Dying: Dark Fantasy

[penthius]

The dying do their own work. They finish what must be finished--which is their death. That is all that they need to do. A very few have other things that must be done, even at the end. Words to a loved one. Reassurance. The last piece of a project. Usually these things fall away as death grows near, but sometimes the need grows. We think that's what happens to create zombies. You thought I was going to say ghosts, didn't you? No. The mild hauntings that you hear about sometimes? Those are just--


Inspiration: "Letting Go of What Cannot be Held Back" - by Bill Holm
Story Potential: High, mostly because of the tropes it spins about.
Notes: A zombie death before completion? That's what causes Hungry Ghosts--MUCH harder to deal with. Also, 'hauntings' is so a word!

Comments

[penthius.livejournal.com]

Secondary idea: use a framework of girlfriend remembrances, humor, etc. to trick reader into expecting that the zombie had been the handlers true love, flip about at the end to reveal that Nope! Still alive! Burst of humor/hope, then do something tricksy and dark foreshadowing (but very small).

Gah. I'm already brainstorming this against my will. Perhaps this will be one of the few that actually gets written.