Tuesday {The Manhattan Trilogy #1}

The Kingdom (ST)

I've been here in this odd little place for twenty-nine minutes, and I'm still confused as to what I'm supposed to be doing as a citizen here. I look just like I did on Earth, but I am dead now, and I can fly, even though I don't have wings. I've met the spirits named God and Jesus of the Christian religion, which is the one my family and I followed when I lived on Earth. They tell me all major religions ever created exist here so that everyone that was good in life arrived happy, even people that were atheists and agnostics. Okay?

I feel a light tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see who is doing it. A man with a turban, a long beard, and a white robe stands behind me, trying politely to get my attention. My eyes widen at his appearance and his presence.

"Are you one of the terrorists that hit me with the plane?" I gasp.

"No way," he smiles nicely. "People like that never, ever come here. I'm Allah, the god from the Islam religion. I am basically the same as the Christian god, but I have an Arabic name. I see you are new here, and I wish to help you out."

"Um...that's cool, I guess. I never knew that. Hi, Allah," I mumble, shocked to have so many important religious figures wanting to meet me. "I'm the South Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan."

"I know who you are already," Allah looks at me with his serious brown eyes. "One of my bad followers set off a truck bomb in your sister's garage in 1993."

"I barely remember when that happened, because we were both only two and a half years old," I tell the god. Then, I question, "So, I know I died. Is this Heaven? Where are we?"

"We're in the Kingdom," Allah announces, raising his hands into the air. "Most Earthlings like you do call it Heaven, but it doesn't actually have an official name. Us residents just call it the Kingdom."

"Well, it's very nice here," I add, marveling at the Kingdom's beauty. "Will North Tower be joining me here? I can't bear the thought of being here for any longer without my twin sister."

"I don't know," Allah offers me a hopeful smile. "I sure hope you two see each other again very soon. You know, if she doesn't die, you can visit her on Earth any time you like. Spirits look, talk, and act just like regular humans. You two will be able to interact like you did when you were still alive."

"Wow, I didn't know that! Thanks, Allah!" I smile back. "You're really cool."

"Thank you. You know, it's no problem. Make sure you have fun, kid," he replies.

I wave goodbye to him and start running around on the clouds, looking for something to keep me occupied. Spotting a library that seems to have appeared out of nowhere, I walk over and select a difficult book called Moby-Dick, which I had ironically been asking my father for a few days before my death. Sitting down on a comfortable cushioned chair, I turn to page one.

Call me Ishmael. Some years ago...

I only get halfway through the second sentence of the whaling story when I hear a loud, confused shout in a voice identical to mine.

"What just happened to me? Are you there, South Tower? Can you help me out a little bit here, please?" The voice asks.

I couldn't believe who I see when I look up from my book. It is my twin sister, North Tower! She must have fallen at 10:28 AM!

"North Tower!" I jump up from the chair and embrace my sibling tightly. "You've finally passed on!"

"I thought I'd never see you again," she answers, thumping my back so hard that I cough. "Do you know how upset I was when I saw you fall? I thought I'd lost you forever!"

"Of course you were upset when I died," I let go of North Tower. "We're twins. There's no way one can survive without the other."

"I couldn't bear the thought of losing my best friend in the whole world," my sister beams.

"Now come with me," I grabbed her hand and begin leading her through the Kingdom. "There's a bunch of people you really need to meet."