Walk-In Spirit

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.

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.