By Deathly silence accompanied Nikki Weitz as she struggled upwards from the deep pit of unconsciousness. She had been in a serious car accident; she sensed that as certainly as she was surprised to be pain-free. She remembered the exploding tire, the loss of traction and the car careening through scrub alongside the highway. She also remembered the enormous tree that had quickly filled her entire world, beckoning her towards oblivion.
Yet, she was alive! Nikki tried to focus on her immediate surroundings. The deflated airbags and scattered windshield shards spoke to the intensity of the impact. Her seat was lopsided and she was tilted towards the vacant space where the driver’s-side door had once been. Only her seatbelt held her in place.
So how could there be a cat sitting on the dashboard?
The creature was black and shimmered with a smoky, purple haze. Its eyes were a sharper, deeper purple that focused intently on Nikki. The creature meowed and pawed the air in front of Nikki, seemingly trying to get her attention. This was no late-night horror movie creature-feature. There was a kindness to the animal, like a close friend waiting for you at the airport.
“Okay, I see you there,” Nikki mumbled. “Hey, where are you doing?”
Having gained her attention, the cat leapt gracefully through a door-sized hole on the driver’s-side and bounded a few meters deeper into the forest that lined the highway. The creature turned and again pawed the air.
“I don’t think I’m well enough for a walk in a dark forest straight after a car accident,” said Nikki as she tested the movement in her extremities. “Although I do feel surprising fine.”
Nikki gingerly stepped out of the car and approached the cat. She turned to regard the wreckage. Silence and stillness were not the hallmarks of any car accident she had ever seen in a movie. Nothing moved; neither flames nor smoke, creaking metal or cracking plastic. The violence of the impact was obvious, yet the car seemed to have stopped before it had fully settled, as if now cradled by invisible hands. There was clear space between the underside of the car and the ground. Shards of glass and plastic hung in the air, suspended artificially during their violent flight from the stricken vehicle.
And then Nikki saw her own body.
She was seated in the car; her body suspended in time like the car around it. Numerous injuries were obvious and with distance yet to travel.
However, Nikki now also stood meters from it, observing her own likely demise.
“Oh no.”
Nikki looked at her hands and saw the same purplish shimmer that surrounded the cat. In fact, her entire body glowed with the purple haze. Beside her, the cat meowed again and walked deeper into the forest. Nikki was stuck between disbelief and a powerful dread, but decided, for now, to follow.
The silence was deeper than anything Nikki had experienced before. Sound was not merely being suppressed or masked, but there was a total absence of anything capable of creating noise. This absence suggested an unreality, a plane of existence beyond anything Nikki could comprehend. And yet, here she was.
Nikki’s footfalls silently passed through the grass, sticks and leaves that made up the forest’s undergrowth, yet landed on some limitation within this limitless plane.
Without sound or movement, other than her feline companion, time appeared to have no presence here.
“So, are you a spirit guide or something?”
The shimmering cat paused at the comment, meowed at her, perhaps in affirmation, perhaps in impatience and continued.
“I’ll take that as a maybe.”
Nikki followed her feline guide into a large clearing, at the center of which was a lake, shimmering turquoise. Around the edges were many seats, fashioned from fallen logs and arranged in rough, concentric circles, facing the water. Nikki estimated that there could be at least 80 of these, each long enough for four or five people to sit on.
Many people were seated, and each had a smoky creature sitting beside them or resting at their feet. Just about every small to medium-sized creature was present, from dogs to leopards and tigers, various birds, deer and even a chill capybara. In all cases, the animal guides and their human counterparts shimmered with the same purplish glow as Nikki and her own guide.
And beside each person was another entity: humanoid, tall and wiry, shimmering as well, cloaked and hooded and in deep conversation with the person seated next to them. The tall individuals seemed calm and kind; occasionally someone appeared upset or concerned over some matter and the entity would offer a gesture of comfort, which seemed to calm the person.
For the first time since ‘waking’ in her car, Nikki now heard something other than meowing. The immense silence was broken by the gentle lapping of water at the lake’s shore. There didn’t seem to be any wind or activity on the lake itself to induce such movement, but the effect was calming and welcoming.
Nikki’s feline guide had hopped onto a vacant log and was meowing insistently. Nikki sat beside it, feeling a greater appreciation for the creature’s place within this world, and its likely understanding of her own. There was much more to her feline spirit companion than she would ever understand.
Nikki turned and was completely unsurprised to see another of the tall humanoids sitting next to her. Its face was shrouded in the hooded cloak that its kind seemed to favour, and it radiated a genuine kindness and patience that Nikki had never experienced in her life.
“Greetings”, said the entity, whose voice seemed to emanate from its entire being rather than from where a mouth would be situated for a human. The serene voice seemed to vibrate through her.
“Um, hello. I’m not sure what’s happening or why I’m here. What is this place?”
“Your uncertainty is understandable and expected. This is the space between life and death, as you perceive those concepts. You are here because your mortal body has suffered significant damage, and your life may end. We have brought you to this space between so we can speak.”
“Dammit! What…what happens next? Am I going to die?”
Nikki’s spirit cat placed its paw on her thigh.
“When a person enters the space between life and death, what you know as a near-death experience, we can reach you and offer guidance. Otherwise, the typical experience would be chaotic, painful and terrifying.”
“Why would you do that? What’s the point?”
“Eons past, our ancestors evolved away from a fragile, mortal existence and gained wisdom and peace. Unknown then was the opportunity this evolution would provide: we now stand at the threshold between life and death. In time we saw we could help those mortal, sentient creatures whose lives were ending and guide them into the next stage of their existence. Through us, some may regain a sense of control and destiny. This gave us purpose beyond simply seeking knowledge.”
“So, what about all these people here, what guidance is being offered them…and me?”
“We offer a choice: either stay and end your mortal existence, or return. Most choose to return, and we respect that. The choice can only be offered to those whose life may soon end, and while there is still a chance for recovery. In these cases, where the body has suffered major injury or illness, recovery will be difficult, agonising and perhaps lead to a significant reduction in quality of life. This pains us, and that is why we offer guidance at this critical moment.”
Nikki looked past the other people sitting with their spirit guides, and then on to the lake. Beyond the other side of the shimmering water more people sat and contemplated their lives and futures. Beyond, and she could just make out the gently glowing forest begin again.
“Should you choose to return and continue living the remains of your mortal life, you will not remember making the choice, nor this place,” continued the entity.
A short distance away, Nikki saw a person suddenly glow brightly, almost too bright to look at. They dissolved into thousands of pinpoints of light that drifted away into the breezeless sky. The person’s sprit guide, a shimmering purple Labrador, watched the points of light fade before rising and walking into the forest. The entity rose and quietly made its way into the forest before also disappearing.
“They chose to return,” said the entity, following Nikki’s line of sight.
“No walking back to wherever their body was?”
“The walk is a necessary metaphor for the transition of life into death and afterlife. It is also part of how we guide an individual to understanding the choice. Neither are required once the choice is made.”
“I hope they recover…and have some sort of productive life.”
“That is kind, but unlikely, unfortunately. That one is what you would refer to as a criminal. They have committed many crimes against your laws. We would also consider them to be amoral. Should they recover, they may reoffend.”
“What? Why did you allow them to return? Who knows how many more people they could hurt!”
Nikki found herself standing, confronting the entity. For the first time since entering this place, her calm and peace was replaced with fear and anger.
“All have this opportunity, even those who are wicked, either by law or morality. We do not judge or interfere in the ways of humanity, or any of the sentient species across the universe. While you will not remember this place, sometimes the optimism, peace and sense of something good beyond your life will return with you. This can improve your remaining life and in turn improve it for those around you. All deserve that opportunity, even the wicked.”
Nikki struggled to rationalise appropriate (and eternal) punishment for crimes committed in life against the chance of redemption, a redemption freely offered at the last moment. Did she accept that the same afterlife was available for every person, wicked or good? She had always accepted the idea of dispassionate judgement resulting in eternal punishment for the villainous, heaven for the righteous.
“No, this is impossible. I…I can’t…”
Shaking legs barely raised Nikki. A stumble turned into a shambling run and she flew past people in conversation with other entities. Nikki quickly broke into the forest and sensed, without looking, that her spirit guide was keeping pace.
Suddenly, Nikki broke out of the forest again. She was in the same open space where she had been before. The same vast lake shimmered with a calm she did not feel. Her log seat remained and patiently waiting was the entity.
“I guess no matter where I run, I always end up back here?”
The entity nodded and waited.
Nikki sat down again and eyed the entity beside her. “You could have said something before I made a fool of myself.”
“You were not foolish. We understand that this is hard for you to accept. It is for most.”
“So where does God fit in all this?”
For the first time, the entity paused a moment before replying.
“Your concept of God is all of this and all of what is to come. We understand your concern that the wicked in life gain the same opportunities in afterlife as those you would consider good. What is to come is not reward or punishment but a chance for redemption and growth. Yet, even we do not have all the answers. However, rest assured that the struggles of the righteous in life will lead humanity into a golden age, much as it has done for us. What you do matters.”
Nikki nodded and considered the entity’s words. She realised that living her life purely in terms of reward or punishment in afterlife was probably a mistake. Improving the lives of those around her and helping humanity reach a brighter future would be reward enough.
“So, what if I decide to give up life and…die?”
“The two of us,” the entity indicated Nikki’s spirt animal, which was now sitting on her lap, “will guide you into the next phase of your existence. We will stay with you for as long as you wish.”
“What will I see? What will I experience?”
“Your limited vocabulary and your species’ inexperience cannot hope to understand what comes next. We ourselves do not understand it fully, but there is wonder beyond imagination and without end.”
“Doesn’t sound so bad. If I decide to go back, will you be there later…when I die, I mean?”
“If it eases your passage from your old life to the new, then yes, I shall be there to guide you, we both will. Make no mistake, should you choose to return, your recuperation will be lengthy and…painful. We cannot aid in that.”
“Thank you, I understand,” said Nikki as she thoughtfully scratched behind the cat’s ears.
*
Paramedic Dane Gray was the first to reach the scene of the accident. He scampered down to the shattered wreckage located among the ferns and trees beside the highway. He passed the likely primary vehicle impact point: a powerful red oak that showed significant superficial damage.
The sole occupant was female, mid-30s and had numerous abrasions and cuts, some quite deep, most likely from the impact violence and flying debris. Closer inspection suggested more severe injuries were likely and significant facial bruising, despite the deployment of airbags.
Dane checked for a pulse and was relieved to detect a weak but regular beat. The driver was also breathing, again faint but readily detectable. He carefully applied a precautionary c-collar and gently held her wrist.
“Hey, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?”
The occupant groaned and her eyelids fluttered open. She tried to focus and then mumbled something Dane couldn’t quite hear.
“My name is Dane; I’m a paramedic and I’m going to look after you.”
The driver suddenly grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip and stared at him with steely determination.
“I want to live!”
Dane couldn’t help but smile. The occupant’s strength and determination was encouraging, even though he was going to develop a few bruises from her grip. “That’s why I’m here.”
