3 years in 10 minutes

Untitled Part 1

Ten minutes. That's what the doctors told me when i woke up. They said i was dead for ten minutes. Like, actually dead. Heart stopped, no breathing, blinking, swallowing, nothing. I was dead. Yet, somehow i managed to make three years of memories in only 10 minutes.

I remember dying. I remember everything fading and going black, but then i remember waking up in the hospital. I thought maybe i passed out and i was just coming too and that everyone had gone off to get food or something like that. Then she walked in. i didn't know her and thought i lost my memory because she seemed to know me. Almost everything about me. My name, birthday, favorite color, deepest secret, worst fears, all of it. After a little while of her staring at my confused face, she explained it all.

She was death. Actual death. She called herself Birdy. She knew things know one could ever know. Hell, she knew things i didn't even know about myself. She told me about what happened and why i died. She went on about what was gonna happen. It was all kind of overwhelming. She gave me a few moments to comprehend things.

I went my whole life thinking you're born, you live, you die and that was it. I never believed in an afterlife. No heaven or hell or reincarnation. I don't even know what to call this. I was still me. Same "body" and soul, but it wasn't heaven or hell. I could walk and talk and breath but something wasn't the same. It wasn't bad but i didn't know if it was good either.

My train of thought was interrupted by a loud sound that came from inside of me. Of course i was hungry. Oddly, before i could say anything she motioned me to follow her. I got up but had to take a few seconds to catch my balance. My foot was normal. I had a bad condition in my foot that turned it in and i only walked on the outside of my foot and somehow it was straight. Like i could walk and it didn't hurt. I walked faster to catch up to her.

She lead me down the hall to a little cafe type room and pointed me to find something to eat. It was quiet and empty. I walked over to grab some food when all of the sudden a little bell went off. It echoed through the halls and throughout the room. Then people started filing in. left and right mobs of people filled the room rushing to get food. I grabbed what i could and ran off before everyone else got to the good stuff.

I sat down and she gave a chuckle as i stuffed food into my mouth. I gave her a confused look.

"You don't have to scarf all that down. There is more than enough. You can even go back up for more. It's all free. There isn't anything like money around here."

"You mean like...you just take what you want whenever you want?"

"Yup. we are all very understanding. Although we like it when we talk to each other before just taking things."

As i looked around the room, through all the hustle of people i noticed everyone was in like, pairs. They mostly only talked between the two of themselves with little interaction with others. Birdy talked about some of the others. Like what happened to them and she also mentioned why everyone was acting the way they were. In each pair of people there was the dead and the death. The person who died like me, and the one who guides them like Birdy.

After i finished eating we left the mess hall kind of room and went back to the room. Noticing everyone was in normal clothes and then there was me. I was still in my gown from when "woke up." she handed me a pile of clean clothes and i changed quick.

"Are we allowed to leave?"

"Of course! Why do you think your getting changed?"

Knowing i could get out and see more i moved a little faster. When i came out of the bathroom Birdy was already walking out of the room. Catching up to her, she looked over her shoulder making sure i was all good.