Chereads / 2024 STORIES / Chapter 17 -  THE WORLD OF THE DEAD (THE GUILTY SOULS OF MEN)

Chapter 17 -  THE WORLD OF THE DEAD (THE GUILTY SOULS OF MEN)

 It's June 2021. A childhood friend of mine suddenly saw me on Facebook and requested to add him. I was surprised because I was using a pseudonym, Anne Kosher that time yet he still recognized me. So, as time passed by, he sent me a private message, asking about where I was, everything about me, my personal life. Next, his male cousin, my elementary grade classmate added me as well that first time when I changed my name to Anne Patino, that very day. And he courted me immediately on the first exchanges, it's so fast that he uses "I love you" simply everytime. But I didn't accept his offer, I know he had many chatmates online. I checked all his posts like a stalker and I could say he's not the serious type maybe. After many days, the first one, the cousin of my elementary classmate, who had chatted with me, sent a message again. This time, he was so persistent, and revealed his intentions. He wanted me to treat him beyond friends, to give him a chance. But I instantly said "NO!", I said: "I'm not looking for a boyfriend." and many reasons to stop him. However, he was so persistent that I should just try.

After our long exchanges of messages, he wanted my reply immediately, if I'm willing or not. I said, "You'll know my reply next week." It's June 12, 2021, actually. I didn't intend to give him a chance to court me. That day, June 12, is Independence Day in the Philippines, so in the back of my mind, time to let go of anyone, to be free. I thought he'll wait. However, he sent a message again to follow-up my reply. He cannot wait. He's a man who cannot accept one word I think. 

He was rushing me to accept him, immediately. He's an annoying guy. I cannot stop him.

Without thinking too much, I thought to myself, "Why not?" I'll just try if it works!

So I just said, joining with his game, "Okay, I'll give you a chance. But know that I don't love you. I'll just give it a try."

So, he's so happy. After that, almost every day, he sent me a message. I think it's tiring actually and a bit entertaining too. I used to scroll only online, watch online, and chat with no one like that. He's so persuasive and loves to chat. Until he said, he wanted to see me in person. I was a bit nervous because I knew what would happen next. He promised me many things, assurances, that he would take care of me and everything. So I just gave him the benefit of the doubt, giving him the chance. He set a date to come over, however, the next time he chatted, I felt like something was wrong with him. He said many alibis. He said he couldn't make it, that he had work that weekend, a sudden change. Then, the next time, his reason changed again, this time, he said, he was sick.

I was a bit disappointed, actually. And he also told me not to tell anyone about us. I tried to change my status from single to "in a relationship with..." tagging him but he declined, so I just removed it. It was like a red flag actually. And another red flag is he was fond of cock fighting, he always talked about how he handled a cockfight arena before, he supervised it and he won many times in their cock derby or cockfighting whatsoever term they used in rosters fight! He was so proud of it and missed the days. He was under training when he chatted with me, training to go overseas, I think it was a seaman, as a welder.

 It was supposedly our first date but he had made excuses already and in the end, he explained, according to him he's sick. 

That very instant, I felt a bit dismayed. Next, he promised to meet again the next week, so I'll just answer, timidly, "Okay".

It's been almost a week already since we exchanged messages online, like teenagers. 

However, one day, I just woke up in the middle of the night when I heard the soft voice of a man speaking in English,

"𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑔𝑜 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒!" I think it's the Lord's voice, he wanted me to go back home. I didn't understand it yet, if it's about me. 

Later on, I heard another voice of a woman saying, "𝐻𝑒'𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑..."

Next, I just returned to sleep, ignored it as usual, and had a strange dream.

In my dream, I went to a dreary place, kinda dark. And I saw many souls of men, standing tall, lining up in rows, many rows of men. 

Those souls were all standing in front of a man, an elderly that looked like a JUDGE (based on his words as he asked each one of them).

There were so many people or souls (thousands or more), that I cannot count them. 

It's like an old station, the first point of entry to that place. The place has no lively colors.

It's like in horror films, the place is so desolate, and morbid. 

 I heard them, the JUDGE was asking them one by one, each waiting for their return.

The judge was asking them about the things they have done on Earth.

I was like an OBSERVER at that time. I am just peeking at their faces one by one.

I was listening attentively to their answers, as if my face was already sticking to theirs but they never minded, as if I was so FREE (like a FLYING SPIRIT) to do that. They didn't notice me, they were not distracted by what I was doing, though I was like playing, moving from one place to another just to listen to each of their answers, forcing my ears to get near their faces.

I was trying to remember all their answers, listening carefully to their confessions about the wrong things they did on Earth. It was so clear and I noted it.

I was just like a visitor in that place where the souls of men were judged. 

Next, I heard the JUDGE asking this thing to a man in the center,

"𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥? 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗦𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵?"

And the guy answered,

"𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗷𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻 (ROSTER) 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀."

Afterward, I went away and left that place and I went to a different area.

The aura was still the same, with no lively colors, everywhere was dark.

And I saw a woman, one of the workers of that place.

She knew me and she called me!

Without any ado, she commanded me to do my work as well, as if I was a worker there also, that I should finish my work. 

She gave something to me, a small object, I am not sure if it was a key or a lighter. She insisted that I should do my part, to do my obligation there in that place.

Then, she showed me the TALL TOWER, by pointing it behind them, a little far behind the very back of that place.

It's like a very old TOWER that has a wooden beam placed horizontally, that is moving upward and downward. That's what I saw from a distance. And there's some kind of burning flame inside it, between the horizontal beam as it went upward and downward. As if there's a burning reddish flame inside of the tower.

According to the woman, I should light something inside that tower, to burn the GUILTY souls of men, the souls which were already judged and convicted as GUILTY due to the sins they have done on Earth.

She said that they had waited for my return for such a long time already to accomplish that, that it was the assigned work to me, my role to burn the convicted GUILTY souls.

So I followed her instructions, but I was not sure about the direction going there, where to go since I was new, and I didn't know the point of entry going there.

I was confused, so I went back and forth at first, looking for anyone to ask for directions.

 I saw another woman, one of the personnel there also. It's like a carnival, a busy place.

Most of the people there were all busy, each having their own role, their own work.

This time, this woman taught me the way, showed me the right direction going to the old tall tower, and how to climb up there.

Later on, I finally got it. I had managed to find the entry point of that old tall tower.

I climbed and climbed upward until I arrived at an old chamber, in the middle.

I entered through it and saw many people there, and they all KNEW me! It's like meeting my old acquaintances.

 The old woman saw me and she felt so happy as I came. She was very happy that I had gone back.

According to the old woman, they were all waiting for my return there.

She looked so worried and asked me,

" 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵?'

"𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲?

She's so excited for my return.

There were some young girls like me also there and they talked with me, we kept on chatting together like long-time friends

We talked about life on Earth as if the present place was my real world, and Earth was only a temporary place that I was just visiting there only for a short time, temporarily. And I was glad I was back. 

Next, the old woman reached for my hand and helped me to climb upward to a tall tower like a tall wide column posted in the center of that chamber, to proceed to our work. It's like a factory for the dead souls.

She reached for my hand, lifted me up, and supported me so that I wouldn't fall from the tower. It was like climbing through a tall big rounded post in the center of the tower. I cannot explain clearly, it was a strange place, an old one. 

But later on, something FLASHED around us, it's like a SCREEN, a POWERPOINT presentation, it's very wide, like a wall around us, above us. The wide SCREEN projected something on the air. It has a BLUE AND WHITE background.

All the words were in ENGLISH, like in SCIENCE topics, about the situation on EARTH, the impending DANGER in the future. The calamities that may possibly happen on EARTH. On the big screen - FUTURE DANGERS.

There were many statements and they were all very clear in my dream. It's made up of long statements and all I could remember was a few words only, like:

EARTH EQUILIBRIUM, HELIUM, EARTH RADIATION INCREASES, SOLAR SYSTEM, ETC.

Then, I woke up.

The next morning, I contemplated about my dream and it was like a warning to me, not to go on. I decided to break up with that man I haven't met yet, the soonest as possible while it's not too late, while we haven't met yet personally. I sent a message online and told him I tried but I didn't really love him. 

He was so devastated and thought I just fooled him. He cannot accept it. It was like he was blaming me for giving him false hope when I already told him in the beginning that I would just try but I didn't love him. He already knew before everything started.

And my decision was firm. I won't entertain anyone anymore and I already said it from the very start. 

I heard a few things, from our hometown, nasty things about him and they said he was lying. 

I gathered news that he had women already back home but I didn't tell him that I knew something about him. I just wanted to avoid further trouble and I felt lucky I didn't meet him personally. I never told him that I discovered something bad about his life.

I just saw his face online, in his middle age already. I met him during our elementary days only. I didn't know what had happened to him during his teenage and early adult years.

 I must say he's a man with many words, blah blah blah (like a woman), he cannot accept one word. He kept on insisting he wouldn't accept it and told me to try again. And it's a very RED FLAG as well.

It's like a headache actually, he seemed unable to understand and it seemed he was passing the guilt to me, so I BLOCKED HIM! End of story. 

It was indeed INDEPENCE DAY of 2021. JUNE 12, 2021 (SATURDAY, PHILS. INDEPENDENCE DAY)