Prometheus Road by Bruce Balfour Page A

the sun burned out or something, and that’s not likely to happen anytime soon, is it?”
    “Not as far as I know,” Tom said.
    “Listen to me going on about nothing. You’re very sweet to listen, Tom. I know you probably have things to do. It’s not easy being dead, you know. The people you meet are all pretty similar, and you miss having contact with people who have real lives, although death does give you a different perspective on things.”
    Tom knew he must be dreaming or that there was some kind of technology here he didn’t understand. “Do you have contact with other, um—”
    “Dead people?”
    “Yeah.” He rubbed his arms against the chill he suddenly felt despite the rising sun.
    “Sure I do. It’s hard to locate anyone in particular, if that’s what you have in mind. They all have deaths of their own, if you know what I mean. Some won’t talk to anyone, others want to maintain the appearance of their formerly active social lives, but none of us really has any new experiences to talk about, so you get kind of bored with people once you’re past the ‘getting to know you’ phase of a conversation. And it seems like I know everyone now, seeing as how nobody new has shown up on this side for over sixty years.”
    “Sixty years? What happened in the meantime?”
    “Funny. That’s what I was going to ask you. Did people stop dying?”
    “No,” Tom said with a heavy sigh. “No, they didn’t.”
    “I’m sorry. I’ve touched a nerve, haven’t I? You’ve lost someone recently?”
    “I don’t want to discuss it.”
    “They’ll be fine,” she said in a gentle voice. “Don’t worry. You’ll see them again.”
    Tom frowned, trying to understand what she meant. “I’d like that. You’re saying we survive death, or part of us does?”
    “Well, you’re not exactly asking the best person but, as I said, death gives one a different perspective on things. I learned a lot when I arrived here, and you’d be surprised at some of the people I’ve run into, but I know there’s more to death than fancy programming and virtual simulations. My world now is more than the virtual dream I expected it to be, and more realistic in some ways than my life ever was. I’m conscious and aware. I don’t mean to sound like an advertisement, but I got a lot more out of this deal than what I bargained for, if you know what I mean.”
    Blythe used some terms that Tom didn’t really understand, but he enjoyed listening to her, and he felt like he was learning something important. “I should have climbed up here before now, Blythe. I like talking to you.”
    “Thank you, Tom. I like to think I’m a sympathetic listener, which is easier when one doesn’t have a lot of physical world distractions and deadlines. I have nothing but time, and I know how to use it.”
    “I wish I could say the same,” Tom said.
    “Be careful what you wish for, Tom. You make your own choices in life and, if you’re smart, you’ll keep a positive attitude and cope with setbacks as best you can. There’s a time to grieve the loss of a loved one, remember what they meant to you, and let your body deal with the hollowness you feel inside. Then it’s time to move on, experience the world again, seek out the positive, and live the rest of your life supported by the memories of those you’ve lost. Your loved ones remain with you wherever you go, whether you realize it or not, because they’re part of your being. Their life energies join with your own to connect you with the rest of humanity, and their loss is only an illusion in the end. Eventually, you’ll see them again in a different place, and you’ll know the truth—they never really left you.”
    Tom swallowed and looked away at the gray waters of the bay in the early-morning light. He wanted to believe what Blythe was saying, and she certainly sounded like an authority on the subject, but he was still too confused by recent events. His thoughts were interrupted when