What happens after death?

Ever pondered on the question? I did many times so.

"Hey, mother what happens after death?"

A hand was raised from the group of the kids sitting around a young lady. Asking a question not so fitting for his age.

"Hey, that's not related to the story."

"Didn't you hear what mother said, 'Only ask potions related to the story?"

"It's 'questions' not 'potions' you idiot."

"Hey! You are the idiot, fatty!"

"What did you say bony?"

"Aa.. please..stop fighting."

"Both of you, stay silent! Let Alaric complete his question."

"The prince and princess happily died afterwards right. So what happened after that? I mean after they died, what happened to them?"

The kid called Alaric argued stating his fact, silencing the kids who were going off the topic. Now all kids looked towards the young lady who had been silent till now.

Knowing that she could not avoid the question the lady fell into deep thoughts, trying to find the most fitting answer for the kids.

"Well... What happens after death.."

The lady paused looking at the faces of the eager kids with a mysterious smile, trying and succeeding in building the anticipation.

"..Is a mystery.."

The lady continued in a slow and teasing manner.

All the kids, especially the one who asked the question had an anxious and exciting look.

"..You will solve when you are older."

The lady finally finished, ending the long and painful anticipation of the kids.

Before the kids turned into dissatisfied soldiers rebelling her supremacy, the lady...

"We will be having meat as dinner today."

..threw her ace or rather meat. Immediately earning the complete loyalty of her soldiers, who started hailing her as a devotee.

Though not all were brought by the meat, one of which was me. The kid who asked the question 'Alaric'.

Although she wasn't able to solve the greatest mystery in my mind, she did teach me a fact...

"No... *Sob*...Someone save me.."

A middle-aged lady was laying under the rubbles of a broken building, muttering in the middle of her sobs as she looked at the child standing to her right, with an expressionless face. The lady was my mother while the child standing silently was me.

"*Sob*... It's so.. painful..*Sob*..I.."

"Damn it fatty! Put more effort into it!"

"I am giving it my all! You put more weight at it bony."

"Both of you stay silent! Focus on moving it."

"Mother.. hang in there!"

Some children, four children to be exact were desperately trying to move the cement roof, twice the size of their body combined.

".. don't want..to die..*Sob*"

"Damn it Alaric! What are you doing standing there come help us!"

The fat child who was called 'fatty' said. As he tried to lift the roof with all his might.

"Don't stand there like a moron, help us save Mother." Followed by the thin one who was called 'bony'. He too despite being a figure of bones put all his might on lifting the roof, determined to move it.

"Help us... Big brother." A girl with glasses muttered as she looked at her dying mother, with tears in her eyes. using her small and tender hands to move the big and rough pieces of stone away.

"We need your help, Alaric! Don't just stand there!" The girl who has always supported the child screamed at him as she tried to move the lady from the rubbles.

The child however just started at the dying lady's eye. After some time he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath he opened them again. Grabbing an iron rod near him he walked towards his mother, determination flashing in them.

"*Sob* I don't want to die! I want to live!"

Blood started flowing from her mouth, as on her death bed she taught me something...

Death is a thing people fear.. very much.

Growing up I asked the same question to many learned people, all to get different answers.

"Our organs stop working, a day or two later the internal organs start decomposing, 3-5 days after death — the body starts to bloat and blood-containing foam leaks from the mouth and nose... In essence.."

"It's darkness. There's nothing afterwards. There's no such thing as.."

"Afterlife that's the thing after death. People according to their Karma are sent either to hell or heaven. The cycle of death and rebirth doesn't.."

"It exists! The cycle of death and rebirth! Everyone in the world has a role to fulfil. If you fulfil the role given to you with honesty, in your next life you would be born as a.."

"King! Queen! Or a beggar on the streets. Death is equal and absolute for all. But what happens afterwards is a mystery beyond the capability of us humans to solve."

Different people, different ideologies, different answers, after a decade of confusion, in the end, I came to one conclusion.

After death... your consciousness is lost!

Or so did I thought.

But even after the extremely painful and hellish experience of death, here I am still thinking of my past.

I am still conscious.

Though not completely as I can't see, smell, or hear anything, or maybe there is nothing around me to sense.

But I can and feel my body floating around.. this.. this nothingness.

Like a small kite flying in the vast sky, moving in the direction the wind or the one with string wish it to.

I know I have a body, I am sure of it because I can feel it. Though it is inaccessible at the moment, I know it's still there.

I don't know how long it has been but my emotions are dull and that much I am sure of, or else I would have been feeling bored by now.

What would happen now?

Will my consciousness keep floating like this?

Will my soul reincarnate somewhere?

Will I lose my consciousness if I do, or will I keep it?

Maybe there's some divine court out there where I would be trailed for all my sins, with God as the judge.

Or maybe I would be thrown in hell for all the sins I have committed.

Just when my mind was getting clouded by all the questions that kept popping up one after another. I heard a voice...

"How many this time?"

"Around fifty million."

Or two. The language spoken was completely foreign to me. But for some odd reason, I was able to make out what they were saying.

"That much!"

The first voice said in surprise.

"*Sigh* You know these mortals, dying left and right.."

"Up and down all around. Yah. Yah. I know."

Followed by the second voice who was interrupted by the first's fed up voice.

Mortals, dying, this time, are they talking about the number of people who died 'this time'. Are they angels or devils maybe?

"Hey! You two keep silent the paier is coming."

Just then the two were interrupted by a third voice that sounded distinct. The voice sounded feminine, so I can conclude that these people or whatever they are may have gender? And what's 'Paier'?

When my confusion was growing, and more questions were popping into my mind...

"Fifty million and some souls have been gathered. Our paier will now yallaw us in his presence, for the weeding."

A monotone voice rang throughout the space, it was distinct but at the same time sounded close. The voice created waves of vibration like a thrown rock would on the surface of a lake.

Immediately afterwards... there was silence. I who thought that the space before was silent, felt that idea of comparing it to the silence of now was a waste.

"How many suicides this time?"

A heavy voice asked, unlike the voice before it didn't create any phenomenon. It sounded like a voice you would hear from the old man in your neighbourhood, but just by listening to this normal voice, I knew he was the one called 'Paier'.

It was a strange feeling, indescribable by any words, Knowing identity of a stranger just by their voice.. it was scary.

"Around two million, Paier."

"Oh! that many."

The old voice said in surprise after hearing the monotone answer.

"Kick them out. We don't need cowards here."

The old voice ordered.

"It's done, Paier."

"How many with extremely high Karma?"

"Six thousand and five hundred ten."

"That few huh! Send them up. Respectfully."

Are they sorting the souls, and is the one called 'Paier' god?

"Now only the contestants are left. Hehe.."

Strangely the old voice contained an extreme excitement in it. It felt like the one speaking was a kid about to open his birthday present.

"Oo... I see so many promising contestants, a few dangerous ones even. Hehe! I can already see the old geezers squeezing their pockets dry. The tutorial is going to make a blast this time!"

"Ahem... Paier, we are already late on our schedule, please do not hold the contestants any longer. The countdown is going to start any moment now."

The monotone voice for the first time sounded different... it sounded..helpless! Like a guardian who was fed up with his daily schedule of scolding his always late kid.

"Yes. Yes. Start the transference immediately!"

The old voice said this time authentically.

"Starting the transference!"

Many voices from all around said at the same time, and for the second time, I felt a change in the calm space around me.

As if a vacuum has been opened at full force, I felt a suction force from somewhere, though I wasn't able to feel the direction or speed of the pull I knew that I was being sucked in it.

Let's revise the souls of all the deceased till a particular time are gathered here. The ones who have committed suicide are kicked out somewhere. The ones with extremely high Karma are sent up somewhere. While the rest one of which is me are considered contestants who are transferred to somewhere for this 'Tutorial'. The ones.

"Oh! Now, aren't you the observant one, Mister soul with consciousness?"

My train of thought was interrupted when I heard the old voice sounding next to me.

From the moment I have died the sense of feeling my body has gotten dull.. or so did I thought. But the moment the voice of the 'Paier' fell in my ear...

I could feel a deadly chill on every bone of my body as if the muscles and skin covering it were nothing but air.

I could even feel every single hair of my body standing on end.

Just when I thought I was about to pass out, the old voice said again...

"No need to be so tensed up. Mister Alaric."

All the tension of my body relaxed instantly as if it never existed in the first place. Before I could ponder on how the old voice knew my name or could influence my body. I felt my consciousness fading, little by little as if I was being put on asleep.

"I expect a spectacular performance from you, after all, you are the one loved by.."

The last string holding my consciousness snapped.

"..death."

Putting me in a deep sleep.

After all the souls were gone the Paier said in an amusing tone.

"Let us enjoy... The Before Of Afterlife."