∞: a short story

You were on your way home when you died.

It was a car accident, nothing truly remarkable or noteworthy, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and a son and daughter when you departed. It was a painless death, the EMTs tried everything in their capacity to save you, but alas, were unable to. In retrospect, your body was so mangled, torn-up, hardly recognizable as a human, more a pile of various organs and fluids. Certainly not in the state to rebound from, in any manner.

Regardless, this is when we met.

"What...what happened to me?" You asked. "Where am I?"

"You died." I said, no faltering of my words apparent.

"The last thing I remember was skidding off the road...and this truck...and..."

"Yes." I said.

"I...I died? I'm dead?"

"Yes. Don't feel bad about it though, everyone dies."

You look around, observing the vast nothingness that surrounded you and I. There was only this void, this absence of anything. Just you. And just me. "Where am I? Is this the afterlife?" You asked.

"Something like that." I replied.

"Are you God?" You ask me.

"Yup." I reply, "I'm God"

"But...but my kids, my wife..." You start to say.

"What about them?"

"Will they be alright?"

"That is some good stuff right there." I reply.

"What is?"

"You have just died and your main concern is your family. That's what I like to see."

You start to study me. I don't appear a deity, I appear to be a man...or maybe a woman. Unimpressive, with only a light glow of authority. Not seeming omnipotent at all, maybe just a very capable janitor or plumber.

"Don't worry," I say. "They will be fine. Your kids will remember you perfect in every way, they didn't have time to breed any contempt for you. As far as your wife, she will cry on the outside, but internally will fell rather relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart, though you must have known that. If its any consolation, she will harbor immense guilt for feeling relieved."

"Oh, I see..." You started to say. There was a brief pause. "So what happens now? Where do I go from here? Heaven or hell...or what?"

"Neither."

"Neither?"

"You will be reincarnated"

"Reincarnated? So it was the Hindus who had it right, huh?"

"All religions are right in their own respective ways. But now, come. Walk with me."

"Where are we going?" You asked as you followed me walking through the void, to nowhere.

"Not any particular location, its just relaxing to walk and talk don't you agree?"

"Yeah, I suppose so." We continued walking in this void, you were staring at my visage, studying my face and the curious, calm, expression I had.

"So," you began to say, "what's the point then? When I get reborn won't I just be a blank slate? A baby? So all my experiences, everything I have learned and did in this life doesn't matter ultimately, right?"

"Doesn't matter?! Not so! You have within you the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives! You just don't remember them now!" I stopped and took you by the shoulders. "The soul you have is more magnificent, beautiful, and colossal than you could ever imagine or comprehend! Your human mind is not capable of understanding more than just a fraction of what you truly are!"

"Is that so?" You asked.

"You've been a human the last 48 years, 3 months, 21 hours, and 17 minutes, and so on. Time is not relative to begin with anyways, but in this time, you haven't been able to stretch out and feel the rest of your consciousness. If we were to hang out here long enough though, you'd start to remember but we haven't the time in between each life."

"How many times have I been reincarnated?"

"Lots and lots and lots of times and with lots of different lives." I said. "This time around you will be a Roman peasant girl around 56 A.D."

"56 A.D.?! You are sending me back...in time?"

"Like I said, time is not relative. Time as you know it only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from."

"Where is it you're from?"

"I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I am sure you want to know what it is like but you wouldn't understand. Honestly."

"Oh, okay." You replied, let-down, unfulfilled. "So, let me understand something. If I am reincarnated to other places in time, then I must have interacted with myself at one point, right?"

"Oh yes, it happens all the time really. Only, because you are only aware your own respective lifespan at that given moment, you don't even know its happening at all."

"Wow...that's cool. So, I have to ask something, God. It may be the stereotypical question you must get..."

"'What is the meaning of life?' Is that what you want to ask me? A bit unoriginal don't you think?"

"It is a reasonable question though!"

You looked in my eyes, defiant, but curious. Just like a young child, eager to learn. "You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"The meaning of life, the reason for the creation of the universe, is you. For you to mature."

"Huh, so you made the universe for mankind to mature?"

"Not mankind. You. Just you. I made this whole universe so that with each new life, you grow and mature and become larger and greater with your intellect."

"Just me?! That's insane! Why am I chosen? What about everyone else in the world?"

"There is nobody else. It is just you and me."

Your face went blank as you stared at me. "But all the other people on earth..."

"All you. Different incarnations of you."

"Wait! I'm everyone?"

"Now you're getting it." I stretched out my hand for  high-five, to which you lightly reciprocated.

"I am every human that has ever lived?"

"Has lived, and will come to be. Yes."

"Abraham Lincoln?"

"And John Wilkes Booth."

"Hitler?!?!"

"And the millions he killed."

"Jesus Christ?"

"And his apostles and followers. And persecutors and condemners."

Silence.

"You see my son, every time you victimized someone you victimized yourself. Every act of kindness to another, was an act of kindness to you.  Every happy, or sad moment experienced by every human that was or will be, was or will be, experienced by you."

You stood there. Silent yet again, thinking hard, and for a lengthy time. Finally, you spoke. "Why?" You asked me. "Why do all this?"

"Because someday, you will be like me. Because, that is what you are, you are my child."

"You mean...I'm God?"

"Not yet. You are a fetus, a still growing fetus. Once you have lived every person's life that was and will be in this universe, you will be ready to be born."

"So then...the universe. This whole, incredibly large and expansive universe is just an-"

"Egg." I answered. "Now you must depart yet again."

And I sent you away. 

~The End