2 Between Heaven and Hell (1)

The splitting headaches woke me up. Oh man, that was stupid to work in a thunderstorm. No wonder they say never hide underneath a tree during one or trees for that matter. but wait a minute, why am I floating and not lying on the ground, and why am I feeling so light? a soul leaving the body experience like in the novels and movies?

I looked around but could not see anything and I seem to be flying towards one direction. This is not funny anymore. Am I dead already? I am fully conscious of myself but can not feel my extremities and know I am flying and spinning faster and faster and out of control...

It finally all stopped and I find myself standing in front of a gate. What's behind the gate is shrouded in thick clouds. Is this the Gate of Heaven? Oh, there is a long line so I decided to follow the crowd and find out. Standing behind a young blonde I asked,

"Where am I?"

"Welcome to Heaven. We are all waiting to be checked in." She said.

"It looks like the line is long" I commented.

"You are lucky you are in Heaven, what's the rush."

Yes, I agree. If I am really dead, there is really no rush. But it's still difficult to get over the fact I'm already dead. To think about how my obituary would read, "Michael Yao, a former Chicago lawyer who retired early, a not so proud father and divorced husband, passed away at the age of 58. He was struck by lightening while trying to clear a cemetery plot on his land." That sounds so, so unreal, so I'm not ready and so unfair.

It finally became my turn to be registered. The reception hall next to the gate is grand and impressive as I have imagined. Everyone filed in and waited to be called to their respective windows. Sorry, there is no TSA agents I can see and no metal detectors. "Next!" A man behind the window in his mid 30s called out to me attention.

"..." I am really speechless and don't really know what to say.

"your name?"

"Michael Yao."

"Date of birth, middle name and country of origin?"

"58, November 15, 1960. I am from Danby, New York, I mean the United States and sorry, I don't have a middle name. I do have a social security number."

"We don't need socials here. There are people from all over the world here." he said.

When I see that he is typing and checking into his desktop I can't help myself but ask,

"Excuse me, am I really in Heaven?" I had to ask, it looks like he was using Windows. Bill Gates must be buying his way to Heaven.

"Almost, but not yet...Without a middle name I've got a lot of Michael Yaos born with the same birth date. Please go to Window 11 and check in there." The agent said.

I followed the direction and came to Window 11. After giving my name and birth date, I was told to come in and wait in a separate room, a room full of people and some dogs and cats, just like an international arriving terminal. This place as good ventilation too. With my former training in mechanical engineering I know their HVAC system has been upgraded and expensive.

After about two to three hours of waiting, "Michael Yao! Please come with me." A female dressed like a minister or administrator came in and called out my name.

I was led to yet another room. It looks like her office. On the L-shaped desk made of plywood and veneer top sits her name plate. It says Samantha Hawkins and the expected picture stand with two kids in it. I really could not get up and get closer to check to see if they have wings. The husband is again not in it like usual or maybe she is not married or divorced. Wait, do they allow women who are divorced into Heaven or a woman with kids but not married for that matter? It seems like Heaven is really up to date on the equality and nondiscriminatory of things. Or maybe Heaven is the one leading all these improvements.

"Sir, we have conducted our preliminary inquiry, " Samantha's voice pulled me back.

"We don't have any record of your regular attendance in church or affiliation with any religious denomination."

"Sorry, I have to ask, am I really in Heaven?" I have to interrupt her.

"Not yet. We are however the checkpoint for all entrance to Heaven." Samantha said.

"I am also sorry to say that there is very limited record of any outstanding services or contributions you've made to meet our requirement. A Michael Yao is expected to be checking in today, but he is suppose to come from San Francisco, California, not Danby, New York. I am afraid the system might have generated a glitch and cross referenced a wrong identity."

"So Samantha, can I call you Samantha. What you are telling me is that maybe I shouldn't be here today and shouldn't have died?" I became angry but saw hope at the same time.

"It's a general office policy that we don't respond to comments. You as a lawyer should know that. I can only inform you our decision that you will not be granted entrance today." Samantha said unapologetically and with a straight face.

"That's fine." I wasn't about to start a dispute or litigation with Heaven. After all, who would have the jurisdiction to adjudicate this. I decided to be nice. "Is there any way you could tell me how you'd direct people in my position in past practices?"

"That's a good question. As you may know this does not come up very often. In fact it's extremely rare. Because you are already dead, you can not seek to have you revived. Resurrection would be a completely different matter and is not only energy consuming require approval from the highest eschelon. I'm sorry for your situation." Sympathy finally showed on her face.

"Does that mean that I can't go to hell either because it is a glitch?" I have to ask.

"Correct. You may try but your admission down there has not been authorized for the same reason." she said.

...a moment of silence fell upon us. If I can not go to either Heaven or Hell the choice of being a wandering soul appears very evident. Throughout my life I have thought about heaven and hell but never thought about me being a ghost after death.

"Michael," Samantha broke the silence, "there is one option I think you might consider. I know you were born in America, but you are also Chinese. The Chinese has its own heaven and hell system, the Three Realms. In fact, the Chinese visiting delegation is leaving today. They've been here discussing with us on cross boundary issues for the past week. You may consult with them and explore your options." Samantha turned out to be a kind woman although her face would still not show.