Page 7 of An Unexpected Ascension
Before I leave, I spin around to face him one last time and ask, “The book of rules; how do I get a hold of it again? It seemed to have disappeared, and I don’t know how to get it back.”
His brows quirk, amused. “Just snap your fingers and will it, dear.”
I nod him a thank you, then make my way to the curious door and turn its knob.
Despite being on the second floor, I’m led straight outside. The heavy wood slams with a loud thud behind me when I take my first step onto the soft, plush grass, and then disappears out of sight.
Seems about right.
My eyes roam over the quaint, little town. The shops all paintedin pale yellows, blues, beiges, or whites. Nothing here is dark, as if everything past a certain gradient was reserved for Hell.
That’s a bummer because I happened to really enjoy dark colors.
There’s a farmers’ market spread out down the street. People stop from one tent to the next, picking out fruits and veggies. Some folks are strolling around the block, others chatting mindlessly. It all seems so... normal.
Well, other than everything constantly materializing, like the guy next to me who wasn’t there before.
“Hi there! I’m Will Andrews, your Buddy,” he greets, stretching out a hand for me to shake.
I take it, a little less enthusiastic than he is. Will is the quintessential silver fox with slicked back salt and pepper hair and a fresh face with slight wrinkles near eyes the color of freshly brewed coffee.
“Briar.” I smile. “So, what did you in?”
His lips turn down in a quizzical look.
“How’d you find yourself in Heaven?” I clarify.
“This is the path I chose and I’m so thankful I did. It was such a breeze to get in! I only had to repent for my sins over the course of a few weeks when I first got here. It’s been a dream ever since! You’re going to really like your eternity.”
I highly doubt that considering I have five years before I’m done repenting for the sins I racked up in my life. Plus, I’ve never been able to commit to anything longer than a couple years, so my hopes aren't set too high.
“I guess I’m really asking how you died.” I chuckle, trying to lighten up such a blunt question.
His eyes widen, and he takes a look around as if someone might have overheard.
“We don’t talk about that here,” he whispers.
“Why not?”
“Look, Briar, there are rules here. We can’t all just go doing whatever we want or talk about whatever we want. Otherwise, this would just be another version ofH-e-double-hockey-sticks.”
“Okay, why am I starting to think that He?—”
“H-e-double-hockey-sticks,” he cuts me off. “Just trust me. You don’t want to add to your penance.”
“Why, what would happen?”
“You can get kicked out. It’s different here than it is in life. This is your second chance; you’re expected to not make the same mistakes.”
We begin to walk towards the market.
“Do we get money, housing, clothes? How does this all work?”
“You get whatever you want, but you have to earn it. There’s no money here, we all pay in completing our penance and after that, it’s based on work and good deeds. You’re given shelter to sleep at night, though it’s more of a formality because here you don’t have any basic needs. Think of it as a gift of normalcy to help with the transition. Anything in addition to your own space will cost you.”
“Wow, okay. So, if I wanted an apple from the fruit stand, I would have to say aHail Mary?”
“An apple costs seventyHail Marys.”
