STANDING UNDER THE fluorescent light is a little jarring. What the heck is happening?
There are two other people in here with me. A pretty Latina woman who is very shapely.
Oh my god, I remember her; her name is Adriana Flores, or Miss Flores, my grade school teacher. I remember the first time I saw her. I thought she was an angel.
The second person, I don’t recognize, but I know him; if that makes any sense. I think he lived in the same apartment building as me before the… Nope, I recognize him now:
When I was a kid, my little brother was on his bike, and a woman tried to pull him into her car. She didn’t belong in our neighbourhood. It was an expensive luxury car, and she was dressed too rich for our area.
This man saved my brother and pulled him away, and he was run over for his bravery. The street was full of people, and nobody did anything to help him. He succumbed to his injuries before the ambulance got there.
His name was Edward Whitten; I’d never forget his name. He didn’t get a funeral, but we scattered his ashes. The man had no one. My family saw him off from this life.
A door opens before them; we are on a fancy elevator. The two people get off into a plain white hall. Chatter emanates from down the way. Am I in an office building?
Just before the door closes, it opens again. A man enters, short white hair, pale skin. He’s wearing a suit. I can’t help but feel I know him. Neal McDonough. No, that’s not it.
He smiles and presses his button. Realization comes up in his eyes, and he points at me.
“How are you? It has been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah.” I reply, still not fully sure who he is.
“Don’t worry about that; you’ll remember…”
I SWALLOW. HE CAN READ MY MIND
“Kind of, more like your intentions; your will. It’s that one great gift you all have, you know. Free Will…”
I look down at my feet. I remember these shoes; they were my church shoes when I was a wee lad. My mom used to make me wear them. They are a lot bigger now.
The buzz of the lights and the movement of the elevator are the only noise other than the elevator music, which I believe is a Muzak version of Moonlight Sonata from Beethoven.
He is Death. It just came right up in my mind. I have met him before. He was there the day I was nuked and also the day I was born.
“Am I dead?” I ask.
He steps in front of me and turns his head to the side, squinting as he looks me up and down.
“Do you feel dead?” He asks.
“I don’t think so.” I reply.
“Well, there’s your answer, isn’t it?” He says, nodding his head.
“What is this place?”
He lets out a breath, like he is tired of telling this story.
“You know, inside, that this is a kind of waiting place you go to as you decide where you want to be.”
“I decide?” I ask.
“Free will, remember?”
I nod my head.
“He ate me.” I state.
“Yeah, I saw that. Gruesome. What are you going to do?”
I think about his question. Where are the authorities? Shouldn’t there be someone stopping the bad guys?
“Is anybody going to step in and do anything about it?”
He shakes his finger and lowers his head, pacing in the elevator as it climbs to I don’t know where.
He stops and looks me right in the eyes. There is an intense moment broken by his voice.
“No.”
“What do you mean, no?” I reply.
“A long time ago, we used to step in, but that made things worse. Good or bad, these are happenings that must be here for you to interact with. You decide how it goes. FREE WILL.”
I shake my head, ‘no.’
He nods his head, ‘yes.’
“What about murder victims?”
THE FACE OF DEATH
Death steps closer and brushes off my shoulder.
“Listen, I can see where this is going. I’m not going to debate with you. Everyone has their journey; this is yours. I’m not here to teach you the meaning of life or make you understand the complexities of existence. What I am going to say is that there is no true end. Kid, it just keeps going, in one form or another.”
He nods his head; I can see his mood change. He turns from me and readies himself as the elevator comes to a stop.
He is not looking at me.
“I love ya kid; I always have, since the day you were born. I miss ya when you’re gone. You’re going to do great. When in doubt, trust your heart.”
The doors open, and he steps off the elevator into another noisy white hall. Before I could react, the doors close, and we are moving again.
“Death loves me? He misses me when I’m gone?”
All of my moments are strange. I’m in the afterlife; kind of. I’m eaten, but I’m not dead. I am inside Monster's belly, but I’m not. What am I supposed to do with this?
Everybody says they want to live forever. It’s not as easy as that. You will be surprised by what you live through.
Everyone I knew in my life before is gone. I have a new family, and I am determined to figure this thing out and get back to them. How bad could it be? I have Death cheering me on.
Yes, I heard it too. He seemed nice; he seemed polite; he was still scary. I guess we all know him. I wonder if he looks the same for everybody, or do we all see him differently?
Focus Boogeyman. You have to figure this all out. You need to help your friends. I don’t want them to have to fight Monster alone.
I look at the elevator buttons. One in particular demands my attention. There is a pyramid shape on it, and it reads: ‘Temple.’ What does that mean?
Well, it’s too late; the elevator door is sliding open. This time I can see a hall leading to glass doors; they seem to lead outside to grass and trees. Is this the way out? I guess I’m going to find out because I’m already outside and the doors are closing behind me.
I wonder what temple that button would have taken me to?