REALM OF THE POLTERGIEST
Chapter 3: The Realization
Peter now realized he had died. He had crossed over to the “other side,” but he could never have imagined in his wildest dreams what it would be like. Death, he had always thought, would be different. Far more orderly. He could only assume he was dead, but if not, this was one very long, strange dream.
“Uhhh, yeah, this is nothing like what I pictured,” he muttered to himself. No pearly gates, no St. Peter standing there with a book, assigning souls their eternal places. No “Hey, Peter, I see you could have done a lot better in your life, so, I’m going to have to assign you to purgatory where you can think about what you’ve done.” Nothing like the old stories he had heard.
No, he thought, this was nothing—absolutely nothing—like he had expected.
He looked around, bewildered. What the hell were all these little creatures? Why was he standing here among them? Was he the only actual person here? He didn’t see anyone else who looked like him—just these little fur balls darting around his feet, skittering back and forth, laughing their cruel, high-pitched laughter.
Looking down… he realized with a start. They’re looking down at… people’s lives?
Peter blinked, trying to clear his vision. He looked down, and beneath his feet, as if he were standing on a glass floor, he saw a woman in her kitchen, boiling a pot of water. As he took a few hesitant steps, the scene shifted—now, he saw a man sitting in his car, stuck in traffic, pounding the steering wheel in frustration. A few steps more, and he was looking at an elderly man slowly getting into the shower, wincing with every move.
The images were surreal, like watching scenes from a thousand different lives all at once. It was dizzying, disorienting, and he felt a wave of nausea wash over him. What is this place? He felt freaked out, his skin prickling with unease.
He looked around again and noticed a group of those tiny creatures—mischievous, giggling fur balls—congregating in one spot. Curiosity overcame his fear, and he decided to see what they were up to. He cautiously walked over to where they had gathered, his heart pounding in his chest.
As he peered over their tiny heads, he saw what they were focused on. His eyes widened in horror. One of the creatures was setting a pan of grease on fire on someone’s stove. It scampered away just as the fire flared up, and a loud cracking sound filled the air. The flames spread quickly, licking up the kitchen walls, and in seconds, the room was engulfed.
“OHHHH! HAHAHA!” All the little creatures erupted in laughter as the kitchen disintegrated into flames before his very eyes.
“HEY!” Peter shouted, his voice raw with panic and anger.
Instantly, the laughter stopped. Silence fell over the strange world like a heavy blanket. For a moment, he thought he had broken some invisible rule. He felt his heart race even faster, his skin damp with fear.
Suddenly—
CRASH!
Peter found himself lying on the ground, flat on his back, with a thousand little faces staring down at him. They were no longer laughing. They were just staring, their eyes unblinking, their mouths twisted into strange, toothy grins. He didn’t know what to do. Fear crawled up his spine like a cold hand. Their teeth were sharp and pointed, hanging over their bottom lips like tiny fangs. They looked hungry, ravenous, as if they were about to devour him.
Just as he was about to speak, they all burst into laughter again and darted away, their high-pitched giggles ringing in his ears.
Peter scrambled to his feet, his heart hammering in his chest. What the hell is going on? He watched as the creatures scattered, running off to some new mischief.
SNAP!
“OHHHH! HAHAHA!”
They were at it again. Peter moved toward the group, trying to keep up with them. He heard one of the creatures in a child-like voice say, “I’m gonna make her slip and fall!” Then it vanished from sight. The rest of the group ran over to the spot, their tiny eyes wide with anticipation, looking down.
Peter ran over, desperate to see what was happening. He looked down and saw the little monster pouring water on the floor of a grocery store aisle. A woman, oblivious, walked down the aisle with her shopping cart. Sure enough, she stepped right into the puddle, lost her balance, and fell hard to the ground.
“OHHHH! HAHAHA!” they all laughed in unison as the prankster scampered back into the group.
Peter felt a surge of anger. These damn little creatures… he thought, What the hell? They can’t get away with this!
He reached out and tapped the head of the creature closest to him, his hand trembling. “Hey, you,” he said, his voice a mix of frustration and fear, “what the hell is going on here?”
The little creature looked up, grinning from ear to ear with an evil smile that stretched too wide for its tiny face. “We are poltergeists,” it said in a child-like, sing-song voice, eyes gleaming with mischief.
“Poltergeists?” Peter repeated, incredulous.
“Yyyyeeesss, that’s what I said,” it giggled, its voice echoing strangely.
“What am I doing here with you little shits?” Peter demanded, his patience fraying.
The creature’s grin widened even more, almost impossibly so. “You came from down there,” it said, pointing a tiny, clawed finger down at their feet, “and now you’re up here to be with us,” it sneered, its voice taking on a mocking tone.
Peter’s frustration boiled over. “Yes, I can see that. But why?!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the strange gray mist.
The little creature glanced around nervously, then scurried away to rejoin the group, laughing as it went.
Peter clenched his fists, a mixture of fear and anger coursing through him. “Who do I have to talk to around here about why I’m here?” he yelled out into the void, hoping for some answer, some explanation.
He paced around, trying to find the creature he had been speaking to. They all looked alike to him—a blur of furry, grinning faces. In frustration, he tapped another one on the head, harder this time. “HEY!” he barked, his voice filled with desperation.
But this time, his tap was too hard.
The creature’s smile faltered for a moment, its eyes narrowing as it stared back at him, its grin twisting into something darker, more sinister. The laughter around him grew louder, more frenzied, and Peter felt a chill run down his spine.
He realized, too late, that he might have just made a mistake.
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