Vision Of One (chapter one)

PURGATORY


It is most certainly the final days,
a thought, followed by another: was there anything else I should have really set out to accomplish?
Perhaps there was an alternate timeline, where I somehow made a series of decisions, that would prevent the end of the world.
It's a fleeting thought as I'm brought back into the moment. Before my eyes, I see nothing but a fiery empire dancing on the rubble of what once was, of what could have been.
I remain calm as a thought comes to mind, It will be alright, none of that matters anymore. It's far too late to go back to that time now. I take a seat on the ground, close my eyes, take one deep breath, before...

Silence.

I blink a few times to test if my eyes are really open or not. They are, it's just that there is no longer anything in sight! It's empty, it feels empty, there's absolutely no sound...
Yet, I can't hear the pulsing of my veins, or the beating of my heart.
This is very strange, nothing of this sort has ever happened before. I finally muster the courage to look down at the rest of myself and I immediately notice a bright and shining light that is radiating off of my... Robe?
When did I put on a robe? and a bright, shiny gold robe at that!
Wait a second, I can’t seem to recall my name. What is going on here? The more I search my mind, I have no recollection of memories. I can’t remember who I am!
I quickly shift my focus to my surroundings, which is nothing but illuminated emptiness. I hear the quietest whirring noise in the distance.
I believe that the sound is coming my way. The noise is barely getting louder as I see a small, shiny, floating dot. When it finally reaches me, I realize that it’s not a dot, but in fact, a lustrous golden orb. It’s just hovering in midair. I nearly jump when it speaks,


“Greetings and welcome to the beginning of the afterlife.”

“Excuse me, are you trying to say that I’m dead!?”

“Indeed you are. May I please have your name?”

“I’m terribly sorry, I seemed to have forgotten everything about my past. Including my name.”

“Oh my, that is unfortunate.”

I change the subject. It’s starting to feel like an interview, except I’m asking all the questions. “Who are you?”

“I am the guide. I greet those that are deceased and assist them to their proper afterlife.”

“How did you get here?”

“I was created by my master, a very long time ago.”

“Who is your master?”

“The one who creates dimensions.”

It seems there’s a deity or some higher intelligence after all. Interdimensional beings, extraterrestrials, shapeshifting snakes? No… No need to get carried away yet.
The orb changes the subject,

“For the next stage, I am required to ask if you have a religion or belief system that you practice.”

“I can’t tell if I had a faith. I don’t feel as though I did, nor do I see myself buying into man-made doctrines. ”

“It isn’t an issue. The goal is to determine which form of eternity will best be suitable for you.”

“If I don’t know my own religion, is it possible to visit some possible afterlives? I could make a better decision that way.”

“I don’t see why not. Please be advised though: I will guide you between this place and the afterlives, but I am forbidden to get involved in any other way. As such, I may not be able to give you certain answers. It is part of my programming, ensuring aspects of my data banks will not be compromised.”

“I understand.”

With a brilliant bright light, of a color that I have never fathomed before, the orb seems to be charging up before suddenly zapping me. I begin to feel myself bend and contort, yet it isn’t painful in the least. Within seconds, I am taken out of this purgatory.



TO BE CONTINUED (Chapter Two coming 4/16/2017)