The Actuality of Beyond

A Note

It all started a few days back on the way home from a hearing. The jury was in process of deciding the fate of a fifteen year old boy whom apparently died of drug abuse last night. I was honestly too exhausted to care about anything else.

That was when I ran into my friend Henry. I considered pretending I didn't see him and just walking past, but that would probably be rude--etiquette is still valued in in the afterlife... shame, I know. I've never been one for manners, but Henry's the usual exception, even when I'm tired.

It took me a second to comprehend the alarm in his eyes, the way his fist clenched as he moved towards me at a nervous pace. I was suddenly frightened; Henry's pretty easy going. Something was off and I knew it.

Suddenly interested, I called out, "hey! Everything alright?"

He stopped in front of me and slowly shook his head. "I found something in the archives section of the library this morning. Something really weird."

"Okaaaay? Like?"

"You know the records of Black Passings we have in the back? Well, I was going through them, and I came across the most recent one. Her name was Bethany Adams. She disappeared last Monday. She left a note."

Black Passings are when the dead pass into Beyond. Beyond is what we call the whatever-is-actually-after-death sort of thing. We don't know why the dead pass; there is never a specific reason for it like when living beings pass into death. There's never a knife or a heart attack or anything like that. People will just be here one day and then be gone the next. Though I'd never heard of anyone leaving a note behind, it didn't seem like anything to be worried about. It's just a little unusual. Passings happened all the time, it's nothing new.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion "So what? People disappear all the time, I bet if you really looked through all the records there'd be several just like her."

"That's what's worrying me" he said, throwing his arms up in exclamation "I spent the night looking through all the records reaching back to 1805. I found three more Black Passing letters all written in the year 1953. Get this--on all four notes the written message was precisely the same."

"No relation between any of the four sources?" I asked, unable to hide my curiosity.

He shook his head "All different county's. No way they could have known each other. Plus, Bethany Passed fifty years after the other three. It seems completely random."

"Probably just a coincidence, Henry."

"Come on! You have to admit this is a little weird!"

I shrugged

"Well if you won't believe me, at least come down to the library and see for yourself. I'm not crazy."

I sighed. My patients was wearing thin. I'd had a long day and I really just wanted to be home.

"No Henry, it's late and I've got to get back to my apartment. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Steph! Wait! We've got to--" but I had already pushed past him and made my way around the block.

Apparently my manners didn't even stretch as far I thought they did. But I had to get home. I pushed through the wind and down the spotless streets; my head spinning from what I just heard. I was more intrigued than scared, to be perfectly honest. I wanted to find out what the notes had said. But Henry didn't need to know that.

Finally I arrived at my little green apartment. I lived in a quaint building that looked exactly like every other surrounding it. Each person is assigned a county and an apartment number immediately after they arrive at Death. They chose your housing randomly as far as I had ever been able to tell; every county is identical to the next. I never believed the system fair--someone of pure values during their lifetime getting the same housing arrangement as a previous serial killer. But that's the way it's always been. Anyways, I like my apartment fine despite the lack of unique qualities. I can't complain.

I was happy to be back. Finally I could just crash back on my couch and go to sleep for a while.

Unfortunately, as I discovered after unlocking the door, someone else had already arrived.