Alfred looked around. He remembered the car hitting him, but then, nothing much.
But now, he was in a rather strange location. It reminded him of some sort of jungle.
It puzzled him. On the plus side, it wasn't all fire and brimstone, like what Hell would be, yet at the same time, it wasn't like there were angels sitting on clouds singing hymns. Of course, that might have also have been a bit of a blessing, as Alfred knew that he wasn't the most religious of people, and felt that an eternity of such music might actually be worse than Hell itself. Still, he wondered where he was.
That was when he saw the tiger. He could see that the tiger was looking at him. He gulped as he watched it. Having worked at a zoo, he knew about the power of such creatures. He wasn't exactly sure, but it looked looked like a Bengal Tiger. More importantly, the pattern of the stripes seemed eerily familiar.
The tiger began to walk up to him.
Alfred knew that the best thing he needed was some sort of weapon, and being in a forest, with plenty of trees, there was always improvised clubs and spears to be had, especially since he saw a decent sized branch. Grabbing it, he ripped it off the tree, and thrust the one end towards the tiger. On that particular end was what looked like a bunch of mangos. It would have been funny, actually, if not for the fact that he was focused on protecting himself.
The tiger stopped, and laid down. "Don't you recognize me, Alfred?" it asked, in a female-sounding voice.
Alfred blinked. "You talk?"
The tiger chuckled. "Of course I do. Don't you talk?"
"How?" Alfred asked.
"It's the Afterlife," the tiger said. "Allows for Communication, among other things."
"How do you know my name?" Alfred asked.
"Two years ago, remember," the tiger said. "You worked at the zoo I resided at. I was sick. You spent a lot of nights at the place, trying to help the veterinarians help me try to get better. Didn't work, obviously, but I remember you, sitting by me, reading one of those books."
Recognition came to Alfred. "Sasha?"
The tiger got up. "You remember now?"
Alfred nodded. "Um, what happens now?"
Sasha chuckled. "Well, if you're hungry, I could help you to split open those mangos. Virtuous Prey seem to enjoy them."
"Virtuous Prey?" Alfred asked.
"Predators have to eat too," said Sasha. "Got to eat Prey."
"Um, is this Heaven or Hell?" Alfred asked.
"Both, or Neither," said Sasha. "I'm not sure. You have the Virtuous, who have lived a Good life, and you have the Condemned, who didn't. I hope that you lived a Good life. You smell like one who did."
"Well, I know I wasn't Perfect, but I think that I was mostly good," said Alfred.
"There is a few simple tests that you could do to figure out if you're Virtuous, or Condemned," Sasha said, as she came up to him, and knocked a mango off of the branch. She then split the rind, pulled it off of some of the fruit's flesh, and passed the rest to him. "If you're Virtuous, it tastes like one of the best mangos you've ever eaten. If you're Condemned, apparently, it tastes like plain tofu."
Alfred picked it up. "Well, I've had mangos, and I've had tofu, so I know the difference." He took a bite of the flesh, and his eyes widened. "This is better than any mango I've ever had!"
Sasha chuckled. "I'm glad I was right about you."
"So, what happens now?" Alfred asked.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author