Goodbye

'It was a full life. As many times as I faced death, I thought this moment would come sooner, long before old age caught up to me. Yet, here I am, surrounded by three generations of my descendants. Frail and old. I can't even leave this bead anymore.' Letting out a long sigh she took in the sad faces around her and thought, 'I have no complaints.' As she felt the darkness start to encroach on the edges of her vision, she breathed as deeply as she could, mustering the strength to say, "I love You."

Everything was dark and quiet after that. Not like a regular silence, but the absolute absence of sound. Small points of light could be seen in every direction, but nothingness surrounded her. The sensation of floating was brief as something pulled on her. She wasn't sure what to expect, she had thought she would be face to face with her husband, even other family, friends, or even lovers that had passed. Maybe nothing came after death. Perhaps she would float around as part of space, just her and her endless consciousness like she had just been doing. What she didn't expect was the sight that she was now confronted with. She found herself sitting at a table set for tea, and opposite her, three strange people with beaming smiles staring invitingly at her. The thought 'creepy' crossed her mind as she took in the three strange faces slowly moving closer to her. The outer corner of her left eyelid twitched like it often did when she was stressed, with that she realized she now had a physical form.

"That's right. We have given you a temporary form so we can converse for a bit.....Ahem." The god cleared their throat, dropped the smile and added, "Also, you should know it's rude to call Gods 'creepy'. Especially those doing such nice things for you."

Speaking was the God in the middle of the trio. The three Gods sat back in more natural and relaxed manners, no longer invading her personal space.

She found the three unique looking, and learning they are Gods didn't surprise her when she considered the events that lead her here, and what she had observed of their surroundings so far. The Gods just sit and wait for her to take in and process everything patiently. Having done this many times, they had seen many different reactions. Thankfully for her, they had let themselves, and their faces, relax as they observed her.

"Wait!" she said suddenly and a bit too loudly, her head whipping up from her contemplation to face the Gods again. "You can all hear my thoughts, can't you?"

"Well, yes. We are Gods. You are currently just a spirit given form by us." said the very flowery woman to the right of the first God that spoke.

'They are all so different from each other.' She thought, observing the three in more detail. The first God to speak was quite simple, but elegant. "He's like a Greek statue come to life, complete with flawless features and a barely there wrapping of thin sparkling silver material.' the cloth shifts and shines like it's made of starlight. Taking a closer look at him she can see his dark curls and black eyes seem to be made of space itself, speckled with distant stars and galaxies. She couldn't help but think, 'He is truly a work of art.'

That thought of hers elicited a hearty laugh from the God. Slapping his knee he said to her, "I truly do like you. We chose well this time."

The second God who had spoken was vastly different from the first. She looked more human, or maybe elf-like, with her pointed ears and green attire. Except her clothes were made of plants, slowly growing and blooming. They twisted and curled around her limbs and a long, light blue braid that draped over her shoulder and cascaded down to the floor, disappearing again behind her. Like mother nature personified.

The Last hadn't said anything yet. He had been observing her instead. He looked uninterested in everything happening, and maybe even a bit annoyed as he rolled his eyes at her and the other two Gods beside him. To her his aloofness only accentuated his sharp features. His cheeks slightly flushed as he sipped from his cup. Not one of the teacups that was in front of her and the other Gods, but a golden wine goblet. His lips were stained from the liquid inside, deepening their already red tint. He wore a crown covered in golden leaves and berries made of shining rubies. His shirt was loose and open, showing his perfectly shaped chest and abdomen. He had it tucked into his pants, looking like he had just stepped right out of a racy renaissance painting.

Shifting her weight, the woman took in the rest of her surroundings, nothing past directly around them but colorful clouds as far as the eye can see.

"Okay, I'm dead. I already knew that. What else was I to expect at such an advanced age." she said waving her hand in the air, dismissing any importance to the event. "What I don't understand is why I'm here." She asked, quite confused but calm.

The middle God spoke up first, with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Well, that's simple, we need you."

"You must give better explanations than that. Why are you always like this? How many times must the rest of us lecture you?" The female God said while shaking her head.

The other god simply rolled his eyes as he took another long sip from his wine, as if this was nothing new. Then something flashed across his eyes, as if something interesting occurred to him. He put down his wine and adjusted himself to face her better.

This was the first time he looked her in the eyes and took her in for a moment, before speaking for the first time since her arrival. "These two may have missed your thoughts just now during their little argument, but I didn't. You are a clever one, we have indeed chosen well with you, and so did I."

That last part confused her, wasn't he also part of the 'we' he was speaking of?

The God chuckled and continued. "Every so often Gods must choose and individual from one world or universe to transfer to another. There are a lot of criteria we consider when choosing our candidates, along with the needs and properties of both planets and universes involved in the transfer." He picked up his cup and took a large swallow as if talking as much as he had so far was taxing. Yet he continued. "For example, let's take your world. Your world is an industrial one, filled with machinery and technology. Very few people in your world have the innate ability to tap into any magic, despite its abundance. These worlds, that have taken a different path than magic or cultivation, no longer have a need for that magical energy. We then transfer a portion of that energy at a time to a world or universe where it will be more effective. One that followed a magical path or one of cultivation. To do this, we pick someone to transfer with the magical energy."

He stopped again for another drink. The surprised looks on the other gods faces gave away how rare this occurrence is. The wine swilling God gave her a wink, he really likes her quick mind, and picking up on everything so far with ease and a calm demeaner.

Another sip of wine, and his expiation continued, "The longer the lifespan, the more energy can be transferred, but due to other criteria our candidates are not normally that old, max having passed half the lifespan of humans in your world. You will be the oldest we have transferred from your world. You should be proud of yourself and the life you led. Yes, as you are thinking, you were not perfect, and you made mistakes. However, you learned from them, and no matter the hardships you faced, you never let them harden your heart. You remained kind, hopeful, and creative. I'm sure you understand the gravity of the situation by now."

After another long drink from his wine, he finished with saying, "Also, you are correct, there are many gods other than us. We are here because we are the ones that chose to bless you based on your natural talents." With this he leaned back lazily again and no longer paied anything but his wine attention.

The Goddess looked at the other God and then at the soul with a complicated expression. Clearing her throat, she calmed herself and addressed the soul. She smiled softly and said, "Every transfer case is important to us. We do not want to put too much pressure on you, but you are also a special case. Your new world is unique, we are sending you with a large amount of magical energy, and because of those two things you are a unique situation. This is also the first time someone will start with the blessings of three gods. There is always the possibility more could bless you later, but this is an excellent start. This also means we continue to watch over you and help if needed and when possible. How does it sound to you? Isn't it something you once dreamed of as you read stories, and wrote others, that talked about similar scenarios? You have a choice."

The woman understood that that point that as part of the selection process they had carefully watched her life, every action and thought. She let out a light sight, the corners of her mouth pulling into a slight smile as she threw her head back and looked at the rainbow clouds above her. A gesture she often made in life.

With a light chuckle she answered, "You know I did. Just as you know I will accept, don't you?" She thinks for a moment, a few questions form and she fires them off as fast as they come to mind, "Will I remember everything from my life, from talking with you? How old will I be in this new world? What about my husband, the people I loved?"

"That is also simple, they will continue in the circle of life in your former world. Reincarnation without memory." The God in the center shrugged, again, as if it was common knowledge.

At an inhuman speed she could not perceive they all moved closer to her again, and each tapped her on forehead between her eyebrows. Except, she thought she felt the last God, the one constantly sipping wine, tap her a second time. She could swear there is a sly smile on his lips before her world goes dark once again.