My Guardian Angel

Finally they had reached their destination. They had worked their way through the bush and had come to a relatively clear spot near a wide river. Katie walked over to the edge of the land and looked out to the river. She immediately located several saltwater crocodiles and gasped audibly.

“Don’t worry, mate. They won’t hurt ya.” Steve told her as he watched her stare at the murky water.

Katie held a starring contest with the crocs until they submerged themselves completely into the water leaving Katie staring at nothing but rippling water. When Katie stopped staring at the water and turned around she saw Steve was sitting by a fire pit. She walked over to it and sat down across from him. It was silent except for the sound of the animals until Steve spoke up.

“I know you have questions. You shouldn’t be afraid to ask them.” He said as he fiddled with something he had plucked up off the ground in front of him. “I can’t answer all of them, that’s Kurt’s job, but I can answer some.”
“I’m really dying?” was the first thing that popped into her head.
“Yes.” He answered.
“Where am I? I know I’m in your heaven, and I know that this is the Australian Bush…but, where…was I?” She asked.
“You were in Limbo, mate. Technically, you still are. You’re only visiting here.” He answered.
“How will I know if I am dead and not dying?” She asked.
“Can’t answer that one, mate. Sorry.” He asked.

To Katie’s right the sun began to set rapidly. Steve began building a fire, and by the time he finished the sun was gone completely from the sky.

“Okay! That’s not normal!” Katie said as she pointed to her right at where the sun had just been. “Normally the sun set is longer than that!”
“Time doesn’t exist, remember?” He smiled, amused by her confusion. “When you’ve been here a while you get used to it. Time doesn’t matter. We don’t have to be anywhere, we don’t need sleep, we don’t need to keep schedules. Time doesn’t matter.”

Katie looked back towards where the sun had set and made a face. She didn’t like the idea of the sun coming and going as it pleased.

“What else do you not have to do? Do you still need to eat?” Katie asked.
“Nah, we don’t have to do anything that we had to do on earth.” He answered. “You see, mate, when you’re on earth you’re body is in control. You’re a soul that just happens to have a body, right? You have to take care of it. But up here, you’re all soul. You can keep your body in case you want to appear to someone, but if I wanted I could float around as a soul. You’ve witnessed that.”

Katie looked up at him confused.

“When you were on that bridge the other day, you heard a voice, right? You thought it was the smoking man, but it wasn’t. It was Kurt. He wasn’t in his body, his soul was just following you. Same as before, when you said you heard him. Most of the time we only take on our bodily form when we’re just relaxing in our heaven. Like when I’m hanging out here, I keep my body form so that I can hold the animals. If I wanted to, and I do sometimes, I just float around here enjoying the scenery. But, when I’m with my family and friends down on earth, I can’t use my body form, so it’s just my soul. You understand?” He asked when he saw her staring.

Katie nodded.
“We are not our body.” He added. “We are our soul.”

There was a short stop in the conversation.

“Can I float around too?” She asked.
“Not yet, and I hope you won’t be.” He said. “Listen, mate. This place is nice, but you can’t stay here. You have to go back. You’ll come back when you’re supposed to.”
“I don’t want to go back! What do I have there? Nothing! Look at this place! Can’t I just stay here?” She began to cry a little bit as she thought back to what she was trying to get away from.

Steve got up and walked over to her. He sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her. “It’s okay, mate.”

Katie was staring at the ground, but through the corner of her eye that was blurred by tears she was able to make out the shape of the object Steve had picked up before. It was a perfect circular ball. It was clear and seemed to be made of glass. The glass seemed to be rippling but she attributed the movement to the blurriness of her vision from the water that had invaded her eyes.

“You think it’s bad now, but trust me, it’ll get better. It’s too soon to come here, mate, too soon.” He pulled her closer to him.

“You came here too soon too.” She said in a choked voice.
“Nah, it was my time. I always thought I was going to be dead by the time I was 40. I’m sorta amazed I made it to 44. I lived a full life, mate, you haven’t.”

“I don’t want to go back.” She cried.

Steve sighed and shook his head before he hugged her to try to make her feel better.

The place went silent again and this time Katie found the noises scarier as the nocturnal predators came out to hunt.

A throat clearing broke the silent moment and Katie jumped.

“That must be Kurt.” Steve said as he let Katie go. “Come on, I’ll bring you back now.” He held out his hand again.
“Will I see you again?” Katie asked before she grabbed it.
“Hopefully not for a long time.” He said. “But no worries, mate, you will one day.”

Katie grabbed his hand and found herself back in the blank canvas-like space from before. Back in Limbo.

“So you’re leaving now?” Katie asked.
“Yeah.” He said. “Kurt wants you back now.”
Katie sighed. “Alright. Bye sir.”
Steve smiled at her. “Good luck, mate.” He gave her a hug and then disappeared.