“Hey what's going on here, where… am I.” Francis thought as he stood to be confused.

He didn’t understand at first what had happened when not even a long moment ago, Francis was just walking normally in the streets returning home after receiving the devastating news from the girl he likes.

Learning Ava is in a relationship with the school bully, something that has been going on for a time now that Francis was too blind to have noticed compared to the rest of the students.   

It took over his brain to lose focus on what was going on around this, causing death by a sad self for not looking out for incoming cars and having no intention when being chased by another car speeding up from behind.  

Afterward, Francis comes to wake up in this place where there is nothing much, only the floors and walls. He would have thought it to be just some space if not the desk and the middle-aged looking gentleman sitting on a large wide chair reading a book in one hand while smoking a cigar in his mouth.    

“Well, young man, are you going to just stand there or will you be using those two legs and come over here.” The middle-aged man says to him.

“Um…. I guess I’m going to come over there then.”

“Good then do that, would you? I like to get back to my reading time, so let's get this business done and over with fast.” 

Francis was confused about what the guy meant by that, but when this person was the only living being here and looked to know with answers to be given to any question popping in his head about now.

So, he walked forward reaching the desk within seconds to a minute getting a better look at the middle-aged man. His hair was an interesting color of white like the clouds on the blue sky tied up into a nicely done ponytail, eyes were gray the same as ash. A nicely clean facial beard, and clothing that was formal for one who looked to be working at a bar, the man's skin was light brown with a muscular body under the clothing that wasn’t easy to tell from the outside.      

A thought came to mind of asking for the man's name, but there wasn’t a need when seeing the name on a plant on the desk saying Colin as the name tag. So there goes that matter of having to ask for it.  

“So, I bet you got a lot of questions you want to ask me, and I already could tell what they are to be since they are always the same ones to be asked,” Colin says with a tone of one that is tired of the sort of things.   

“Well, I just want to know first about where I am Mrs. Colin.” 

“Forget the Mrs. and stay with calling me by my name and You are in my working offices at Reincarnation Inc. It is a special dimension that helps those who come to meet their end too soon or unfairly due to certain circumstances. Those who come to pass on the natural way get lucky to live a different life.”   

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Francis takes the moment to let it sink into his head, acting calming instead of going out in a frank mood at the time. It was something Colin took note of the reaction giving the young man credit for not panicking like the unusual customers that just go through the stages till reaching acceptances.      

“Then I’m dead, this is me as a ghost standing here talking to you,” Francis says.

“You're not a ghost more as in more of a spirit of the soul, but let's not go into a long-detailed explanation about the subject. You are here to move on to your next life.”  

“About what you are saying this is how people come to be reincarnated, I thought it to be more, you know how it talks about how Buddhism is a more spiritual way to go by the good or bad one does in their old life.”  

“Yeah well, it is not how it is always going to be what mortals think until they are the one to see it with their own eyes to the truth.” 

Colin closes the book in hand, making it disappear, takes the cigar out of his mouth while getting out, and puts that same book on the desk, opening by itself and flapping through the pass where there were already words on some of the pages. 

It stops when a page on one side is halfway written, and the other side is empty. Colin then had a pen show up between his two fingers placing it right into the middle of this book.

“Here you go to the big book to write your name, age, and how you came to meet your end,” Colin tells him. 

“That's all there is to be needed from me.”

“Yup just got to keep a record of you being here just like the others that have come before you.” 

Francis takes a look at the open big book looking at names, ages, and those who met an end in different ways compared to his. Before doing any of the short, he stops himself from even thinking about grabbing the pen feeling this can't be something to go along with just yet.

“Wait hold on this crazy, maybe this is a dream and all, I mean maybe I am alive after that car hit me myself got to be in the hospital right now just asleep in a coma right,” Francis says thinking that has got to be it. 

“Sorry, but you're dead Francis the way your own has ended up yeah there's a way of that to be true and I don’t say that to be heartless just want you to get it through your head into seeing this with fully open eyes.”

“Then when my old one is over with, my parents, friends, everything is just gone, no more is this how it goes for me because I was stupid enough to not pay attention to the car.”    

“Look at it this way, you are being given another chance to live another life. Be glad about this.”   

Colin had a point Francis was going to live again, but is it to be the same life back on earth as another person or something else or something else? In his head, he wonders if this way is similar to the manga's he likes to read in his free time.

“What if I refuse to go through with it, is there a punishment?” Francis asked.

“Nope you just going to be stuck here if you refuse, I won’t recommend it after time wondering around this please will do no one good.”

“So, I got no choice in this matter, Colin.” 

“You do just the first choice is the much better one to go with than the second trust me. I see fools thinking that not going through with the reincarnation will in time meet a worse end in their existence.” 

Francis had a small laugh to himself then proceeded to write in the big book till it was done.

“There it is done, so how does it happen, and is there anything I can know about my next life,” Francis asked at least wanting to know about that part.

“Thanks, now just be still and don’t move at all, and about your next life no clue at all of what it is going to be.”

“What do you….” Francis doesn't get to end that sentence when beneath him a large circle appears.

When it does there comes a bright shine that blinded the young man for the moment till feeling himself falling under as the piece of that floor was taken away and replaced with an open hole.

Francis screamed taking a second look at Colin who seemed not to make any reaction to what was happening. He was taking it easy, smoking that cigar and blowing out the smoke in the open. 

“Good luck in your next as your old one will never come to be remembered.”