Healing the Split

Healing the Split

Essays

The Ghost We Keep Feeding.

The ghost wasn't in the house. It was in the way she lived.

Dr. Shiv Kumar Goel, MD's avatar
Dr. Shiv Kumar Goel, MD
Oct 26, 2026
Antique clock with motion blur effect on right side
Photo by Haberdoedas on Unsplash

At 5:12 on a Tuesday in late October, Nora Castillo had the rice on. The chicken was resting under foil, and three plates were warming in an oven that didn’t need to be on.

Next door, the Aguilar boys were taping plastic ghosts to their front window. One was upside down. The smaller boy kept pressing its face to the glass …

Subscribe for free to continue reading

Enter your email and get every post from Healing the Split.
Already have an account? Sign in
© 2026 Dr Shiv Kumar Goel · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture