Chapter 2- Judgement
1290 Words
The first thing that I remember was the smell. Bacon. Odd that the afterlife would smell like bacon. Men must love it, I thought. The next thing that came was light. At first, it seemed to be far off in the distance. Sort of like peering at it through a tunnel. Then, as if in fast-forward mode, it started coming towards me getting bigger and bigger. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was reminded of those sayings about going towards the light. At least they got something right. That, was one of the last times I would ever think that about the afterlife.
As the light finally engulfed me, I was made aware again of the strangers hand gripping my arm. We emerged upon a pristinely white room. The woman tugged me along the corridor, her heels making a fast click click click noise as they struck the white tiled floor. "Come on! Come on! We need to get there before-"
GONG.
GONG.
GONG.
She groans and pulls on me faster. We round the corner and start down another all white corridor, this one ending with a single desk setting in front of a door. The man sitting there looked up as we approached. He lifts his arm and checks the watch on his wrist. Clucking his tongue, and in a rather nasally voice he says, "You're more than twenty minutes late with this one, Abigail." Abigail... that must be the woman's name. "You know how he feels about late comers."
"Oh shove it, Perkins. Just get her processed already."
The mousy looking man gave a harrumph and held out his hand. He cleared his throat and looked at me expectantly. "Umm...." Not knowing what to do I grabbed his offered hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you." He scowled at me and extracted his hand from my grip. I look at Abigail, who is grinning at me and holding back laughter as the Perkins guy starts muttering about germs and is wiping his hands with what look like sanitizer wipes. Abigail finally clues me into the fact that he had been holding out his hand for the black card that she had given me earlier. Apologizing I quickly hand over the card.
Perkins places the card on top of some sort of metallic platform that seems to be attached to the computer screen on his desk. Nothing happens for a moment, then the computer gives a low beep. The little man's forehead furrows and he narrows his eyes at the screen. "That's strange," he says, and picks up the card. He checks it over and then places it back on the platform. Again, the computer gives another low beep. Perkins scowls at it, and repeats the process of placing the card back on the platform. He does this another three times. Each time the creases grow on his forehead as he scowls harder, and Abigail crosses her arms and begins to tap her foot in irritation.
"What's going on?" Yup, she's definitely irritated.
Perkins who is starting to get a bit red in the face, says, "I have no idea! I've never had the system not be able to find someone before." He places the card one last time on the platform and looks at the computer anxiously. Just as I finally get up the courage to ask what it would mean if I'm not in the system- please not hell, please not hell, please not hell- the computer gives a ding like a bell. Both Abigail and Perkins seemed to give a sigh of relief. Which I took to mean I could also do so. Thank goodness because I DO NOT do well in the heat and going to hell would be- well hell.
"Hmm let's see," Perkins squints at the screen, "Magdaline D. Haynes, age 30, cause of death... aneurysm. No living immediate relatives. Dress size 18, bra size-"
"WHAT!? Why in the horny toadstools is THAT information on there?"
For a small man who is in fact sitting, Perkins has an uncanny ability to still look down his nose at me. "For uniform purposes, of course." Uniform? What Uniform? "Now might I continue?"
"Ease off, Prissy darling, the woman was only asking a question."
"Do not call me that!" Priss- I mean Perkins' face was nearly purple by this time. I couldn't help it, I laughed. The little man gave an enraged squawk and disappeared, literally. My jaw dropped, "What? Where'd he go?!" I said turning in circles trying to see where he might have gone.
Abigail sighed dramatically, "Don't mind little Prissy Perkins, darling. I've known him for over a century and he never could quite take a joke." She walked around the desk and leaned over to peer at the screen. "Hmm well your karma count does appear to be drastically low, perhaps that's why the network didn't register you immediately."
"Okay.. is that bad?"
She glanced at me, "Well it's not exactly good per say. However it's not exactly a terrible thing either. What do you know about karma?"
"Umm not much I guess. Isn't there like good and bad or something?"
"Yes there is both good and bad. How much you get of either will determine what happens in your afterlife. For example a person who has an abundance of bad karma is deemed too much of a danger and is not allowed reincarnation. Those with enough bad karma can even be imprisoned in the afterlife in a place that humans have come to call hell." She typed something into the computer and continued her explanation, "Those who have good karma can, of course, reincarnate. However, there is a certain level requirement for that. If you do not have that level requirement you will be assigned a specific job where you can work to build up your karma and then reincarnate later."
"So that's it?" I ask. "Just build karma, reincarnate, die, and start the whole process over again?"
Abigail chuckled at me, "For a lot of people that would be enough, Dearie. However, there are also those few, like those with bad karma, can build up massive amounts of good karma as well."
"And what happens to those?" I asked curiously.
She smiled, "Those individuals of course still have the option of reincarnating if they choose. They also have the choice of becoming a Celestial."
"A Celestial? Is that like an angel?"
"That is the name that Christianity gave to them, yes"
"Wow..."
She chuckled at me again, then gave me a sly look, "In fact, you'll be meeting one of them soon."
"Me?!" I squeaked turning red, "Why would I be meeting a Celestial? I'm a nobody!"
"Tsk, tsk, Darling, don't speak of yourself that way! Besides, you have to get your job assignment directly from Cassius mainly because he prefers to evaluate all newcomers in person to get a feel for where they would fit the best." She straightened from the computer. "Speaking of which," She hands me back my card, "we need to get you settled in a bit before you go and meet the big boss man."
"Uhhhh.... settled?"
"Of course, Darling!" She walked to the door and motioned for me to join her, "Don't forget the number on your card you'll need it."
"The 66887? I thought it was for processing?"
"Oh well yes it is but it's also," She paused dramatically, "Your room number. The card also acts as your room key... among other things"
She opened the door said, "Follow me," and walked through. It seemed as though she had been swallowed up by white light. Taking a deep breath, I squeezed my eyes shut, and stepped forward.
Here we go!
- Writer
