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Ever since I was a kid, I always wondered about what happens after you pass away. My Christian parents always told me of heaven and hell, but it never really made the question go away. It only made my curiosity grow. The older I got, the more that peculiar wonder would pop into my head. By the time I was in my senior year of high school, I struggled to think about anything else.

An apprenticeship as a mortician wasn't far behind.

I didn't find the work to be incredibly hard, and despite my friends and family's concerns for working so close to death I was still cheerful and even made light of it once in a while. Everything was... good. My curiosity felt like it was finally content. I was content. Time went on and an apprenticeship became a career, and a well-paying one at that. I got my own house, a car, the sort of stuff you would expect people to get when they finally settle into a good job.

But then... it came back.

That question.

After several years it finally came back.

That singular, innocent question.

"What comes after?"

It filled my mind once more, almost physically pressing into any thought that appeared in my mind and I was... to best describe it would be overwhelmed. My friends hung out with me less and less. Family called less too. I think they began to notice my curiosity, though how they found out is a bit beyond me.

It was fine, though. I'm actually thankful for them letting me pursue my curiosity. And for my clients' understanding too. They didn't say one word about my tinkering. A little cut here, an examination there, they didn't mind. If they did, they would have said something, right? Of course they would have. And then to my delight, they took their kindness one step further. They just left me the bodies. For me. They called in and simply cancelled any plans for their undertakings, and left me to do my work. I remember being so filled with gratitude that I called them back several times, thanking them for understanding my need to fulfill my curiosity.

Sure they didn't call back.

Nobody called back at that point, but I knew that they understood.

I was lucky to be part of such an understanding and supportive community. My own body helped as well, becoming more efficient in that it needed less and less food and water. It became lighter so I could easily and quickly move from one body to the next. My hands became thinner and less blunt, so I could move my tools more easily. It was like the entire world understood my want.

I knew this to be true when it spoke to me. I don't mean the world. That would be a bit insane. No, I meant one of the bodies.

It was the oldest one I had, the first one my neighborhood gave to me. It in particular had seemed very tight lipped about the answer to my question, so I worked on it the most. I remember seeing it, on one side of my workplace, all it's internal pieces organized by my own hand. I had just begun a new exploration on another across from it when I heard it's murmur.

One of the dead, back from wherever they had been residing since their passing, just to tell me the answer. This was how I knew that the world supported me. It was a sure sign of that. In one ear first, then both, their beckons filled my ears and I turned around to see them. They were sitting up, looking at me, and they were smiling. They saw my happiness at finally getting an answer to my question, my satisfaction at being so very patient for all of that time.

So I came over to the body. They stared at me as I walked, my vision tilting every once in a while due to a small tumble a while back. It made them seem like they were nodding to some unheard music, bobbing their head to it's rhythm. I finally got to the table where it sat, adorned by the mess of my labors and a living testament to my conviction to finally get an answer. The body was quite ragged at that point, some of the stitches I used to close up my previous explorations coming a bit loose and some of the last bits of white hair holding the scalp by their very tips. A minor problem really, though as I noted this while I walked over I vowed to repair some of those issues on a later date.

Finally I got to the side of the table, right next to where the body sat and stared. the murmurs began to grow louder in my ears, so I leaned in close to their mouth. Then, they would not need to raise their voice for my hearing. I could feel their teeth lightly brush the tip of my ear as I leaned in.

A curious thing happened then.

I could feel pressure on my jaw, and the back of my head, going in towards my skull. It felt strange, like a gentle caress or a hug. Something behind me must have caught my attention then, because my vision snapped around to see the right side of my room.

After I saw nothing of interest there, I could feel my eyelids slide down. I had been working lately so I guess I just needed to rest before getting my answer. After all, doing all of that work to get the answer just to mishear it due to exhaustion would be a terrible thing to do. Darkness washed over me, and I could feel myself float away into what had to be unconsciousness.

Just a quick rest after all.

Then I could wake up.

And finally get my answer to what comes after.

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

Ever since I was a kid, I always wondered about what happens after you pass away. My Christian parents always told me of heaven and hell, but it never really made the question go away. It only made my curiosity grow. The older I got, the more that peculiar wonder would pop into my head. By the time I was in my senior year of high school, I struggled to think about anything else.

An apprenticeship as a mortician wasn't far behind.

I didn't find the work to be incredibly hard, and despite my friends and family's concerns for working so close to death I was still cheerful and even made light of it once in a while. Everything was... good. My curiosity felt like it was finally content. I was content. Time went on and an apprenticeship became a career, and a well-paying one at that. I got my own house, a car, the sort of stuff you would expect people to get when they finally settle into a good job.

But then... it came back.

That question.

After several years it finally came back.

That singular, innocent question.

"What comes after?"

It filled my mind once more, almost physically pressing into any thought that appeared in my mind and I was... to best describe it would be overwhelmed. My friends hung out with me less and less. Family called less too. I think they began to notice my curiosity, though how they found out is a bit beyond me.

It was fine, though. I'm actually thankful for them letting me pursue my curiosity. And for my clients' understanding too. They didn't say one word about my tinkering. A little cut here, an examination there, they didn't mind. If they did, they would have said something, right? Of course they would have. And then to my delight, they took their kindness one step further. They just left me the bodies. For me. They called in and simply cancelled any plans for their undertakings, and left me to do my work. I remember being so filled with gratitude that I called them back several times, thanking them for understanding my need to fulfill my curiosity.

Sure they didn't call back.

Nobody called back at that point, but I knew that they understood.

I was lucky to be part of such an understanding and supportive community. My own body helped as well, becoming more efficient in that it needed less and less food and water. It became lighter so I could easily and quickly move from one body to the next. My hands became thinner and less blunt, so I could move my tools more easily. It was like the entire world understood my want.

I knew this to be true when it spoke to me. I don't mean the world. That would be a bit insane. No, I meant one of the bodies.

It was the oldest one I had, the first one my neighborhood gave to me. It in particular had seemed very tight lipped about the answer to my question, so I worked on it the most. I remember seeing it, on one side of my workplace, all it's internal pieces organized by my own hand. I had just begun a new exploration on another across from it when I heard it's murmur.

One of the dead, back from wherever they had been residing since their passing, just to tell me the answer. This was how I knew that the world supported me. It was a sure sign of that. In one ear first, then both, their beckons filled my ears and I turned around to see them. They were sitting up, looking at me, and they were smiling. They saw my happiness at finally getting an answer to my question, my satisfaction at being so very patient for all of that time.

So I came over to the body. They stared at me as I walked, my vision tilting every once in a while due to a small tumble a while back. It made them seem like they were nodding to some unheard music, bobbing their head to it's rhythm. I finally got to the table where it sat, adorned by the mess of my labors and a living testament to my conviction to finally get an answer. The body was quite ragged at that point, some of the stitches I used to close up my previous explorations coming a bit loose and some of the last bits of white hair holding the scalp by their very tips. A minor problem really, though as I noted this while I walked over I vowed to repair some of those issues on a later date.

Finally I got to the side of the table, right next to where the body sat and stared. the murmurs began to grow louder in my ears, so I leaned in close to their mouth. Then, they would not need to raise their voice for my hearing. I could feel their teeth lightly brush the tip of my ear as I leaned in.

A curious thing happened then.

I could feel pressure on my jaw, and the back of my head, going in towards my skull. It felt strange, like a gentle caress or a hug. Something behind me must have caught my attention then, because my vision snapped around to see the right side of my room.

After I saw nothing of interest there, I could feel my eyelids slide down. I had been working lately so I guess I just needed to rest before getting my answer. After all, doing all of that work to get the answer just to mishear it due to exhaustion would be a terrible thing to do. Darkness washed over me, and I could feel myself float away into what had to be unconsciousness.

Just a quick rest after all.

Then I could wake up.

And finally get my answer to what comes after.