Blurred Reality...Part 2

Part 1: http://smileysays.blogspot.com/2007/10/story-blurred-reality.html

Part 2:
As the carriage sped away, I had no way of doing anything except screaming. My already dead count had since disappeared from view. I felt lonely. I guess I loved him. As I wondered what to do, I noticed that we were in a forest which was growing thicker every minute. “That’s strange”, I thought. “There are no forests near my house”. Little did I realize that the carriage was traveling downward slowly as well.

I looked out of the front screen. I could see the vague outline of a coachman. I asked him where we were going. He looked back, peered down and saw me. I nearly shrieked. The coachman almost looked like a skeleton. But then I realized that there was a thin layer of skin on his face and the past remnants of a moustache. The coachman bellowed, “Soon my dear. You have broken a few rules. Judgment is near”.

I shuddered. I didn’t know what was happening. There was nothing which could have been done and so I waited. I waited for whatever was waiting for me at the end of this journey. I slowly drifted into sleep. A few moments passed.

I woke up with a start and realized that the coach had since stopped. I opened the door and stepped out into the mists. There was no coachman. I walked forward trying to find out where I was. Soon enough I found myself standing on a plain which was red in colour. At the end of the plain, probably a hundred yards away was a gate. I began to walk towards the gate. It began to get hot and so I removed my coat and trudged on towards the gate. I looked in all directions but there was nothing as far as the human eye could see. And soon, I reached the gate.

The gate was a tall hideous structure and seemed to be locked. I looked through the gate and saw a set of golden stairs with red carpeting. The gate suddenly swung open and invisible hands carried me forth up the stairs and into a great hall. I looked around and saw rich tapestries and ahead was a magnificent throne. Seated on the throne was a young lady. She seemed nice enough and so I asked her “Where am I? Who are you?”

“Why? I am the Devil herself and you are in Hell.” I staggered back, fell over and landed hard. “You are here because you have broken some cardinal rules. Number 1: You spoke to one of the dead during his waking. Number 2: You actually seem to have fallen in love with the dead Count and Number 3: There cannot be any alliance between the living and the dead. So now, you have been brought here to make a choice. Do you love the Count?”

Surprised at the bluntness of the question, I stayed silent for a while. The Devil roared again. “Do you love the Count?” “Yes”, I replied. “Then make a choice. Stay alive and forget the Count or die to live with the Count in the afterlife.” Having found the love of my life, I had no intention of letting go. “I will die”, I said. “Very well! You may now join the Count”.

I woke up and felt myself die. The Count stood over me with a frown on his face. “You shouldn’t have died. You have a long life ahead of you.” “I know, but I love you”. He looked at me with a startled expression. He quickly broke into a smile and carried me off to the grave.

We lived happily ever after in the afterlife.

THE END