KEITH BURKHOLDER - SHORT-STORIES

Keith Burkholder has been published in Creative Juices, Sol Magazine, Trellis Magazine, Foliate Oak Literary Journal, New Delta Review, Poetry Quarterly, and Scarlet Leaf Review. He has a bachelor's degree in statistics with a minor in mathematics from SUNY at Buffalo (UB).

​​Her Ghost reincarnates at night from the lake

  She was known in these parts as the famous spiritualist.  She was able to tell people about past lives and the lives of the living.
                She died two years ago, and her spirit still lives on.  People from around here have seen her ghost rise from the lake where she was buried.
                She was cremated by her loved ones.  This was the way she wanted to be buried when she died.  Her ashes were scattered in the middle of this lake where she lived.
                The townspeople knew her well and have seen her ghost rise from the lake only at night.  She would rise from the lake and wave to others as they passed by.  She is not destructive at all and loves how the living still see her.
                This ghost will always be a part of this lake and community.  People have seen her rise from the lake and wave to others numerous times.
                There have been others after being cremated whose ashes were spread in the lake, but nothing happened.  It was completely different for this person.
                It is as if fate is giving her a second chance at life.  However, her second life is as a ghost not in a human state.
                Death is a hard concept to really understand.  However, it can be harsh or in the case of this former spiritualist, good, because she is able to come back and see others as a ghost.
                In her new state, she can fly around the lake and see society this way.  She can see people and experience life as she will. After some time, she disappears and goes back to where she came from while dead.
                The lake is vast, but not overwhelming in size.  It is a beautiful sight for those who see and is enjoyable to be around when the weather is decent.
                This ghost would never scare or harm anyone.  While she was alive, she was noted mostly for her kindness and compassion from others.
                Decent people are hard to find in this world.  This woman was decent and really cared about others in general.
                The people in this town were greatly saddened when she died.  They will always remember her and have great feelings toward her as well.
                Her ghost is a reminder of her other life.  She is still alive in some way to others and her ghost comes up frequently during the nighttime.
                Ghosts are very hard to pinpoint.  They come in various ways.  They can scare others or just lookout for them and be friendly.
                In the case of this spiritualist, she is friendly and caring.  Her ghost will remain this way as a reminder to others.  Her home is the lake where her ashes were spread.
                Keep an open mind when you think about the dead.  This is truly the case for this woman.  This is how it is and will remain as time continues forward now and until the end of time.
               
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​Defense Mechanisms

          He lives on planet Earth but wants to leave this planet.  His level of anxiety is great due to the constant wars that happen on this planet.
                He needs to leave planet Earth and go somewhere else in the solar system.  He has updated his passport and wants to go to Mars.  Mars is a place that is pacifistic in nature.
                He needs his passport to go to this planet.  He is tired of the constant tensions on planet Earth and needs to live elsewhere.
                He is alone and wants to get to a new place.  He has always wanted to go to Mars and now is the perfect opportunity for him to do so.
                Mars is the world for pacifists.  It is a planet that does not believe in war and people there want to keep it this way.
                Earth is known to the Martian world as unpredictable.  It can be safe one moment and then destructive the next.
                This Earthling needs a major change in his life and Mars is this.  He can’t wait to leave Earth and change homes and live on Mars.
                He is single and has no children.  He believes that anything good can happen to him on Mars.  This is a place where he needs to go to and spend the rest of his life there as a new citizen.
                He is now ready to leave Earth.  He was living at a shelter because there was a war in his town and bombs destroyed his home.
                He will leave Earth via his space pod.  This is really the only thing he owns and his passport.  His space pod is parked in a garage near the shelter.
                He has told the shelter owner about his intentions.  He can leave Earth because he has transportation and his passport. He has enough fuel in his space pod for him to reach Mars with no problems at all.
                It is now morning and the war is still waging in his hometown.  He is safe at the shelter and will leave here immediately.
                He is excited about leaving Earth and wants a new home in a safe world.  He has had enough of the wars that have taken place on Earth while he has lived here.
                Planet Earth has really gone downhill over the years.  It was peaceful at one time, but constant tensions have caused numerous wars on the planet.
                The anxieties have caused this person great frustration and he needs to curb them by leaving the planet altogether.  Mars is the perfect place for him to go to.
                This man goes into his space pod.  He is happy to be out of the shelter and is now ready to leave Earth.
                Once he enters space he will travel at warp speed until he reaches the atmosphere of Mars.  Then he will be able to gently land on the surface of that planet.
                He is going solo and this suits him fine.  He wants to leave Earth and go someplace where he can find a sanity in his life.
                He has entered his space pod.  He will now program it to leave Earth.  He will then fly up into the atmosphere and then over time will leave Earth and then travel at warp speed until he reaches the planet of Mars.
                The whole process of leaving Earth is working well for this person.  He is doing everything as planned and he feels great now.
                He has left Earth and has reached the atmosphere quickly.  He will now travel to Mars at warp speed until he reaches that destination.
                He likes to travel at warp speed because he gets to his destination much faster.  He is now doing this and can’t wait to land on Mars.
                Again, when he reaches the atmosphere of Mars the warp speed will stop and then he will land gently when he reaches the surface of that planet.  His space pod is programmed to do all of this for him.
                He has reached the atmosphere of Mars.  The speed has slowed down greatly, and he will land carefully on the surface of Mars when he gets there.
                It is so quiet up here in the atmosphere of Mars.  This person wants to see Mars and live somewhere where he doesn’t have to worry about his safety.  This person wants his life to get better and needed to leave Earth to do this.
                He doesn’t miss Earth at all.  In fact, he is very happy to have left the planet.  He wants to start a new life for himself on Mars.
                People come and go from places in the solar system.  This is how it for certain people.  People want to have great lives for themselves wherever that may be in the universe.
                He is now going down from the atmosphere and will eventually reach the surface of Mars.  He is excited to finally be here. It was a quick trip for him.
                Mars feels very peaceful to this person.  He feels like a weight has been lifted taken off his shoulders because he is here.
                Over time, he does land on the surface of Mars.  He is ecstatic to be somewhere else and to be in a world that does not believe in war and destruction.
                He has landed in a quiet place on Mars.  This is a very popular landing area for people that come to this planet.
                The landing was soft and perfect.  There is peace all around him as he landed.  He now opens the space pod, so he can get out.
                Mars looks a lot different than Earth.  However, the main language spoken here is English.  He will fit in well here.
                He is out of his space pod and uses a remote to make his space pod disappear from being seen. 
When he goes to a different location on Mars he can use his remote and the space pod will reappear in front of him there.
                He is now ready to walk to the town nearby.  This is a new experience for him, but he is glad he made it safely to this planet.
                He is now walking toward the town nearby.  It is about a half a mile away.  He can see it in the distance and is eager to go there.
                This town is relatively large.  It is a place where people are friendly and there has never been a war or any disturbances of the kind there.
                He continues his walk to this town.  The sun is still shining outside, and it is a warm day here in this part of Mars.
                He likes being alone while walking to this town.  All kinds of optimistic thoughts fill his mind as he continues his way to this town.
                After a short period of time, he reaches the town’s limits.  He is now in the town.  This is one decent looking place.
                People seem to care about one another here.  This is appealing to this person as he continues to walk through it.
                This town has a lot of interesting buildings and other establishments.  The life on Mars with regards to people resembles Earth closely.
                Martians look identical to humans.  This is very appealing to this person and he will now go to what looks like a mall close to where he is in town.
                This person explored this town heavily, including the mall.  He got used to being here on his own and eventually purchased a home and is now working.
                Mars is where he will stay, and he has had enough of planet Earth.  During this time, wars continue to wage on Earth.
                He will never go back to Earth.  The life he has on Mars is what he wants to live with.  He has made a few friends in the process, too.
                The town he lives in is great and he loves the fact that he has freedoms here that did not exist on planet Earth.  Mars was his true calling as well.
                There is nothing more to add about this person’s life.  Mars is his home and it will be until he dies.  Peace is hard to come by, but on Mars it is a reality and he loves this and wants it to remain here.  His future remains open and he hopes it continues to be bright as time passes one day at a time.
 
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