Page 5 of An Unexpected Ascension
“Not funny. Got it,” I mumble.
“Last part before we send you to repent,” she continues. “Describe a time in which you were most selfless.”
My fingers tap my bare knee as I try to shuffle through my memories. To be honest, the images are all distorted, like looking through a frosted glass bottle. I know in my gut that I had been selfless at times. I wasn’t a bad person, but I can’t recall anything specific.
“I don’t... I can’t remember much,” I admit.
Those glowing cerulean eyes soften. “That will happen. The longer you’re here, the farther your life slips away. Memories might come and go, but only the good ones.”
The sound of that frightened me, all that time on Earth now means nothing. The people I met, loved, and learned from all fade into an abyss as if they never happened. All those experiences and places I visited, wiped clean. The only thing that lingers is what each piece left behind, sticking to my soul.
“Do you remember the countless times you comforted your mother, or sacrificed something of yours to help her in a time of need? Perhaps the moment you realized you would put aside your life to take care of her while she was sick?”
I flinch as clouded memories of my mother flash behind my eyes. My beautiful, sick mother. She’s there one moment with me, gone the next, fading along with everything else in my past.
I gnaw my bottom lip, and it seems Magdelena must realize that those were bittersweet memories for me, so she quickly changes the subject.
“So, this is how it works. You’ll head upstairs to the confessions office where you’ll meet with Saint Thomas. He’ll assign yourpenance. Then, you’ll face the judge and vow to repent, working off your sins to earn a blessed afterlife.”
The sound of paper printing to the left of her catches my attention. Page after page spits out and Magdelena catches each one. She stacks them nicely together, then staples them with a stapler that appears just as the printer and hands me the stack.
I take the thick packet, briefly looking through everything we discussed here, including an additional list of sins we never even spoke of. I groan, knowing that this will take forever to work off.
When I look back up to the woman, she’s standing there behind a blank desk, everything gone except for that silver bell. As soon as I leave the chair, that too vanishes.
“How did I die?” I finally bring myself to ask, even though a part of me still believes I’m dreaming.
“You’ll have to remember that on your own. We don’t talk about death here, just life after it. The stairs are just behind you to the right.”
Chapter 2
The Angel
My footsteps echo through the stairway, bouncing off the marble floors and stone walls. The entire building looks like it should be cold, but it’s just the right temperature.
At the top of the staircase is a placard with a list of names, departments, and rooms. My eyes roam down the list trying to find St. Thomas of Confessionals. Exactly in the middle, his name shines back at me in gold lettering.
To the right of his name there’s no room number like there should be, which is entirely unhelpful.
Now I have another choice to make; right hall or left. Naturally, I choose right. Maybe because I’m right-handed or perhaps the brighter path – the path to Heaven – happened to be on the right.
I don’t get very far before a door appears at the end of the hall labeled Confessions.
Similar to the reception area, this room is also empty. White paints every wall, contrasted by the grey countertops with glass between the back office and the waiting area. The layout reminds me of a bank or DMV where bullet proof glass keeps the danger fromgetting too close. Behind the glass, I can see vacant cubicles and office chairs. I wonder if there’s only work when someone dies.
A yelp hurdles out of my mouth at the appearance of a short, grey-haired man. I should probably get used to things just materializing out of nowhere, but so far, it hasn’t ceased to stun me.
“Papers.” He snips, holding out his hand.
“Are you Saint Thomas?” I ask, handing over the stack Magdelena gave me.
“The one and only.”
With a stocky finger, he flips through the pages at a rate that makes you disbelieve he’s even reading it at all. For a Saint, he seems pretty grumpy. I thought everyone would be jubilant and at peace, but I guess not.
“2,487Hail Marys, 800 volunteer hours as a Buddy, but only after your 90 days is complete, and abstain from any selfish behavior, gluttonous activities, and unnecessary materialistic possessions for at least 5 years.”
After writing all my required penance out, a stamp forms in his hand and he slams it down on the first page, handing it back to me.
