I lay there floating in an endless black void. Having come here after my death and becoming just another soul among many waiting for my judgment. Somehow instinctively knowing it's coming, though the when is a bit spotty. Which can make you nervous until you've been here so long you wonder if your ever going to be judged.

  Surprisingly, I guess, depending on what you believe, souls come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Which I suppose is not that surprising; humans are complex creatures, both mentally and physically. So the human soul should represent that, thus the whole coming in many shapes and sizes deal.

  I'm saying that because I'm a glowing blue candle flame that seems to make the dark around me even darker while a soul to my left is a toy soldier made of Rubies that is constantly going through the motions of at rest then at attention before finally going into firing position and shooting a ruby bullet into the black void to my right is a pyramid the size of a skyscraper made of smaller pyramids that are always shifting with the bottom pyramids slowly being transferred to the top after each shift.

  Now I have no idea how I see them, considering I'm pretty sure they're thousands of miles away, and I don't have eyes, but I guess it's different rules when you're a soul in the void, and distance doesn't really mean anything in a never-ending void of darkness.

  I am curious why souls take the forms they do, but I don't think I'll ever get that answer. This is one of the questions I ponder while waiting to see if I ascend to the pearly gates in front of the kingdom of fluffy clouds or if I descend into chains and flame on top of the lands of brimstone, which is what awaits me.

  Now I've been waiting a rather long time for my judgment; at least I think I have. It's hard to tell time when you're in an endless void and nothing really changes except what the soul next to you happens to be doing at that moment, and I can't really do anything but float in the same place in a kind of holding pattern.

  So with nothing to do but think, my thoughts inevitably return to the life I once lived. You know what you wanted to do in life and what you messed up and how you would do better if you could go back and do it all over again. Probably messing it up even worse and starting one of those weird alternate timelines where the janitor is now a dictator and your family is in the slave mines.

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  On the subject of the family I wonder how my family is and if they're okay. Dad isn't happy with me for not inheriting his collection like he wanted, as well as not letting him see me grow up to be the man he thought I'd be. My little sister Jessie probably isn't happy with me either. I'd ended up lying and missed watching the last hero movie with her like I'd promised too. Probably doesn't help that I'll never do any of the big brother things I'm supposed to do for her anymore.

  My older brother Johnathan is going to be upset I missed our upcoming gaming marathon. It was for some trophy with a decent prize reward; sadly, it looks like he'll have to find another partner. Mom, I think, is just going to be upset, the most upset I died. Because in the end she may have watched me come into the world, but she shouldn't have had to watch me go ahead of her.

  I don't really think any parent is ready for a child to go ahead of them. Sadly, I don't think any of my family was ready, but, well, they'll have to keep going without me, and I think they can. I believe they can, and, well, if everything works out, we all meet up eventually in the end; at least I hope we do.

  Well, honestly, I've been here waiting to be judged a long time; at least I think I have. Again, it's hard to tell time in the void. So it's entirely possible my family has lived their lives and is wondering where I am.

  "Robert Lamb, it would appear you are our lucky constant, so come on down." A voice suddenly shouts from the void. Startling Robert, who hadn't heard anyone speak in a very long time.

  Wait, nobody said there were game shows in the void, and how would that even work anyway? We're in a void; how the hell would you run a production here? You set a stage here, and it would probably just end up falling for eternity.

  To answer my question, a portal opened up below me. I get to see endless TV monitors for a few moments before I'm sucked through. I got a few moments to scream before I was gone.