Elysium Chapter 2

Maeve uses a digital afterlife service provider; 'Elysium'. This follows her journey.

2

          Maeve was led down a long white hall as the Elysium woman prodded and swiped at her tablet. There was something odd about the place; something Maeve couldn't quite put her finger on. The corridor, like the room she was just in, was a brilliant white. It dawned on her she was now wearing her favourite outfit; skinny jeans, ( a fad she, as a millennial, had never quite grown out of.) a plain pastel T-shirt and a grey zip up hoodie jacket —a gift from Juno— that, in her mind, rivalled any diamond or jewel. A hoodie could keep you warm.

          Since she was in her usual outfit she wondered what other 'usual' things might have also made the journey with her. To her delight she fished out her phone, keys and purse. Instinctively she unlocked her phone. 100% battery. I must be in heaven. She thought. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen her phone's battery that full, off of life support. No bars, though. The top of the screen read : 'EMERGENCY CALLS ONLY.' .

          "Looking for signal?" Asked the tall woman leading the way.

          Maeve dropped her phone to her side with the speed of a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

          "You won't need it here, you know," The woman continued. "It's policy to allow the deceased their personal effects and let me tell you, without fail, that's what you guys always do; check your phone but you're in Elysium now. If you want to talk to someone you just do it. No here or there, just the hereafter." She chuckled a little.

          Maeve saw the truth in what she was saying but to be honest she felt like she would miss the texts, calls and messages. Maeve shoved her earthly baggage back in her pockets and plucked up the nerve to ask some more questions. "Who are you then?... or what are you?"

          The woman shot Maeve a mischievous look over her tablet. "Rude... I'm most certainly not a 'what'. My name is Sharon... get it?" The last words was asked as one would when telling a bad joke.

          Maeve's expression told her the joke wasn't landing.

          "Didn't you ever read Greek myths as a kid? Sharon... Charon? The ferryman or ferrywoman in mycase I suppose."

          "Oh," Maeve replied " I didn't know the ferryman had a name.".

          "People often don't; I suppose they're more interested in Orpheus and his riveting lute escapades."

          Maeve pondered this for a moment as the two continued walking down the seemingly endless corridor the next question came to mind. "Why are we walking down this corridor?"

          "Oh that's a much better question...It's heaven right? Why don't we just...," She snapped her fingers "...there?"

          Maeve nodded.

          "It's a transition, I mean look who I'm talking to." Sharon motioned to Maeve's trans flag pin. "You know a thing or two about transitions but basically; full spiritual afterlife, the fulfilment of absolutely anything and everything one could ever desire takes a bit of getting used to. If you got it all at once your head would..." Sharon made a pop sound with her mouth.

          Maeve wasn't sure how she felt about the verbal substitution quirk of Sharon's.

          "So we're walking, Maeve. It's like a warm up for the rest of your life... that is to say, your afterlife."

          "And where are we going?"

          "Oh that's an even better question. I'm surprised you didn't ask that first. Well, you still have your house keys right?"

          Maeve pulled them out of her pocket and gave a nod as she held them up.

          "Well, they wouldn't be much use without your house, would it? Not much further now...".

          Maeve, having most of her more pressing questions answered, decided to broach the odd feeling she had been experiencing since she had entered the corridor. "Why does it seem so strange here?"

          Sharon gave her a knowing smile. "...Not figured it out yet, huh? Shall I give you a clue?"

          Maeve was a little annoyed with her guide —whose afterlife was it anyways?— but she relented, giving another nod.

          "Two walls, a floor and a ceiling," She pointed as she listed everything around them "but there's something missing... something that can't be..."

          Maeve looked around. Sharon was right; two walls, a floor, a ceiling, all brilliantly white but something was missing. Something obvious, she thought to herself. After a minute she gave up and begged Sharon just to tell her.

          With a smile, Sharon stopped and spun round to face Maeve and simply pointed at the ceiling. " No lights... Don't need 'em, you'll always be able to see what you want to see here."

          Sharon clicked her fingers and Maeve found herself sitting on the couch back at home in her and Juno's tiny bedsit. The couch was enveloped in the granny square blanket she had made two years ago. '112 Rock and Roll's greatest hits' floating across the room from her record player. The light streaming in from the window told her it was a nice day. She would have been completely content if only Juno were here. A moment passed as it dawned on her that Sharon was no longer there. She was on her own. She couldn't help but consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe she had imagined everything with Elysium. The longer she sat there the more that became the prevailing theory in her mind.

          She pulled her phone out of her pocket. 'No bars'. Then again, it was a basement flat; when were there any bars? She made her way to the door to get some signal outside, to call Juno. She opened the door to the impossible, sending her theory about 'dreaming the whole thing' crashing to the ground; Instead of the outside world, there stood Sharon and the never ending white hallway.

          "So, What do you think?" Sharon beamed at Maeve.

          Maeve simply stood frozen and speechless.

          "We really tried our best to make it the same... like the genuine article. Good huh?"

          Maeve, again, was speechless, wondering if she had made the right decision going with Elysium as her afterlife service provider.

          "This is for you..." Sharon handed over the tablet. Open on the screen was an Ebook that simply read:

          'So you're dead - Your guide to the hereafter.'

          "Everything you need to know is in there and if you need anything just give me a call."

          "How do I do that? My phone doesn't work."

          Sharon laughed. "No silly, I mean, literally call me. A good hearty 'SHARON' and I'll be here in a jif, okay?"

          Maeve looked down at the tablet once more. "Okay... I ..." She stopped mid sentence as she looked up to the back alley outside of her flat; no never ending hallway, no Sharon. Just a gentle summer breeze and the weeds she refused to pick.




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Elysium Chapter 1  (13+) Maeve uses a digital afterlife service provider; 'Elysium'. This follows her journey. #2339888 by M

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Elysium Chapter 3  (13+) Maeve uses a digital afterlife service provider; 'Elysium'. This follows her journey. #2339911 by M