“So there is religion there?” I ask him, intrigued despite being nervous as hell. I mean, how will I survive in this world? “Oh, and is there any way I could get a weapon before I go to this world? Even a knife so I can defend myself?” I blurt out before he has a chance to answer my first question.
“Don’t worry, I will make sure you are good in that department. As for religion, all my worlds have some type of religion. This one I actually set up to have multiple deities.”
“There is more than one God like you?” I ask him in astonishment.
“Not really,” he says with a grin. “I just set up my Angels with power, and they act as the Gods. Though, I run the show. The world you are going to has five ‘Gods’. They are based on the five elements—Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Mind. There really isn’t a religion per se. They just believe in that element as part of their world.”
Fuck, so magic there is based on the five elements? I wonder if I’ll be able to use magic there? I want to ask God, but I seriously don’t want to have him say something like, ‘Oh, right, you’re from Earth, I can’t give it to you. You would be too powerful, blah blah blah’ or something like that. I mean, he said I would have weapons when I go into the world. I guess I will need to get this fat body into better shape to be able to use them, I think with a sigh. But man, magic! I can’t wait to see it in action. As long as it’s not directed towards me, of course, I think with a chuckle.
“So, can you tell me anything else about this world?” I ask him, excited despite the fact that not that long ago I found out I was dead on Earth, with a bullet hole in my skull.
“Hmm,” God says with a distracted look, as if he is looking at something far away. “Well, the social mores are different. I will let you figure that one out on your own. Also, there are different races. That’s about it.”
“Nice,” I say. I guess it makes sense that there would be other races. I mean, look at my own world, Earth? We have so many people of different skin colors and backgrounds. I’ve never been sure of mine, as I am a mix of multiple races. I’m part Cree, French, Italian, and who knows what else. I mean, I’m from Boston!
“Are you ready?” God asks me.
“I think so? I mean, what can I expect?” I ask him.
“I can tell you that you won’t die, yet. Though remember, this journey means your timer is being reset. I can’t tell you when your time is up, though. Also, I am not putting you in the middle of a town. That would be too jarring to your senses, as it’s not like a city on Earth. But I promise you will have the tools to survive,” God says sagely, but also pretty fucking cryptically in my opinion.
“Thanks?” I tell him, unsure what he means by that last part. “So what do you do? Snap your fingers and I am there?” I ask him, curious to know how I will travel to this new world.
“What?” he says with a laugh. “Of course not. That’s no fun. We will do it this way,” he says before snapping his fingers. But instead of being transported to a new world, in front of us, just off the porch and between the lake and the cabin, is a black portal that is swirling with dark lights.
God gets up, and I get up with him. That’s when I notice that he is short. I mean, I am not tall at only five feet five, but he seems to be only five feet tall himself. Why would God be short? He must see my look because he laughs.
“I enjoy being short, is all,” he says with a grin.
“Like a gnome?” I tell him jokingly.
“Good people, gnomes,” he says with a grin. I honestly can’t tell if he is joking or what, but I laugh with him and agree.
“Now, one more thing,” he says when we get to the portal. “This is a one-way ticket—no coming back. And you can’t ask for my help. Ever. Because I won’t answer. If it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go. Got it?” he says, his voice now firm.
Swallowing hard, I say, “Yes. Got it.”
“Good,” he says with a firm nod. “But Alex, I promise this world won’t be hard for you. I am giving you the tools to make up for this fiasco. Go enjoy life, your new life, to its fullest. Few people get a second chance like this. Take it by the horns and don’t let go, all right?” God says, his voice softening some, and he puts a hand on my back and looks up at me.
“Yes, I will. I promise,” I tell him.
“Good,” he says, and with that, he pushes me towards the portal with more strength than I thought possible for someone so small. It’s more like he practically threw me. I slam into the portal’s black light, and that’s the last thing I remember before everything goes dark.
Waking up slowly, I realize I hurt all over. Fuck me, did I fall down the stairs again? The last time I did that I was twelve, but damn, it hurt. I even broke two ribs. However, it doesn’t feel like I broke anything this time. It just hurts all over. Turning over onto my back at the bottom of the stairs, I look up and get a shock. I am not at the bottom of the stairs. Instead, I am staring at the
