I made the mistake of dimming the lights, putting on '30s music, and reading A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay. I didn't sleep well that night.

Ice cream cone #halloweencostume

“I know I don’t know her,” Skylar said. “But I’ve wanted to meet her. And if she likes me and we become friends, we could try me watching her. Just a trial. If it goes well, we try a week. And if that goes well, you move ahead with separating and telling old Barry and Grandma the news.” #wipsnips

Their group leader was a pretty, middle-aged white woman named Molly who was bright & sharp but used that sharpness only to support. Ronnie had a useless crush on her that made him a little bitter. He felt that Molly might’ve fallen for his once-beautiful blue eyes with their black lashes. #wipsnips

Jessica’s arms were in the casket and pulling her son in his tiny suit up and out, into her arms, and when they started to protest, when Matt tried to touch Liam, she said, “Let me hold my son!” She wants to help, Terrence thought. In the way she didn’t when he drowned in her care. #wipsnips

While deciding what they’d use for the male computer-generated voice, Terrence had gotten online and found a whole list of novelty voices, including Pebbles the Clown and one called Dr. Nightmare, which had gotten them laughing. For Mr. Prescell, they’d ultimately selected American male. #wipsnips

“Siri,” Shannon said, staring at the jutting microphone. She pushed the vellimapen’s button. It beeped obediently. She nervously wrapped and unwrapped the pugs’ empty leashes around her hand. “Hello?” Beth’s new computer-generated voice responded. “Terrence?” #wipsnips

“Yeah?” Carina’s face was hopeful and sweet. “I knew I was dead right away,” Beth said. “I opened my eyes, at least I thought I did, and there was my bedroom. At first, I thought I was still hanging on. Then I looked back and I could see my face. And I knew right then that I was dead." #wipsnips

“Welcome to the jungle,” Juve said to Nicole. He wanted to kiss her hand again but didn’t in front of Gabby. The red light of the vellimapen came on. “Hello!” “Hello, Gabby!” Juve said. “This is Nicole.” “Hi, Gabby.” Nicole gave a little wave at the sugar skull in the bone bin. #wipsnips

"Vellimapens are a similar technology to cell phones. It’d be akin to putting a cell phone in their casket and then texting them from your own phone. Of course, this cell phone would need to have a battery that didn’t die for one year and a think-to-text capability.” #wipsnips

Skylar came into the bar just before close like he usually did, to spend time with Angie while she did her last tasks and keep her safe from any creeps who might try to hang around and hit on her. Angie was a pretty girl. She was extra sullen tonight. Sullen was her default personality. #wipsnips

Think about the feelings you’ve felt for another, and admit that something was missing. Every time, with every person. Something wasn’t there. There’s a hole that nobody can fill. That’s what life on Earth is like, pleasure and misery tightly wound together—and the hole. #wipsnips

It amounted to control. Everything did. He and Benny guided her into the doctor’s office. He tried to dote on her as he had at the grocery store. He didn’t want her to think that was going away just because they’d slept together. But she stayed quiet in the waiting room, and he let her be. #wipsnips

He’d hear sounds that made him wonder if a boat, swimmers, or fish went by, but mostly there was nothing. He remembered driving into water, trying to escape, & terrible pain, so he knew he was dead & assumed he was in a lake even though the details were barely there & his world was black. #wipsnips

There was a groaning sound in the river that he perked up at. It got closer. He listened with everything, trying not to get his hopes up, but he was ecstatic. Something was coming. His elderly parents took him in. He spent his days on the couch as a bone bin in front of a TV. #wipsnips

"I put the device on her grave & talked to her. You can too. Anybody can.” Shannon sat back on the couch, her arms crossed. Her face was very still and she eyed him carefully. Sage & Bella wandered over & pawed at the couch that held their mistress, but they were ignored. #wipsnips

“Oh Terrence, that is so fabulous! I’m losing my mind of boredom. But do you know what? I’m so glad to still be here. I’m so glad to be alive, or whatever this is!” Terrence watched the tablet populate his aunt’s words onto its screen like a lightning fast little word train. #wipsnips

Terrence gave a little shrug. Her aggressiveness tonight made it hard to not automatically agree. “In a lot of ways I see where you’re coming from. I’m still just absorbing everything. The entity. You.” Carina nodded. Suddenly she looked tired and contrite. “Yeah. I’m sorry." #wipsnips

Still, he seemed a reasonable man, & Terrence was willing to talk it out with him. He just hadn’t realized it’d be this exhausting. He remembered thinking walking high school staff & students through basic computer skills at the start of every school year was annoying. Child’s play. #wipsnips

But that was different. As hard as that time had been, there’d been the flurry of creating the vellimapen and of beginnings with Carina, so it was also exciting and full of hope of a life beyond this one. Something to know for sure. #wipsnips

Terrence stayed silent. How could he argue with this woman when he didn’t totally disagree with her? He tried to put himself in her place and picture what he’d do, and it didn’t turn out much differently. All he could see was a child crying in darkness for one year and getting no comfort. #wipsnips

“But you still couldn’t take him out, hold him, and comfort him when he was upset. He wouldn’t know any difference whether he was aboveground or not.” “Well, can we put some light in the casket, or some cartoons?” Matt laughed with no humor. “Can’t we entertain him at all?” #wipsnips

"We need to let everybody know about this so we can change the burial practices around the world, because with the way things are being done, we’re essentially torturing our dead by requiring them to spend a year inside a casket with nothing but their own thoughts.” #wipsnips

He gave up and walked among them, hands in his pockets, eyes on the ground. The sun shone hard on the bay, bleaching it silvery white & making it frantically glitter like analog TV static. Sailboats bobbed down there. He heard a bird’s icy-sweet twitters. It all seemed surreal & pointless. #wipsnips

He tried not to look at them, but he caught glimpses. Cecily’s mouth became a tiny rosebud that she pulled to the side of her face. Amy began crying. Ricky looked disappointed in Terrence, and somehow that was the worst, because Terrence admired Ricky. #wipsnips

The small cemetery felt vibrant and alive the next morning. The trees rustled & swayed in the wind. Birds were chirping, and a smorgasbord of unseen critters made sounds from places unknown. They had brought the other half of the vellimapen. It lay in the grass by the fresh mound of dirt. #wipsnips

He looked over at her. “I plan on visiting you at your grave.” “That’s not a question.” “And I’m—I want to write a book.” “All right.” “You know I’ve always loved nature. It helps me think. I thought I could try writing a book outside.” He glanced over at her. “By your grave.” #wipsnips

“I’ve always made my own computers. Carina wondered if we could combine that with her psychic ability. And we did. The important thing is that we spread the word. Starting with your sisters and Ricky and…” He sighed, thinking of what was ahead. “…our whole family.” #wipsnips

“Put him in the—” Matt gestured to the casket. “I don’t want to put him back in that fucking thing.” “I know, honey. But we have nowhere else to put him.” “Go get his car seat.” “Jessica.” She turned to Matt and stared at him. “Go get his car seat.” Matt left. #wipsnips

Terrence came back a day later to glue the vellimapen receiver to the gravestone, which had to be dusted because it was already dirty, another first. So many firsts. He thought of waiting for David but didn’t. The vellimapen worked & he was tired of people treating him like he was a fraud. #wipsnips

And strangely, Terrence felt like going. He didn’t believe in the supernatural (and he didn’t not believe in it), but the bizarre events of the last few months had altered his thoughts to where he was open to the possibility that there were things humans didn’t understand yet. #wipsnips

Florence went to the cupboard. She delicately felt for and removed two mugs. Her movements were a combination of confidence & comfortable vulnerability. “Do you take anything in your coffee?” she asked. “No, thank you.” He did, but he didn’t want to sit here while she fussed with things. #wipsnips

Her apartment looked clean and sane in the afternoon light, with that same sweet vanilla smell. It scared him, and her nervousness was making him nervous too, but he also felt excited. Whatever this was, he wanted it. He sat. #wipsnips

“Hi, Carina.” She smiled at him, her kind face radiant in that moment. “Hi.” “We have a vellimapen.” She looked at it, tired and happy. “Yeah.” And from that point on, Terrence never doubted her, and he never looked back. #wipsnips

“Excuse me,” a bone bin said. “Yes, Amy?” Molly said. “I’m not comfortable being in the presence of a pedophile. I have kids at home. I don’t want to hear this. Of course he says he won’t do it again—he’s bones." #wipsnips

She had told him she was faithful at first, and was earnest about it. But soon she didn’t try. He’d just wanted to argue. That was when she’d started being petulant and rude, and that was when the hitting began. #wipsnips

When Tory’s casket was opened, a corrupted sweet stench filled the air which made Terrence burp up acid, remnants of the few swallows of orange juice he’d managed for breakfast. He’d reluctantly volunteered for this, & had smeared menthol cough suppressant ointment under his nose. #wipsnips

“So move out and take Kayla. Move in with me.” “Barry would be furious.” “What’s he going to do, stop you? He has no arms and legs.” “He gets his mom to do his bidding, believe me.” Angie scrubbed at the polished wooden bar counter, her face grim. #wipsnips

She hadn’t told Skylar about it because Skylar would’ve tried to beat Barry up, & although Skylar was a lot younger than Barry, he still might’ve been squished by Barry, who was taller, broader, & kept fit. & Barry was a police lieutenant. He had an arsenal at the station. #wipsnips

He tried to remind himself that he’d been told this would happen & that it was going as planned, but he felt numb and terrified. His body was shaking. He realized he was standing up and walking to the door almost as if somebody else was controlling him, and that made him more scared. #wipsnips

“It’s not the same, Gabby, and you know it.” “You’re not seeing anybody else! I won’t allow it. I’ll stop you, Juve. I will make your life hell. You’re not seeing anybody. You won’t.” “Gabby, you died. You’re dead. Your final passing is almost here. Don’t you see? I have no choice.” #wipsnips

“I’m Beth Michaud. I died recently and am now buried and attached to this device Terrence and Carina made. Could you answer some questions for me?” #wipsnips

Life was like the apathetic ex-boyfriend. You could shout your manifesto of why he’d messed up, but when you found yourself explaining basic respect to somebody, it was time to stop and get out with no further words. This was another one of those instances. The largest one, in fact. #wipsnips

“A month, tops. I have lots of old buyers I can contact again, and if they don’t buy, I’ll bet they’ll know people who will. This is a lucrative career, believe it or not, as long as you’re willing to sell out a little and do what people request.” #wipsnips

“You are trapped in your body in a casket under the ground?” “Yeah.” “And you are aware you’re stuck under the ground?” “Yeah. Your awareness never stops.” “That’s horrifying.” Terrence tried to organize his thoughts, which were crowding upon each other. #wipsnips

He got out of his car & collapsed to his knees, dropping his mug. With a cry, he crawled to it, grabbed it, & got to his feet. He dropped the mug in the garbage bin. He turned & saw blood streaked & splattered all over the hood of his gray Camry. He’d surely killed a person and their dog. #wipsnips

When he was in bed at night, something would slide to him on the carpet. An empty static he could almost feel would enter his brain, & something would whisper, “Hey.” It reminded him of when he’d owned a cheap set of speakers years ago that would buzz when his flip phone received a text. #wipsnips

Juve and Nicole arrived at the family’s split-level, a light blue house with dark purple shutters and orange construction paper pumpkins taped in the living room windows. Nicole was nervous, he could tell. But she didn’t say it. Her feelings were her own and his feelings were his. #wipsnips

I feel silly calling myself a psychic, but I have predicted the future to myself many times, along with other things that make me realize what I have—whatever it is—is real.” She was talking quickly but comfortably, secure in herself. “But I can’t guarantee anything will happen.” #wipsnips

Her head was gone except for waxy yellow flaps that folded over each other like rancid flower petals. With a start, he realized that’s what was left of her face. Her brown hair lay in bits at the side, what was left of it that hadn’t been ripped off in the accident. #wipsnips