My grandmother was my support pillar all my life. I was a small child, always afraid of my own shadow. Bullied by kids at school, I had no confidence. My grandmother always comforted me when I needed it. Her health was fine until I turned 12. When I expressed concern about her death, she told me death was nothing to be afraid of. Her life and my soul will always live on. I could never grasp the meaning of what she said then. When she passed, she reminded me again of her words. Her soul would pass on and live in greatness in the next life. With a smile, she told me everything she would do in her next life. I know now it was to comfort the both of us.
I was 13 years old then, and for some reason, I always think back to that moment as bittersweet. Growing up, I discarded those words. Never really taking the time to understand what she meant or tried to convey. But when I lost control of my car. I remembered her smile passing peacefully.
My life had been uneventful up until that day I died. I graduated with a master's degree in injury rehabilitation at 27. I worked for a few years to buy everything to feed my growing emptiness. My parents urged me to book a holiday. Both of them were concerned by how much I worked. I decided to book a short holiday to Greece in May.
It was beautiful in Greece. The sun shined brightly on the blue sky. I walked in the streets, enjoying looking at other people. Their happy faces eating ice cream or exchanging stories with each other. I picked up a flyer advertising a museum in the area, thinking I should visit. The next day I woke up early to rent a car. I forgot my sunglasses and was forced to drive in the low sunlight. The sun blinded my eyes for a moment, and by the time I regained my vision, a sheep stood right in front of my car. When I swerved away from the sheep, my car crashed into a big truck. Everything went black.
I thought I had died that day. The sensation was strange, almost tight. I had no space or place to move. Suddenly a big hand grasped my legs and helped me out of that confined space. I imagine my car was busted as I couldn't move at all. But it still was strange. I couldn't see or hear like I thought I could. But imagine my surprise when the hands guided me out, and I took my first breath in front of this sudden big woman in front of I understood. Rebirth was a thing now. I was super pissed; how dare she slap my back? I wailed almost immediately as a reflex, seeing the nurse's relieved face staring back at me I stopped crying and looked up at her.
"Thank the stars." the nurse whispered. I barely could hear it.
I was delivered to a beautiful woman. She looked exhausted, I almost felt sorry for her. Thinking I should do something I smiled at her. She instantly looked at me with a sad expression. I tried looking around the room. Everything was fuzzy, I guess my eyesight hadn't had time to form yet. But all I could see was cold metal walls, some kind of institution? I looked back at my apparent mother. Her hair was disheveled from birth but still beautiful. The hair was tied up in a big bun. But some curly strands were sticking out. Her hair was ginger red with some light strands mixing in her thick hair. Her skin was olive with faint freckles over her nose. Skin flushed from all the strain. She had a mole right underneath her right eye. Her eyes were dark green, almost grey.
She looked at me with a smile. There was something unrecognizable in her face. When the nurses were satisfied with my health and left the room, she started saying something.
"My little girl. In peace may you leave this shore. In love, may you find the next. Safe passage on your travels until our final journey to the ground. May we meet again… My little girl even though it's me leaving you, I will always watch over you."
She looked over me, and I felt concerned. She could not leave yet. I tried to talk to her, whimpers only forming in my throat. She smiled at me, comforting my strained whimpers. There was a loud knock at the door. Two guards and a nurse approached us and stopped by our bed.
"Lucy Johnson, you have committed a crime against the people on the ark. According to ark law, you are sentenced to floatation. Regarding your child Laura Johnson, we will place the child in an adequate home. Do you accept these terms?"
My eyes were wide open, I couldn't understand half of what was being said. Ark? Noah's Ark? Or flotation? That did not sound good looking at the faces of everyone. And did my mother have a choice here? I looked up at her, sharing my thoughts.
"Well, I don't have any choice here, so we better get started before my hair turns grey."
I would have snorted out loud if I could. My mother looked down on me, her eyes soft. She leaned down towards me and kissed my forehead.
"May we meet again little one."
I was handed over to the nurse standing in the background. My position was ruined. I immediately started crying. I watched between my cries as my mother gave me a last look before she was escorted out the door with the guards in her birth gown.
There was something wrong here. How am I thinking so clearly? And where the hell am I?