Ghama-2, An Afterlife Story

George woke up and realized that he was lying on the ground. He got up in a surge and looked around. He was pleasantly assaulted by a variety of fragrances. He was in a clearing surrounded by a forest of unidentifiable trees, quite tall and massive and the clearing was covered by short grass. There were bushes in full bloom and sparsely distributed over the large clearing were smaller trees offering a variety of fruits to the park visitors. None were in sight and he would better find something to cover himself before they come for he was bare to the bones. He found a few feet away a complete musketeer outfit from boots to the feather hat, along with a real sword in its scabbard, a knife in its leather sheathe, a quiver of arrows, a beautiful bow and a backpack. He put the clothes on and everything fitted perfectly, even the boots to his greatest relief. He pulled the sword out in a quick movement and took a look at the blade, it was silver like and reflecting like a mirror, he looked at the flat side and saw a stranger face reflecting in it. He plunged forward, hit the ground, rolled on his back, got up and swirled, extending his sword in defense and felt a pang of shame. For there was no one facing him, he had acted on impulse, reacting swiftly to the unexpected. But now come to think of it, he should have known better. There had been no warning odor and his sense of smell was extraordinary keen, no hunch of imminent danger and the angle of reflection was such that the face he saw on the sword blade had to be his. He had acted stupidly, could even have broken a shoulder.

He looked again at the blade reflection. This is my face, he thought, how come then I don't remember it. Could I be amnesic? Where am I?

He went to the nearest tree and picked a fruit, it looked like an apple and the odor was inviting. He took a bite and it didn't taste like an apple, the taste was impossible. For it tasted like strawberry and there was cheese in the center, creamy and tasting like the very best Brie. He had never heard of a fruit with cheese in the center. But it was so delicious that he ate it all and it filled him nicely.

What am I doing here, he asked himself, I don't know that place, I don't recognize anything, not even my own face. He felt stronger and better though than he could ever remember.

I had an appointment with --there was a tremendous explosion-- God I must be dead, he thought. He remembered now, he was the president of the United States of America. And this world, he thought, must be Ghama-2. It worked! I had a hunch that the whole story, crazy as it sounded was true and now here I am and I wonder where are the others.

That John saved my life before and then brought that incredible story to my attention and by doing so, he gave me a second life to live and a mission that may result in giving mankind immortality and the control of the stars. I hope I will meet with that remarkable man again.

George felt excitement and wonder, he was exulting and he danced a gig or two. He would have dance like an Amerindian whooping his war cries to the sky but he restrained himself. What if somebody sees me, he thought.

He went to find the others. He tried to get a hunch as to the direction that he should go but there was none so he tried to walk in a straight line. He kept walking along an imaginary line keeping the sun on his left and the biggest tree of the clearing's bordering forest on its right and tried to remember special landmarks on the way.

Bill Rates woke up, took a look around and immediately came to the conclusion that he was waking up on another world. The sun was different; he had a new extremely keen sense of smell and his body felt different. The story was true, he thought. I had a hunch it was true and gave a sizable sum for the painting. But that was irrelevant for he never had much appreciation for material belongings and even less for money.

If you are intelligent and creative, you can always find a way to make a living. Being filthy rich had not brought happiness. In fact, he told himself, it had brought a sense of responsibility, obligations he would have been better off without. The celebrity had bothered him; it had limited his freedom and forced him to hire bodyguards. He would have like to live another kind of life but it was too late, it was already too late at the age of twenty.

He would live this new life he had been granted quite differently, he promised himself. He looked around, found his outfit, put it on and got on his way to find the others.

Nicole was the sexiest female actor of the year. She had heard about the book and sent her attorney to the auction to buy one of the paintings in her name. She remembered her car accident followed by a brief period of fuzziness and now she was here, bare, lying in the grass. Something happened, she thought, I died in the car accident and I am in heaven. For the grass is blue and soft with a silky texture and there is a special feel to it and what I smell is outworldly. She was tasting the different fragrances, differentiating them like someone would be doing tasting new flavors.

That new sense is awesome, she told herself, as she got up. She looked around and saw her outfit and understood that she was on Ghama-2. For who would need an outfit in heaven?

She regretted her death. It was unfair to die so soon, she thought, after I finally reached celebrity. Without even the time to live the wonders that celebrity had brought me. There were so many things I wanted to buy starting with that sixty million dollars house in San Reno; and now here I am, penniless on a world roamed by aliens and predators and a silly mission to save mankind. Who cares about mankind?

She put the stupid outfit on. Now I look like a musketeer, people will laugh at me. That outfit is ridiculous and those guardians have a very poor idea of what should be a lady's costume.

She went to find the others.

Elisabeth woke up and looked suspiciously around and called for the servants but none would come. She had been left alone lying in the grass. Wait till I find out the responsible, she told herself. The robbers took everything, she thought, even my underwear, they must have knocked me down and left me unconscious in a field. They did that to me, Elisabeth the third, Queen of the United Islands and there is nobody about to help me.

She had that damnedest sense of smell, an army of odors was assaulting her and she felt alive like never before. She looked at her legs and her disgust changed into wonder. Those legs can't be mine and now she looked everywhere and realized that she had the body of a goddess. The breasts were pushing their way up in a most erotic way. She loved them and touched them, I am beautiful, she thought, for in women lay her phantasms. Nobody had ever found out about her sexual orientation and her private maid had kept her mouth shut about what happened behind close doors. With a body like that, she thought, I can get any disoriented woman of my choice.

She looked around and saw the outfit. She began to tremble and sat down for her legs wouldn't carry her anymore. What is this, she asked herself, the grass, the trees, the sun, the keen sense of smell and that new body, all of this is impossible. Could it be that I am dead, she thought, or dreaming.

She pinched herself but she felt the pain and there was no waking up. Suddenly she remembered, she had been sick for a few day