From a book found open on Alex’s dresser, 01 June

-and as such, the experiences of Kyromato, Smith and Polanski prove the thesis that if spirits of the dead do indeed exist and interact with the living, either they have transubstantiated into a non-corporeal form or exist in another, superimposed dimension on top of ours. Presuming all poltergeists, ghosts, and other manifestations of psychic energy attributed to the dead are the work of the souls or consciousnesses of human beings who have entered either means of existence, one must take into account their bizarre, territorial claims to certain areas. In 90 of all cases in which a haunting has been investigated, there has been a strong link between the purported spirit and the area inhabited such as said area being a murder scene, a childhood home, or the home of a loved one.

The first theory put forth in this chapter discussed the idea of ghosts as non-corporeal beings. If this is the case, then it does indeed leave a number of ethical and religious questions. For what reasons do only some people become spirits? Some point out the age-old myths about revenge. Others claim that superstitions no longer followed are the reason for ghosts. For instance, in ancient Greece, in order to avoid hauntings relatives of the dead buried them with coins in their hands or over their eyes, so that they could pay Charon (the ferryman who brought the souls of the dead over the river Lethe to Hades) instead of paying with their own eyes or hands. It was thought that the deformed dead would return to haunt the living in order to take vengeance for forcing them to be maimed.

The most rational theory brought forth has been in the works of one Edna Reliant. She believes that the dead do not simply cease to exist. Instead, they pass on to a realm superimposed over ours. Through many consultations with mystics, mediums, and other occult means she had formed a rational hypothesis around a concept similar to subspace. In this other dimension, the dead are free of observe the living, but are mostly powerless to affect them. However at certain points, the barriers between the two worlds thin. She calls them “power spots” or “leylines”. Even without those, the dead may take a great deal of trouble in order to attempt to interact with the living. Depending on the emotion and purpose driving the ghost, she believes it possible to cross over and affect the living to various degrees. Thus while all the dead are trapped on the Other Side, not all of them are able or willing to contact their relatives, friends or enemies. She even theorized that some moved on beyond the superimposed dimension to achieve ‘final rest’.

In either case, the dead must undergo a number of traumatic changes (such as dying) before being able to cross over. In the next chapter, we will further discuss the repercussions of the living upon the dead. Building upon that idea, one must consider the concept of our own time to cross. However, it must be noted that the process of death and the realization that said persons can still see and hear the living must be a devastating event that can in no way be beneficial to a ghost’s psyche…

Note, found on top of previous letter to Alex

My love,

I apologize for scaring you last night in the graveyard. I promise I will make it up to you. I will earn your love yet, any way I can.

Andrea