There was nothing special happening that day. No flash sales, that I had to rush to. No dramas, that I had to rush home to watch. I was just coming home from a hobby class. So, why did I not look both ways before crossing? That way I would have seen the truck coming towards me. Then again have I ever really looked both ways before crossing? Does anyone other than good little children do that?

“Ayra. Can you hear me?”

I could hear an unidentified voice was calling me.

“Well, it does not matter. I Will bring you here anyways.”

Before I knew it, my surrounding had changed from the busy urban environment, to a much calmer garden with a variety of flowers in full florescence. Closing my eyes and taking in the sweet smell of the garden, I was feeling disconnected and a bit floaty. Then again maybe that is just because I am dead and literally no longer held back by my mortal body.

When I opened my eyes again, I spotted a peculiar-looking flower in front of me. It was like small bright red flames were dancing to the gentle breeze. Feeling curious at the strange flower I reached my hand out to touch it.

“I would not touch that flower or any of the flowers around here.”

Again, I heard that foreign voice. Turning towards it I saw a motherly looking middle-aged woman in a green dress. Looking more closely while she looked like she was not that young anymore, she still looked extremely attractive with her healthy tanned skin and her long silky soft silver hair. She looked almost otherworldly.

“Um, sorry. I was just curious.”

“Oh, no I did not mean that you were not allowed to touch them, but more that they are poisonous, all the flowers here are. Like that flower in front of you commonly known as a flame lily, just touching its stem and leaves can cause skin irritations, if ingested it can be fatal for both animals and humans alike. In fact, they have been known to be used in assassinations and pest exterminations.”

Afraid of the poisonous flowers I took a step back.

“I will be extra careful then. But what is this place?”

“Well, it is what people commonly refer to as a garden”

“I know it is a garden, but who has a garden full of poisonous flowers. But that is not the point, was I not dead just then, ran over by a truck. I even floated around my own dead body earlier, like a ghost or am I just in a coma, dreaming about this random deadly garden.”

“For your first question, I have a random deadly garden full of poisonous flowers. I am also sorry to inform you that you are in fact dead. However, on the bright side, you have another chance at life.”

“Are you serious? Like can you bring me back to life, because I just paid a year’s worth of membership fee for my hobby class?”

“I am afraid that will not be possible as that is not within the domain of my power.”

“Well, I guess that's too bad then. I was looking forward to those classes. Then what can you do for me you mentioned that you could give me another chance.”

The middle-aged woman studied me for a while and looked a bit conflicted.

“You do not really seem sad about any of this. I mean you seem sad about not getting your money back, but after being run over by a truck, and dying you are taking this extremely well.”

“Everyone has to die at some point in their life, some live to a ripe old age while some die young. I guess, I am one of those that died young. Not like I’m special or anything.”

As I finished speaking the woman showed a playful smile as if she was a mischievous child that knew about something that I didn’t.

“I am just an ordinary young woman that graduated from a prestigious university and became my own boss before I turn 25. Right?”

With a giggle, the woman looked straight into my eyes as if she could really see something special.

“I cannot tell whether you’re bragging now or being serious. Those achievements in themselves while not rare and unachievable they still demonstrate that you are highly successful. But that’s not what really makes you special, well to me at least. You see, believe it or not, I am a god. A high-ranking goddess from another plane to be exact. As a high-ranking goddess, I possess an immense amount of divinity. Usually, only gods, and powerful spirits of nature can possess divinity. And you, my dear, also possess divinity though only in small quantities.”

Feeling unconvinced that the person standing before me while highly attractive was most likely not a goddess, but some part of me was telling me that I should listen to her and believe what she is saying. Maybe she’s a demon and she is charming me into believing her, a charm demon like a succubus?

“Are you really a goddess, and not just some demon pretending to be a goddess? How can I trust you, I mean, I just met you? And this talk about me having divinity is just nonsense. I’m just an ordinary person if I really had divinity, I would not have died, being run over by a truck.”

“While your understanding of divinity is misguided, you are not wrong in being mistrusting in me. There is nothing I can immediately do, to make you trust me. However, I can show you what I can do as a goddess and maybe gain a bit of trust along the way.”

She turned her back to me and looked around the garden. Before speaking to me again.

“You see gods, and spirits all usually have a domain that they oversee or have control over. My domain or domains so to speak include many things nature, life, war, and wealth are all part of domains. I am also the patron goddess of motherhood, wolves, warriors, farmers, and merchants. I guess, I am most known for my role as mother earth, and as the high goddess Karla.”

As she finished saying those words, the whole garden became a sea of multicoloured flowers in full bloom. Turning back to face me. She looked every bit as gentle and motherly like my own mother. While my mother was practically a tiger mum while I growing up and she was highly fierce in some situations, but she was a great and caring mum. Thinking that I will not ever see her again, I could not help but start to cry.

Without realising it, I had ended up in Karla’s arms and her appearance that had completely changed into that of my own mother. She just held me in her arms and comforted me for a long time. It was only when she finally spoke again, that I noticed and stammered out.

“Why do you look and sound like my mother?”

“I am your mother. I watched you grow, scolded you when you were naughty. Comforted you when you were scared at night. I have always been your mother. It is just that when I am in a mortal realm I have to suppress my divinity and take the form of an ‘ordinary’ person so to speak.”

As she reverted back to her goddess appearance. She continued to explain.

“This is my true form. Do you remember as a child you would ask me why your hair was silver while everyone else had different hair colours to you? At the time I told you it was because of your father but it was because you inherited my divinity that causes you to take on my original traits. Do you not think we look similar now?”

Thinking back, I always thought it was strange that I did not look like my mother. I thought it was because I looked like my absent father, but now it seems that it was just my mother. But if my mother was a goddess who was my father? It can’t be that he’s a god too right. I mean I never met him so for all I know he could be one too.

“Um, mum I can accept that you’re a goddess but what about dad? You always said he died in a war but what was the real truth. Who was he?”

“Your father or biological fathers so to speak were a collection of young soldiers who died in wars, with regret of never having children or started a family. It was not like I had a fling with some mortal and became pregnant because of it. No, you were born from the collective ideal of what a child should be. And I guess that most fathers would want a cute daughter. That is the short answer of your birth, you were conceived through thought.”

“Ok, I can accept that. I have lived my whole life only knowing you so if suddenly a father showed up, I would be highly uncomfortable with it.”

“Now onto other business, I told you earlier that you had another chance. Usually, when someone dies, they are reincarnated in their own realm so to speak. However, you as a child born from me, a goddess, and one from another plane at that. You technically originate from multiple planes. Hence you have the opportunity to be reborn in the same world where I raised you, without your memories and have a completely new start or I can take you to my plane, where the gods are still present, so you can be reborn with all your memories. The choice is yours I will not force you to do anything, but I do hope you choose the second one. I do wish our parent-child relationship to continue.”

It came as an easy choice for me to go with the mother who raised me, or go in blind and possibly fall into a uncaring family. While the world is slowly becoming a better place, there are still many issues going around the world. It is better to go with the godly parent that can help when things are difficult.