Greetings from the beyond. Don’t worry no jump scares. Just stories, memories, and a few confessions I can safely make now that I’m… unavailable for questioning.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering how you ended up here. Think of me as that tiny kernel of popcorn that wedges itself between your teeth and refuses to leave. Persistent. Annoying. Impossible to ignore. That’s me. And now you’re stuck with me for a few more pages if you choose to.

Truth is, there were things I never said — things I meant to say, things I should’ve said, and things I was too stubborn, too proud, or too distracted to say. Time has a funny way of sprinting ahead while you’re still sittin on your ass. As I’ve inched a little closer, day by day, to meet my Maker, I felt this tug, a holy nudge, really, to gather the pieces of my life and lay them out honestly.

This is dedicated to all of you who walked beside me, put up with me, forgave me, or survived me. You’re stitched into every memory, whether you like it or not. And somewhere along the way, I realized it might be an interesting, if not mildly terrifying, exercise to look back and ask:

Who really was William J. Fennel?
The good, the bad, and the downright ugly.