"You fool, you have brought a wrong life! I have told you to bring the soul of Ethan Stuart, 20 years old from Elder Street. You have brought Ethan Stuart, 20 years old, from Union Road." a shrill voice broke my sleep.
I have never felt so light in my life. As if my body had no weight. I could not feel my body at all.
"Now what shall I do with this wrong soul?" I saw both of them turn to look at me. But we can not call it seeing in reality. And that was when I realized that I do not have eyes. No. I do not have any part of my body. My soul is floating in the air and I have no idea how I could see them when I could not see myself.
No hands or legs of my soul. I can not speak. Then how could I see them?
The one getting scolded looked like a rabbit in the suit with a big watch in his hands. He reminded me of Alice in the wonderland. This could have been a dream if not for my last memory. I remember being hit by a car when I was returning from my job. My job! The accident! I have died. But now they are telling me that they have taken the wrong soul.
"I.. I will send him back?" the rabbit asked with a frowning look on his face and glared at me as if it was my mistake! The nerves of him.
"Yeah, right. His body had been damaged badly so they have already buried it. Where would the soul go back?" he glowered and it looked like he wanted to tear the rabbit into pieces but then it turned to look at me and waved his hands. Suddenly I felt on the cloud.
It was soft as if it was made up of cotton or lighter. I was in a proper human form but it was light and passed through.
"You do not have a body anymore but you can not be taken to the afterlife too since it is not your time. But we can arrange another body for you to live your rest of the life." he offered me and i frowned. I might not have a perfect life but I loved my life.
"We can give you any type of life you want. You just have to tell us." and with that i gulped my complaints. Any life! Just any life. Who did not dream to get a better life. A perfect life?
"I want to live a leisure free life where I do not need to worry about work all the time." I spoke with a hint of hesitation but the man nodded at once, easily. That was when I got greedy, "and I want to be strong. Like boxing or martial arts." the animal went grim, his eyes narrowed but he still forced a nod. "And I want a lot of women around me. I want a beautiful wife too and a big house to live in." his eyes went sharp at once.
"Anything else?" he spoke through gritted teeth so i did not add those swiss accounts and nodded.
"Fine, your wish would be granted. Return to your planet, young soul and only return after five decades."
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When I was told that I would have a better life here, I thought I would get a system or a cheat at least as one gets in the novels or games they read about.
If not that, I would take birth in a fantasy world where dragons would be real and I would be strong enough to fight all of them at once.
But when I opened my eyes, I was in the farmer's market. And how do I know it was that? Simple, there were numerous noisy pedestrians and vehicles passing through indifferently. Vegetable leaves and dirty water were strewn all over the ground. There were different neon sign boards of different kinds of stores. Many elders were haggling on the small carts here and there. Even the sky looked dark and depressing.
A metro city or a developed area would find that place as a stain on their perfect image, a place they hope would not exist in reality.
One would think, I was there to buy some vegetables or something. But no? That was not how I found myself. I found myself leisurely sleeping on a bench near a skewer cart. For a second, I told myself that it could not be mine. Even when I read "Ethan" written on the cart, I refused to believe it was my name. That was until I was told it was indeed mine. I would have refused to believe them but my oil and grime stained closer and hands soiled with species said otherwise. I could see confusion in the eyes of fellow peddlers and disgust in the eyes of passersby when our eyes met.
A young man with good physique and health could get a job or start a better business but he was selling skewers here! I was scammed by the little rabbit that enticed me that he was giving me a better life.
"It is a scam! I want my old life back. At least I was in a decent job there." I muted as I looked at everything with an aghast face.
But when I thought no one would reply, I saw a small neon light rabbit grinning at me.
"Are you enjoying your new life of rest and relaxation, master?" I wanted to smash something on that rabbit. But Alas! The rabbit was not real. It was just a light and I knew no matter what I would throw, it would pass through it.
"I will kill you no matter what method I need to find." I gritted my teeth when he looked at me with bewilderment.
"Why?" The thing dared to tilt its head and looked at me as if I was a fool.
"Why?" I gasped, and spoke slowly as many started to stare at me. "You have promised me that I would be given a life of leisure and rest where I do not need to worry about work and other things. And now you have transported me into the body of a peddler.'' The more I think about it, the more I feel cheated.
So what if I have a handsome face? Pale skin, golden hair and green eyes. Chiseled face and sharp features. My eyes looked cold like a ruthless warrior but that would not change what I am.
The rabbit finally looked at me seriously and then grinned again until my blood boiled.
"This is the life you have chosen. You can change it anytime." I don't even know what that is supposed to mean at this point. All I knew is that witty thing disappeared the moment it was finished.
I placed the mutton skewer I had just cooked to the side. In this hot weather you would even eat such an oily and hot dish. For some reason, he felt that he had loved this life or the owner of this body really did!
I sat down to digest may reality when i heard a cold voice,
"Tony, you are late in paying your rent for this week." one would think that they were asking for the rent of the paddling cart. But their gangster look full of silver chains and scraggy faces with cigarettes in their mouths and clothes full of holes told me it was not the case.
I looked at them warily. The man they called Tony looked at me and then at them with a worried face too.
"The business is not going well because of the weather. I will pay you as soon as I earn enough." he offered in a pleading voice but the men did not look impressed.
They looked at him with a gloomy face.
"Listen Old man, this place is under our protection. And if you do not pay the rent, we will wreck your cart and throw you out. You can have your stall anywhere you want then if it would stay in working condition.'' The two men on his side were already playing with hockey sticks in their hands and I sighed.
That was the place where I was going to live the rest of my life!