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Matt looked over the edge of the CN Tower. The roof of the SkyDome was wide open. The game hadn’t even started yet, but there was no time to lose. He looked toward Jay, who was strangely not afraid of heights at all. It was like he’d spontaneously gotten over his fear of it
He’d been acting sort of odd today too. The only objection to the plan Jay had was to go earlier. None of his usual whines and cries that this plan was stupid or something. Matt doesn’t mind at all, but he still finds it strange.
Eh, probably just him being nice.
“Bird, you ready to jump off now?”
“I’ll always be ready for your plans, Matt.” Jay says with a smile, showing off his fangs.
“Whatever, dude.”
Matt cut the wires, and they both jumped together. He felt the wind blow through his hair, and it made him feel alive. Halfway down the tower, Matt pulls out his parachute. He looks down to see if the dome has closed yet, and he sees a horrifying sight.
Jay’s parachute has failed. He’s still trying to deploy it as he falls and falls and falls.
The world becomes a blur the whole way down. Matt navigates away from the SkyDome, and onto the streets below. His body moves before he has the chance to register it. He pushes through faceless people gathering around Jay, and almost vomits.
Face up on the ground, blood oozing out of his head. Eyes half open, staring up at the tower forever. His mouth is open, and a bit of blood falls out of it when Matt cradles his body. He wants the whole world to melt away, leaving just him and Jay in peace.
He feels someone put a hand on his shoulder, and for a second he thinks it’s Jay’s ghost. But it’s just Jared, who’s put down the camera to comfort him. He says things, but Matt isn’t listening. He just can’t process anything other than Jay right now.
At some point, he and Jared and Luca leave. They go to some place Matt doesn’t want to remember. Then they leave, without Jay in Matt’s hands. The only thing he has to show for it is his bloodstained blazer.
—
It’s been a week. Matt still feels like the world isn’t real.
Matt had felt this way a few times in his life. When Jay went on vacation without telling him as kids, when Jay went out with Kayla, and when Jay left him on the roof of the Rivoli. But those times were different, because he could still get Jay back. Those times were different, because Jay was still alive.
He had locked himself in the editing room for hours on some days, just watching everything. He had told Jay that the footage was for a documentary if they’d ever get famous, but there was another use for it. A secret one that only he knew about. If something horrible had happened to Jay, he could just watch their lives again. He had always thought this would make him happy, but the only thing he felt was all encompassing sadness.
Today, he caught up to the present. He stared at the file named “July 11th, 2025” on Jared’s computer. It was such a bland name compared to the others, which probably meant Jared just uploaded it and didn’t look at it again. Matt contemplated deleting it for a bit, but ultimately didn’t go through with it. The moment he stepped out of the room, Jared stepped in and locked the door.
Matt went downstairs and sat on the couch. He looked towards the piano, as if it would start playing on its own. He imagined Jay sitting there, playing a song for Matt. He turns and smiles, saying something he cannot hear. His hair has a perfect swoop, and is lined with greys. The vision is so real to Matt that he gets up to give him a hug. But there is no one there but the air. He sits back down, and goes back to wallowing in sadness. He’s not sure how much more he can stand.
The TV suddenly turns on by itself, scaring Matt a little. It’s on a channel of static. Matt tries to turn it off, but the button on the remote isn’t working. Batteries must be out. He moves to get them, when suddenly the TV starts making strange sounds. It sounds like electricity. He can faintly make something out in the static snow. It looks almost human. It’s getting clearer and clearer, and it starts moving out of the TV.
It’s Jay. He’s a ghost.
When he gets out, the static is dripping off him like water. He’s colorless, and Matt can see right through him. He has a glow to him, and he has no irises. He looks concerned when he sees Matt, who has barely slept and isn’t taking care of himself. In fact, this is probably just a hallucination. He’s been having those recently.
“Oh Matt…” Jay says. His voice has an echo to it, but it’s still the same voice Matt has known for years.
“You aren’t real! I refuse to believe this is real! Maybe my parachute also broke! This is just-“
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Luca says, coming back from a shopping trip. He nearly drops the groceries on the floor.
Oh.
“You better explain yourself! How long are you here for?! Are you gonna dissapear?! Are you in danger from ghost hunters?! What’s the afterlife like?! Is there a way to return you to your body? Can you touch stuff?”
“I’m here forever, I’m in no danger, it’s boring, no, and yes.” Jay says, demonstrating his point by picking up their copy of Banjo-Kazooie. “So, what’s our plan today?”
Matt doesn’t respond. He’s too busy reaching his hand out towards Jay. It passes through, just like he expected. Jay laughs a little.
“That tickles! Here, I’ll show you something.”
Jay closes his eyes, and starts gaining color. Soon, he’s back to his normal self. Except for his eyes, which are a strange silvery color. Matt reaches out again, and feels Jay’s blazer. Then he feels Jay’s hair, and it’s just like how Matt remembered it. They hug, but it’s not long before Jay loses his color again. He’s back to being incorporeal.
“Woah Bird. That was awesome! Do it again!”
“It has a cooldown. Anyway, do you have a plan or not?”
“Not right now. Let’s just hang out today.”
“Sure!”
Jay shows off some more of his ghost powers. He can fly and pass through objects, as is typical of ghosts. He can become a terrifying ghoul like in Beetlejuice, and his body reacts to his emotions. When he’s mad he starts becoming steamlike, and when he’s sad he starts to melt. He can even transform into anything he wants. He can’t emit ectoplasm. Matt wouldn’t want to clean that up anyway.
He can appear on camera, but he controls who sees him. So right now, only Matt, Jared and Luca can see him. Matt suddenly wonders how many ghosts exist in the world. How many exist in Toronto alone? He remembers back when he was a kid in the woods waiting for Jay to arrive. Sometimes he felt like he was being watched, or he’d feel a strange wind in his hair, or even a whisper in his ear. Were those ghosts? Or were they figments of his overactive imagination?
He keeps thinking about it as he plays Wind Waker. Jay’s sitting next to him, stroking his hair. Jay’s ghostly fingers feel cold on his scalp, but it’s a soothing kind of cold. It makes him feel like everything is alright in the world. He’s happy that his and Jay’s attempts at getting a show at the Rivoli can continue on after their deaths. A never ending chase for a prize. Forever and ever, until the end of the universe.
—
Even ghosts need sleep. Being undead doesn’t exclude you from getting tired. They get into their places, and Matt tries to fall asleep. But there’s been something bothering him that he didn’t think to ask.
“Why’d you come back? You could’ve just waited. It wouldn’t have been very long…”
Jay pokes his head through the mattress. He’s upside down, and Matt imagines him as Spider Man in the Sam Raimi movies.
“I don’t wanna give up our lives together. You mean so much to me.”
“You’re hiding something from me. For the last few years, you’ve been getting more and more annoyed with me. But it’s like you just flipped a switch!”
“Can’t a guy just want to live with-“
“Of course you can! I just wanna know why you’re like this!”
Jay takes a deep breath, or as much as a ghost can breathe. He looks like he’s processing something. After a bit, he finally speaks.
“I had a vision the other day. A life of fame and riches. Everyone in the world loved me. But you weren’t there, and I felt empty. I realized I never wanted that sort of life. I don’t need it. I have you and the band. You’re all I need in life.”
“Wow. Must have been one crazy dream or whatever.”
“It was. But this life is better than that one. Goodnight, Matt.”
“Goodnight, Ghostbird.”
“Matt!”
They both go to bed, and when they wake up in the morning, Matt explains his newest plan. Jay’s going to haunt the Rivoli, and Matt will pretend to be a ghost hunter. Then Jay will become corporeal, and they’ll have a show! Jay likes that idea a lot, and he even chimes in with some of his own.
They both leave the house, ready to spend the rest of eternity together.