Minstrel of the Mist — Stephen R. Pell

Minstrel of the Mist
Many people believe in an afterlife of some kind. Some other dimension or plane of existence where our souls go once certain spiritual lessons are learned here in this life. Some don't, of course, believe any of that and who could blame them? It is hard to prove something exists that cannot be measured in the material dimension. You can't weigh a soul. And except for cases of Near-Death Experiences, it's a one-way trip.
But what if there were a way, very limited, under very specific guidelines, for a soul who has moved on from this world to return? What would be the criteria, what would be the motivation for a soul to undertake such a difficult, almost regurgitave, task? For starters, how about a ticket to heaven? Being stuck between heaven and earth is the last place any soul would want to be, but there are a lot of souls there just the same. For one famous composer and long-time resident, this moment in time presents a rare chance to punch that ticket.
Travis Hazzard is a singer/songwriter who has been playing the "Holiday Inn" circuit for about twenty years. He is talented, gifted, but he lacks ambition and has never really thought ahead all that much. He is not big on religion or politics and tries to ignore current events. He saves most of his money these days. He used to party most of it away. But he outgrew (lived through) that phase of the music world and now simply enjoys creating and playing music. He has a serious health problem, of which he is unaware, and is currently content coasting along the path of least resistance. Or, at least, until now. His life is about to get eventful.
Events have a way of changing a person's perspective and even direction. Life's ups and downs can also throw in a few curves here and there. It's gonna be a while before Travis can figure out if he is the luckiest or unluckiest guy alive. If he lives, that is.