Neverland

When stories unfold themselves,  we often realize how meaningful small moments are.  It's not about love or passion that drives us towards a successful, happy ending but sometimes it's about a breakthrough that makes us realize our importance in our own lives.

Hii,  I'm Rebecca,  a normal teenager who, like every other girl wishes to have a handsome boyfriend and live a live curated especially for her. This is my story,  a story that tells you that life is not always about what we think and what we desire,  sometimes it goes way beyond that.

It all started in the summer of 2022, a year that brought us all back together.  After 2 years of isolation,  it was finally time for us to go back to school. To say that I was excited would definitely be an understatement. As I walked towards the bus stop,  I started having this tingling sensation that I have never had before.  It felt like there were thousands of butterflies in my stomach,  and that any moment I would grow a pair of wings and start flying! 

I looked at the other side of the road and saw a bunch of little kids standing, waiting for their first ride to school. It reminded me of my first day at school.  I remember how scared I was.  But these kids were different,  they were excited. They were smiling and laughing.

I looked at the man standing beside me on the bus stop. He was wearing all black,  and what grabbed my attention was his black hat.  He looked like he was going for a fancy dress party.

"Nice hat! " I said and winked at him.  He looked at me with shock.  I guess he didn't see it coming. 

"You can see me? " he asked but before I could answer,  my bus arrived and I quickly climbed up.  I gave him one final glance before walking towards an empty seat.  I saw the man climb up as well and to my surprise,  he walked towards my seat and sat beside me.

"So,  how did you die? " He asked.  I looked at him,  confused.  "What do you mean?" I asked.

"This is the bus to neverland,  land of the dead. Only the dead can ride it.  So back to my question,  how did you die? " He explained and somehow even I wanted to believe him. 

I guess he had some mental issues.  I decided to play along,  trying my best to keep up with his level of imagination.  "I had heart failure. " I said.

He looked at me for a second,  then gave me a nod and started staring out of the window,  looking at the clouds. Wait!  Clouds?  I pushed him aside and looked outside the window to see the bus was flying in the sky!

"What is happening? " I asked,  panic seizing me.  "We are going to neverland" He replied.

"But-"

"What happened? " He asked me. The situation seemed to have changed.  Everyone on the bus seemed okay with the bus flying.  It was as if I was the mental one now!

"I don't remember dying! " I whispered.  His eyes went wide and he kept his hand on my chest,  trying to feel my heartbeat.  It was still there!  I am alive!

He quickly moved his hand away and looked at me with shock.  "This is impossible! " he said.

"Something wrong Mark? " The driver asked and the man,  I guess Mark quickly yelled a no. 

"Dan please drop us at the palace.  The King wants me to escort this lady directly to the palace. " Mark yelled.

Everyone turned to look at me and somehow I felt my blood froze.  If this bus was actually for the dead then everyone here is dead as well?  I gulped in fear and Mark held my hand.  His hand were cold,  too cold to be normal.

"Don't tell anybody else about this. " He whispered.

"About what? " I asked.

"About your beating heart. " He replied.

I quickly nodded and once again started staring at the clouds outside the window.  I was actually going to neverland.

The bus soon came to a halt and I realized Mark was already on his feet.  He was waiting for me to stand.  I jumped on my feet and turned around to pick up my bag but it had already disappeared.  I guess soon I'll disappear like my bag as well.

We walked out of the door and stood in front of large gates.  Were these the gates to heaven?  Was I actually dead?

Mark walked through the gates and I looked at him in shock! He was waiting for me to do the same. I stared at the gates for what felt like an eternity before I saw Mark disappear and someone pushed me from behind,  making me land directly on my face.  On the other side of the Gates!

"Look,  it was that easy." He said and helped me stand back again.

"let's go. " He said and walked inside the large palace that had suddenly appeared in front of us.

I looked behind me one last time,  and after taking a deep breath,  took my steps towards the palace that I had no clue about. 

I guess school has to wait a little more.