The Last Spirit Guide

We all know that the arrival of a new life is a solemn and complicated affair. The slightest mistake can prevent the child from entering this world. But few people know that a life departing is just as complicated. The smallest oversight can keep the dead from moving on.

Birth and death are both gates to another world, and each has its own trials. Midwives once helped people through the trials of birth; now doctors do. Those who help people through the trials of death are called spirit guides. But as the times have changed, this profession has nearly died out.

My family has served as spirit guides for generations, passing the trade down from one generation to the next. But by the time my grandfather took over, the line nearly ended.

First, society changed too quickly. The impact of new culture and new ideas made people feel that hiring a spirit guide was optional. Some even believe that when a person dies, everything simply goes dark and nothing remains.