I slowly opened my eyes. The ceiling was as familiar as it can get. I was home, in the bedroom of my childhood. But then I wondered how I got there in first place? I rose from the bed and noticed that everything was exactly as I remembered them. The books, the clothes strewn around on the floor. Even the fishes in the aquarium were an exact match. I then looked out the window and that's when I noticed something was amiss. Instead of the usual San Francisco street, what entered my eyes was something I can hardly describe. It was like a void, with millions and millions glowing stars. I then felt a presence behind me. I turned around and saw a man. He was clad in white robes and there was an ethereal quality about him. It was like he was there right in front of me but at the same time he was not.

• Hello, can I ask who are you? I asked nervously.

• Greetings, young one. You are Sam Stuart, correct? The man spoke in a voice that seemed to echo around the room.

• Yes, I am. Tell me, I am dead? Is this what heaven looks like?

• That is correct. You are indeed dead. You had a very tragic accident as you were walking home from college.

An accident, he said. I tried to remember what it was. It then dawned on me: I felt something hitting me and then everything went black.

• I was hit by a car. In that moment, the world ended with me. I can never see my family again. My mom and dad. My sister... They were all dear to me.

• I know how you feel. But you have to accept that there's no going back. Now, come with me. Time to leave your previous life behind.

• But, but...

• What you see here is nothing but a memory. It's not real. The longer you stay here, the danger of you fading increases.

• Well, alright. I shall go with you.

• Take my hand. Let go of your regrets.

I took the man's hand as instructed. We went entered the light through the open door. As my vision cleared, I was in some sort of a meadow. It resembled Earth except that it wasn't. Although the sky was blue, it still showed faint glimmers of stars. i could also see wisps, perhaps fellow souls that were also deceased. I was truly in the afterlife. I then noticed the man wasn't there anymore. I was alone. With determination, I began to explore the place, hoping that I might find my deceased grandparents there. Although I still felt a lingering attachment to my previous life, I knew that I would have to cast them away. Noticing a light shining in the distance, I began to venture towards it...