It looks so real."
"Oh, it's real enough." It turned its huge head back toward Peter's body. "You want to see it eat what's left of me?"
"No!" I cried. "Get out of that suit now. You're making me sick to my stomach."
I was suddenly angry. "I didn't like being scared like that. You almost gave me a heart attack."
"I couldn't have done that to you."
"No, I'm serious. I almost had a heart attack."
The monster sat down on the floor. "You can't have a heart attack, Shari. Don't you remember? You're dead."
It all came back to me in an instant. Then I was really pissed. I strode over and whacked the monster on the head. "We both agreed to block our memories. We were supposed to go to the prom like it was real. Since when have you known this was all make believe?"
"Since it started."
"That's not fair! Here I'm swooning under your attention and you're sitting in your fat head and chuckling at me. That's it, that's the last romantic fantasy I'm acting out with you. I'm going to find some other ghost. Maybe an Englishman from the last century. Those guys were supposed to have manners.
I'm really angry at you, Peter."
The alien shrugged. "Sorry. I didn't mean to hold on to my memory. It just happened. Then as the night dragged on I started to get bored. I just wanted to liven things up."
"Oh, thank you! I feel much better now! You get to go to the prom with me and screw me afterward and you're bored. Thanks a lot Mr. MVP."
"We didn't exactly screw afterward."
"We were about to. Why did you choose that moment to have an alien burst out of your chest? Do you know what that does for my self-esteem?"
"You're not supposed to have self-esteem problems."
"Why not?"
"You don't have a body for one thing."
"So? I'm still a person. I'm still walking around in the image of the body I had on Earth."
"Why?"
I stopped. "Why what?"
"Why don't you switch to another body?"
"What's wrong with this one? Is that why you got bored tonight? I wasn't cute enough for you? God, I'm happy I didn't date you when I was alive. I would have ended up killing myself. And would you get out of that stupid alien form?
You really are making me sick. Not that the sight of your old self probably won't do the same thing."
The monster vanished, as did Peter's dead body. He stood before me as I had met him at my funeral, wearing blue jeans and a baseball cap. "I just wanted to experiment is all," he said. "You don't have to get all bent out of shape."
I sighed. "I suppose not. It's just that I never got to go to the prom with you. I dreamed about it so much and this seemed like a good chance to have a dream come true. You can understand that, can't you?"
Peter put an arm around me, and in that moment it felt pretty real to me, and wonderful, his touch, like the touch of my oldest and best friend. I was still having trouble with all this consciousness business but I supposed the Rishi would explain it to me more if I asked. Once again I was glad he had promised not to observe my fantasy life. He was so wise—I didn't want to act the fool in front of him.
"We can do it again, Shari," Peter said. "We can start from when I asked you out. This time, I promise, I'll have my memory blocked. We can even have sex if you want."
I looked at him. "If I want? Don't you want?"
He shrugged. "Sure."
"What does that mean? Has being dead affected you more than you've let on?"
He took a step back. "Are you asking me if I'm impotent?"
"It's nothing to be ashamed of if you are. We can talk about it."
Peter was bored. "Shari, think for a second. How can I be impotent when I can sprout a dozen tentacles and talons in two seconds and eat you alive if I want to?"
I paused. "I see your point. Never mind."
"Do you want to start the date over?"
I paced the hotel room. "No. I want to do something more meaningful. Let's go exploring. The Rishi said we could go anywhere we wanted in the universe just by wishing it. I've always wanted to see the solar system.
"Oh, it's real enough." It turned its huge head back toward Peter's body. "You want to see it eat what's left of me?"
"No!" I cried. "Get out of that suit now. You're making me sick to my stomach."
I was suddenly angry. "I didn't like being scared like that. You almost gave me a heart attack."
"I couldn't have done that to you."
"No, I'm serious. I almost had a heart attack."
The monster sat down on the floor. "You can't have a heart attack, Shari. Don't you remember? You're dead."
It all came back to me in an instant. Then I was really pissed. I strode over and whacked the monster on the head. "We both agreed to block our memories. We were supposed to go to the prom like it was real. Since when have you known this was all make believe?"
"Since it started."
"That's not fair! Here I'm swooning under your attention and you're sitting in your fat head and chuckling at me. That's it, that's the last romantic fantasy I'm acting out with you. I'm going to find some other ghost. Maybe an Englishman from the last century. Those guys were supposed to have manners.
I'm really angry at you, Peter."
The alien shrugged. "Sorry. I didn't mean to hold on to my memory. It just happened. Then as the night dragged on I started to get bored. I just wanted to liven things up."
"Oh, thank you! I feel much better now! You get to go to the prom with me and screw me afterward and you're bored. Thanks a lot Mr. MVP."
"We didn't exactly screw afterward."
"We were about to. Why did you choose that moment to have an alien burst out of your chest? Do you know what that does for my self-esteem?"
"You're not supposed to have self-esteem problems."
"Why not?"
"You don't have a body for one thing."
"So? I'm still a person. I'm still walking around in the image of the body I had on Earth."
"Why?"
I stopped. "Why what?"
"Why don't you switch to another body?"
"What's wrong with this one? Is that why you got bored tonight? I wasn't cute enough for you? God, I'm happy I didn't date you when I was alive. I would have ended up killing myself. And would you get out of that stupid alien form?
You really are making me sick. Not that the sight of your old self probably won't do the same thing."
The monster vanished, as did Peter's dead body. He stood before me as I had met him at my funeral, wearing blue jeans and a baseball cap. "I just wanted to experiment is all," he said. "You don't have to get all bent out of shape."
I sighed. "I suppose not. It's just that I never got to go to the prom with you. I dreamed about it so much and this seemed like a good chance to have a dream come true. You can understand that, can't you?"
Peter put an arm around me, and in that moment it felt pretty real to me, and wonderful, his touch, like the touch of my oldest and best friend. I was still having trouble with all this consciousness business but I supposed the Rishi would explain it to me more if I asked. Once again I was glad he had promised not to observe my fantasy life. He was so wise—I didn't want to act the fool in front of him.
"We can do it again, Shari," Peter said. "We can start from when I asked you out. This time, I promise, I'll have my memory blocked. We can even have sex if you want."
I looked at him. "If I want? Don't you want?"
He shrugged. "Sure."
"What does that mean? Has being dead affected you more than you've let on?"
He took a step back. "Are you asking me if I'm impotent?"
"It's nothing to be ashamed of if you are. We can talk about it."
Peter was bored. "Shari, think for a second. How can I be impotent when I can sprout a dozen tentacles and talons in two seconds and eat you alive if I want to?"
I paused. "I see your point. Never mind."
"Do you want to start the date over?"
I paced the hotel room. "No. I want to do something more meaningful. Let's go exploring. The Rishi said we could go anywhere we wanted in the universe just by wishing it. I've always wanted to see the solar system.
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