Where Am I?

"Where am I?" A soft female voice sweetly asked.

"Who's there?" A masculine voice could be heard.

"Am I dead?" Three voices asked, echoing each other.

"Yes, you are dead. Each one of you have passed into the afterlife," An angelic voice spoke. The voice was so stunning, there was no telling if it was male or female, it continued, "Before you pass into Heaven, we must first evaluate each one of you as well as the life you lived," the three strangers wanted to ask more questions, but their free will had been removed. They had no choice but to listen to this angelic voice.

"Each of you died at the exact time. One on death row, one from a car accident, and lastly one from a drug overdose," As the angel spoke, the three strangers' thoughts could be heard by one another.

Death row?! One stranger thought.

"I will show each one of your lives, and so all of you will see each other's lives. Since there is nothing but eternity left, time does not matter. You would not even realize if a hundred years passed here. What may feel like fifty years on Earth may only feel like a fifty seconds here," The angel quit talking and the three strangers began to see images appear.

Images of a baby boy being born. This baby would be named David. Born into a poor home, David lived a poor life. Images flashed of David's young years. A boy searching the cabinets for food. A boy struggling in school and struggling to make friends. A boy who would be abused not only by his own mother but by all her many boyfriends as well. Humiliated, neglected, physically abused, verbally abused, and mentally abused. The images flashed, and shame washed over the man who now stood at the Gates of Heaven, David. He felt dirty and ashamed being exposed in front of two other strangers. He had hoped he'd never have to experience his childhood again. The other strangers both felt his heavy heart and felt sympathy for the child they watched be treated less than human. Tears fell down both of the other strangers' faces as their hearts ached for the little boy, David.

The images then switched to a girl who was born into a cozy home. This girl would be named Kathryn. She would be invited into a loving home by caring parents and happy siblings. She would have many years spent playing with her brothers and sisters and getting into mischief. Kathryn was a beautiful child and often doted on. She never wondered or worried if she was loved. Kathryn's face painted a prideful smile as she watched her childhood. The other two strangers fell in love with the little girl they were seeing. She was a little sweetheart and beautiful.

Then the images switched to another baby girl that was born and named Carly. Carly would be born to a young mother and young father who were not married. Carly's father would leave Carly's cheating mother three weeks before her fourth birthday. This hurtful memory would haunt Carly for the rest of her life. At first, two of the strangers felt sympathy, but Carly hung her head in shame. She was embarrassed and her stomach began to twist into knots as the other strangers watched. She couldn't bring her eyes to watch what was to come next. It was of a very young Carly willingly becoming sexually active with both boys and girls. Carly wanted to scream. She wanted the images erased.

Kathryn was in disbelief. Her mouth hung open and her gut felt sick and disgusted. How could anyone be so careless? She thought.

David heard these thoughts and his heart broke for the young Carly. He knew Carly's pain of having a careless mother and an absent father.

Carly heard both Kathryn and David's thoughts and feelings and felt humiliated. She wished she run away from it, the images, and hide in a deep dark hole and forget that was ever her life.