Ghostwriters
Merlin’s Diary
Tonight it’s snowing, just as the first night I came to Vinings, many
snowstorms ago. As I watch the snow tumble towards Earth, I sip bourbon,
look down at an
empty notebook, and listen to my golden retriever Parker sigh with content
as he rests at my feet. Funny how many times this scene has played itself
out over
the years, but tradition can withstand anything if strong enough.
I began writing in this book the first
night I arrived in Vinings to keep alive the memory of the people I hold
dear to my heart, and how we accomplished
great
things for great people. They never knew we were responsible, but I learned
what’s
important is the act, not the recognition.
We all had a decision to make when we first came here. We could carry on without passion or purpose, or we could give back to the world and make it a better place then it was before we arrived. I believe we chose correctly. With the choice came great responsibility, but also great exhilaration because with it, we knew we would never have to regret our time here. Well, at least that’s what I thought.
Merlin
The long shadow of the tall man beat his body to the thick, doormat Bermuda
grass and creaky iron gate in front of the Overlook Cemetery. Not too
far behind
was his large golden retriever, Parker, who was at his side. “It is going
to be a beautiful day,” he thought to himself as he breathed it all in.
He looked to the sky, which was a crisp azure, then the hills, which were a
winter cocoa, then finally the ground, which was a golden shade of yellow from
the sunlight, except for his shadow, which turned it a deep shade of transparent
black. The cemetery was deserted, except for a young brunette whom he saw there
every morning on his way to the Old Vinings Inn for breakfast. He was intrigued
by her presence, but respected her privacy, especially when grieving, so he
never talked to her. However, he admired from afar.
He was given the name Merlin from the mythological character who advised
King Arthur. Those who knew him, and the tales of the things he did as both
as a human
and a ghost, agreed the name was perfect since he possessed magic in things
he did.
It was a cold morning, and he was dressed
for the occasion. Even as a ghost, he had to be aware of an early morning
jogger or commuter on their way to
work since he could be spotted if he wasn’t careful. He didn’t
like making the mistake of being eyed, which was the term they used for
a human spotting
a ghost. Getting eyed was not something they enjoyed, since the other ghosts
would tease the unfortunate soul until the next ghost was eyed, thereby
taking their place in the hall of shame.
Merlin’s black sunglasses were a barrier keeping the icy wind from blowing
into his blue eyes, but could not keep it from running through his blonde hair,
tossing it around easily. The glasses hid his eyes from the view of many, since
he didn’t want anyone to see what lay behind them.
As he got to the top of Overlook, he
saw the tall buildings of Buckhead resting peacefully off in the distance
to his left. To his right was
the older skyline
of downtown Atlanta, peacefully welcoming the early morning commuters
rushing to work. He looked down and said, “What do you think,
boy? Should we look for Ms. Aurora?”
Parker, looked up, wagged his tail easily, and gave him a quick, happy bark.
Parker liked going to see Aurora, and if you asked his human, he would say
the same thing.
There was work to be done, and for that,
he would need his friends help. He loved what he did, especially since
he was doing it with
them, and
thoughts of the
day ahead made him happy. He knew most of the humans didn’t
share his passion for the newness of the sunrise since they took
life for
granted. He shook his
head since he realized every day here should be celebrated, not
disregarded as routine. Too bad he found that out after the fact.
He walked down the long, winding hill of Overlook Parkway with Parker at his side to find his friends. As the sun warmed his face, he gave it a smile and thought once again, “It’s going to be a beautiful day.”