See you hereafter

There is an unusual activity happening in Dr. Curnow's office. While a copy of his last will and testament lies on the old mahogany desk and he paced around the room looking somewhat distressed while he keeps silently talking to himself. He isn't alone, however. There is a woman, can you see her? Of course not, she's dead and her body lies 6000 miles away. Nevertheless, she is present. When Curnow finally sat down and buried his face in his hands he attempt to converse with the presence. "Nedjem how am I to do this?" He asked as knowing she would not ask him of anything.

"I want to shower you with gold and jewels and pearls that you deserved when you were alive."

"I do not wish to burden you. It is not I who suggested you shower me with anything."

"Yes, But now that I know your beliefs were true, which is somewhat shocking still, I can not die happily until I know my sweet Nedjem coffin is finally filled with gold and possessions she ... well you ... can take to the other side, to her other life."

"Oh dear Hugh, it is you who decided to put you through this, Hugh. That's not what I'm asking of you, so when will it all be due?"

"Nedjem, you know why you still visit this world? People say that ghost of the dead come around to the living world for two reasons. If they have unfinished business on Earth or if they have a message to send to the living world. Considering you keep visiting me and never mentioned anything of great importance you obviously have unfinished business here and I know what it is. You've shared with me your life story and"

"You have asked for it."

"And I can tell that you were wronged. Scorned even."

Mr. Curnow wanted confirmation from Nedjem so he could continue talking in case she didn't like how much he praised her considering she was a poor woman forgotten by time, but instead of a confirmation her next words were "How was I viewed or dealt with a very strong feeling  of no respect for someone or something that you think is stupid or has no value?" Hugh moved in his chair to follow her voice only to see his open dictionary flying open in mid air.

"Oh ... I guess only you can tell if you were scorned or not during your life, but from what I've heard from you, you definitely were. But of course, you wouldn't have noticed it considering how humble you were and ... still are."

"I'm not anymore."

"What ... humble?"

"No, I'm more of a ... were now."

"Not to me. But getting back on the subject, you were not delighted with the right amount of gold in your coffin considering your life was worth so much more. In death you were unable to bask in the glory your life deserved to be basked in."

"Nedjem Hugh, I can't understand your sentences...I know you are a l...."

"Why did you put your name in front of mine."

"Oh" was the only word you could hear from her disembodied voice, and then a soft chuckle.

"I haven't talked to anybody but you in the past 3000 years and when I decided to call you an endearment, I accidentally used an egyptian one ... sorry Ancient Egyptian one. It means sweet."

"Your name means sweet in Ancient Egyptian?"

"Yes, many names were meant to portray somebody's personality."

"Well in that case your name couldn't have been better chosen."

"Hmm ... You know when I was alive I always loved being called Nedjem. It was like everybody who called me by my name was giving me a compliment and you know how a compliment could brighten up an individual's day. Well ..."

"You want me to call you Sweet instead of Nedjem?" He asked and she responded "It you'd rather call me by my name ... " to which he said "No, I'd rather compliment every time I speak to you instead of simply calling you by your name. I don't know if you know this but every time I spoke your name I feared I would pronounce it wrong. So calling you Sweet from now would benefit us both."

"You really had to go to so much trouble to keep perfect pronunciation of my name? That is very sweet.... But you'd think a linguist would know how to pronounce it every time."

"Firstly, I didn't want to offend your name and you language with my american accent ruining the beauty of it." And aww could be hear from somewhere in the room. "Secondly, I have a PhD in linguistics, but that does not mean an expert in any language especially not in ancient versions of them. I'm more acquainted with the Gokturk language than Ancient Egyptian. But seeing as how you are from Ancient Egypt I think it would be wise to start learning the language."

"Oh please don't. Unless you want me to laugh at everything you say. I might teach you the language after we are both death in the other world considering people don't know the full extent of the language and will get suspicious if you do. Also, I've heard other linguistic doctors speaking in my language and that was the most fun I've ever had. Most of my time spent here before I met you or before I learned English through watching English men and women, listening to their pronunciation was the only thing I found joy in. Now I still do it sometimes, but back then I never noticed how these men call themselves doctors considering they are not."

"I'm a doctor ... of linguistics. Just like them."

"In my days doctors were the ones who healed wounds and diseases. Nothing more and nothing less."

"Yes well now it's become more of a title given to anybody who has got a PhD. But I don't call myself doctor, other men do. But also I've been labeled with 'not a real doctor' by medical professionals. Sometimes ... Most of the times actually I get tiresome with people. Most people I've met are monsters, a lot of them hiding that feature, but nobody purely good...." He shifted his look to where he imagined her standing and in a moment of passion reached to grab her hands with his, as if she was there, just to say "Nobody like you." He realised how foolish it would be to expect to hold a ghost's hand but he still left it there in the air as if he knew she would feel bad for him and let her spirit come in touch with his hands leaving him with a sensation of hot wind on his hands. I know you might think feeling wind on your hands isn't much of a experience but to them, it's the very first time they felt each other's presence ... the very first time they've touched.

After a long silence, Sweet breaks it up by saying "I'm growing tired, Hugh. What have you decided about your last will and testament?" She asked, hoping he's made a decision by now.

"I ... I actually have an idea what to put in it."

"Y-You do?" She thought this day wouldn't come so quick so she had to ask "What made you decide considering a few minutes ago you were pacing about the room?"

"Talking to you ... It always helps cleanse my mind and unwind."

After those words there was silence. Her spirit did smile, but a smile is inaudible and Hugh wasn't sure if she liked those words or not because he could not see her spirit only hear it talk.

"Well, Let's see if you agree with this. Knowing how my family is greedy and I've got some inheritance most of them are just waiting for me to croak so they could cash out."

"I ... I have observed them to be like this, yes."

"I will not put all my money in my grave. After all, what riches could be better than the pleasure of being with you?" He kept silent for a prolonged second before talking again "Well I'll just put in my will that I want to be mummified, considering a mummified ghost who is speaking to me just now can assure me it's real. Then I'll tell them to bury my dog with my mummified body so he could keep me company in the afterlife. I know you'd like him, he's always seen your spirit but he's never barked too loudly at you once he got used to your ghost being here. This means you'll go along together." Hugh gave his speech another pause "And to assure all of this will happen and since all my money will be buried with me, I will have to write a rule that states in case of these steps not being taken, all the real estate and the stocks would be given to charity or sold for money which would also be given to charity. I know my family is more likely to oblige me with these steps even when I'm dead no matter how strange and unorthodox they think they are just so they would get their hands on the money and the real estate. And then we will find each other in the afterlife. And to ensure your ghost doesn't roam the Earth anymore, I will give you your just reward, the gold your coffin should have been showered with."

"Thank you very much sweet Hugh, but you forgot to mention the necklace."

"Oh, of course, the matching necklaces, one I will put in your grave and one that will be put in mine, so that we can recognize each other when I do finally die." Hugh smiled, and after a few seconds he reach for the phone. He started dialing and he explained "I'm calling my lawyer to finalize my will."

As the handset of the phone was now on his ear and internal ringing could be heard as he waited for the lawyer to pick up the phone, Nedjem whispered in his ear "I will wait patiently sweet Hugh, and the next time I'll see you we will both be ghosts." Hugh only smiled and moved the pupils of his eyes in the general direction of her whisper

"See you hereafter, Sweet."