Young Writers Society

Death is an interesting thing. Selise was only sixteen and seven months when her body was found in the sewer tunnels beneath the bridge. It was blocked for almost nine days; the area being searched over and over until the police were certain they were getting no where. Of course, they never told the people that. They never told them anything. Eventually the investigation was dropped, and the family and friends were left to mourn over her unknown death, thinking up the worst: rape and murder. Poor little Selise. Being dragged to her death, screaming for help without anyone to hear her. Nobody ever stopped to wonder if it had been suicide.

There are many things that are supposed to happen after you die. There's heaven, and there's hell. There's nothing, and then there's something-everything. Ghosts. Lost spirits. Remaining souls. Angels, even. I'm not really sure what to call myself. I'm just passing through. An observer. "Lana." I look over my shoulder. Jamie is standing there, looking ever so impatient.

"Yeah?" Her dark blue eyes flash.

"Do you want to come and meet her?"

"What, now?" Jamie rolls her eyes.

"Yes, and hurry. Someone else might want her." She turns and walks off, pushing through some other people. I glance back out, watching the sky for another moment, then hurriedly catch up.

The girl is standing there, unsure. She's tall and slender. Her eyes are the color of apricot. She's rather beautiful. Jamie smiles at her. I can assume how she must see us. Spinning colors. It'll take a while before she can see us as we are, as we see her.

"Hi. I'm Jamie. This is Lana," Jamie says. Her voice is calm and welcoming.

"I'm...where am I?" The girl asks. Jamie laughs.

"Away from where you were at the end. This is your beginning,"

"What do you mean by that?" I look past her, out into the open sky behind her. It's golden, and far below it is the faint outline of the city. I was fascinated by the sky when I first reached here. I didn't understand why nobody else liked it as much as I did. It was ecstasy to the eye. Apparently it depressed the others. We might be away from our end, but we could remember it as clear as yesterday. I could remember why I'd reached here. I was eager to find out this new girl's story. Jamie finishes talking to the girl.

"So you understand now, right?"

"Yes...I think. Why don't I feel anything...I mean, I feel...,"

"Happy?" I interject. She looks at me, and so does Jamie. The girl nods consciously.

"Yeah." I shrug. It was hard to explain. Here we felt what we were supposed to feel. Easy and free. The girl was mine now.

"I'll see you two later. Bye," Jamie says, and melts away into the ever-moving crowds. The girl looks at me.

"Why is there so many colors?" She asks.

"It takes about an hour or so after the end before you will see us properly. We look exactly like we did back there. Do you like the sky?"

"It's beautiful. I don't understand, though. Where am I? Is this heaven?"

I grin. "Why? Did you kill yourself?" The girl stares at me, so I shrug again.

"It's not heaven. There are so many of us here. We don't live there anymore. We didn't want to, or we were taken away. What do you think happens after we die?" Her eyes shimmer slightly.

"I don't see God,"

"That's because we're not in heaven. We're passing through,"

"Where do we end up?"

"I don't know. We'll find out together,"

"Do we die?"

"We're already dead, aren't we?" She sighs, and I half-smile at her.

"Can you see me now?" She looks me over.

"You're still colorful. You look like a star, only your colors are spinning all around you," She replies. I nod slowly.

"Alright, we should go now. It's a long walk,"

"To where?"

"Eternity. Where else?" Her face is blank.

Passing through happens to everyone. We suddenly find ourselves in a place we can't explain. It's like a glass tunnel, in the middle of the sky. Reaching as far and wide as you could possibly think. My own sister killed me when I was thirteen. I forgive her. Darkness was the last thing I saw. I told the girl this, and Jamie's story, too. Jamie was twenty-six when she slipped and fell off a ladder, painting her house. She hit her head and bled to death.

"That's really awful," The girl says.

"I know. So what happened to you?"

"Like you said. I killed myself,"

"Can I know why?" She pauses to look at me.

"I see you now," She smiles, "you're very pretty,"

"Thanks. Be careful, it's a bit of a crowded place. You might bump into someone." She nods at me. Jamie had chosen this girl for me. She said I would like her. That she'd be a suitable person to pass through with. I'm not really sure which way we're supposed to be walking. But which ever way is the right way, that's what Jamie says. We hadn't reached eternity yet. Nobody knew what eternity was like. Once you passed through, you didn't come back.

"I killed myself because I hated my life. Everyone expected me to be perfect. I was living in a dreary town and had no real future. I didn't think people would miss me,"

"But they did,"

"I know. Will they come here as well?"

"Everyone comes here,"

"Right. I shot myself. That's how I died,"

"Well that was the end of there. It's the beginning of here now, you've only got the future and eternity to look forward to,"

"How do we know what's going to happen?"

"We don't," I look over at her, "you can hold my hand if you want. We'll pass through together, that's how it works." She glances at me, and sticks out her hand. I take it and continue walking. There is so many people here. Different ages, genders, nationalities. In the beginning we're all the same. Nothing matters but the promise of eternity.

"Lana?"

"Yeah?"

"My name's Selise,"

"That's okay."

I'm not sure how we walk for. It seems long, but then it happens quickly. The people grow from singles to pairs, and they're all walking together. They're ready to pass through. It's the sky. The glass is gone and at the end of the tunnel is the sky. People vanish into it. Selise squeezes my hand.

"Eternity?" She whispers.

"Eternity," I say. We walk slowly towards the gaping sky. A warm breeze rolls towards me, surrounding my body. It's delicious, and I can feel the wind in my face, blowing my hair. The wind grows stronger and stronger, and with it a feeling. A surge runs through my body, excitement filling my lungs and I feel alive again.

Darkness. I don't know where I am. Who I am. What I am. For a time I am just sitting there, in nothing. I feel nothing. I am nothing. Then I am being pulled from the watery black. Light strikes me and I am blind for a few seconds, screams falling from my mouth. I am gripped firmly, feeling heavy, my small arms dangling above me, and then I am being wrapped by something warm, and moving fast. Two new hands hold me. Gentle, loving hands. The loud voice speaks nearby.

"Congratulations, Mrs Dane. It's a boy."

Death is an interesting thing.

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Okay, so I really have no idea what made me write this. It's unedited(I haven't even read through it myself), and a little rushed(my laptops about to die.) I hope you enjoyed it. Please review