Sean Brodie's Response to Jim's Story "Greta"

Jim's story "Greta" is about a young man named John, who got into a car accident, and was taken to the hospital. He has a near-death experience, where he is outside his room, and meets a nurse named Greta. She comforts him and tries to tell him it is not his time yet, that he needs to go into the room behind him. His parents walk into the room looking fatigue and worried. Greta walks into the room to check to see if he is well, she walks back out to tell John that he is doing well. John has a flashback from the time he had the car accident and found no one riding with him in the passenger seat. A faint voice tells him to wake up a few times. John regains consciousness and sees his mother happy that he is doing well. A few days later, he sees a nurse that resembled Greta, but it wasn't her. He tells the nurse about his dream, the nurse reveals that Greta was her sister and reveals that he isn't the only one who had a experience with the other side.

I really like how this story was told. I maybe born in 1985 and 25 years old, but I have heard the name of a "Candy Stripper" before. I like how he used that to describe Greta. The way Jim revealed that John was having a near death experience was very compelling. "The corridor was busy and often nurses or visitors would pass the young man slumped over on a bench in the hall next to room 224. But no one seemed to notice him. He looked so much like the unconscious patient in the room behind him, that he could easily be his twin brother." "Suddenly it was not Greta’s voice. It was his Mother’s, and he was lying in the bed. She was squeezing his hand and saying, “John. ... Wake up… wake up.”
He opened his eyes and saw her smiling down at him. Her hands were warm.
“You’re back!” she said with tears in her eyes. “You’re back.” That was a very interesting twist, yet he makes another twist about Greta for the fact that she is a ghost, someone who died mysteriously before. It makes me wonder how did she die prior to John's accident. I like how Greta's sister also had experiences with her sister and when John describers his experience to her. It adds the more realism to the characters. "“Greta was my sister, but she’s gone now… did you know her?” she asked, as she walked back to him.

“Well… No, not really but…”

He described to her his dream about meeting Greta in the hall, and the conversation they had. She pulled out a picture and handed it to him. It was old and worn from being handled a lot."

"“She used to work here.” She said.

“I believe she still does.” He added.

“I know,” she said, “You are not the first one to see her in the hall.”"