Prologue

1

 

My name is Jackie and I died this night 28 years ago at the age of 28 years old. I remember exactly how it happened: I was driving home one night on a dimly-lit street when a drunk-driver, who was speeding and fell asleep at the wheel, crashed into my car. Stupidly, I wasn’t wearing a seat belt so I was launched head first into the windshield. My body received multiple fractures after hitting the steering wheel and my head hit the windshield so hard, it nearly broke it. I was gone in an instant.

After the accident, I didn’t feel any pain, which I found to be odd, so I opened the car door to leave which was when I noticed that I was still slumped in a bloody mess in the car even though I was out of the car. I didn’t know what was happening. It was as if I was a ghost or perhaps it was my soul leaving the body. I tried touching my dead, lifeless body but my hand would just pass through. I tried to grab my mobile phone to call for help, but again I couldn’t grasp it.

I know what you’re thinking, why am I telling you this 28 years later as a dead person? Well, I’m not actually dead. After I tried calling for help I saw a blinding light ahead of me. I had mistaken it for headlights of a van but when my eyes adjusted I saw the most wondrous things. In front of me was my life played out in chronological order. From birthdays to my first kiss to the first time I got blind drunk. That was not a good night. I approached the light and touched it and heard a loud, raspy voice.

“Jacqueline Henry, your life was cut far too short but you now have two choices. You can either be reincarnated as someone else with no memories of your past lives, or you can be travel back in time and be reborn as yourself,” the voice said.

“Who are you? How do I know my name?” I replied.

“I am nothing and everything. I am the life-giver and death-bringer. I know everything about you,” it responded.

“Okay…” I said as I slowly backed away.

“Stop! So, what do you choose, Jackie?” said the voice.

“I’m not going to lie, this is freaking me out,” I said. “But, if I choose to be reborn as myself, do I get my memories?”

“Yes, everything that you can remember now. You can relive this life in any way you choose, but the only thing you must not change is when, how or where you die,” it explained.

“So I only get 28 years? If I died too soon, then why would you not let me live longer?” I asked.

“Yes, you only have 28 years. You died much younger than most people have, but this is when you were supposed to die. Most people only have one attempt at living their life before being reborn as someone else, but I’m offering you the chance to go back in time and relive yours,” it explained.

“Why would you offer me this?” I asked.

“Because you had potential as an artist. I want to see how you’ll spend these 28 years again,” it said.

It’s true, I had a career as an artist and I was on my way home from the opening night of my exhibition, but I wasn’t that good. I hadn’t even won an awards.

“So, am I an experiment?” I asked.

“Yes and no. You’re one of a few, I only offer this to those who I feel did not reach their potential and died too soon,” it said.

“Do I have to choose now? Can I visit my family first?” I asked.

“Yes, you have to. You cannot interact with anything in the material world as you have experienced yourself. Even if you wanted to visit your family, you wouldn’t be able to see, hear or touch them,” it explained.

“Fine. I’d like to be reborn as myself,” I said.

“Very well, walk into the light and you will be reborn as yourself 28 years ago,” it said.