Heavenly: Chapter 2
Previous Chapters: (Prologue) (Chapter 1)
Chapter 2: The Heaven
I’m in heaven, but it feels like I’m still in Purgatory. Yes, there is peace in my heaven but I always have this feeling that I am lacking. Lacking what, I don’t know. I have had this feeling since entering heaven a week ago. Maybe I should watch Earth again. Oh, there’s that girl. I brushed past her when I was travelling toward heaven. I just grazed her arm and I know she felt it too because she visibly shivered. Mika told me there are moments before entering heaven that makes us feel human but not-human. I guess I don’t make sense. After we leave our body behind, there is a transition phase. A phase between life and death. People cannot see us but when we touch them, they can feel us, cold and dead. In the land of the dead, as I liked to call this place, we still have to master our “powers”. In time, I may be able to show myself to people I know, make them feel that I am beside them and all those crap. I still don’t know how to do that. And I would like to keep it that way, I don’t want to freak out my family and friends by suddenly appearing beside them.
As I said earlier, the people inhabiting the entirety of heaven has overlapping heavens, that’s why we can interact with each other. The other day, I saw my grandparents in the local grocery store. Yes, we eat, thank you very much. We eat food we have on Earth. Last night I just ate gyoza because Massu became hungry and started thinking about gyoza. Back to my grandparents, they were so surprised to see me. They haven’t been watching the Earth lately, that’s why they didn’t know I died. They brought me to their house, a huge Japanese-style mansion and there, a tornado of tears exploded. My grandmother expressed her feelings very well.
“What happened, Shigeaki?” My grandmother asked that question when she was done crying. “
I was robbed then murdered.” I answered the question truthfully. There’s no use in lying, she won’t die again of heart attack.
“What? Who? How?” A barrage of one-word-questions attacked me.
“Yes, Obaachan, murdered. It was a random person. I happened to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time. I fought back, that’s why I was stabbed in the heart. I was carrying my tuition fee for the semester so I fought with all my might.”
“You shouldn’t have fought.”
“I wanted to. I needed to.” She hugged me by then.
“I should probably say that I’m not happy to see you but I am happy.”
“I’m happy too, Obaachan.”
“How are your parents?” My grandfather was the one who asked this question.
“They have support. NEWS is with them. The public will find out tomorrow so they’re all in the funeral home now.”
“Oh, Shigeaki. I’m glad you have good friends. Wait, what about a girlfriend?” *Sigh* My grandma, the ever gossip-hungry person.
“I don’t have a girlfriend. I have a boyfriend.” They went silent with my statement.
“How is he coping?” I was surprised when my grandfather asked this question.
“Not as well. He hasn’t eaten. When he saw my body, he broke down, like I’ve never seen before.”
“I should go now. I still have to feed Wagahai.” I suddenly stood up. “I’ll visit you soon.” We said goodbyes, hugged and promised to come back again.
I walk around my heaven and see everything I imagined. I have my own cat, Wagahai. Luckily, I didn’t bring with me my allergy to cats. There’s a beautiful garden that I always dreamed of, inside my Japanese-style house, there’s a library that’s full of books I’ve always wanted to read. Again, the feeling of something lacking takes over. I’m not the usual angsty type of person but I have my moments. STOOOP! Shige, stop thinking. Goodness gracious, now I’m talking to myself. Maybe watching Earth will refresh me. So I sit at my gazebo, my now-normal place to watch the land of the living. Below, I see Ryo, wallowing, I get up, and stand beside him. Now I realize that there is a blurry line between the land of the living and the land of the dead. I can easily go down, and be with them. Like, I am living among them but also apart from them. Does this make sense? I feel his sadness, grief, anger, and loneliness. Suddenly, he spoke.
“Shige, do you know my greatest fear?”
‘For us to break up?’ I answer, hoping against hope that he would hear me. But again, in vain, he didn’t. “
I am afraid of you dying before me. I’m afraid of growing old alone. I’m afraid of being without you.” My heart breaks at this. His greatest fear is realized. I now stand beside him, dead, never to come alive again.
Chapter 2: The Heaven
I’m in heaven, but it feels like I’m still in Purgatory. Yes, there is peace in my heaven but I always have this feeling that I am lacking. Lacking what, I don’t know. I have had this feeling since entering heaven a week ago. Maybe I should watch Earth again. Oh, there’s that girl. I brushed past her when I was travelling toward heaven. I just grazed her arm and I know she felt it too because she visibly shivered. Mika told me there are moments before entering heaven that makes us feel human but not-human. I guess I don’t make sense. After we leave our body behind, there is a transition phase. A phase between life and death. People cannot see us but when we touch them, they can feel us, cold and dead. In the land of the dead, as I liked to call this place, we still have to master our “powers”. In time, I may be able to show myself to people I know, make them feel that I am beside them and all those crap. I still don’t know how to do that. And I would like to keep it that way, I don’t want to freak out my family and friends by suddenly appearing beside them.
As I said earlier, the people inhabiting the entirety of heaven has overlapping heavens, that’s why we can interact with each other. The other day, I saw my grandparents in the local grocery store. Yes, we eat, thank you very much. We eat food we have on Earth. Last night I just ate gyoza because Massu became hungry and started thinking about gyoza. Back to my grandparents, they were so surprised to see me. They haven’t been watching the Earth lately, that’s why they didn’t know I died. They brought me to their house, a huge Japanese-style mansion and there, a tornado of tears exploded. My grandmother expressed her feelings very well.
“What happened, Shigeaki?” My grandmother asked that question when she was done crying. “
I was robbed then murdered.” I answered the question truthfully. There’s no use in lying, she won’t die again of heart attack.
“What? Who? How?” A barrage of one-word-questions attacked me.
“Yes, Obaachan, murdered. It was a random person. I happened to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time. I fought back, that’s why I was stabbed in the heart. I was carrying my tuition fee for the semester so I fought with all my might.”
“You shouldn’t have fought.”
“I wanted to. I needed to.” She hugged me by then.
“I should probably say that I’m not happy to see you but I am happy.”
“I’m happy too, Obaachan.”
“How are your parents?” My grandfather was the one who asked this question.
“They have support. NEWS is with them. The public will find out tomorrow so they’re all in the funeral home now.”
“Oh, Shigeaki. I’m glad you have good friends. Wait, what about a girlfriend?” *Sigh* My grandma, the ever gossip-hungry person.
“I don’t have a girlfriend. I have a boyfriend.” They went silent with my statement.
“How is he coping?” I was surprised when my grandfather asked this question.
“Not as well. He hasn’t eaten. When he saw my body, he broke down, like I’ve never seen before.”
“I should go now. I still have to feed Wagahai.” I suddenly stood up. “I’ll visit you soon.” We said goodbyes, hugged and promised to come back again.
I walk around my heaven and see everything I imagined. I have my own cat, Wagahai. Luckily, I didn’t bring with me my allergy to cats. There’s a beautiful garden that I always dreamed of, inside my Japanese-style house, there’s a library that’s full of books I’ve always wanted to read. Again, the feeling of something lacking takes over. I’m not the usual angsty type of person but I have my moments. STOOOP! Shige, stop thinking. Goodness gracious, now I’m talking to myself. Maybe watching Earth will refresh me. So I sit at my gazebo, my now-normal place to watch the land of the living. Below, I see Ryo, wallowing, I get up, and stand beside him. Now I realize that there is a blurry line between the land of the living and the land of the dead. I can easily go down, and be with them. Like, I am living among them but also apart from them. Does this make sense? I feel his sadness, grief, anger, and loneliness. Suddenly, he spoke.
“Shige, do you know my greatest fear?”
‘For us to break up?’ I answer, hoping against hope that he would hear me. But again, in vain, he didn’t. “
I am afraid of you dying before me. I’m afraid of growing old alone. I’m afraid of being without you.” My heart breaks at this. His greatest fear is realized. I now stand beside him, dead, never to come alive again.