Erin couldn’t remember the last time he had seen light.

He tried to open his eyes, tried to move his fingers and curl his toes, but against all odds; Erin was met with no response, no stimuli at all.

That’s not good. Erin thought to himself.

With his thoughts quickly scattering, Erin attempted to scan his surroundings once more.

Erin focused. He concentrated.

It was dark — he knew that — but what was actually in the dark? That’s what Erin focused on.

And focus he did. For minutes. Hours. Perhaps even days.

In the darkness that engulfed Erin, time meant very little.

So, after an unmeasured amount of time had passed, a change finally occurred.

Light! Erin rejoiced.

So much light, in fact, that a tunnel of it appeared before Erin. Streaks of white cut into the dark space, rays of gold and silver; dust particles mingled in the air and slowly sank to the stone floor underneath.

The floor stood rough and ragged; uneven chunks of rock split from the ground and erupted like spires into the open space.

The air was thick with the stench of mildew and the weight of stillness. From beyond the tunnel of light, a thin, unsettling currant of wind swirled into the gloom, picking up dust along the way, until it eventually settled upon the grime that too coated the floor.

Erin approached the tunnel of light; or rather, he attempted to approach it.

The light, much like the inner-workings of a magnet, rejected him.

It pushed against him — a force both unfamiliar and unnatural — it coated his form and seeped into his very being, pushing against him and keeping him within the confines of the dark space.

Odd. Erin thought.

Why would the light reject him?

How could the light reject him?

Erin stepped up to the tunnel of light one final time. He stretched his palm forward in an attempt to grapple the light delicately — but then it struck him.

Erin looked down.

Stolen novel; please report.

No feet.

No legs.

No arms, torso, chest or head.

Erin looked high then low. He turned around and flipped upside down, but no matter how hard he try — Erin could not find himself.

He could not see himself.

I’ve become a ghost! Erin shouted.

For a split second, an unsettling tinge of something regrettable crept into Erin’s mind, but just as it had appeared, it too disappeared.

The panic and worry that should have sprouted within his being simply didn’t. On the contrary, Erin felt calm and level.

Unnaturally so, Erin was sure, but what could he do?

It stands to reason that ghost’s lack emotion.

Sure makes sense to me. Erin accepted the fact rather readily.

Too readily, to be sure — but again, what could Erin do?

His ability to give a f-

Pause. Erin chimed in.

His ability to care and practice human emotion had been stripped of him so it seemed.

With that thought out of the way, Erin’s attention returned to the tunnel of light and what its newfound presence meant for the sea of darkness surrounding him.

Then, Erin tried the light once more and was once again repelled.

Valid. He thought.

He cast his gaze behind him. Surely the light had illuminated something in the depths that he had missed before.

Erin turned around and, to his delight, discovered something new.

A podium, neither grand nor imposing, but standing nonetheless — stood in the center of the darkness. The podium was constructed of the same gray stone as the floor.

It was rectangular with a bowl finish and amidst its faces of columns, strange runes covered the podium, etched into the stone itself.

The carvings were aggressive. Deep gnashes defined them and black streaks of liquid seeped from some of the most pronounced ones.

Atop the podium's bowl sat a single gem. The gem was neither large nor small, perhaps the rough size of an orange?

It glowed violet while loose filigree of black and gray swirled from within. Like a solar system, tiny sparks of light flickered from the center of the gem.

Holy sh-. Erin stared at the gem.

It was exquisite. Most definitely the most gorgeous gem he had ever seen. For a moment, all Erin did was gaze into the violet orb, entranced by its swirling mass of black fog and sparkling embers.

Again, Erin conjured forth his imaginary hand and coaxed the beautiful orb before him.

Unlike earlier, however, this time Erin’s ‘palm’ succinctly sank into the gems depths. Erin’s ‘fingers’ merged with the gem and, as a result, unfiltered warmth surged into Erin’s core.

The miraculous energy poured into Erin, egregiously sucked into him like a violent whirlpool; and with each passing moment, the heat grew hotter.

The energy burned brighter.

The tunnel of light behind the darkness paled in comparison.

Darkness? Erin scoffed.

For when he looked now, with the strange purple orb ignited like wildfire, a sun amongst the void; all Erin could see was light.

…

Time passed and with it the light retreated.

Darkness returned. It coated the walls sticky and surged into the deepest cracks and narrowest crevices.

Erin blinked his imaginary eyes as he tried to peer around the dimly lit cavern. He saw the tunnel of light again.

The grimey floor and the unsettling podium too. The room was left unchanged. The light had done nothing to its visage.

Wait. Then, Erin checked the gem.

And like a beating heart, a pulsing energy surged from within the violet orb. Even without touching it, Erin felt warmth from within his chest.

He inhaled deeply and held onto the breath. For a mere moment, Erin simply enjoyed the feeling of fullness.

Then, Erin exhaled; and whatever warmth he had breathed in cooled alongside him.

But beyond his narrow scope, outside of his limited understanding of his ghostly form, Erin noticed something concerning.

He breathed in again.

The purple orb subtly grew brighter.

He exhaled.

The purple orb dimmed.

…

Fuck. Erin realized.

I’m the goddamn orb.