Microstory 160: Ahmed Darzi

This is an experimental Bellevue Profile microstory. The introduction can be found in Microstory 101. More to follow.

In the beginning, there was death. Billions of years ago, in the second galaxy, a group of immortals learned just about all there was to know about what happened to a person after death. The mind loses coherence, the body decays, and the soul recedes into a lower dimension. But these people were not satisfied with that answer. They had friends, and didn’t want to lose them. Ever. They wanted immortality for all. And so they engineered an afterlife. They laid out a set of rules, a timeline, and real estate. And from that time on, no one ever really died. Except for a few exceptions. Upon death, a person receives a temporary body that lasts four days. Only the engineers know the reason for the rule, but it is this four day standard time limit that Ahmed Darzi exploits. Though he cannot travel via other dimensions like Jaklyn, Cleveland, or Fiona, he can see and hear inside of them. Rather, he can see two of these dimensions. One of these, commonly known as the indigo world, is where dead people remain “downstairs” for the next four days. It’s a sort of waiting room for the deceased, and it’s the reason post-death ceremonies last for a total of four days.

It is unclear when Ahmed witnessed his first ghost, for they often walk around like normal people, only sometimes exhibiting properties of their ghosthood, such as walking through walls, or failing to interact with the living. The first known case was with his uncle, who died when Ahmed was ten years old. He was frightened of seeing his uncle’s body on the viewing altar, but also standing against the wall. Fortunately, his uncle was sweet and gentle, and chose to help Ahmed come to terms with his newfound ability. Together, they made harmless jokes about their family members at the funeral. The next day, they raced camels, which was his uncle’s favorite activity. And only Ahmed was aware that ghosts really did have the pleasure of participating in the death rituals. After the four days, however, his uncle passed on. He quickly learned that this was an ancient unbreakable rule. He first met members of Bellevue thinking that they were normal ghosts, but they turned out to just be trapped in another dimension. He helped them figure out how to get home, and promised to join them at some time in the future, but felt that he had more work to do on his own. When he finally did arrive in Usonia, he became part of the mental health department with Francis, Baldwin, and Posie. His years of experience consoling the dead had prepared him for giving advice, but only at an uncertified level. After a few months of passing exemption exams, he entered licensure school, and graduated as a grief counselor. He continued to help the dead pass on with ease throughout the rest of his life, but spent the majority of his time helping the living.