Life After Life

It turns out that the easiest part of life after death is the dying bit—after that, well, everything gets a little complicated.

Having to see your loved ones cry for your death without being present ... Having to say goodbye without saying "goodbye" ...

It was the saddest, most powerless I had ever felt, but then I saw it. A light, but not how I thought it would appear. It was coming from a person in the crowd. Someone unfamiliar. Their skin glowed. They looked up and saw me. I was sure. How could they see me?

I had been floating 7-18 feet above the ground, invisible and unheard, since my death 2 months ago. “How are you seeing me?” I asked the person in the crowd below. They jumped, grabbed my big toe, and pulled me down closer to the ground.

Drawing level with them I offered a quizzical look when they shushed me with a finger to their lips. They continued reeling me downwards like they were climbing rigging but rather than them ascending I instead descended through the floor until, with a gentle push, I went beneath.

Everything went dim and I found myself enveloped in velvety warmth. Would this be a new chapter or simply the end? Only time would tell. As I drift further down, I look up wistfully at my coconspirators. I don’t blame them for deserting me. In the end, they set me free.