Short Stories Volume 1

Living is Overrated

Paradise is up to each individual person. So is the very word paradise. It can be called heaven, haven, sanctuary and even on occasion an afterlife. Depending on the individual will depend on the kind of paradise they will have. Some "live" their happiest memories. Loving and laughing with family or in the place that brought them the most peace. The place and events that take place in their own little paradise are based on memories but isn't like it's run on some time loop or anything like that.

While the memories themselves lay the foundation, you can still create more and experience many new things that you had yet to do when you were alive. All while never dealing with the real life dangers and ailments. You can go hiking and see waterfalls without the risk of getting attacked by wild animals, mosquitos, falling, drowning etc. Everything you were scared would happen to you when all you wanted to do was live and have fun.

This was the sole purpose of why many clung to the afterlife. To their heaven. There are a few that come and go. Back in the real world, accidents happen that leave people in comas. Even though they were technically alive and their brains were active, they were essentially stuck between living and death. So their heaven, as blurry as it appears to the outsider, begins to form. They begin to be happy again, to be rid of the pain.

It was sad and cruel to watch their afterlife crumble when they awoke from their comas and returned to the realm of the living.

Yes they got to go back and continue living until it was truly their time to pass, but that didn't make it any easier watching them panic and cry out for someone to help them as everything faded away from them. They didn't know any better as to them it felt like they were slowly dying. Those were the ones that were far more happier and appreciated when they returned. They're the ones that smiled bigger, that held on just a bit longer to the hugs.

Which is why we are panicked and doing everything we can to figure out why all the heavens are disappearing. One by one their lights began to fade until it was finally snuffed out. We couldn't understand why after endless years since the first living breathing creature walked the earth and entered our realm, began creating their little worlds, all of sudden they returned to the realm of the living.

Yet it wasn't as if they were returning to their old lives exactly. Nor were they being reborn either.

They were simply brought back to what seemed to be the average age of 25, all in different bodies, different places, but all with the memories of their previous lives. While some adjusted, at least tried to, many others did everything they could to come back to their paradise. But before any picture could be made clear, it would fade again and they would be sent back to live.

Even when those who would die again they wouldn't be able to form their afterlife. Once more returning to the living world. Everyone kept trying to hold on to this life and make sure they could never be alive again. Yet our only purpose was to guard the "place" if you will, since there is no official name for this. We could never go inside their paradise since any unknown outside interference would destroy it. Though even if we tried we couldn't get through whatever barrier was there.

However or whatever was causing this, was also going through said barrier. It left behind this black sandy substance acting like a black hole once it got a hold of the person. We'd fight but for every person we saved, we lost twenty of our own. Even if we managed to stop this intruder, we were spread too thin. So unfortunately we came to the same conclusion. Since we couldn't get in, there was no point in trying to stop those who already broke through.

Instead we charged at those who were still fighting it off right outside their afterlives. Even then, the fight wasn't on our side. Today, only three people remain in their afterlife. Although time doesn't pass here the way it passes in the living realm, we stood guard defending the last three day and night. For every second. We all tried to defend the new ones that would come and re-establish their heaven, but if it was death then we had to retreat.

So far none had succeeded but the three remain. As long as they remain happy in their afterlife then we still have a purpose.

After all, being in the realm of the living is overrated.