Page 10 of The Time of My Afterlife

‘We’ll agree to whatever you want,’ exclaims Florence. ‘You have our approval.’

‘You can return to your real lives, but you must pass a test,’ Iris says.

I glance at them both. ‘A test?’

Hilda nods. ‘You can return to your lives; however, you must change something.’

‘Change what?’ Florence asks.

Iris hugs her clipboard and beams at us, like a teacher who has just set an eye-watering amount of homework and takes a sick pleasure in knowing her students will endure much suffering. ‘That’s for you to work out.’

I scratch my head. ‘What happens if we don’t pass this test?’

‘You will be sent back here,’ explains Iris. ‘Where we will force you both to live until you find inner peace.’

‘That won’t happen,’ says Florence, with an air of confidence.

Hilda flicks through several pages on her clipboard. ‘You must pass the test by the end of the allotted time.’

‘How long do we get?’ Florence asks.

‘That is for you to discover,’ explains Iris.

‘What do we need to change?’ I ask.

Hilda runs a hand through her silvery hair. ‘Some things can only be changed by living them.’

Florence scowls. ‘What do you mean by that?’

Hilda remains silent and flicks her eyes to whatever is written on the page in front of her.

‘How do we know when we’ve passed?’ I ask.

Hilda smiles. ‘Every evening, you will receive a message from the afterlife. It will tell you whether you have passed or failed.’

Iris nods. ‘You will both need to be together every evening.’

‘Do we only get one chance to pass?’ I ask.

Hilda shakes her head. ‘No, you will be given multiple chances. The main thing is that by the end of the allotted time, you should have succeeded.’

‘So, it’s not a one-off test?’ I ask.

Iris casts me an odd look. ‘Change rarely is, Clark.’

An uncomfortable feeling is engulfing me. ‘This isn’t very fair. We don’t have any idea what we must change.’

‘That’s why it’s called a test,’ says Hilda in a slightly patronising voice. To my annoyance, Iris giggles.

‘But how can we change something if we don’t know what it is we have to change?’ My head is starting to ache.

‘Clark, that’s for you both to work out.’ Iris sighs.

‘Is it graded individually? Because I am not working with him,’ Florence says, pointing to me.

Hilda smiles. ‘That’s another thing you both need to work out.’

‘When can we go back and start?’ Florence asks. ‘Now?’