Classification: Prose
Theme: Death
Synopsis: Is everything worth a lifetime or regret after passing? Every moment mattered despite the uncertainty.
“Time of death, 11:49.”
Something was wrong because there was. They stated my time wrong. I already departed from my body an hour ago. “Looks shitty to me,” I muttered to my friend beside me as we both watched intently. The doctor felt devastated as if he was about to say “Another one down, more to go”. The doctors sighed and called someone on the phone. My family perhaps. Then it clicked in my mind that I was already dead. Got out of my stance and rushed towards my body, hoping to go back. I forced myself to reconnect with my body, but it was no use. It was impossible.
“What already happened, can’t be brought back, pal.” I faced him, the guardian that came to get me. My brows furrowed, expressing both disgust and disbelief. This was just unbelievable. How could this be? Did I waste all of my chances? Sweat rolled down from my forehead. It wasn’t humid nor burning in here. A few seconds later I heard a loud whimper. My eyes roamed around and saw that it came from the doctor’s phone. Why did I feel clueless? Or out of my mind. I ran towards the doctor and listened to the phone call as close as I could get. He looked like he suddenly felt having chills, so I backed off a bit. Gazing back at my guardian, they didn’t seem bothered by my acts, as if it was all expected. Maybe they were used to these types of scenarios.
“Doc., can’t he be brought back? Or revive him? Please...” Hearing my wife’s voice broke me, especially when she wailed. She continued to cry until the doctor sighed.
“I’m really sorry for your loss ma’am, we’re truly devastated to inform you about this.”
A sudden rush of anger lingered through my body. You couldn't be addressing my death as ‘this’, especially when she was not here to see. I kept on tapping the doctor hard on his back. Whether he felt the chills or not, I didn’t care anymore. Since my behaviors were exhausting, my consciousness dropped to the ground, a symptom of tiredness. This wasn't going to work; they needed me. The doctors wiped their eyes because of tears or sweat? I couldn’t care less and tried to enter my body. Again. I basically had no clue on how it was done. Nor if it was possible. The heart rate monitor didn’t change, still a thin line. I tried to calm myself until–
“No, no, you can’t. I already told you, didn’t I? Don’t let your hard-headedness interfere with what’s already done.”
This can’t be, this can’t–
“If you won’t listen to me then nothing will happen to you. Do you want to be like a lost puppy?” How did he know about that? And why did I feel so childish earlier? I still didn’t want to believe this. “Come with me, time’s running,” he stated as if he was being chased.
I looked back and he was already looking at the clock. “But I didn’t get to see her yet...”
“You’ll be seeing her and your children every day, I promise. Now come with me. Your place is ready.” I got up devastated. “You lived a wonderful life with the one you love, so there will be no problems anymore.” We both walked out and he brought me to a bright door.
The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the identical house I had saved up for. The furniture was all identical and exquisite. I grumbled as I stood up like I normally do. When was the last time I did something? My guardian sat in the living room, looking as if he had been waiting for a long time.
“Let’s talk about the ‘promise’ shall we?”
I gave an anticipatory nod. I was looking forward to feeling them once more. I couldn't get enough of those hilarious episodes. “So, the promise will be something like having everybody here as a hologram, and if the time runs out, then they’ll disappear.”
“When will be the end of it then?”
“The time before you got to the hospital, until your pass.”
My shoulders dropped at that thought. They were too young and it won’t last long. “The time will start when they’re still little. So, what do you think?” He talked as if we were dealing with something business-related. This wasn’t something that would cost me a lifetime so why talk about it in a simple statement?
“Don’t forget that a year in here only lasts for a couple of minutes.” My limbs felt like they wanted to detach from my body. “But isn’t that too short?”
“Everything won’t happen in a flash, reminisce,” I sighed and continued to agree. In just a simple snap, everything went back to normal. He disappeared but my family suddenly appeared. No seconds were wasted in every moment. I slept with my wife every night like how I used to. Bought my kids everything they want. Most of all, I treated everybody near me with all I could. They saw me as a cold person, but that was just what I showed them. After all, everything was just an imaginary view.
The next morning, I woke up to see everybody was gone.
“I see you’re awake already.” My mood changed abruptly, like if I had seen the person I despise the most. I proceeded on my way to the kitchen, ignoring his comments. After eating my meal, I decided to strike up a conversation with him.
…
After a few days, I had a good understanding of my surroundings. They stated that once you got to heaven, your entire home would be gold, but this turned out to be a hoax. The environment would be tailored to your preferences. Not only as a personal choice but also to keep those memories alive. There was also some kind of device that let me see what everybody was up to. In other terms, I could monitor each and every one. I always got mails that were in a form of prayers from my family below. Not only as prayers but how they do in a day.
Living alone always felt lonely, but thank God for my guardian was here. It felt really boring so I talked to my guardian about some things about me.
“Why do I feel as if everything I accomplished while alive was a mistake? Do you consider I spent my time wisely?” Now, this was the question I’d always wanted to ask but didn’t manage to.
“There is no such thing as being correct; every one of us spends our time in a unique way. There's no reason to be concerned about all the mistakes. Above all, there's nothing to be sorry for or guilty about. Even if you've done horrible things, the goodwill always outweighs the bad. If there's one thing you'll regret, it'll be allowing yourself to follow the lead of others.”
I realized that not everyone was supposed to endure a lifetime after that day. We left behind some things, the most significant of which was ourselves. Even when we departed, He was the only one who would remain. People would remember your principles and preserved them in their hearts.
Published by: April Despi
Date published: November 29, 2021
Time published: 4:42 pm
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