In an Instant

Growing up and reading stories and tales I always thought that when you died, or when you were close to dying that nothing more happened following your demise. It was just lights out and farewell, or maybe a bright light leading to the purely gates of heaven. I guess my perception of it all was wrong since... That's not what happened to me.

After it all transpired, suddenly on the outside of my body I survey the scene from the sidelines as everything around me turned to frantic chaos. Shaken, I slowly grasp the concept that to everyone around me I am invisible, all they see of me is my broken body being loaded up into a stretcher. The police pull out of their vehicles and they surround the scene trying to decipher the situation that lay before them. What I want is to believe that it was all a vivid dream, a dream that I will soon wake up from. The sirens get louder, and peoples chatter begins to sound far away as I collapse onto the crisp snow beneath me.

My eyes flutter open and I look down and notice I am wearing a beautiful white lace dress that appears to fit my body perfectly. Sitting up I glance around me and take in my surroundings, I am somehow transported from the crash site to in an empty field. I also notice that it happens to be summer somehow and a feeling washes over me, it's a strange sense of peace and ecstasy. Maybe this was the heaven I had always envisioned after my demise. Feeling weightless I get to my feet and stroll through the field, attempting to come across any sort of familiarity. There was nothing of the sort, but a stream just a few feet away. Sitting by the stream I glance up and watch the birds flutter on by, singing their beautiful morning song. Everything feels perfect here.

Before I get to my feet, I glance at the reflection of myself in the water. My fiery auburn hair flutters with the assistance of the slight breeze that flows through the peaceful summer air. Noticing something far off in the distance, I jump and squint my eyes adjusting my vision to see correctly. It's a door. Covered by tree's and bushes, the door stands out perfectly to me and I proceed to make my way there. Scared, but also brave I finally reach the door and with shaky legs and sweaty palms I prepare myself.

With my hand raised, I prepared myself to knock a few times, but instantly lower it. I realize it was unlikely that someone actually lives here. Instead, I give a small shove and the door glides open with ease. I enter inside and my eyes lit up in awe of what I am surrounded by.

Covering the walls from top to bottom, was hundreds... No, thousands of photos of my life. No particular order was given to them, I wander around smiling at the memories that lay before me. There was a photo of me grinning from ear-to-ear at my high school graduation, when I won a scholarship for artist of the year, Halloween when I was 5 years old dressed up as a famous Disney princess, my hands feel along the wall the bumpy surface igniting a nostalgic sensation beneath them. And now I know in my heart, that this is a sign... this was the end for me; this is the flashback of memories everyone talks about when you die. This is exactly it.

The door then slams itself shut, echoing abruptly at its closure. I am startled by the sudden blackness I am surrounded by.

"Am I... dead?" I wondered to myself, realizing that my proposition may in fact be correct.

"Not at the moment, but you're close to death as death could ever be." A voice from behind me chucks with a sense of lightness in its entirety. I spin around and I was face to face with a strange cloaked man, I can't see his entire face but only a small grin start to form. He suddenly lifts his hand from underneath his robe and snaps his fingers, and at that the only form of light in the room is activated.

While taking in this strange man's posture and energy, I wince at the bright light surrounding my field of vision trying to get used to it.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" I rudely snap at the man, which makes him chuckle in surprise at my outburst.

"...well with that attitude I should have just replied with yes." I notice a very vague English accent when he speaks, which catches me off guard at first.

I cross my arms over my chest and shoot a nasty glare in his direction, which makes a small smile appear from his sunken face.

"You might want to sit down for this." He tells me, and my eyes graze around the room but I don't see a chair in sight.

"...On the floor?"

He groans and with a sharp snap of his fingers a chair appears right behind me and he motions with his hands for me to sit down.

"Is that better, princess?" He asks me, a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

"Yes, it is."

"Okay moving on, anyways you're not dead but you are in a coma." He informed me getting straight to the point, I realized that that may have made sense.

"...a coma? So is this a dream then? Am I dreaming?" I have so many questions that I just need to have answered, but he shushes me and with another snap of his fingers we are transported to the chaos of the hospital. I watch as they wheel me into an empty operating room, in an attempt to save my life.

I turn and I'm face to face with Stephan on the other side of the waiting room door, he can't see me though as I am still a ghost. Tears cascade down his face as Sierra holds him in an attempt to assist in soothing the brokenness that he feels.

Stephan and my best friend are here, but I don't see either of my parents. Not surprisingly my fathers absence has no effect on me, as I assume he's off on a bender or doing drugs like he always did. My mother on the other hand, I figure that maybe she hasn't heard the news yet and that she will be at my side shortly.

I turn and glance at the man who is watching me, watch this entire chaotic mess with a look in his eyes. I can't tell if it's sadness, or pain but whatever it was he stands with his arms crossed expecting me to react in some sort of way.

"Am I going to die?" The question choked itself out of my throat, getting caught on the sensation of fear and sorrow that I was beginning to drown myself in.

He burrows his head to the ground and reaches out a hand, which was gloved in white silk, his lips moves in what feels like slow motion, "Come with me."

I am frightened, but I follow him anyway down the long hospital corridor. From there, he leads me into a waiting room, with young people around my age sitting and waiting. Some chatted amongst themselves, others just sit and stare at the white bleak wall in front of them.

"Delilah Ivy, welcome to the brink." He tells me, ushering me quickly into the room. "Wait here and soon your name will be called up, and become prepared for when it does; as that will be all your answers that you've been searching for.