A young man woke up in a panic. His dim eyes stared upwards into nothingness. An immense sense of anxiety flooded his body, a patch of cold sweat started to form on the back of his neck. The silent paranoia of his situation caused his mind to work in overdrive. His survival instincts activated.

Once he picked himself up from the hard surface, he couldn't help but be confused by both his surroundings and his predicament. He noticed never-ending darkness encompassing everything - a void as he looked around. He let out a nervous whimper feeling as though his body was sinking beneath itself.

Samuel Stone was a 21-year-old college student. A young man who never truly excelled at anything now found himself frozen in fear, swallowed by the void.

‘Where am I…what is this place?’ He wondered with panic as the flight or fight response had already started to take control.

Suddenly, like someone flipping a switch, a powerful light pierced the void in front of him. Samuel watched as the illumination weakened, forming the intricate silhouette of a beautiful woman no larger than he was.

Flowing white hair wafted around her body as she floated slowly towards him. Finally, her voluptuous body, covered in a vale of light, settled as she landed before him with a faceless visage akin to a mirror.

Samuel’s confusion and fear lessened as he felt her warmth radiating towards him as if he was suddenly in the embrace of a loved one. He felt his fear dwindle in her aura for unknown reasons. The woman raised a hand and placed it flush on the side of his face causing the warmth to strengthen.

“Welcome, child.” Her sweet voice echoed loudly. Her presence was as intense as it was mind-numbing. “Welcome to purgatory, home of the ancients.”

Samuel instinctively gulped at her words, feeling like he had lost his mind. He was struggling to comprehend the situation and barely muttered a response.

“Purgatory?” His quaking voice answered. Already the situation was proving too much for his brain.

“Yes, child, this is purgatory. Here all souls are judged and sent to their eternal resting place.”

“So, I died…How? I remember waking up and going to school. Everything was fine-“ Samuel was panicking. There was too much happening all at once, and there wasn’t enough time to process all of it. However, the woman placed a finger over his lips, both silencing his words and his chaotic mind.

“Everything is okay now. The past is the past. Let us focus on the future.” Once again, he felt his mind go numb at her intervention. She retrieved her hands and stepped back from Samuel.

“You have lived a harsh life. However, you maintained a valiant heart and showed genuine concern for others. You committed no great crimes and have judged others fairly.” Her spacious voice grew in power, causing Samuel to feel much smaller than he was.

“You have been judged worthy, have been given a chance at Paradise.” Her final judgment struck deep into Samuel’s soul like a hammer driving a nail.

Samuel heard her words yet struggled to comprehend them. He lived a good life and was apparently getting repaid by the gods. He felt great happiness and smiled but was concerned that she only said he had a chance. Then, the woman’s beautiful eyes met Samuel’s as her glowing smile widened.

“Congratulations Samuel. Enjoy your new life in paradise.” She waved her hand, and with it, an overbearing light once again filled the area. Samuel’s feeble human mind could not handle the vast display and ultimately faded to black.