I was so happy and nervous as I sat out the head soul manager's office, waiting for my turn. Everything I'd seen so far was so beautiful, I couldn't even describe it's ethereal beauty. Even the streams had butterfly fishes. How cool was that?
Out of nowhere, a pretty girl with blonde hair walked out. She had tears staining her pretty blue eyes and she walked towards a much older man and immediately hugged him.
"My new name is Irsya, and it means jea-...", she choked abruptly and stopped, "why do I have to get such a name when she gets something better and cooler?"
As if on cue, another girl, also pretty with blonde hair and brown eyes walked out from the door. They resembled each other a lot and I automatically assumed they were twins.
"father....", the brown-eyed girl spoke softly, "my new name is Sukha, I love it. It means happiness", she whispered excitedly.
I was really happy for her and I sincerely hoped that she found some happiness here.
Some few minutes later, the man went in and returned, a small smile evident on his face as he announced his new name to his two beautiful daughters
"My name is Upekkha now, it sounds strange but im satisfied with it. It means an equal attitude towards all..". Sukha smiled, obviously happy for her father but Irsya hid an eye-roll. And I couldn't help but assume that she was the "evil and rude" twin.
"What about you, Irsya....what is the meaning of your name?", Sukha asked.
"I don't know, go find out for yourself", the blue-eyed one replied and then rudely walking off.
The two however stayed behind having a good laugh behind her back.
"I wonder what your mother's name will be once she arrives here", Mr Upekkha whispered sadly, almost to himself. His daughter Sukha, smiled, hooking her arm in her father's and happily led the old man out of the building.
More people were called, and finally it was my turn. I stood up silently and entered the room I was directed to. Once there, I met a really short man, about 3ft tall with grayish hair but his face was that of a child's and he was super handsome. He didn't seem to age at all, although his muscular biceps sugested that he could be in his mid-twenties.
"sit down child", he said in a rather gentle and mature voice, almost like a middle-aged man's voice.
So I sat down and smiled at him in thanks.
"Tell me child...How did you die?, he asked in a matter-of-fact tone, and then he smiled a little, perhaps thinking I would be traumatized to narrate the event of my death "it's just a formality, we just what to assess how much you remember dear", he whispered more gently.
I smiled and nodded, at least he used an endearment.
"I was ran over by a car and I just found out that my best friend and my boyfriend, well now, ex boyfriend planned it all", I whispered matter-of-factedly.
"okay", he said whilst writing something on a clipboard floating in the air with a long transparent pen. How is a pen that long withstanding gravity? Guess Physics laws doesn't work here.
Perhaps gravity wasn't even a thing here.
"Okay, your new name will be Nirvana...and it means enlightenment. Hopefully, it will lighten your life here and give you true joy."
I smiled happily as he handed me a card, apparently that was an Afterlife Identity card (AID). Every true soul has one", he explained to me.
Only rogues and missing souls did not have one. It was like a sole form of identification as a True Soul, making one distinct as a member of the afterlife.
Talking of Grim Reapers, I haven't seen Flirty after our conversation back then, when he escorted me and showed me around.
I thanked the short manager, I mean the soul manager and headed out once he gave the signal.
I paused the moment I was outside the building, the sun's rays hitting everything and adorning it in a beautiful orange glow. How was it already morning?. Did I spend an entire night at the Soul Building?. Time here must be seriously warped.
I raised my eyes, looking at the beautiful orange ball hanging in the sky. Surprisingly, I didn't need to squint or get sunglasses and I watched in amazement as the surface flared up in beautiful orange displays.
I have never seen anything more beautiful and fulfiling than it.
Looking around, I saw everyone laughing and running around. Everyone was happy.
If the afterlife was like this, why were people afraid of dying?, I wondered.
I ran to the meadow just across me, allowing the breeze caress my hair and cheeks. I sat down to watch some kids play. For once since I was murdered, I felt so happy and at peace.
"What are you doing sitting all alone here?", a deep electric voice suddenly asked behind me. I turned my head slightly to find a really hot guy staring down at me with the most adorable smile I've ever seen. His eyes were dark like molten chocolate and I couldn't help but swoon as I stared into them. He could literally hypnotize me with his eyes
"if you stare at me like that for too long, your icecream will melt"
His words filtered into my thoughts and I frowned in confusion, "icecream?, what icecream?", I asked immediately.
He cleared his throat with a cute grin and that is when I saw him with two big icecream cones. Oh, I guess that icecream was what he was referring to. He smiled and sat down beside me, handing me a blue icecream cone.
When did they have blue icecream cones?, I wondered again. In my previous life, I wasn't exactly a fan of ice cream so I hadn't bothered to keep with the flavours, their names nor colours.
"Thanks", I whispered "but I can't accept this"
He laughed a little, a deep husky laugh almost like a melody and it made me feel warm on tge inside. Why did his laugh affect me like that?
"why?, it's not like you can get any deader than you already are...", he commented with a smile.
Okay, that may be true... still, isn't it better not to accept stuff from strangers?", I asked sassily.
"also....", I started to say when he cut me off abruptly.
"I'm only extending a hand of friendship here", he whispered with a smile "besides we're not total strangers, and we won't be for long. Everyone gets to know you before you know it."
"fine",
Why does he keep smiling?
I gave his reasoning a thought and finally conceded. He smiled again extending the icecream towards me and I gratefully accepted it. I bit into the icecream and my eyes virtuly rolled into the back of my head. Two minutes tops and everything was already gone.
And here I was thinking I wasn't an icecream fan. Turns out, I'll be addicted soon enough.
"What flavour was that?", I asked him excitedly. He laughed again and for the first time, I saw his dimples.
Why am I only seeing his dimples just now?.
"that was Mermaid Slime flavour", he answered.
"what??????", I immediately deadpanned, trying to gag it all out.
Why would they use the slime from a mermaid's body to make such delicious iccream?. Didn't they know it was a crime against food?. And did the people here know about this?
"Okay, okay, wait a minute before you try to puke", he laughed, "that is just the name...its actually made from Seory, a fruit that tastes like a mix between an apricot and a peach"
Relief filled me instantly and I watched as he continued to laugh, he took a bite from from his icecream and my eyes immediately latched onto the brownish-yellow cone.
He smiled again.
"this is Vampire Semen Flavour", he said.
"what????", this time I laughed. "how is it that you guys only have weird ice cream names here?", you asked in between laughs.
Would chocolates also have such weird names?, I couldn't help but wonder.
"These are made from Gardenias", he said while extending his cone to me. My eyes widened and I was tempted to ask for a bite.
"Gardenias?", I asked...just to be sure I had heard right.
Okay, people in the afterlife had peculiar and yet interesting tastes, especially in naming items.
"You want a bite?", he asked and I hesitated. The struggle was real as I tried not to shamelessly take a bite.
"Go on.....it's actually really good...", he taunted. So I threw my shame away and took a bite. My taste buds were on fire as the ice cream exploded on my tongue. It was actually really good, better than I had expected.
"unreal....", I shouted happily.
And he smiled once again.
Kids began to surround us both and he turned, spotting a familiar kid amongst them
"Hi, Keys....playing again?", the boy, brownhaired nodded frantically and then he made a grab for the Vampire Semen.
"Okay, tell you what... I'll buy you the Devil's Tears if you let her have it", he pointed his chin at me. Keys immediately calmed down and I got the icecream shoved in my hands. I took another bite and smiled, feeling like a kid once again.
But wait, "Devil's Tears?", I asked in confusion.
"Oh, that's the strawberry flavour. That's mine and Keys' favourite"
I raised a brow, at least one normal icecream.
"so....whats your name", the boy, Keys asked me.
"I'm Nirvana", I said with a smile.
Keys turned to the hot guy whose name I didn't know.
"Mat, you never told me you had a girlfriend!", the younger boy complained.
I immediately choked on the Vampire Semen...i was eating.