The dark water licked the sides of the small ship harshly, sending splashes of cold water on deck where Spencer’s dog, Chio, barked at the third presence that appeared on deck. The ghostly figure’s stark white-blue coloring contrasted with the endless grey sky. The day was surprisingly clear of black clouds and rain showers.

Chio, a thin brown Labrador Retriever, continued to bark for his master to come see the arrival of yet another ghost. The ghost was obviously male, and had been wearing a white lab coat upon his death. He looked at Chio with an annoyed glare, crossing his arms and pushing his translucent glasses up the bridge of his nose. The ghost looked over to the doorway that led down a flight of stairs to the lower story of the ship, where a young, serious looking man stood. Chio pounced over to him, receiving a gentle pat on the head.

“This is your ship?” the ghost asked.

“I’m the only one able to captain it, so yes.”

The ghost drifted toward him, but Spencer didn’t back away or even flinch. He was used to this.

“How did you know of what would come in 2012?” the ghost inquired, circling Spencer with an observant look.

“I didn’t know, I guessed. I read a lot of history, and I studied prophecies. It’s not a matter of knowing; it’s believing beyond your minute understanding.”

The apparition stopped suddenly before him and Spencer finally got to see this one up close. The ghost of a man had thinning hair combed to one side and wrinkles streaked around his lips and eyes. The crooked name tag clipped to his coat lapel read Dr. John A. Winston, PhD, and below that Institute of Human Concerns. When Spencer saw this, he nearly laughed. This was the man that had convinced the world that all of the prophecies about 2012 were false. This was the man who’d murdered billions of people.

“You think this is what was prophesized? You think a landless earth is what the Mayans and Nostradamus predicted?” The scientist scoffed and Spencer’s eyes narrowed.

“And you, a scientist responsible for countless deaths, still think that because you have knowledge of some things, you know everything. Who are you to rule out prophecies? Who are you to rule out belief? You’ve already proven yourself wrong,” Spencer claimed, indicating Dr. Winston’s current form. The ghostly scientist peered down at himself. His eyes took on a distant, faraway look as he raised his head slowly, turning his face to the ocean where the water was littered with the spirits of billions of people, crying restlessly through the abyss.

“It seems that I have,” he said, and faded away.