A short life

A little note, I really hate stories that drag out and go on forever even though I read and write them sometimes :) I am setting myself I challenge to see if I can write a short but good story :) enjoy

************************************************************************

"Welcome to the afterlife. How are you?

We are born, we live we die. Simple. This is why we created the afterlife. A company which benefits us, but also provides refuge for us lost souls....

I think that life is short. Many people disagree and say it is the longest thing you will EVER do.

I am not saying they are wrong I am just merely stating what I think. People tell stories of aliens who live for hundreds, thousands of years or maybe even forever.

My experience of 'life' says that it will not be as great or fun as it sounds. I know a few immortal guys and they are the most miserable and pessimistic people I have ever met in my whole life....

I like to think that you go through 'certain stages' until your life ends.

Stage 1: you are a baby, innocent and small

Stage 2: it is your first day of school and you have to say goodbye

Stage 3: you realise that you have to find a job and pay for everything you want.

Stage 4: you have either settled down with a house and a loving family or not...... in the second case you need to pull yourself together

Stage 5: Happy 50th Birthday! enough said

Stage 6: you realise the meaning of life yada yada... and you spend all your money just so your children (if you have any) can't have it. Wrong move.

Stage 7: you realise that stage 6 was mean and pointless because now you see the light and it is over."

I am not depressing you am I? Only I have been through 3 of those stages but not in that order.......

You see......I am not 'with you' anymore. Some of you right now are stunned or sad but don't be.

"Oh, of course I will explain.

I was 22 in the year 2002, stage 3. I had 4 stages ahead of me. Nothing could go wrong. I had many plans for the future. Adults are always telling you to make many plans. But it just upsets you if you don't reach them .

I looked left and right as I crossed the road. The lights were red. The cars had all stopped. So I walked across the road, holding my bag in my right hand.

Little did I know what awaited me when I did.

My parents didn't even say goodbye when I left because we were in the middle of a fight. Over something stupid.

OK..... so I was walking and I wasn't looking where I was going and I tripped, I fell face first on the cold, hard concrete surface of the road. Right in the middle.

I couldn't feel my legs and my left arm was burning up. I reached for my bag as the lights turned amber.

I began to panic but nobody else was around. I tried to speak but no words came out. I fumbled with my huge phone and tried to call home. I got to the 5th digit before the lights turned green.

I was in the top of the hill, so the cars at the bottom had no idea I was there. I made many futile attempts to scramble to the other side. No luck.

I need a miracle. I needed a miracle. But God must have really given up on me that day. I heard the screeching wheels of a car approaching me at full speed.

A few of the ghosts you may know may have told you their deaths were painless. Mine wasn't painless or short.

I was in hospital for a number of days before I gave up. Everything hurt and my life wasn't going to end unless I ended it.

So I did.

Behold my story, I will happily tell it to anyone who will listen. The name's Amelia by the way. Amelia Smith, 12 years happily dead and counting. Enough of my sob story..... What makes you think you would be right for the job of haunting the Wilson's ?

Your CV looks just fine..... I must warn you though that this contract will last for 100 years......"

"Great! We will transport you right away.... Now what did you say your name was?

Oh, funny.... you look and sound just like..... Oh. Mum? Mum, you're, you're dead.... Mum. I'm so sorry. We don't have a lot of time to talk... I already set the coordinates for the Wilson's......."

My eyes were welling up. I had been dead for 12 years and I haven't seen anyone I recognised in that time, let alone my mum. And now she is vaporising before my eyes and I haven't explained or anything.... She can't talk because in the afterlife the newly arrived can't talk, we are just told to talk to them even though they don't answer.

"Mum..." was all I managed to say before she left me for good.

Then the next client arrived...

"Welcome to the afterlife. How are you?"