Grave’s End: A Pretty Convincing Ghost Story. Almost.

The following post includes commentary on and possible spoilers for Grave’s End: A True Ghost Story, by Elaine Mercado, R.N.

I’ll admit it. I kind of liked this book. A lot more than I thought I would.

Grave’s End started with two strikes against it in my opinion. One: It’s a “true” ghost story, and I didn’t believe that even as far as I could throw it. Oh, you’ve got a story about a ghost sighting or an angel or something? You don’t say. Hmm. I’m sure you won’t follow up with a retelling riddled with unsubstantiated claims and attention-seeking language. (Okay, not ALL of them sound like this, and I’ll admit I hear this kind of thing mostly from middle schoolers.) Surprising to me at least, was that Elaine Mercado was able to keep such language to a minimum, in spite of the kind of book she was writing. Which brings me to that other strike. Two: It's a memoir. Those aren’t usually written very well. They're packed with filters such as “I thought,” “I felt,” and “I heard.” They overuse “started to” and “began.” They wander off on autobiographical tangents that aren’t pertinent to the central story. And this memoir does all of those things. (How much do I really need to know about Mercado’s nursing school experience? Almost nothing. Ditto marital woes.) But, assignment or no, once I got going on this book I was going to read it through to the end.

Somewhere in the pages of Grave’s End my suspension of disbelief morphed into something like incredulous belief, and I admit to uncertainty. Mercado tells her story in a non-self-aggrandizing, believable fashion. She inspires my trust. Consequently I have to believe that she experienced what she says she experienced, and I don’t have a skeptic’s explanation. But over here, back in the real world I live in, I still don’t believe in ghosts. That doesn’t make sense to compartmentalize belief like that, but I’ll work on it and try to make myself more open to the idea. A spooky night at Gettysburg might be just the ticket—stay tuned.

Mercado addresses, although casually, one of my problems with belief in ghosts which is that ghosts always seem to be people. Mercado’s medium, however, indicates that two dogs were also present in her vortex and went to the light. But we kill animals all the time. Not just the ones we eat and the bugs we step on, but what about the incalculable number of microorganisms that kick the bucket while living on my person? Do they have little microspirits that have to find the light too? And if they don’t, do their little souls wander aimlessly looking for the way out of limbo? Am I being haunted by tragic little dead things, and I don’t even know it?

[Pauses to wash face with baby shampoo, washing away the spirits of long-gone eyelash mites.]

My point is, things die all the time. If there are ghosts, why aren’t there just shitloads of them? Everywhere. All the time.

But Elaine Mercado didn’t write a dissertation on the existence of the paranormal. She just wrote her story, and delivered it to the best of her ability. And it made a pretty good story. Maybe it would even make a compelling movie. Wait—wait a minute.

[click click tappity tap tap tap]

Look atwhat I found.

Oh. It was on a reality TV show.

Okay, I don’t believe her so much anymore.

Ah well, belief was fun while it lasted.

Mercado, Elaine. Grave's End: A True Ghost Story. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2001. Print.