Ghosts

(Signs of the Times is a work of fiction based on true events. Views expressed are the characters’ own. Viewer discretion is advised.)

They say the Ghost of Kyiv is fake. But how can a ghost be fake? It is both real and unreal. It straddles this world and a world forgotten and inaccessible to us.

My buddies pass it off as the best propaganda. It is symbolism, they say. It is the embodiment of the people, they say. But why is the ghost the figurehead of a military?

There are some people, some cultures, some traditions that say ghosts harm those who have done harm to it. That a ghost is upset, angry, grieving, and raging to find some retribution for a wrong.

Is the Ghost of Kyiv not fitting then? Unresolved and raving mad in the hearts of Ukrainian fighters? Does the ghost not fit in the bomb-pond-sized hole in the Ukrainian’s heart?

There is a home for some ghosts. Until they are satisfied.

I just wonder what happens after.

What fills the hole, then?