"Well, isn't this something?"

The booming voice made me jump a good ten feet. This place was creepy enough with the sea of children. Now there were goddamn voices that came out of nowhere? Where the hell was I?

"Your word choice could be a bit better, son. You're in heaven. And this voice you're hearing, well... Let's say I wouldn't damn my own voice."

It took about half a second to piece everything together. I'm dead. That car... I remember the ambulance, I think. Is that where I died? Regardless, apparently atheism isn't enough to keep you out of heaven anymore. God is real; that's a thing, apparently. Seriously, though, what the h- Dammit. What's up with the kids?

"When you get up here, your spirit takes the form of your mental and emotional maturity. You might think that people who get here would be adults, but it doesn't really work that way. Humanity is barely growing, barely learning. People are so stuck in their ways, they shut everyone else out. They never open up to people unless they already know that person is enough like them. I created your people to learn from each other's innovations. I gave you speech so you could teach, but you taught the wrong lessons. Too often the wise words got drowned out, or were never really taken to heart. Something I suppose I may have had a part in." The voice let out a remorseful chuckle and I let his words sink in.

Suddenly remembering I hadn't spoken a word since I'd arrived, I opened my mouth. "So... why aren't I like them? I'm human."

"You, my son, are one of the few who grew. You learned, you never scoffed off others' opinions. You know what it is to really listen. You are among the pinnacle of humanity, for now."

"One of the few? If I'm not the first, where are the others?" Heaven can't be stuffed full of immaturity. There had to be more.

"I'll get to that in a moment. Presently, you have a choice. You can walk through the door, and meet the others like you that stayed." 'The door' appeared in front of me the moment he mentioned it, springing up like Jack's beanstalk, tall and imposing. God gave me a minute to consider the option.

"Or?" I asked.

"Or, you wake up in that ambulance. You go the rest of your life not remembering this little encounter, but you will subconsciously know it is your duty to educate the rest of the world. The door will wait until we meet again.

"As you might have guessed, time -among other things - doesn't flow normally here. You have eternity to decide. Open the door, or turn away."

And with that, God left me to my choice.