Chapter 2: Is This What the Afterlife Looks Like?
After dying, he attempted to open his eyes and found himself standing within a vast, dark space extended without visible boundary, filled with stars.
"…I'm awake…? Didn't I get struck by lightning?" Adrian muttered under his breath.
"Am I not dead…? This isn't a hospital. Then where am I supposed to be…? Am I really dead?"
Finally he became aware that he was positioned in a line. The figures around him were composed of light. Their forms were clearly defined, yet their glow remained controlled. Each figure differed in height, gender, posture, and apparent age.
"…There are people here… or they are not people?" Why do they look like that…? They seems like they are made of light... are they also dead?"
Above them extended long strands suspended in the void. These strands varied in color—white, red, black, gold, and purple.
Each finger held a single strand, each one bound to its fingers. The hand itself was made of pure white light, surrounded by shimmering gold-like particles.
"…A hand…?"
That massive hand came from a colossal winged figure suspended in space. It remained motionless, floating without any visible support or movement. Its presence occupied a vast portion of the surrounding void, positioned at the front of the line.
It possessed six wings. The upper pair extended forward, covering the area where its eyes would be. The middle pair extended outward. The lower pair angled downward, covering the lower portion of its body.
The wings were composed of pure white feathers arranged in layered rows. The figure remained stationary, with no visible motion in its wings or body.
"…What in the world is that? Is that what God looks like? No… it has wings—so is it an angel? Is this what the afterlife looks like?"
At the front of the line, where each figure moved forward one by one, there was a wooden dock. Surrounded by waist-high wooden railings.
"…They're all going there… one by one… what are they doing at the dock? Do they talk to that angel-like figure in front?"
Infront the dock is the angel-like figure.
One of its hands was stretched out, holding the five colored strings.
"…I don't think I'm supposed to be here." Adrian tried to step out of the line, but his legs wouldn't move, as if they were stuck to the ground.
"…But I can't leave either."
"…So what happens to me now… will it be my turn soon?"
As time passed, no one spoke to each other. No one moved freely. The only movement allowed was to turn their heads and step forward when the person in front moved.
A quiet shift followed each time. One figure would advance and take the next place. One by one.
Adrian also couldn't hear the voice of the winged being—not a single word. Only the responses. Only the voices of those being called forward.
"I'm not a sinner…" a man said as he stepped forward, his voice shaking under forced confidence. "I didn't do anything wrong…" He passed beyond the wooden rail—and vanished. The black string shifted slightly.
The line moved.
"They started it," the next man said quickly, words spilling out in a rush. "I just fought back… I had no choice. They deserved it…" He stepped forward—and disappeared. The red string moved.
Another stepped out.
An old man. "So… this is it," he murmured, a tired smile on his face. "I guess… I'll finally see her again…" He walked forward without hesitation—and vanished. The gold string moved.
The line advanced again.
A younger man lowered his head, his shoulders shaking. "I know… I made mistakes…" he whispered. "If I had listened… if I had changed… maybe things would've been different… maybe they would've been happy…" His voice broke as he stepped forward—and vanished. The gold string moved again.
Another step.
A small figure walked forward. A child. "Where's my mom…?" the child asked softly, confusion and fear in every word. "She was just there… reading to me… the doctor said I'd be okay…" A pause. "And Papa… he promised me a big doll when I got better…" The child stepped forward—and disappeared. The white string moved for the very first time.
Silence lasted for a brief moment. Then it broke.
"Please… send me back…" the next person begged, his body trembling. "I can't die yet… I still have to work… my little brother needs me… my sister is still in the hospital… If I'm gone… what will happen to them…!? I'm the only one they can rely on... please... I'm begging you." No answer came. He took another stepped forward and vanished. The gold string moved once again.
The line was still long, stretching far back into the distance. Long lines would normally make him irritated—sometimes even furious. But now, he felt calm. Unnaturally calm. Maybe because he was dead.
He could hear people breaking down—young and old alike. Some were crying softly, others loudly. Some sounded angry, voices with defiance. Others spoke with pride. And some… sounded full of longing.
Finally, it was Adrian's turn. He stepped forward and stood in front of the giant figure at the wooden dock, just like all those who came before him.
And for the first time, he could hear the angel-like being clearly. It spoke with a soft, gentle voice—so calm and warm that he couldn't tell if it belonged to a man or a woman.
"The child has departed from the earth. His days are fulfilled, and his labor complete. The dust returns to the soil from which it came, and the spirit ascends into the hand of the judge. ME. The Lord's servant beholds all that was done in secret; nothing lies hidden from My sight.
"Upon my fingers there is a thread of white, a thread of red, a thread of black, and a thread of purple and gold" He then inquired: "Which of these threads is yours?"
Adrian just stood there motionless, unable to comprehend what was happening.
Then the angel-like figure asked a question that made him question himself.
Angel: "Tell me child. Art thou the covetous, who amassed treasures and hardened thy heart to gold? Who placed wealth above all else, and counted nothing higher than gain?
Art thou the murderer, who schemed in secret and exulted in the fall of another? Who wrought harm for thy own advantage?
Art thou the lustful, who beheld beauty as if it were thine to claim? Who surrendered thy heart to fleeting desire and passing pleasures?
Art thou the accuser, whose words cut deep, turning brother against brother, and casting strife among men?
Art thou the deceiver, who led others astray with cunning lies and falsehoods? Who turned the righteous from their path?
Art thou the envious, whose appetite is never satisfied, ever coveting that which belongs to another?
Or art thou the lost sheep, wandering far from the meadow, defiled by the world, whose innocence has been tainted by what surrounded thee?
"Choose." The word echoed in Adrian's mind again and again.
Finally, he found his voice. "I do not fully understand or know myself. Whether I am worthy of heaven, if my sins are forgiven, or destined for hell because of what I have done—I cannot say. Whatever judgment awaits me, I will accept it. I will not claim to be righteous or pure, for I know my sins. Yet I will not call myself wholly evil or beyond redemption."
Adrian: "I stole my classmate's pen when it fell on the floor instead of returning it. I also took some money from my father's wallet. I spoke back to my parents harshly before. I once picked up money on the road and didn't return it because I wanted to buy my favorite snacks. I curse a lot. I lie. I hurt someone physically before because he made fun of me. I sometimes forget to go to church. I've made fun of others and judged them. I've picked on someone younger than me just because it felt fun. I also turned a blind eye when I saw someone in need. Even when I had enough money to give to homeless people, I just walked past them, telling myself it was only enough for my transportation and food."
Adrian: "I will not choose any thread or even have the right just to save or condemn myself. Yet, if it is allowed, I wish to live once more—to experience life again."
"What would you want to do if you lived again?" the angel-like figure asked.
Adrian: "I want to eat food I've never tasted before. I want to enjoy life once more. I want to feel the heat of the sun on my skin again. I want to experience new things, even if they might hurt me along the way. And I want the one who struck me with lightning to feel my fist against his head."
"I'm evil, right?" Adrian said, as if he truly meant it.
But instead, the angel-like figure smiled gently—like a mother's smile. That made Adrian feel a deep sense of guilt.
Angel: "There are people who harm others for their own benefit. That is how the world works—through life and influence. Some of them are better on the inside, because they realize they do it just to survive another day. And there are also those who walk with their heads held high while reading the teachings of the Bible, yet are worse than the others."
Angel: "The Creator gave all people *FREE WILL.* Whatever you become—kind or evil, whether you follow His teachings or turn your back on Him—is your own choice."
Adrian slowly stepped forward with one foot, and his body began to fade, turning transparent. He looked at the angel, the judge, one last time.
The purple thread moved.