Seven Minutes in Heaven

Chapter One

I can’t do it anymore.

I love you. Even after all you did to me, I still love you.

Am I dead? This was the first thought he had when he woke up. A sudden bolt of fear shot through him when he considered that he might not have succeeded. The fear was replaced with happiness, the first real happiness he had felt in awhile, when he saw the blinding whiteness around him. Jeremy had done it.

“Happy?” A slightly sarcastic voice came from behind him. Turning around, Jeremy’s heart almost stopped for a second time.

“Cordelia? What did you do?” The figure of his former girlfriend, the girl that he knew he loved stood before him, hands on hips, a faint smile on her face, dressed in a simple white dress that made her dark skin pop and make her look even more radiant than usual. Seeing her filled his heart with hate, rage, love, and happiness. But despite the hell she had put him through, the idea that she was dead, that she had killed herself, was unbearable.

“No need to look so upset. I'm not Cordelia.” How was that possible? She looked like Cordelia, sounded like Cordelia, and, as he caught a whiff of her warm sugar perfume, smelled like Cordelia.

“That makes no sense.” Cordelia, or whoever she was smiled, a real smile.

“I'm an angel. I take the form of the person who you need the most.” This simple sentence filled him with anger.

“Than you should shift to someone else, because I don't need her.” Jeremy spat, and turned to look at the rest of the room. The only thing in it was a gigantic television screen, located on a far wall.

“Tell yourself that then. It's not like I have a choice in this.” The angel countered calmly. Jeremy didn't know what to say. Cordelia never was easy to argue with. Suddenly he was filled with the urge to change the topic.

“So, I'm in heaven then, right?” The angel smiled sadly,

“Well, not exactly. You are in Purgatory.”

“Purgatory? Why the hell am I in Purgatory?” This seemed to be the question that the angel had been asked many times, and she began to speak with the sort of confidence that comes from doing something over and over again.

“Because you are lucky, Jeremy Donovan. You have a choice, unlike so many others. You have a chance to go back, to have a second chance at life. Only if you choose to accept it.”

This seemed reasonable, but caught up with the combined effect of anger and confusion, he didn't see sense.

“Why me?” The angel shrugged. Clearly the angel didn't have anymore of an idea than he did. “Well you can forget about it. I don't want to go back. I meant to end up here, and I want to stay.” Jeremy said stubbornly, and the angel sighed.

“Unfortunately, you don't get to make your decision until you see the possible consequences of your actions. If you refuse to see them, you will stay here for eternity.” Jeremy sighed in frustration. He didn't want to give in, but he knew that the logical solution would be to get it over with.

“Fine. Let's get it over with.” The angel smiled.

“Please walk over to the screen then.” Jeremy obliged, walking over to the television screen, which was almost taller than he was. He stood there, waiting for something to happen.

“Now what?”

“Oh sorry, just place your hand on the screen.” Jeremy complied with the strange request, and as soon as he placed his hand on the screen, the white world disappeared, and he was sucked into a world of swirling colours.