I’m in a field of wildflowers surrounded by bright light. The sky is a cool shade of cerulean surrounded by puffs of clouds. Last I remember I was in a hospital surrounded by various nurses and the smell of grief.
I turn my head sideways trying to figure out where I am, that's when I see him. A man dressed in white robes, holding a plethora of balloons, staring at me. I walk towards him, a little apprehensive of his weird demeanor, and say, "Who are you?”
He simply smiles and says, “You humans know me by many names but if you’d like to know my name for the purpose of conversation you may call me Jeff.” “Jeff?” I think to myself. “Guy standing in a field of wildflower’s name is Jeff”
A realization washes over me and I remember the faint beeping sound of the heart monitor and my daughter's sobs. “Am I dead? Is this it, th-the end?” I stammer caught in a daze of fear. Jeff sighs and says” You humans are always so depressing and ominous. But yes, you are dead and no, this isn't the end. I like to think of it as the beginning”
Waiving the conversation away with a flick of his hand he points to the balloons.“Now Adam, what you see in my hand is more than a mere collection of balloons. These balloons contain your core memories. These memories have shaped you to become the person you are today” he says. While he hands over the balloons I see a scythe and an AC/DC cd of ‘highway to hell’ hidden beneath his robe and I finally know who he is.
As soon as the balloons are in my grasp, my feet lift off the ground and I float towards the sky to a place unknown. As I go higher each balloon starts to pop and when it does I can feel those memories again. I can smell the apple pies I baked at Christmas and see my daughter graduate again. I can hear the faint whispers of a summer wedding and smell my wife’s perfume. I can feel grief envelope my body as I sob at my mother's funeral. The balloons pop faster now and each memory flashes in my mind.
As the last balloon pops, my memories vanish and I enter the great perhaps and am reborn.
A few minutes later at St.Josephs hospital, Kenya
A bright light flashes and I start to cry, overwhelmed by the noises and lights that I see. “Oh, its a baby boy” “Look at his rosy little cheeks” “I could just eat him up.”