There is Life That is Meant to be Cast

The Beginning

Rufus Emeterio

I go to cross the street, but this time there isn't an arm to hold me back.

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I believe in two afterlives... the first one is right when Death Cast calls to tell you that your dying within the next twenty four hours and you should live your day to the fullest. The second afterlife is when you actually kick the bucket and ascend to a new life where you can live however you want. No worries, just livin everyday in a perfect world.... thats how I see it. Now Mateo on the other hand, has a different view of the afterlife. Mateo thinks we are going to be sitting in our own personal theaters, rewatching our entire past lives on the big screen. I like Mateo and his crazy ideas, but there is a lot of my life I don't want to relive. I would rather spend time with my family, catching them up on my life up until now. I would rather wait for the Pluto's, so we can have a solar system group hug, but don't get me wrong I would never wish them an early death. I would rather find my last friend that I only got to hangout with for one day. I miss him so much and it sucks ass I only knew him for less than twenty four hours.

My eyes quickly open and I shoot up into a sitting position. I look around me expecting to see some sort of hell with fire and demons, or a black abyss that I will never stop falling into. What I see is something that you can only wish the afterlife would look like. I find myself looking out from my spot on the grass to see people walking down side walks having conversations with friends, people riding bikes and skateboards, children playing with frisbees and swinging on some monkey bars, and even joggers running with their dogs.... everything is the same... except there is no uneasy atmosphere, like Death Cast could call anyone at any moment to tell them they are going to die. It's so calm, something that had never existed before. This afterlife is not a movie theater of people reliving their lives, I mean of course it isn't (sorry Mateo). But its also not people riding dragons and flying through the air on giant clouds of cotton candy because thats their dream... Its normal.

I get knocked out of my daze by a cute little girl with curly brown hair, running towards me shouting, "He's here! He's here!" I can see a short woman about five feet tall running after the small child that has huge smile on her face. I think to myself that such a young girl shouldn't be in this place.. at least, not yet. My skin starts to boil, but her big smile and shining wide eyes makes me think she is here for a reason, and that reason is to be happy with her family. She tackles me and I lightly fall to my back. I look up into her bright green eyes, she is smiling from ear to ear and I notice she is missing a front tooth. This makes her look extra adorable.

"Hi! My name is Tabby and thats my mommy." The little girl announces while continuing to make eye contact with me. I am starting to chuckle and I can feel my face slowly rising till I am sure my smile must be as wide as hers. The little girl I now know as Tabby continues her thought, "We were told a boy like you would show up today, we welcome you to Life Cast!" My smile turns into a questioning look and I raise an eyebrow wanting a further explanation of why this place is called Life Cast. That name is pretty much the opposite of Death Cast but still very similar.

"I am so sorry about her, she has been waiting all day to meet you, since this is our first time being given a welcoming task." Tabby's mother says with a sympathetic look on her face, as if to tell me she is sorry I had to come here so early. "Anyways, right now we are in Vuipan park, this is where we were told to meet you." She continues explaining to me the basics of what is happening.

"I am greatly sorry for your loss and to those who will miss you... I believe there are friends or loved ones you would like to connect with once again?" She says this as if assuming I have someone I need to find right away... I think about my family and how much I want to see them right now.

I haven't yet spoken up since I am still trying to comprehend what is happening.

"I'm sorry, my names Rufus. I am still a little shocked right now." Thats all I manage to say. I earn an apologetic look from the mother and another huge smile from the little girl who still has her hands on top of me, as if to pin me down.

"That is completely understandable, everyone experiences the same thing.... Why don't we all take a walk back to our house so we can find out where exactly we need to go to unite Rufus here with his loved ones." She has a very sweet tone that is gentle and soft, she reminds me a lot of my mom... Man I miss my family so damn much. I picked myself and Tabby off the ground and we begin walking in the direction I assume is where the two of them live. I look up at the bright blue sky that has perfectly puffy white clouds slowing moving across it. I look to see we are walking on the side walk that was next to the area where I first woke up.

"Life Cast is a place where residents come to live a peaceful life free of stress and harm. The citizens of Life Cast are tasked with greeting and welcoming newcomers to the area and reuniting them with their loved ones. This may seem like a hard task but the joy that comes with seeing people reunited makes everything worth it. The process is actually fairly simple and I can further explain when we reach our house." Tabitha's mom sure knows a lot about this place which makes me wonder how long the two of them have been there....

"How long have you two been residents of Life Cast?" I hope my question doesn't come off too rude but I am genuinely curious.

"I have been here for two and a half weeks, and I think it's great!" Tabby says while shooting me that toothy grin. Only two weeks, that is such a short time.

"I have been here for one week and six days" Tabby's mother confirms. I am a little mortified that the child had to come here before her mother. That must have been devastating for her, but I don't ask any further questions and continue walking down the sidewalk. There are little colorful doodles all over the pavement beneath my feet and I notice a sloppy picture of three little kids holding hands and smiling. I think about my pluto family, my brothers Tagoe and Malcom. I can't help but think about how they are doing without me or whether or not I will see them anytime soon. I shake my head and take a deep breath of fresh air.

"We're Here!" Tabby shouts. I notice a small little house that is one story high with a brick exterior and matching chimney. It looks so homey and welcoming. I notice there are some children's toys scattered around the bright green front lawn. They lead me inside and we all take a seat on the living room sofa. Tabby's mom pulls out a small laptop and a website pops up saying www.LifeCast/foreverfriends.com.

"So Rufus, who do you want to reunite with here in Life Cast?" Tabby's mother questions.

"My mother, father, and sister." I say without hesitation.

I need to see them.

I see her type in Emeterio in the search bar. There names are there on the screen and I immediately get anxious. Its been awhile and now...

The wait is over.