News From Poughkeepsie – Day 136

No Sunday edition, as no one wrote a prompt of there own. I thought “Zombies VS _______” was pretty open ended, but I suppose I took all the good ones. Arkle had a good start with Zombies VS the Mafia, but unfortunately for us all, did not continue. Perhaps someday he will, and we’ll all get to read that story. As always, I live in hope.

It should be noted that not only do we have only 5 more days until the deadline is up for the official News From Poughkeepsie “Press” T-Shirt, we have two strong contenders for it. Anthony O. Miller II has contributed his version of Zombies VS Cavemen, competing head to head with Scott Roche. But that doesn’t mean YOU can’t enter in and snag the shirt away from either of them! 5 days, and nearly 30 prompts to choose from. I’ll admit, Scott and Anthony have set the bar pretty high, but I’m sure someone can top it.

Finishing out our themed month this week is a classic of the genre: ghost stories! Ghost stories are essentially stories of memory-ghosts are people who refuse to be forgotten, who continue to effect the world after their bodies pass away, staying in the houses they used to live in, the roads they used to walk down. Perhaps the true horror of ghosts is what that they tell that not only is death coming for us, but that it doesn’t change a thing.

The thing about ghost stories is that they are all old stories, continually retold and rewritten, with new details added and others removed. The phantom rider becomes a ghostly truck driver. The maiden at the crossroads becomes the lost prom queen. The pirate with a bloody sword becomes a maniac with a bloody axe. The stories become ghosts themselves, with a hint of their origins, remaining, but still able to send shivers down a listener’s spine.

So what might tomorrow’s ghost stories be like? Who will haunt the future?

Tomorrow’s Ghosts

Gary had upgraded years ago. His body was gone, incinerated, and all that was left behind was a cloud of dust and thought. Nanites bore the weight of synaptic processes, now, sending electric impulses back and forth as they flew through the world. He never missed his old body, he said. He had given up a bum knee for the ability to fly on the breeze, given up taking a crap for being able to move molecules into fireworks or flower petals. It was a better life now, he said.

He didn’t miss his old body at all.

Which was he was so startled when his body started following him around…