“When you're dead, everything in the world is like a song that makes you cry.” 

~+~

“....pen. Open your eyes, young one.”

Someone was calling out to him softly, gently, treating him as if he was a little child. Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking slightly, his mind still dazed. He looked around for the source of the voice, but there was no one to be seen in the gloominess.

“Where are you?” he called out timidly, his voice echoing throughout the unfamiliar place. Somewhere in the dark, the voice chuckled.

“Be patient, young one.”

His eyes were beginning to adjust to the dark, but still, not a shadow was seen. Then it clicked inside his head, the reason why he was here.

“I’m....dead, aren’t I?” The whisper came out faint, as if he couldn’t quit believe what he was saying. He half expected the voice to say yes, so it surprised him when other words came out from the eerie darkness.

“Are you afraid?”

For a moment, he was tempted to say yes. He was shivering, and not just from the cold. The darkness looked as if it was going to swallow him up he felt despair and loneliness. But then he thought of his life, and everything that made it fulfilling.

“No.” The reply was firm and solid, with no trace of hesitation at all. There was a slight pause before the strange, mysterious voice spoke again.

“Your voice is strong and full of determination, but your heart still wavers.” The voice did not say it in a pitiful way, but instead it was kind and understanding. He stiffened in response, his heartbeat speeding up erratically. Fo