Tangled Ties

Chapter 24: Good Memories with you

When I opened my eyes, I was again on the river bank. 3 dead bodies were burning. My parents and Oliver's parents were crying badly. Anuka, Oliver, and Samantha were staring at their bodies, just the way I did. I was watching them all from a distance.

Then suddenly a man arrived in front of them, holding a basket filled with white flowers. They talked for few minutes and then that man offered those flowers to Oliver and Samantha. Oliver and Samantha received those white flowers and disappeared. That man then offered the white flower to Anuka but instead of accepting that Anuka turned to me and smiled. Within seconds that man and Anuka appeared in front of me. I thought it was my time too, to leave.

Anuka was looking beautiful with her baby still inside her. That man too looked good, wearing a suit and managed hair.

"Can I go to afterlife with Abigail?" Anuka asked that man.

"I'm sorry but Abigail can't go to the afterlife." That man replied, surprising me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you broke the rules of souls. First, you hesitated to go to the afterlife when an angel came to take you, a year ago. Second, as a soul, you cannot harm a human being but you killed Oliver and Samantha. That is why you are punished and you cannot go to afterlife." That man said.

"But she did that to save me, her sister. And to punish those evils." Anuka defended me.

"Punishing someone for their bad deeds is not her job. What is afterlife for?" That man added.

I was blank. That was the least thing I expected. My world was turned upside down.

"What do I have to do now?" I asked, I was ready to do anything to go to afterlife.

"You have to serve dead souls. You have to guide them to the afterlife but you cannot enter there." That man said.

"For how long?" I asked.

"In these cases, souls have to serve for eternity. The punishment never ends." That man said, again turning my world upside down.

"But..." That man added, making my heart beat faster.

"As you did all these for your sister, your punishment ends the day you help a soul who died with a wish of seeing his or her sister. You can go to afterlife after fulfilling his or her wish." That man added, bringing hope to me.

"Really?" I was happy.

"It might happen tomorrow or after 1000 years or it might not happen!" That man added, killing my happiness. I nodded as I had no other options.

"Here! Take this and start your job from now." That man passed me his basket filled with white flowers. I gladly accepted it and as I held it all my wounds disappeared. I was beautiful, once again.

"As someone dies, you will know. And you will automatically be teleported there. You just have to give one white flower to the deal soul and it'll take them to the afterlife." That man explained.

What is that white flower?

"This white flower is the key to the afterlife. Whenever a person is born a white flower is bloomed. Birth and death always come together. Every white flower has their owner. And when your punishment ends, I will come to you, with the white flower which belongs to you." That man said, reading my mind.

I nodded.

"Give one flower to Anuka and send her off." That man turned to Anuka. Anuka nodded in agreement.