COUNTDOWN TO PAPER: DAY 2
Welcome to Day 2 of the “Ghost Radio: Countdown to Paper” event! Our celebration of the mass market paperback release of Leopoldo Gout’s hit horror novel Ghost Radio. Today we offer a very special treat: A deleted chapter from Ghost Radio. And make sure to read to the bottom of the post for a chance to win some exciting PRIZES!
Leopoldo on the deleted chapter:
This chapter was cut very late in the editing process. It was felt the over-arching points had already been made elsewhere. But I still like the chapter. I think it flows nicely. And I also think it gives new readers a nice introduction to the world of Ghost Radio. That’s why I thought this would be a perfect addition to the “Countdown to Paper” event. So, whether you’ve read the novel or not, feel free to read this chapter. It’s fairly self-contained and features no real spoilers.
Deleted Chapter: “Caller 2943 – OBEs and NDEs”
Joaquin put a hand over his mouth, covering a yawn, and hit line four.
“You’re on the air,” he said.
“It’s not like everyone says.”
“What isn’t?”
“Near death experiences, out of body experiences, astral projection. People have that stuff all wrong.”
“Really,” Joaquin said, taking a sip of cold coffee. He winced. He hated cold coffee.
“And I should know. I learned the secret to that crap. Learned the secret years ago.”
Joaquin perked up. This sounded good. He goaded the caller on.
“I like secrets,” he said. “Tell us about it.”
The called cleared his throat and began:
It started a long time ago, when I was in college. I was a partier back then, classic frat boy. Keggers, anonymous sex, cheating on exams, beating up nerds. That was my life. And I loved it. I never wanted it to end.
I say this not to brag or whatever, or to make my life appear more thrilling; but to give you a sense of the kind of guy I was back then. And how unlikely I was to succumb to what occurred.
It all started one morning, before dawn. I normally didn’t wake that early. I had my classes scheduled in the afternoons, and my nights were party hearty, so I was usually sawing wood well into the late morning. But this morning was different.
I awoke filled with energy. I literally jumped out of bed. I tossed on some sweats, and headed out onto the dawn streets – hoping to run off the excess energy.
I was fit back then, and could run for quite a while without become tired. But this was different. I was really legging it. More sprinting than jogging. And I wasn’t getting tired or winded. In fact, I seemed to gain energy with each passing block.
I felt electric, on fire. I felt like a superhero.
The people I passed on the street seemed to sense it too. They considered me oddly: Wide eyes, thin set mouths. Wonder? Fear? I couldn’t quite read it. But I kept running and running.
The sidewalk felt soft under my feet, like it was made of rubber. And my breath was easy and shallow.
Joaquin felt a gust of wind hit his face, like he was running too. And he thought he heard the distant sound of birds, waking with the sun. A joyful, plaintive call that made his heart soar.
And then I began to cough. I thought it was just my wind catching up with me. I paused and tried to catch my breath, but the coughing fit increased. Deep, wracking coughs. They soon became so strong that I fell to my knees, then my back.
A crowd surrounded me, looking concerned. I heard one suggest “calling 911,” and saw another pull out a cell phone, and then . . .
Blackness. Deep blackness. I was in a land of nothingness. And I had no thoughts. No sense of being. I was nothing.
Suddenly, my lungs filled with air, and my eyes shot open. And felt myself vomit, and heard voices of relief around me. I looked around: It was night and I was in the frat house. My fraternity brothers told me I’d been drinking heavily, passed out, and nearly choked to death on my own vomit. They’d had to perform CPR to bring me around.
Joaquin broke in: “Sounds like a pretty traditional near death experience.”
“I know it does,” the caller said. “But here’s the thing. The night before, I hadn’t gone to a party. I’d worked out, had a few drinks and went to bed.”
“Well, that could be another part of the NDE.”
It could be. If it weren’t for this. After cleaning up, and recovering my senses, I went to the kitchen to get a bottle of water. I passed the main stairs, and saw the fraternity logo, it read: Kappa Alpha Psi. There’s only one problem with that.
I never joined Kappa Alpha Psi. I was an Alpha Kappa Alpha man, like my father and his father before him.
“What are you trying to say?” Joaquin asked.
“Near death experiences aren’t about dying and coming back, they’re a passport to alternate realities.”
“But how does this fit with out of body experiences and astral projection?” Alondra asked.
In the years since that event, I often return to that other life. And it has continued as if I never left it. I have a different wife, different children. And a whole set of different memories.
Over the years, I’ve learned techniques of astral projection, and now I can visit this alternate world whenever I like. It’s wonderful having two lives. Friends I’ve lost in this life are still alive in the other one.
And there are little differences too. There’s different movies and tv shows out there. I wish you could come there with me. I wish everyone could.
The line went dead.
“Well, quite a call,” Joaquin said. “If you’ve visited another world we’d like to hear about,” he said, then rattled off the station’s numbers.
“Do you think there’s a Ghost Radio in that other world?” Alondra asked.
“There’s a Ghost Radio in every world,” Joaquin said with a chuckle.
“Truer than you think,” a mysterious voice said.
A chill ran down Joaquin’s spine, as he signaled Watt to go to commercial.
CONTEST INFORMATION!
Each day of this event we offer the chance to win prizes. Every winner will receive autographed copies of both the hardback and paperback editions of Ghost Radio. But they will also receive a special bonus surprise tied to the day’s theme. This could be additional books, DVDs, CDs, audio books, or maybe something even more exciting. So what are you waiting for? Enter today’s contest now.
Here’s all you need to do to enter today’s contest:
Just send an email to ghostradioinfo@gmail.com, and put “COUNTDOWN TO PAPER – DAY 2” in the subject line, and “Ghost Radio” in the body of the email. Or just use the contact form below:
This contest closes on March 13, 2010. Winners will be chosen at random, and notified the following week.
And don’t forget to check back to tomorrow for another day of this exciting event, and another chance to win PRIZES!
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