Somewhere In-Between ~ An Adventure in the Afterlife

Chapter 1 - The Choice

Green car. Sister screaming in the back seat. Loud crash. Shattering glass.

The accident happened when Max's mom was driving him home from picking up his kid sister, Perry, from daycare.

I guess I shouldn't have insisted on having the front seat, he thought as he saw the green car appear from nowhere and hit his side of the car straight-on. He remembered thinking it was exactly the car he was hoping to get when he was old enough to get his own license – but that wouldn't be for another couple years – he hoped.

It's amazing how quickly thoughts go through your head in a single second. The glass showering him had fragmented into tiny cubes. He squinted his eyes to protect them. He felt the force of the impact on his body, but where was the pain? It was strong, but only lasted for a millisecond.

And what was with this bright light surrounding me? Max thought. Then again, where was the car? He couldn't see anything but this weird light all around. He had lost all feeling, too. Am I paralyzed? I was just in a car crash. I must have been knocked out.

Then came the fear. Or was it more like panic? The feeling you get when you wake up the first day of vacation and you can't remember where you are. Yeah, that was it. But this feeling wasn't going away quickly enough. Instinctively, he tried calling out. "Hello! Hello, can anybody hear me?" His voice sounded strange. The same way he remembered sounding when he wore earplugs and tried to speak. So strange.

Max strained to hear an answer.

"Hello!" Max repeated. "Can anyone hear me?!"

Max was just about to start crying, when finally he heard a voice answer him. "Yes, Max, don't worry, I'm here."

It sounded like someone was standing right behind him, and he swung around to see who it was. Nobody was there. "Who are you? Where are you?" The fear was real, now. "What's going on?" His voice was shaking. "What's happening to me?"

The light around him suddenly felt thick, like it had substance to it. He felt it closing in on him, but it didn't scare him. It felt comforting, like a... like a warm hug. The tears finally came, and he began to sob, overcome with emotion. "What's happening to me? Please tell me. Please help me!"

"Be not afraid, Max." There was that warm hug again. "Come with me, and I will give you rest."

Those words struck him so powerfully. It was like an electric charge went through him, erasing his fear. For that moment he didn't care where he was or what was happening to him. He trusted this light and this voice. He felt like he was home. Home... Home... Wait a minute... "Wait!" Max stopped himself. "What about my mom and sister? Are they here too?" He looked around again. Nope still alone. Just him and this voice.

No answer. Silence.

"Where's my mom and sister?" He repeated. "Please! Tell me where they are?"

Finally an answer, but this voice was different, and it startled him. "They're not ready to come home yet, Max."

Max turned and saw a tall, slender woman. She looked old enough to be his grandmother, but she stood straight and tall. She had a magical quality, like she stepped out of a Lord of the Rings movie, but her hair was very short. Her hair and gown were the same color as the light that surrounded them, so she seemed to almost be a part of the light herself. Max was stunned, and stammered to find his words. "Are... are you?" He gulped. He was afraid to ask. "Are you my...?"

"Guardian angel?" The woman smiled. "Yes, I'm one of them. One of many."

Max was struck by the sudden realization. The shock was over. "Wait a minute, wait!" Max shook his head. "Am I dead, or something? Am I DEAD?"

"You're not dead, Max. Your body is dead. Your spirit is very much alive, but to stay that way, you need to come with me now, before the light fades."

"What happens when the light fades?" Max asked.

"The light is what carries you home. It comes for every spirit when the body dies. This is the moment for every man to make his final choice."

"What choice?"

"The choice to come home or to stay."

"Wow, I actually have a choice about that?"

The Angel nodded. "Time to come home now, Max. Come." She reached her hand out calmly, with a peaceful smile.

"Wait, though," Max thought. "You said I had a choice. What happens if I stay here? Will I get to go back to my mom and sister? I mean, what if they do CPR on me and bring me back to life? Do I still have a chance?"

The Angel's smile faded. "Your body is beyond repair, I'm afraid. And your sister's body will soon be the same."

"No!" Max gasped. "No! You mean little Perry's dying?"

The Angel looked at him inquisitively. "Why does this distress you, Max?"

His anger welled up. "Oh, 'How does this distress me?' Seriously? My baby sister is about to die, and you ask me why I'm distressed?"

Her face was unchanged. "Yes. Why, Max?"

"Well, DUH! I mean, HELLO! Because she's barely had a chance to LIVE! She's just a toddler! And I'm just a teenager! I mean, it's not fair! It's not fair!"

"Not fair? What's not fair about it, Max?" Her countenance grew serious. "You speak as if living in a body is the sole purpose of your existence."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Max," she stepped close and took his hand in hers, "come home with me, and you will see clearly. There is far too much to explain. You only understand life on Earth, because it is all you know. That life is over now. A new life has begun... a new existence. I know this is hard for you, because you were just getting used to your life on Earth, in the body. But there is so much more you can accomplish in the spirit. You and your sister. It is time to come with me now, Max. The light can only last so long in this plane."

"What plane? An airplane? Final destination: Death Valley?"

She smiled, amused, and shook her head. "No, Max. I mean this plane of existence. The three-dimensional plane. Earth."

"Wait, we're still on Earth? I'm still on Earth! I'm still home! Can I please stay? I want to stay here with my family. I have to!"

This was the first time he saw a look of concern on the Angel's face. "No, Max."

"What do you mean, no? Didn't you tell me I had a choice? I want to stay and be here when Perry dies. Then we can go with you together!"

"Max, no."

"Why not?!"

"It is dangerous for you here, in the In-Between. Max, you must come with me, away from this place."

Max looked around him at the light. He noticed it was starting to fade, and he could vaguely see they were in the Rite Aid parking lot. It was right by the intersection of Leavitt Road and Cleveland Avenue, where the accident took place. Seeing familiar surroundings gave him comfort. "I have to stay," he said. "I have to stay and wait for Perry. Then I'll come with you, okay?"

The Angel looked at him with disappointed eyes, and stepped backward into the fading light. "Before I go, I must warn you, Max. Stay away from the darkness. The In-Between is not a place of safety. On earth there is danger of losing your life, but in this place there is danger of losing what is truly valuable... your soul." She was fading away with the light, and Max could barely hear her final words to him. "The light will appear again for your sister, Max. Be sure you are present when she is ready to come home. I hope you are able to join her."

The light was gone now. Max found himself alone in the Rite Aid parking lot, just outside downtown Amherst, Ohio. Everything looked so different. There wasn't a car in sight. It was like... a ghost town. Max chuckled nervously at that thought.

"Well," Max said to himself, "I sure hope I made the right choice."