the hall and one to the loo; a bed, of course; three wooden shelves for personal effects—all of them empty, but too small to be of use holding anything meaningful anyway; and an uninviting guest chair that might have cost the hospital all of thirty nine pounds. There weren’t even any flowers on the windowsill.
Edward couldn’...

Edward stood before the door to Lucas’ office. Reading
Edward stood before the door to Lucas’ office. Reading the gold plaque on the door with Lucas’ name and title made his blood boil. One way or another they were done with this impasse today.
Lucas was at his desk typing away on his computer when Edward floated through the door. The clicking clatter of the keys grated against his ears. The sound was as pretentious as the charcoal grey designer suit Lucas wore.
“Lucas,” Edward forced through his teeth. He couldn’t lose his temper. He had more cont...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care copy
“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care.”
“This damnable prick!” Edward couldn’t tell if he said that out loud or to himself. “I’ve got to remember my training. Explain, connect, emotion, convince, close. But this c*** has no emotions. He doesn’t give a rip about anyone, let alone me and Maggie. I have to think…”
Lucas had walked to the office door and was deriding some underling. “Are you trying to make me look like a fool?! If I didn’t care so much about my shoe I’d have my foot so far up...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care copy-1
Edward and Lucas found themselves standing in a 1 bedroom apartment. It was clean but everything about it said “poor”. Mismatched, heavily worn furniture what would have been old in 1980. The only decorations were hand made or broken nicknacks. There was no TV or radio to be seen. Three children, somewhere between 8 and 10 sat on the floor. The fair haired and light skinned boy and girl were obviously siblings. The dark child “belonged” to the room judging by the patched denim pants and the thre...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care copy-2
Lucas’ laughing made Robert nervous. Robert’s job was to drive. But this guy was… wrong. Talking to himself about some woman. Then three kids. Crazy hair and that hole in his jacket. Something wasn’t right.
“Unlike you Claire worked for what she has.” Edward’s comment hit the target.
“You arrogant c***. I’ve worked just as hard as she has. Sure I started off with more, but that’s just chance.”
Could there be a domestic disturbance, Robert thought to himself. “Inbound needs watched 2 men. Woman i...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care copy-3
A crowd had gathered to investigate the car/pig fender bender. It’s not every day that a pig gets loose in London. As Lucas started to push his way through the crowd Edward started phase 2 of his plan…
Edward flicked Lucas’ ear with his finger. Lucas spun around. “What the f***!”
Edward shrugged. “What’s wrong?”
“Don’t screw with me!”
“Mummy, who’s that man talking to?” a girl asked her mother.
“Ignore him sweetie”.
Lucas glared at the pair and pointed at Edward. Just as Lucas took his first s...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care copy-4
“While I have you with no distractions, let me show you something.”
“I have a headache” Lucas complained. Edward didn’t care and started “the vision”.

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care copy-5
Edward and Lucas found themselves standing in cramped, dark room in stifling heat. The sound of a generator running near by pounded in Lucas’ ears. The walls looked to be some rough made brick and the ceiling, which may have been the roof based on the exposed rafters, was made of corrugated tin. The smell of livestock, freshly butchered animals, and human sweat made the motionless, damp air seem like a leaden coat pressing their clothes into their suddenly sweaty skin.
“That’s perfect Aman. Usin...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care copy-6
“That’s a lot of bullocks” Lucas said.
“Who *is* he talking too?” Roger wondered aloud.
“Is it?” Edward asked rhetorically. “How would you know? When have you ever helped anyone? Or had a relationship for more than someone to shag?”
“Go to hell.”
“Someone get him out of there. He’s bloody mad and I don’t want him going off in our room.” Roger’s team went into action.

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care copy-7
Walking down the hall Bart started the introductions. “Hello Mr. Rennall. I’m Bart and this is Samuel. We will be your guides and escorts for your time with us today.”
“Bartholomew, I would…”
“It’s Bart sir. Just Bart. That’s what you will call me.”
Edward slapped Lucas in the forehead hard enough to make him take two steps backward.
“Son of a … Why did you to that!? That was uncalled for! You apologise!” yelled Lucas
“Sir, I’ll not apologise for correcting you when you call me by a name that is...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care copy-8
“Hello Lucas. I assume you’re here to inform me of a new action?” Claire stood up behind her desk. Her fit business suit showed off her modest, but very feminine physique. “Have a seat” she said as she motioned to sitting area next to her desk. “You look awful today.”
As Lucas walked toward the offered chair, Bart and Samuel moved to opposite sides of the room. They made it clear to Lucas that “no” was still an option if he wanted to risk a confrontation. Lucas nodded to each with a sheepish smi...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care copy-9
In the private elevator Edward decided it was time. Time for the final set up. He could see that Lucas was trying to understand something. Something that Lucas was just not able to wrap is mind around. Edward made his move.
Lucas was standing in front of Bart and Samuel. Edward positioned himself between them and flipped both Lucas’ ears.
“Stop that!” Lucas yelled.
“We’ve done nothing.” Bart replied calmly. Samuel’s eye twinkled.
“The hell you didn’t!”
Edward did it again.
“I SAID STOP IT!” L...

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care copy-10
“Ma’am I’ve reviewed the tape. It was clean. Unprovoked attack on Bart. I’ve uploaded a copy to your private site. I’ve kept a copy for the company vault.”
“Load that bastard in his car and send him … anywhere. Our doors are closed to him. Next time he shows up, call the bobbies. And … send that Irishman back up here. I’m lonely.”
“Yes ma’am. Bart, put him in his car. It’s out front. Pulled up about 10min after he got here. Samuel, the old lady wants you. Grab a cover from the top drawer.”

“Fine, you can waste your time. I don’t care copy-11
Lucas started to recognise the inside of his car.
“How did I get here?”
“They said you attacked a security guard, sir, and they tasered you. I saw that man. I saw the tape. Are you feeling ok sir? You’ve been acting … oddly.”
“How would you know if I’ve been acting oddly you twat? You only started this morning and I’ve already fired you.”
“Oddly as a general rule, sir. People don’t normally try to hit a man like that. Not with his buddy right next to him. And not without a bit of backup.”
“He’s...

She wasn’t in. Everything was in order, everything
She wasn’t in. Everything was in order, everything as he’d left it last time he’d visited. Last time he’d had the chance to visit. She’d been in then. He hadn’t seen her, of course. Rules were rules and you couldn’t complain that you didn’t know them because, here as well as there (now as well as then) ignorance of the law was no defence. In any case it was hard to plead ignorance when, in this particular case, the law was spelled out explicitly, publicly and before witnesses. Till death us do ...

Lucas Rennall wakes up in his apartment. It’s Saturday
Lucas Rennall wakes up in his apartment. It’s Saturday morning on the 23rd December 2017. The opening scenes of ’28 Days Later’ are playing on the 65 inch 4K TV that’s wall-mounted opposite his bed. The volume level wouldn’t have been loud enough to wake him, and he’s momentarily confused. He feels awful, and consciousness is having a tough time pulling him from slumber. What had he been dreaming? As Lucas glances at the TV screen, he focuses on the film’s main character wandering through the d...

Lucas Rennall wakes up in his apartment. It’s Saturday-1
Lucas had met Claire McCaffrey through contacts at Berry, Lawrence and Webb. They’d represented Claire during a number of rather messy lawsuits involving “friends” that had been around during the development stages of OurLink. Claire had been working on the social media site for many years during her studies at Cambridge University. Selling the company behind OurLink for £1 billion appeared to have attracted anyone that she’d so much as shared a cup of coffee with during the idea gestation perio...

Lucas Rennall wakes up in his apartment. It’s Saturday-2
Lucas had remained at the foot of Margaret’s bed. The chill he’d experienced had dissipated some time ago. He’d been standing there for at least half an hour without anyone disturbing his thoughts, or coming to cover the ashen countenance of Margaret that his position afforded. Lucas had been thinking fairly intently, and not related to something as frivolous as the cavernous cubic dimensions of the double door stainless steel fridge in his kitchen. He’d been thinking about Claire and Share. Eve...