The Gate of the Dead

She sits at the Gate of the Dead, and she guards it so the unready will not slip through. She meets lost souls needing confirmation they have passed. They stand in line to greet her at her desk, where she hands out a special letter in an envelope. This letter has the ghost’s name on it. When they have taken the letter, they step out of the line and the next ghost arrives. They do not open the letter until they are ready to learn that they are dead, whereupon they must cease their wanderings in the land of the living.

She writes the letters for each soul herself, owing each the consideration once shown to her long long ago, when she had become a lost soul. Inside the envelope , magic words are written on the page, words that trigger memories, causing the lost soul to remember the moment of death. It is a visceral reality they must undergo to enter the realm of peace, a delicate and emotional trial. That is why, she advises each - they must be careful not to push themselves too soon - and to mark this suggestion, she wraps each envelope in a red ribbon, so it cannot be opened without determination.