By Nova
Forward / Prologue
Ever wondered what would happen if you could go back and change it all? I definitely did. Upon thinking about it, I added in a few things like “What if I could go back and change who I was? Take back the knowledge I had gained to make myself a better person, to make my loved one’s lives better but at the same time, not have any world changing information.” I didn’t just want a do-over story where i played the stocks and got rich. Those are kind of boring anyways. I wanted a story where I changed certain circumstances for those I cared about and gave them a more enriching life… that’s my second chance.
Chapter 1
“Young man, are you gonna stand there all day, or are you gonna wake up and talk?” A familiar voice said.
I knew that voice. I had heard it plenty of times. My eyes were closed? Well, let’s open and confirm. I opened my eyes to see Morgan Freeman sitting behind a glass desk, wearing a white suit, with his hands resting on the desk, folded together.
“Ah there we go.” He said.
I looked around. Blank room. No doors. No windows. No lights. But everything was lit. And he was just sitting there, staring at me with a smile on his face.
“Morgan Freeman?” I said, looking back at him. “Forgive me, but huge fan.”
“Thanks, but I’m not Morgan Freeman.” He said.
“Funny, you look like him.” I said. “Who are you then?”
“God.” He said.
“God?” I asked.
“Yes.” He said.
“Then why look like an older actor?” I asked, sliding my hands into the front pocket of my pullover orange hoodie.
“When I say ‘imagine god’ or just ‘god’, what image pops into your mind?” He asked.
“OHHHHHHH.” I said as I realize what he meant.
It’s true. If someone says God, Morgan Freeman in a white suit jumps into my mind… that or the odd image of the actor who played Enter in the Japanese Sentai show Go-Busters.
“Yeah. You respect Mr. Freeman immensely, that’s why I chose that form to talk to you.” He said.
“Okay, so… God… forgive the tone, but what’s up? Why talk to me?” I asked.
“Joshua. You’re dead.” God said.
“As in I’m dead dead, or I’m going to die unless I do something?” I asked. “Cause I feel fine.”
“You are dead. Pushing up daisies, feeding the worms, whatever you want to call it.” He said.
“Well that fucking sucks. How?” I asked.
“You were hit by a driver heading home from Walgreens. Driver was distracted, didn’t even stop.” God said as a video of my own death appeared in front of me.
Funny, I could accept the floating video in air, but I couldn’t easily accept my own death. I watched as the driver hit me, ran me over and kept driving. Then I saw the SUV drive up and a Mexican woman get out of the truck, check me and cry into the sky. I knew her… my neighbor, across the street.
“Please tell me the kids weren’t with her… I’d hate to scar them from seeing a man dead like that.” I said as the video vanished.
God laughed. “I like that about you. You actually care about someone else’s well-being. You aren’t moping with an attitude of ‘why me’ or ‘what will happen about…’ and that’s not seen too much these days.” He said.
“Well forgive my impertinence, but I do care. I know, though Annie may never recover from the emotional blow of my death, she’ll be taken care of, if not by insurance, then by her parents.” I said.
“Sort of.” God said. “Listen, Joshua, I’m not gonna say your life hasn’t been full of troubles.”
“That’s putting it mildly.” I muttered.
“Indeed. You’ve had your suspicions about things in life, and I’m gonna tell you, my boy, you don’t need to worry about those things.” God said.
“Okay, so, what’s next? Heaven? Hell? Purgatory?” I asked.
“You’re going back.” He said. “And before you make a big deal out of it, I do it all the time. I’m gonna send you back. You’re gonna get to relive your life. You’re getting a do-over… with some twists.”
“Twists?” I asked.
“Listen, I’m not gonna beat around the bush. You got the short end of the stick as a kid. Abusive family. Hatred all around, and you came out of it, found a woman that, well, you found your soulmate. You recognized it, she recognized it, and everyone you met recognized it.”
“So came out of a shit storm smelling like roses?” I asked.
“In a manner. Yes. Now as for the twists. You’re not taking anything back with you.” He said.
“Really? Cause I like my orange hoodies.” I said with a sly smirk.
Again, God laughed.
“I’ll think about it. In the meanwhile, let’s talk about the twists. You’re gonna remember EVERYTHING that you can remember now but here’s the kicker, your life will not be the same as you remember it. Different parents. Different family.” He said.
“So I’ll have my knowledge, my experiences, and a different life?” I asked. “What’s the catch?”
“I’m getting to that. Physically, you will be similar to when you were at 18. Yes. That’s when you’re gonna wake up. At age 18. Someone will be joining you.” God said as a young woman appeared next to me. “Joshua, Tabitha. Tabitha, Joshua. You two will be siblings. Tabitha will be your twin sister.”
I looked over at Tabitha. She was my height. Long black hair. C-cup tits. Black athletic shirt, black shorts. Black shoes. Very attractive. She had to be 18, by the looks.
“Wait, you said similar? What’s gonna be different?” I asked.
“Well let’s start with your body. You don’t exactly identify as a ‘Male’ and I’m not gonna send you back the exact same.” God said. “You’ll see when you get there on what I mean.”
“Oh.” I said as I began to think about what he meant.
“Tabitha, same for you, you’ll be a bit different as well.” God said. “Your goal in this new life is to enjoy yourselves to the fullest. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“Okay so where’s the catch?” I asked.
“You will remember everything, including all of this… no one else will. Your new mother is someone you know well, Joshua. A woman named Julie.” God said.
“Wait… Mama Julie Julie?” I asked.
“That’s the one!” God said.
“Who is she?” Tabitha asked.
“A nice woman. She never had kids of her own. Her husband died before I met her, and she always told me I looked just like him.” I said. “Since I met her, she’s been like a mom to me.” I said.
“Wait, do I have to be his twin sister? Can I be his older sister?” Tabitha asked. “I’ve always wanted a little brother.”
“Nah. You’ll be fine.” God said.
And with a snap of his fingers, the area faded to black… wait… no… my eyes were closed again.
