The alarm wasn't supposed to go off yet... and... it doesn't. It's a good feeling, to wake up before the alarm and know I still have more time to lie around in bed and relax for a while longer, before the terrible, ear-ripping buzzer sound tears me back into the monotony of everyday life.


I stretch my legs a bit, shuffle around for a while and then try to sleep again. But then it hits me. I'm not under a blanket. Or on a pillow. I sit straight up and look around. My beating heart is now louder than my thoughts. What the- Where am I? I look around. I'm in a dark place, I barely see my surroundings, but I'd say it's a cave of some type. How the hell did I get here?


I get up. I try to find any source of light around me, but before I can, my eyes get more used to the darkness around me. I can see for sure now that it's a cave. And it's one I know. And.. he's here too. I see him, standing in a shadowy corner, not far away from me.


"Dad..?" I call out and the echoes return my voice time after time again. He gestures for me to come closer. I feel like this is all just a bad dream, but.. it feels so real. "I'm sorry.. I'm not him." It's dad's voice. I haven't seen him in years.. and still, I just know this is exactly how he looked, how he sounded, everything checks out.


"I do not control what likeness I take on. I'm sorry, I know you miss him." Who is this person? Why do they look like my dad? And what are they talking about? "I.. Dad.. What.." I try to talk, but simply cannot finish any sentence. My mind is racing. I pinch the skin of my hand. It hurts, but still, I am here. He notices and looks down, then back at me. "No, this is not a dream. Let's walk, I'll explain on the way." I nod and quietly follow him into a dark cave path.


"Maybe you've figured out already, but you're here because you're dead." I look up. On one hand, it makes no sense, but the harder I think about it, the more I feel like it's the only possible solution. "But why are we.. here?" He smiles, but it looks weird, his face twists and instead of a smile, it looks more like a painful grimace. "Everyone goes to a place that was somehow impactful in their lives. I do not know why it's this place, I don't know about your life, I am just here to accompany you on your journey. But I suppose you already know why this place, right?" I just nod in silence.


"Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes it can help to set you in ease before the final department from this plane of existence. It's why I'm here, after all." I set my gaze onto his face. Now I see a differencr between him and my dad. His face is cold, with no expression. My dad was always smiling. Even when there was nothing to smile about, his mind just made something to smile about for him. I miss him.


"I.. I don't know. I never really talked about what happened here with anyone. Not even my mother." He nods. "I understand. It doesn't seem like a nice memory. But talking might help you to get rid of the last regrets or fears held up inside you." He stops for a while and points to a rock. I smile and sit down. I didn't even realize, but we walked for quite some time. It's nice to rest for a bit, but also, it allows me to think more about what's coming.


"Will I meet him there? Wherever I'll go once I leave here?" He shrugs. "I'd love to say yes. But, I only exist in this mid-point between your world and the world you're about to enter. I've never visited either of the other sides. But I hope you will meet him. He misses you too, Zoey."


Hearing the sound of my name in this voice startles me a bit. "How can you know that?" He smiles again, and then begins talking. "I remember him. It took me a while, but I do recognize this place. It's where he met me too. I think he appeared in this place because of how much he was terrified for you. It pained me that I couldn't tell him if you're well. But I'm glad to see that you are.. or were, at least." He keeps silent for a while. "We have to keep going, it's close now."


"A while longer please? I need to.. reflect. I've been neglecting what happened here so much, that I basically forgot." He sits next to me and puts his hand over my shoulder. Even through my clothes I can feel how cold he is. "You can talk to me if you'd like to. But if not, I'll be happy to just be a silent companion."


And so we sit for a while. I remember how we used to go to the woods over this cave every summer. I don't think anyone knew that it's even here, before I fell through the ground. I tumbled around for a few seconds, but for me, it felt like hours. I felt like I'm about to die. It hurt, everything around me was cold, and I didn't know where I am. Then, I heard my dad's call. It was like his voice tore me away from Death's cold hand. Sometimes I think that he traded his life for mine. That's why he met him before me. He slid down the rocky walls of the cave and managed to hold on for a bit. But he missed the small undercliff I was on and slid right past me. He died right as he landed on the ground. I forgot about it, but now I can hear the thud clearly, as if it just happened. The rescuers found me after a few hours, following my cries for help. Even though they saved me, they were not able to save him. I think I never truly forgave myself for that one. On the surface, maybe. But deep inside, I still hate myself for that. I got up. After all, he said we're close.


He wasn't wrong. We take a left and before us, a small gate, shining with gold light, appears. "So.. this is it?" He nods, not sharing a word with me. Then, he stops, and gestures for me to keep on going. And I do. I'm encouraged by the thought of seeing my father again. I turn around when I come to the gate and wave towards him, to tell him farewell. He lifts his hand and smiles. I turn back around, the bright gold light blinding me a bit.


I don't know what's next for me. I don't even know what's happening right now. I'm kind of.. flowing, through the goldness around me. And it feels warm. It feels comfortable. I hope I'll see my dad soon.