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All things Sandy would never get to experience again.
Because Lexi Tollman was gone, and Sandy was alone.
She surreptitiously wiped her eyes. She didn’t want anyone in the waiting room, or the nice lady behind the desk, to think something was wrong.
Though something was. The most important person in her life was gone. She was a pile of ash in Sandy’s suitcase, and everything was about to change.
Because Lexi Tollman was a sassy, weird, old bird, and she somehow passed with this idea in her head that Sandy had missed out on something.
‘You never got a chance to be young. And that’s my fault. I should have taken you out more often. I should have encouraged you to go live your life. You were born into an incredible world, and I kept you trapped in the small corner of it I claimed for myself. I was too selfish to want to let you go. I love having you with me. I love spending time with you. You were the best thing that ever happened to me, Sandy, my girl. I wish I could tell you now to just let me go. To leave me to my death and be free. But I’m just too damn selfish. I want one more day with you. I tell myself every night that I’ll set you free in the morning, but when I wake up and see you smiling at me, I insist that I can have one more day. Just one more.’
Funny. That’s exactly what Sandy thought every night when she went to bed. When she was praying and pleading with whatever force controlled this world that she could have one more day with her grandmother. That she’d be satisfied with just one more.
But now there were no more, and she certainly wasn’t satisfied.
“Alexandra Tollman?”
Sandy’s head dropped down to see the lady who worked in the back peeking around the door. She was smiling at everyone, seeing who reacted to the name.
“That’s me,” Sandy said, grabbing her purse and getting to her feet, quickly pushing the letter back into her bag as she fixed a smile on her face.
The woman, a middle-aged brunette with kind eyes, waved her back. “Right this way, honey. It won’t be long.”
Sandy knew that. She’d seen people coming and going ahead of her. They ran a pretty tight ship here, and being late by five minutes could mean you missed your appointment entirely. Since they lasted only five to ten minutes, it wasn’t surprising. And the day was fully booked, always, so if you missed it, you’d need to wait months for a new one.
The short hall led to a room at the back that was behind a heavy door with a keypad that, according to the beeps, had a nine-digit code to get in. It was highly protected. For good reason. The huge, metal, coffin-like pod inside was an exception to an intergalactic treaty.
Earth wasn’t allowed to have advanced alien technology.
Except for this. This place, this pod, was the only exception. Sandy heard rumors that other locations would open since this place was so busy and successful, but for now, it was one of a kind.
And Sandy still couldn’t believe she was here.
‘I did something. You’re not going to like it, but it’s for your own good. I may have held you back in life, but I’m not holding you back in death. I won’t rest easy if I know you’re all alone in this big, empty house, pining for an old biddy. You’re young, Sandy! You need a chance to go out and live. A real one. A chance you’re certainly not going to get here.’
“Can you just confirm your name and date of birth for me,” the woman said, going to a computer that was built into the wall.
Sandy did so, looking the huge device up and down.
The coffin was silver and rounded. It hummed softly. Technology she had no hope of understanding standing by, waiting for its next customer. She’d been warned that the process would be unpleasant, but it was at least quick.
She was getting her soul scanned.
‘First, I’m selling the house. And I can already hear you now. ‘Gramma, no! That’s our house!’ No. It’s my house, and I’m not letting you turn it into some creepy mausoleum to me. I’m not letting you live in the second bedroom for life because you don’t want to disturb mine. Or, worse, you don’t change anything here and let yourself become part of the museum of our life. Nope. No. I love you too much to let you do that, and I know you would. So, the house is being sold. You can keep a few things if you want, but the furniture is going too. It’s already done, and the lawyer won’t let you reverse the decision. You have three months in that house from the time of my death, but then you’re out. And I won’t hear no guff about it, so don’t you start nagging at my ashes, because I’m not listening!’
“Have you fasted?” The technician asked Sandy.
She nodded. “Yeah. Is it necessary for the scan to work?”
“No. We just find that people sometimes puke afterwards, especially if they’ve just eaten, so we established the fasting rule for all of our sakes.” The woman sent her a grin as she pressed a button on her computer.
Something hissed, and the pod opened.
The top split in half, the lid separating and dropping beneath the bed. The plain, white cushion was sanitized after every visitor. It had a pillow made of the same, fake white leather, and it was big enough that someone who was eight feet tall could easily lay inside. All told, with the lid out of sight, it didn’t look all that different from a hospital bed.
It had no right being intimidating, but it was.
“Go ahead and lay down,” the tech said, pushing a stool over to make it easier for her to climb up. “You just lay back. When you’re ready, I’ll close the lid. If you’re uncomfortable with enclosed spaces, I’d recommend closing your eyes. It will be over quick, but when I activate the scanner, it’s going to be very uncomfortable. People describe different sensations. Some say it’s cold, others say it’s like being tazed. It can be like you’re covered in ants, plunged into water, like there’s pressure on your chest. No one says they like it, but no matter what, you’re going to be okay. It can’t hurt actually you.”
