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analog · 10-18-2005, 01:52 AM

They were like the eyes of an old friend. They were deep and compassionate, and they seemed to care, even though they were attached to a wolf.

"Don't stare at me, human. It's creeping me out." Said the wolf.

"Could you please stop calling me 'human', wolf?" he snipped back, obviously a little agitated.

"Alright, alright, don't get your shorts in a bind. Speaking of shorts in a bind, how can you stand all that wet clothing hanging on you?" The wolf asked as they started back towards the road, noticing his shoes squished with every step.

"It'll be dry soon. I'm not worried about it." Simon answered, wringing out his shirt"

"That's one thing that always confused me about you humans."

"What's that?" Simon asked, feeling the hard asphalt beneath him once again.

"Well, your obsession with emotions. You worry all the time. You're constantly afraid of something. You live your lives in fear of each other. You spend more time and money developing ways to end lives than save them. That just sounds like a species doomed to failure."

"Well humans have been around for a very long time." Simon said, unsure of what to say about the fear he knew he, too, felt.

"Oh, yeah, such a long time. You think my wolf ancestors weren't around before your human ones? Regardless, the point is that in the last few decades, technology has grown at an incredible pace. Now, more than ever, you had the ability to put real technology towards real problems. Disease, famine, thirst, all the basic necessities of life. Sure, you've spent lots of development on medical advances, but as a group you spent a lot more on trying to best everyone else in the killing arena. Didn't you think that was going to catch up with you eventually?"

"I don't understand what you mean."

"I mean, " the wolf continues, "that the humans signed their own death certificate when they chose to take the planet they were given, and the lives they were granted and treat them so poorly. You lead a good life though, Simon, which is why you're here. You were kind and fair, you were honest and good to your fellow man."

"I think, " Simon interjected, "the sun is getting to your wolf brain. I don't even know how my life went, let alone you. I could have been a total asshole... You don't know me."

A minute or two passes, and Simon is deep in thought. He looks around and realizes how boring the scenery is, but it gives him a feeling of peace and calms him. He thinks back to the lake and how good that water tasted to his parched mouth.

”I wasn’t thirsty, though…” he thought, looking down at the wolf quietly walking alongside him. ”And I’m not even really hungry… I mean, food sounds good… but I’m not… hungry… it’s been days since I've eaten, though…”

“What are you thinking about, Simon?” the wolf says, almost startling him from his thoughts.

“Nothing… nothing. Just stuff.”

“Wow. Deep.” The wolf snorts, laughing a bit.

“How come… how come you said emotions confused you? Do they not confuse you anymore?”

The wolf stops walking. Simon realizes he’s stopped and turns to face him.

“Try and remember something for me, Simon.”

“Yeah, ok, I haven’t been able to remember anything so far, this should be good. Shoot.”

“What have you always believed happens to people when they die?”

Simon is at first slightly puzzled by the question, but then immediately more confused that he remembers the answer.

“That… if people died and remembered their lives, they would never rest because they’d do nothing but second-guess all the bullshit they went through.”

“Simon, do you think that all humans have the same thoughts on how it is to die?”

“No, definitely not.” Simon laughs, thinking briefly of all the different beliefs he’s run into over the years, not realizing they’re memories coming back to him.

“So let’s say for a moment that everyone on the planet died, what do you think would happen? Would everyone get just the one master mold of ‘life after death’, for whatever belief ended up being correct, or do you think they’d all get the customized version of it that they believed in?”

“Well, it’d be nice if everyone got their belief. Everyone has a different idea of what perfect is.”

A cool breeze plays down the road and makes Simon take a deep breath, feeling it refresh him from the heat. He closes his eyes and outstretches his arms.

“Awesome, I was just thinking how nice it would be to have some cool wind.” He says to the wolf.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if the world was your whim?”

“Yeah, it would be.”

“The mind is an incredible thing, Simon. Sometimes people don’t remember things because they couldn’t yet accept them.”

“What couldn’t I accept?” Simon asks, puzzled.

“That you’re dead, Simon.”

When he opens his eyes, he’s back at the porch of his house. He feels a hand on his arm.

“You always said you’d sit with me for forever…” comes the voice from behind him. He turns to see his wife sitting there, tears streaming down her face. Without thinking, he sits next to her and holds her tightly. He remembers her, he remembers why she’s crying. He suddenly remembers everything.

“I love you.” He says to her, wiping away her tears.

“I love you too.” She answers back.

Simon looks down to see the wolf sitting there. Suddenly, a blinding white light consumes everything around him, and he loses all feeling. He no longer feels the bench beneath him, or his love in his arms. He looks around and can only see endless, brilliant white. He turns a bit and sees the wolf sitting just a few feet away from him. Simon thinks back to their conversation on the road just before he was brought back to his home and his wife, and no longer feels confused, worried, or scared. He feels happy, and content.

“Is this…” Simon begins whispering to the wolf.

“Heaven? Paradise? If you have to put a name on it. This is just where everyone goes. It’s just the next step after you die. Call it what you want.”

“But- “ Simon begins to speak, but he stops abruptly when he feels a hand on his arm again. Looking back, he sees his wife sitting, smiling, on the same bench from the front porch, and he’s back there with her again.

Simon turns to the wolf and smiles. “Nevermind. ‘Heaven’ isn’t a good enough word anyway.”

The wolf lets out a laugh and walks off into the distance. Simon sits down and once again leans against his love, feeling the warmth of their embrace. He takes her hand in his, and they both sigh happily as a cool breeze go by.

10-18-2005, 01:52 AM	#15 (permalink)
analog Banned	They were like the eyes of an old friend. They were deep and compassionate, and they seemed to care, even though they were attached to a wolf. "Don't stare at me, human. It's creeping me out." Said the wolf. "Could you please stop calling me 'human', wolf?" he snipped back, obviously a little agitated. "Alright, alright, don't get your shorts in a bind. Speaking of shorts in a bind, how can you stand all that wet clothing hanging on you?" The wolf asked as they started back towards the road, noticing his shoes squished with every step. "It'll be dry soon. I'm not worried about it." Simon answered, wringing out his shirt" "That's one thing that always confused me about you humans." "What's that?" Simon asked, feeling the hard asphalt beneath him once again. "Well, your obsession with emotions. You worry all the time. You're constantly afraid of something. You live your lives in fear of each other. You spend more time and money developing ways to end lives than save them. That just sounds like a species doomed to failure." "Well humans have been around for a very long time." Simon said, unsure of what to say about the fear he knew he, too, felt. "Oh, yeah, such a long time. You think my wolf ancestors weren't around before your human ones? Regardless, the point is that in the last few decades, technology has grown at an incredible pace. Now, more than ever, you had the ability to put real technology towards real problems. Disease, famine, thirst, all the basic necessities of life. Sure, you've spent lots of development on medical advances, but as a group you spent a lot more on trying to best everyone else in the killing arena. Didn't you think that was going to catch up with you eventually?" "I don't understand what you mean." "I mean, " the wolf continues, "that the humans signed their own death certificate when they chose to take the planet they were given, and the lives they were granted and treat them so poorly. You lead a good life though, Simon, which is why you're here. You were kind and fair, you were honest and good to your fellow man." "I think, " Simon interjected, "the sun is getting to your wolf brain. I don't even know how my life went, let alone you. I could have been a total asshole... You don't know me." A minute or two passes, and Simon is deep in thought. He looks around and realizes how boring the scenery is, but it gives him a feeling of peace and calms him. He thinks back to the lake and how good that water tasted to his parched mouth. ”I wasn’t thirsty, though…” he thought, looking down at the wolf quietly walking alongside him. ”And I’m not even really hungry… I mean, food sounds good… but I’m not… hungry… it’s been days since I've eaten, though…” “What are you thinking about, Simon?” the wolf says, almost startling him from his thoughts. “Nothing… nothing. Just stuff.” “Wow. Deep.” The wolf snorts, laughing a bit. “How come… how come you said emotions confused you? Do they not confuse you anymore?” The wolf stops walking. Simon realizes he’s stopped and turns to face him. “Try and remember something for me, Simon.” “Yeah, ok, I haven’t been able to remember anything so far, this should be good. Shoot.” “What have you always believed happens to people when they die?” Simon is at first slightly puzzled by the question, but then immediately more confused that he remembers the answer. “That… if people died and remembered their lives, they would never rest because they’d do nothing but second-guess all the bullshit they went through.” “Simon, do you think that all humans have the same thoughts on how it is to die?” “No, definitely not.” Simon laughs, thinking briefly of all the different beliefs he’s run into over the years, not realizing they’re memories coming back to him. “So let’s say for a moment that everyone on the planet died, what do you think would happen? Would everyone get just the one master mold of ‘life after death’, for whatever belief ended up being correct, or do you think they’d all get the customized version of it that they believed in?” “Well, it’d be nice if everyone got their belief. Everyone has a different idea of what perfect is.” A cool breeze plays down the road and makes Simon take a deep breath, feeling it refresh him from the heat. He closes his eyes and outstretches his arms. “Awesome, I was just thinking how nice it would be to have some cool wind.” He says to the wolf. “Wouldn’t it be nice if the world was your whim?” “Yeah, it would be.” “The mind is an incredible thing, Simon. Sometimes people don’t remember things because they couldn’t yet accept them.” “What couldn’t I accept?” Simon asks, puzzled. “That you’re dead, Simon.” When he opens his eyes, he’s back at the porch of his house. He feels a hand on his arm. “You always said you’d sit with me for forever…” comes the voice from behind him. He turns to see his wife sitting there, tears streaming down her face. Without thinking, he sits next to her and holds her tightly. He remembers her, he remembers why she’s crying. He suddenly remembers everything. “I love you.” He says to her, wiping away her tears. “I love you too.” She answers back. Simon looks down to see the wolf sitting there. Suddenly, a blinding white light consumes everything around him, and he loses all feeling. He no longer feels the bench beneath him, or his love in his arms. He looks around and can only see endless, brilliant white. He turns a bit and sees the wolf sitting just a few feet away from him. Simon thinks back to their conversation on the road just before he was brought back to his home and his wife, and no longer feels confused, worried, or scared. He feels happy, and content. “Is this…” Simon begins whispering to the wolf. “Heaven? Paradise? If you have to put a name on it. This is just where everyone goes. It’s just the next step after you die. Call it what you want.” “But- “ Simon begins to speak, but he stops abruptly when he feels a hand on his arm again. Looking back, he sees his wife sitting, smiling, on the same bench from the front porch, and he’s back there with her again. Simon turns to the wolf and smiles. “Nevermind. ‘Heaven’ isn’t a good enough word anyway.” The wolf lets out a laugh and walks off into the distance. Simon sits down and once again leans against his love, feeling the warmth of their embrace. He takes her hand in his, and they both sigh happily as a cool breeze go by.