The Snowy Cabin in Your Chest Part 2
Our fictional story about what happens when we die the the meaning of life part 2! Because I had more questions I wanted the wise woman in my chest to answer.
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I take the hand of 74 year old me as she leads me back into the main room with 80 year old me playing cards with 82 year old me, 90 year old me on the rocking chair, 6 year old me coloring at the table and half a dozen other “me”s scattered around the room.
When we come in they all stop what they are doing to watch me as I take a seat on the sofa. I look around the room making eye contact with many of them. Judging by their rapt attention, I think they want to talk but are waiting for me to initiate.
“So,” I say. “Do you guys all have different names? Or, the same name? How do you differentiate between yourselves?”
“As you know, we were all called ‘Jennifer’ or some variation during our time on earth, but here we mostly go by nicknames.”
They all go around the room and tell me their nicknames. It’s going to take a while for me to remember especially since so many of them lived to old age, so they look quite similar. I’ve almost instantaneously forgotten a few names, but I catch Zeus, Lucky, Belle, Max, Pumba, Khaleesi and Peanut (the 6 year old). My original guide, the 74 year old, she goes by Jophielle.
“We’ll call you Jenn since that’s what you’re used to,” the one named Max says. “Until you come up with your own nickname.” Max smiles.
“Oh. Ok. Um, thanks,” I say.
I think back to when I first arrived and they were all desperate to replay their favorite moments of my life with me. They are all looking at me with such love, but truthfully I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.
“Um. So. Where do I sleep?” is my first question.
Many of the me’s get that expression moms get when their child just said something adorable but childish.
Oh right. Of course. “You guys don’t need sleep do you?”
“We don’t” Zeus says. “But we still have our own spaces for when we want some solitude. We’ve already prepared a room upstairs for you. It’s ready now- would you like a minute to yourself?”
Relief pours into me. “Um yeah if that’s ok…” I say.
“Of course it is dove. Come on I’ll show you,” Jophielle says as she stands in front of me and extends her hand.
My shadowy hand takes hers and together we go upstairs. We pass five or six closed doors. My room seems to be at the very end of the hallway.
I gasp when we enter the exact room I had designed on my “dream house” Pinterest board - tall wooden ceilings with exposed beams. Floor to ceiling windows with the option of thick drapes to make it dark. A sea of pines out the window. A king sized four poster bed with a sherpa comforter. A massive white fuzzy rug under the bed. A book nook with a cozy recliner in the corner.
I feel like Belle being shown her own library, and for a moment I just walk around touching things. I turn to Jophielle and smile. “It’s perfect” I say.