You may be wondering why I gave this story such a title, but after reading this, I'm sure you will have no choice but to agree with me that the story is worth the title.
I was on my way to work, early one Monday morning when I witnessed a drastic car accident.
Because of the accident, there was a sudden traffic jam so I was able to have a good view of the persons involved in the accident.
Few seconds later, an ambulance drove to the scene and I saw five bodies, filled with blood, carried into the ambulance, it was obvious they were all dead.
"Jesus! I know them! It's Mr Tope, his wife and three children! They are my neighbor. No! This can't be happening! It's a dream! I saw him this morning when he was about going to drop his children in school! I saw them when they left the compound! Oh! Mr Tope!" A man shouted. He came out of his car and ran after the ambulance like an insane person.
I then understood what just happened. A whole generation was gone in one day. I pitied them and told my driver to drive very slowly when the road was finally clear.
Ever since the day I witnessed the accident, I stopped my driver from driving me because I didn't want to die young, when I hadn't even enjoyed life to its fullest.
I had always dreamed of making money, getting married and starting my own family, carefully excluding death from my plan.
Each day, I drove myself very slowly and carefully to and from work.
I avoided everything that could lead to any sort of accident.
I sanitized the water that I drank, fumigated my room every night to prevent mosquitoes from giving me malaria and avoided using my cell phone in the kitchen to prevent explosion because I had heard of people dying from gas explosion as a result of using cell phones in the kitchen.
I had my personal doctor who ran medical checkup on me every weekend and prescribed the kind of food, drinks and drugs I should take
I didn't miss out exercising early every morning before preparing for work.
With all these, I felt I was able to conquer death because I was physically healthy and strong, but I never knew that spiritually, I was dead.
I was a great giver, a friendly and a tender person, but I never really liked going to church, because of so many reasons, one of which was the way fake pastors were everywhere, deceiving people.
So, rather than wasting my time in church, I stayed at home and made sure I visited the orphanage home every Sunday evening and give so many gifts to the orphans.
I as well gave out to the beggars wherever I saw them. So, I felt my life was very okay.
I started making plans of getting married and settling down to make my own family.
I met Sonia in my friend's wedding party.
We started as normal friends, but soon fell in love. Sonia was a very humble and beautiful lady with a good heart.
She was a Church girl, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't convince me to start going to church, so she gave up.
One Sunday evening, I told Sonia to follow me to the orphanage home and she gladly did.
Getting there, we gave out the gifts to the orphans as usual.
While still in the process, one of the kids, a beautiful girl of about six years old whom I was fond of, ran to me and hugged me very tightly.
I wanted to pull her and carry her up, but she gripped my leg firmly, so I bent to talk to her, only to realize she was seriously sobbing.
"My princess," I called her as I usually do whenever I come, but she refused to answer me.
"Maybe she was beaten up or she needs to talk to you in private, why don't we take her outside, I'm sure she'll talk to you there" Sonia suggested.
We took the little girl outside, but she sobbed even more and her nose was dripping.
"My princess, please talk to me, who hurt you?" I asked.
"I don't want to lose you!" She finally said, still holding onto me.
It sounded funny because I never thought of stopping to come to the orphanage home, even when I'm married with my own kids, so why would this little girl feel I'd stop coming, I asked myself.
"You won't lose me, my princess. I will always come here, nothing will stop me from..."
"Even death?" The little girl interrupted. Sonia and I were startled. We looked at the girl and I wondered why she had to say such a thing, a name I hated so much to hear.
"Uncle, I don't want to lose you. I had a dream about you last night and the dream looked so real.
I saw some group of people in black, setting you on fire. You were shouting for help, but they refused to let you go, they burnt you till you died, yet you were still burning.
Uncle, it was terrible how a good man like you could suffer such a terrible death. I don't want to lose you, that's why I want you to pray and give your life to Christ if you haven't.
Please surrender your life to God so that you will not die and go to hell fire because you are too kind to die, please." The little girl said in tears.
Sonia was obviously touched.
"Nothing will happen to me, my princess. Don't cry again, I will not die, it's just a mere dream, okay?
We have to go now, clean your tears, nothing will happen to me, trust me. Take good care of yourself and be a good girl, we will visit you next week Sunday, bye."
I said and we left.
When we got to the house, Sonia wouldn't let me rest, she kept disturbing me to come with her to see her Pastor so as to pray and cancel the dream the little girl saw, but I told her I wasn't going.
I told her I didn't believe in dreams and moreover, my fence was very high up, and there was a security guard and a big dog in the house, so there was no way any thief would enter my house to kill or do anything to me.
I had protected myself from anything that could lead to any form of accident. I changed my car tyres every two weeks and even hired two army men to be escorting me to wherever I went.
When Sonia kept persisting, I told her I would follow her the next day, not that day.
She still disturbed me not to procrastinate, but I had made up my mind not to go that day and that was my final decision.
So, Sonia who initially intended sleeping over decided to go, out of anger. She complained I was too stubborn, especially when it comes to issues related to church.
I tried talking her into sleeping over, but she insisted she'd come the next day when I'm ready to go to church with her, so I let her go.
That evening, I was busy with my laptop when I started having a severe headache. I checked the flask, but there was no hot water, so I decided to boil water and make coffee for myself.
After putting the water on fire, I went back to the sitting room and sat down to wait for the water, only for me to sleep off deeply.
By midnight, I woke up to find my house totally burnt down and wondered how it happened, then I suddenly remembered I had slept off, leaving my gas cooker on.
I ran outside to find people shouting my name and saying "He was a good man! He didn't deserve to die like this."
I was confused because I still didn't understand what was going on.
I rushed to one lady to ask her what happened, only to realize that I couldn't touch her, it was as if I was a shadow. It was when I shouted, but no one paid attention to me that I began to understand that they didn't see me.
Fear and tension overtook me because I didn't even want to think that I was dead.
My mansion was completely burnt down, I couldn't even recognize it again.
I ran inside to check for my important documents, but all I saw was charcoal and dusts.
I saw people on uniform parading my house with hose, then I realized they were fire fighters. One of them even walked into me and passed to the other side as if he passed a shadow.
I was still trying to get their attention when an ambulance drove in, that was when I saw my body on the ground, burnt almost to ashes.
I wondered how my body could be lying dead on the ground, yet I was standing there, feeling no pain.
While I was still watching them, Sonia rushed in, crying bitterly.
She ran after my burnt body which was being carried into the ambulance, shouting "Alex wake up and tell them you are not dead! Wake up let's go to church as we agreed on yesterday! Alex please wake up!"
When they finally took my body into the car, she broke down and sobbed loudly, with no one able to console her.
I walked to her and shouted that I wasn't dead, but Sonia couldn't hear nor see me.
"Alex you should have listened to me and follow me to church yesterday, you would have been alive by now! Alex that little girl's dream was true, but you never believed! Alex o!"
Sonia sobbed, rolled on the ground and jumped everywhere. I made to touch her, but I couldn't.
I felt so isolated and lonely, the pain of having nobody to talk to. I had no choice but to accept the fact that I was dead.
Death, that name alone scared me, I never wanted to hear it, but here I was, helplessly accepting and surrendering to it.
I suddenly saw myself in a long tunnel, moving very swiftly without my legs touching the ground.
I was still trying to comprehend where I was going to when I found myself in a very quiet place, it was so dry, I thought it was a desert.
I walked on, then I started hearing some noises. I was very happy that my loneliness was going to be over, but then I couldn't see the people who were making this noise.
Still walking, I got to a very giant and beautiful gate. It was so big, I couldn't see what was inside.
When I was about knocking, someone stepped outside and the gate locked itself again. He was so handsome to behold.
His garment was purely white and he kept staring at me without saying anything.
"Please I'm lost, I don't even know where I am. All I remember is that I had a severe headache and slept off, then I woke up like this" I said.
"You don't belong here. If you belonged here, the gate would have recognized you and opened for you even before you got closer" he replied.
"Then where do I go?" I asked.
"Wait for instructions from the master."
Few seconds later, I saw a man, whose face was so bright that I couldn't look at him. I had to cover my face to avoid being blinded by his brightness. He was so handsome and was escorted by two more handsome men.
The man looked at me with a great sadness and said
" You do not belong here. But I directed you here to show you what you will miss before sending you to where you belong. Look at that big building over there" He said.
I looked at the direction he pointed and saw a very mighty and beautiful building.
I can't say it was made of gold because it looked more beautiful than gold. I saw so many crowns inside and so many dazzling medals.
It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
"That was supposed to be yours. All the gifts you've been giving to the orphans and beggers, your rewards were stored here for you. But you failed to surrender your life to me, so all the crowns and fine houses here which are supposed to be yours have been given to someone else.
I sent a vision to that little orphan, so that you would repent, I passed through Sonia to convince you to repent, but you were so adamant. If you had followed her to the pastor, I would have passed through him to help you repent, but you were too stubborn.
You procrastinated it, giving the devil the chance to do his will, now, he has succeeded and you have lose.
You fear to die, when you know quite well that death is inevitable.
Death can take anybody at anytime, as far as it's your time. But my children do not die, they rest.
If you were my child, you would have been resting here, but you are not my child, so you will have to face the real death after now.
You value yourself more than me.
You treat and feed your physical body with good food, yet you kept me hungry and starving everyday.
Why then did I come to die for you when you don't even believe that I exist?
Every day, this gate rejects thousands of people, hardly before it opens for someone because they are all not qualified to be here.
Everyday, I watch the devil coming here to drag millions of people to hell and I cry because the pain that I passed through for the sake of these people is in vain."
As He was still talking, a little girl walked to the gate and it flung open. As soon as she entered, I heard sounds of joy.
The noise was so much because they were singing melodiously, it was obvious they were jubilating over the girl that just entered.
I was wishing I could go there, for it sounded so lively, but the gate was firmly closed.
"That is how we celebrate a soul that makes it here. The celebration hasn't even begun. After I visit the Earth and take my children, there will be a great celebration.
Have you ever wondered why people die young without even achieving their aim and purpose on earth?
It's because this generation is the worst generation, compared to the past. Sodom and Gomorrah never sinned the way this generation has sinned.
Each day, my father keeps telling me to come and take the righteous people so as to destroy the Earth, but I keep interceding and begging Him to give people like you some time to repent, yet you waste the precious time given to you.
All you think of is how to make money, when money is vanity.
You seek after the things of the flesh and forget about your soul.
What then was my essence of suffering so much and dying for you to live? Wasn't it for your redemption?"
Tears began to run down His cheeks and my knees melted because even before he pronounced where I'd be, I already knew I was a candidate of hell fire.
I opened my mouth to beg for forgiveness, but no word could come out of my mouth.
"It is too late to beg for forgiveness. I wish the people I shed my blood for will see this and repent before it is too late.
Because of the endless sin of the people in the world, the enemy now has every right to kill them anyhow he wants. He walks about, destroying them through different means. Yet, they still don't want to learn.
Very soon, the trumpet shall sound and I will take my children from the Earth and destroy the world completely, because I regret making man. I regret making man." He repeated.
"Your master is coming to take you to where you will wait for the judgement day, you do not belong here."
With that they all disappeared, leaving me alone.
When I looked up, I couldn't find the gate again, instead what I saw was a very dark Hall with no atom of light in it.
"Welcome home." A voice said.
I looked round and saw a very mighty and scary creature, smiling at me.
I wanted to move back, but a force dragged me to where I saw uncountable number of people, being beaten up, some were boiled in hot oil, some were being pounded in a giant mortar, some were designed with hot iron, some their eyes and private parts were being cut off with very hot and sharp machete, yet they didn't die, they were begging but got no mercy.
"This is where you will be till the judgement day." The creature said.
I was dragged into a room that was on fire.
The fire was so hot that mere standing close, my whole body peeled. I was thrown into the room and the door was locked.
I was screaming, jumping and begging, but no one was there to save me.
The fire burnt me mercilessly, yet I couldn't die, I was in deep pains.
This is where I still am, waiting for the judgement day.
Indeed, death is inevitable, but the second death which is eternal death in hell is unbearable.
This is why I'm writing to you who is patient enough to read this, don't wait until it is too late.
Don't procrastinate, you don't know what will happen the next minute.
Surrender your life to God while you are still alive, for you shall die one day.
It doesn't matter how you die, what matters is where you would spend your eternal life.
Don't think you have all the time, no, you have no time.
Every minute of your existence is for a purpose, use it to the glory of God so that Jesus will not tell you "You don't belong here."
Don't let Jesus shed tears and regret creating you, strife to please him and he will help you.
You have now, right now to surrender all to Jesus, because the next minute might be too late, you can never run away from death when it comes knocking at your door.
Straighten you ways so that you won't end up crying "had I known."
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Thanks for making out time to read my fictional story, please do well to drop your observations in the comment box.
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