Paul faced his first "apparition" only two days after the last trial. A letter was delivered to his home, saying he had to appear before the "big black door" early the following day, to meet one Joni Peters, his guide, so he wouldn’t get lost between lives.

Paul figured that if he was going to be appearing to kids on drugs, it would somehow help to look as Beatley as possible. He blew his fringe down over his brow, twice as Mop Top than usual, wore a flawless velvet collared suit and carried his guitar. Clean-shaven and visibly tidy, he was there early.

Joni turned out to be a girl his age, blonde and bubbly, with a smile that could melt the angels themselves... What was he thinking? She WAS an angel!

- Hello, Sir Paul! - She held her hand out to him. – One of the biggest creative geniuses of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries! I’m Joni, your guide.

- Hello, pleased to meet you! - Paul smiled his usual diplomatic grin.

- Well? Best foot forward! - Joni grinned and looked at the big man in charge of the black door. Paul grinned, remembering how he had hugged that man after he had almost faced dismissal. Paul smiled at the man. – Good morning!

- Hello, sir.- The man smiled back as he turned a squeaky key inside the lock, and pulled with all the strength of his body.

Paul shivered when he looked outside. Pitch black. Not a single thing in sight. Instead, the sounds of cries and desperate wails invaded his ears. Human screams of pain and agony who begged for redemption. He shivered at the thought that one of those wails was probably Francie’s.

He turned to Joni and winced. –D… Do we REALLY have to go down there? I mean… Can’t we go see the babies and all that first?

Joni smiled and shook her head as she examined her folder. –No, sir… This has been scheduled for today. It’s not that difficult really. You just have to show yourself up, talk to them, tell them that doing drugs is bad, blah, blah, and blah… - She looked at him and closed the folder. –Ok, here are the rules. You stay with me at ALL times. Even if you hear a familiar voice, do NOT look at ANY of the drifters in the eye, or you will immediately become one of them. Keep walking and looking forward. We will walk through about ten minutes of drifters, then we will get to real life. Naturally, we will arrive in your home. You’ll get a chance to see your family and stuff, but DO NOT contact them at all. They will not see or hear you unless you purposely make contact. Once in life, only those whom you choose will hear or see you.

Paul grimaced. –I’m lost…

Joni laughed. –It’s simple! Only one person at a time can hear and see you. Don’t even try to talk to two at a time. It’s just not possible. Oh, and most important of all…- She stepped close to Paul’s face. – DO NOT interfere with people that have not been assigned to you, or you will automatically be sent adrift. You cannot interfere with living humans any longer, unless you have a duty life you do now, understand?

Paul nodded.

- Any questions?

- Yes…- He pressed his lips together and spoke. –How long will we be gone?

- Well…- She put her glasses on. – To us it will only be about ten minutes… But down there, in the living world? About three days.

- THREE DAYS?- Paul widened his eyes.

Joni laughed at Paul’s reaction. – Ever wondered why everyone is so young and pretty in heaven? Time hardly goes by, ever. Eternity is young, Sir Paul…

- Good Lord, Einstein was right…- Paul smirked. – Relativity!

- Einstein was one of us! - Joni huffed. –Sort of escaped.

Paul had to laugh, but soon, the sound of moaning and groaning from the black abyss before him made him cringe again.

- Ready?

- No looking into their eyes, and stay with you at all times, I got it. –Paul nodded, trying to appear cool and confident. Truth of the matter was that he was terrified.

- Well, let’s go!

Paul heard the black door slam shut behind them and his eyes were filled with total darkness as he held on to Joni’s arm. Nothing was visible, but the combined sounds of moaning and crying and the total darkness were terrifying. He could also hear himself breathing faster, and his heart was pounding so powerfully he could feel his own pulse in his neck.

- Relax Paul…- Joni said, feeling his shaking hand under her arm. –We’ll make it through ok…

After about three minutes of pacing through the shadows, a few blurred lights slowly began to gain form and the wailing became louder and louder. All of them were calling his name. Paul closed his eyes and gasped. He was grateful he hadn’t indulged in any form of food or drink or he would be in critical dire straits to use a bathroom. Some spirits even tugged at his coat. –PAUL! HELP ME! –

After about ten minutes, Joni took his hand. – It’s fine, Paul. You can open your eyes now.

Slowly he did. The moaning had gone. He was home. His home in Sussex. His old bedroom.

As he paced around it, he remembered the last night he had been there. How Heather was brushing her hair in the bathroom on the night of his 79th birthday. The thoughts that had crossed his mind; the image of his mother sitting beside him all the time. He say a huge photograph of himself on the mantle shelf, with a small white candle on each side of it. Not a young Paul, but an old and jaded Paul. He turned and looked at his hands like he had done when he had first arrived into the afterlife, and compared his tight, smooth skin to what he saw in the photograph.

Joni sighed, guessing Paul’s every thought. – It’s a process of learning to let go, Paul.- She put a hand on his shoulder. – You are given the gift of youth as a taste of what is to come… and then you are tested to see about your vanity. You grow old… But I see something…- She looked into the photograph. –Your eyes look tired, lined by wrinkles and framed by white eyebrows… But they have the same shine they have now on you. –She smiled at him. That’s always the biggest obstacle. You never really grew old, Paul. You aged, but never grew old… That’s why you look the way you look now. And you are gorgeous.

Paul knew exactly what she meant, and smiled at her. – It’s that thing about young souls and old souls, right?

- That’s right…

Paul paced around the room and saw a photograph of his children and grandchildren around him on that last day. He grinned and sighed. –Aren’t they a fine bunch then? - He smiled at Joni. –Cum ‘ead! I’ll show you!

Joni walked close and looked at the photograph while Paul pointed at each and everyone of his children and grandchildren. – This one ‘ere’s Heather… She’s the eldest. She came with Linda, so to speak. I luved her instantly. Adopted her dead away after Lin and I married. Then, - He shifted his finger to another face. –Mary. Me very first, of my own, I mean. Took her mum’s skill for the camera, that one. She’s good for videos and editing and directing and all that. This one over here, Stelly… - He grinned. – Stella’s a fashion designer in Paris.

- She’s beautiful…- Joni grinned.

- Yeh, she is…- Paul beamed proudly. – I can hardly believe I was capable of making something so lovely… This bloke ‘ere? That’s me only son, James.

- Wow…- Joni stepped close and after looking at James’s photograph, turned to look at Paul with a bemused face. –He looks just like you..

- Only blonde…- Paul nodded.

- PAUL!! Come back here!!!- A voice was heard and suddenly, a little child burst into the room.

Paul grinned and huffed, feeling his eyes sting. –That’s Paul… Me grandson, James’s boy.

Oddly enough, Paul noticed the little boy was staring at him intently.

- What…

- Oh, little children can see us! - Joni smiled. –Especially when they’re that age… Did he just learn how to walk?

- He wasn’t last time I saw him! – Paul smiled at the boy, holding back tears.

James stepped into the room and picked the boy up. –I told you not to run out on us like that!! You can’t come here!

Paul gasped upon seeing his son. He looked surprisingly good.

- I miss him… I miss them all. – He felt himself sigh as a tear finally rolled down his eye. – God, I loved having babies in the house all the time…

- DADA! - The child pointed to Paul and Joni.

James turned and looked. –What, son? What is it?

- DADA!! DADA!!-

Paul smiled and nodded. –That’s right…

James walked to were Paul and Joni stood, and almost literally through Paul himself.

- God, it’s cold in here! - He shivered, and turned to the window. It was closed. –That’s odd…

- It’s us…- Joni smiled. –In life we’re perceived as cold energy. The famous cold spots? That’s us!

James looked around, shivering, as little Paul insisted. –DADA!! GAMPA!!!

The blonde young man suddenly stared at the boy. – What? What did you say?

- GAMPA!!

- We have to leave, Paul… now…- Joni pulled Paul. – If your son believes the little guy, he’ll try to contact you… We’re not allowed, remember?

Paul sighed, and taking a long, painful look at his son and grandchild, walked out of the room to hear James say. –Good, the cold’s going away… What on earth was that, then?

Going through the house was a bittersweet experience. For some reason, the McCartneys had not yet gone back to their homes after Paul’s funeral. They all sat around, bonding. It was nice in a sense, to see his family was still tight. But saddening not to be able to talk to them, to tell them how much he loved and missed them all.

Stepping out of the house, Paul inhaled the smell of car combustion. He figured that being exposed to purity made him all the more sensible to earthly things.

Soon enough, he and Joni were walking through a dark alley. In real life, it would have been scary to go through there, but after crossing the passage from the big black door, this suddenly seemed a piece of cake.

Eventually, they were inside a house with no furniture. It reeked of smoke and excrement, and given Paul’s ultra-sensitive nose it was hard to walk through there. Inside a room were three kids, dirty, grimy and smelly. Needles were scattered on the floor, and one of the girls was visibly pregnant.

Paul cringed. – Jesus… Poor kids..

Joni nodded. –They have serious trouble. But the one you’re here to help is the pregnant one…

- What about the other two?

- There’s something else waiting for them. You just concentrate on the pregnant one.

Paul had no idea how to start, but knew he had to. After a sigh, he walked up to her and kneeled. She was lying with her face to her side on a mattress that smelled of urine. She was shivering.

- Hey, luv… Can you hear me?

No answer. Paul turned to Joni, who stared at him with a grin. –Keep on trying. She will hear you…

- Luv, can you hear me? - He asked a bit stronger. –I’m here to help you. Please tell me you can hear me!

After that try, the girl blinked and looked up.

- Who are you? - She mumbled.

Paul looked at her face. It was a beautiful face with blonde curls around it, huge blue eyes and a freckled nose.

- My name is Paul. What’s yours?

- Jasmine…

- Jasmine… That’s a lovely name! – Paul sat on the floor, being a professional at hiding the disgust he felt regarding the smell.

Jasmine sat up and looked at him. She was quiet for a few minutes staring at him, and finally spoke. –You look like that guy that died a few weeks back… That Beatle guy…

Paul grinned. –That’s cus I AM that Beatle guy, Jas… Can I call you Jas?

The girl nodded, too stoned to feel scared or shocked.

- So, you’re preggers, are you? – Paul smiled.

- Preggers?

- Yeh, pregnant.

- Oh… I guess…

Paul was shocked at the careless way the girl spoke.

- That’s a big thing you have there… It’s a baby, you know.

- So? - She sat up completely. – It was thanks to this baby that I’m in this shithole, so, no thanks to him.

Paul gulped. –Why? What happened?

Jasmine smiled, and through the smile shone sad eyes. – I think I have to know one thing first… Why am I talking to a dead bloke here? Why, of all people, would Paul McCartney choose me to talk?

- I really dunno, luv…- Paul reached out into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

- You can smoke when you die? - Jasmine asked astounded.

- Oh, yeh! - He lit up the cig. – Smoke, dance, drive cars… If you do things right…

- If I do things right?

Paul sat on a bucket in front of her and puffed. –Fer instance, luv… What’s your story? - He leaned his elbow on his knee and then his face on his hand, clenching his fingers in true Paul McCartney fashion. –How did you get here?

Jas sneered. –Do you care?

Paul huffed. –Well, whether or not I care, I’m listening, aren’t I?

Jas was silent. She hadn’t had someone listen to her in ages.

- I ran away from home…- She looked down

- Why?

- Because of this… thing!!- She pointed at her stomach. –It ruined my life!

- Did it now?

- Yes! I get pregnant, so I run away from home before my parents can throw me out! But now I can’t even get an abortion. I can’t afford it. I’m too scared to do it myself…- The girl began to weep. –I’m only fifteen, for God’s sake!! Why did God do and do this to me!?

Paul chuckled. –Trust me, he didn’t…- He took another drag. – You did it yerself…

- WHAT??- She squeaked.

- Yeh! You know, that baby wasn’t there out of sheer magic, was it? Or did you get pregnant because you were forced to have sex?

Jas shook her head. –I thought I was in love… He just… He left when he knew…

Paul huffed. –Well, then. Seems you got YERSELF preggers, hey?

Jas stared at him. – Look, what’s it to you, anyway?

- Oh, Jas, it’s a lot, believe me…- He stood and paced. – You know how I’m dead, and all that?

- Yeah…

- Well, when I was yer age, I did sum bad stuff… Not half as bad as you are doing…- He giggled. – But let’s say that innocent as it may have seemed before, once over there, on the other side? I’m getting trialed fer it…

- Trialed?

- Yup. –Paul inhaled some more smoke. –Me and me mate John smoked Typhoo tea, and I’m on trial fer that. Matter of fact…- he pointed at her with a grin. –That’s the reason I’m here with you now…

- B… Because you smoked tea? - The girl asked puzzled.

- No, it’s not the tea thing itself… It’s because I harmed me body fer fun…- He crouched in front of her. –Look at you! Yer young, yer pretty… and you are having a baby… How can you do all that? - He pointed at the needles on the floor. After a sigh, he looked back up to the girl. – What are you going to do after yer baby’s born?

She shrugged. – I don’t know… Give it away, I guess…

Paul looked at her in the eye. – Let’s pray it will be alive, luv. You see, when it’s your time to go over, you’ll be trialed. And if yer baby dies because YOU did drugs…- He bit his lip. –It’s serious, luv. Trust me.

- Paul? - Joni spoke. –Tell her that her parents love her to death and miss her.

- You know, yer parents were baffled when you left, they miss you…

Jas stared at Paul, bewildered. –Do they? How do you know?

Paul laughed. –Luv, I’m dead! I know everything!

Jas laughed. –So, are you here on some sort of… social service?

- Exactly! - Paul smiled and threw away the cigarette butt. He sighed and got closer to the girl as he spoke again. – Look, luv… If you stay here, doing all that crap, you’ll never get out. Trust me, I’ve been there. Besides, if your parents miss you, you can go home…

- I can’t…- She sobbed. – Not like this…

- Yeh, you can!- He smiled encouragingly. – No matter how downtrodden you are, parents will always welcome you, if they luv you enough… They can help you with the baby, they can help you go straight! Think! You can still get yer life back!

Jas smiled at Paul. – You think so?

- JAS? Who are you talking to?- One of the others shouted.

- Paul McCartney!

- He’s dead, stupid!

- I know! - Jas replied enthusiastically. – He came here to see me!

The other person looked up. –Where? I don’t see a fucking thing!

- Only YOU can see me, Jas…- Paul grinned. – So, will you do that? Will you go home fer me? Please?

Jas sighed and stood up. – Are you sure they still want me? Even if I’m pregnant?

- Well, they can even help you find a home for the baby, if you really don’t want it! - He smiled. –Go on! Give it a whirl!

- You make it sound so easy…

- It is… Believe me, it’s easier than being trialed fer every bloody thing you did wrong.

Jas smiled. –Ok… But I think people will brand me crazy for saying Paul McCartney came back from the dead to tell me all this…

Paul smiled at her. –As long as you live, who cares?

She stood up and staggered towards the door. The other two looked at her, bewildered. –Jas? Where are you going?

- Rehab centre…- She smiled.

- Why doesn’t Paul McCartney show up to me?- One of the others asked aloud. –I’d like to see that cute little ass…

Paul blushed.

- Morty, Miranda… Why don’t you come with me? You know, at least to check it out…- Jas spoke from the door.

- Will I see Paul McCartney then?- Miranda asked, wide-eyed.

- I dunno… I hope so…

Miranda stood up. She was visibly older than Jas, and in much worse condition. She walked over to where Morty was lying, and kicked him. –Go on, you sack of shit… Let’s go see Paul McCartney!

- He’s dead, you silly bitch! - Morty moaned from the ground. –Piss off!

- Suit yourself…- Miranda walked to the door. –Let’s go, Jas…

Paul and Joni walked behind Jas and Miranda. They were high, so they did need some guidance. Miranda moaned and complained that she could not see Paul, but settled with the thought that Jas was some sort of divine interpreter, and listened to everything Paul instructed both of them through Jas.

In two days, they were both in the programme for rehabilitation. On the third day, Jasmine’s parents arrived at the ward, happy to hear news that their daughter was alive. Paul went inside Jas’s room to say farewell, and gave best wishes to Miranda on his behalf, before following Joni out of the room and back to his house.

Paul had saved them. He felt bad for Morty, however.

- Well! - Joni smiled with satisfaction as she checked her folders. - You just knocked one off! Good, your sentence has been reduced!

- What? - Paul sneered. –What do you mean, knocked one off?

- Well, Miranda wasn’t a part of the programme, but you somehow managed to make all better for her as well! - Joni smiled. - Instead of the original ten apparitions, you have another thing to do now!

- What’s that? - Paul yawned, happy to be on his way back home.

- Ha… you’ll see…

The walk through the dark passage began, and Paul once again held onto Joni’s arm, his eyes shut tight. He could hear all the moans and groans again… And then one…

- PAUL!! IT WAS YOUR FAULT!!!

He suddenly opened his eyes, guilt taking the best of him. –Francie??

- No, Paul!!- Joni pulled him just before he turned his head to meet Francie’s stare. –She’s after you! Don’t pay any attention!

Francie’s voice sounded all around him. –PLEASE, PAUL!! LOOK AT ME!! IT’S ALL YOU FAULT!!

It was the longest walk, but soon enough, he was safely back on the other side.

- That was a close call. –Joni hugged Paul. –Don’t ever pay attention to them. They are bitter and want to get even…

But Paul was not listening. He cried as he looked back at the black door. –God, Francie… I’m so, so sorry…



Paul had slept for an entire day, when Linda woke him up. –Paul? You have to see this!!- She laughed excitedly.

- Mhm? What? - He looked up groggily, and saw Linda standing by the bedroom door.

- Come on!!- She smiled.

Paul groggily shuffled his feet across the red mosaic and yawned, his hair a mess. He went down the stairs in the same fashion, his eyes still not completely open. Then, he heard a sound that made him freeze. Like a baby…

He managed to wake up completely, and paced a bit faster to the livingroom. He was suddenly paralysed before the sight. Linda was holding a baby, a beautiful baby girl.

- L… Lin? - he gasped.

- Shh!- She smiled as she gently rocked the child from side to side. – read the note!!

Paul walked over to the coffee table and picked up a note that was lying there. He read it aloud.