The New Elemental God

Swallowing the lump on his throat he prepared himself for the worst. Millimeter by millimeter a completely new view was revealed. 

The planet Earth. 

"AAAAAAH!" The boy yelled with all the air in his lungs.

Kicking and screaming, Adam had really lost his mind. He was looking at Earth from space. The round thing he lived his whole life on was right there in front of him. While he was floating and breathing surrounded by the darkness of the Universe.

The shock was so intense he even went free of his paralysis. 

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Adam felt like he was in free fall, immediately missing the invisible restraints that kept him in place.

Wiggling his hands and feet, searching for balance he started to slowly turn upside down. Feeling his organs drop to his head while flipping around, he prayed. 

"Help me, my Lord Calder!" 

Unsure if his mind was playing tricks on him, Adam thought he heard a snicker.

Nothing made sense. In dreams if the dreamer fell they would immediately wake up, there was even a movie about that. Adam felt that cold chill in the guts when you lose balance. Why was he still dreaming?

"Please, calm down or you'll keep spinning and it makes me sick." The man sounded casual, like he was telling a naughty kid to sit down. 

"HELP!" Desperately trying to grab on to something, Adam yelled. There was absolutely nothing there except for darkness. No matter how hard he tried he wouldn't stop spinning.

The voice didn't reply.

"This isn't fun. Why can't I wake up?" 

After a complete turn, he got tired of yanking himself. Adam had stopped spinning but upside down. At least that's how his body perceived his position. In reality, there was no difference between up and down in space. 

"Because this is not a dream." The old guy knew what was happening to Adam so he had to be watching everything but from where? 

"Where are you?" With all the blood in his brain, he tried uselessly to organize all the questions in his head. "Are you God?"

"I am Calder." Said the man with a very ceremonial tone. 

Adam chuckled.

"Damn, this dream is wild. What kind of name is that?" Carefree, he face-palmed, giving up on trying to understand what was going on.

"You're not dreaming, Adam." Mister Calder sounded annoyed which made the boy feel a chill in the back of his neck. 

It can't be… 

A freezing chill ran down the Playboy's spine. Somewhere in space, he felt the old man lean forward, Adam could almost feel his invisible breath. He was feeling so small and helpless for no apparent reason. 

With the mouth right next to his ear, the mysterious man continued.

"You are dead." 

Adam kept his blank expression and let the silence of space settle between them. It was the second time he said that. Puzzled, the younger man waited for the punchline that never came.

"Right… How did I die again?" 

Ignoring Adam's smart-ass tone, Calder maintained his posture. 

"What is the last thing you remember?" 

The question triggered something in Adam. 

He woke up in that dark place but he didn't know how he got home last night. Thinking back, he was sure he was at a party. Excited with the clear memory of something real, the young man continued to follow the trail of crumbs until it hit him. 

As it was happening at that moment, his lungs gasped for air. Broken words escaped his lips.

"But…" 

He remembered it all. The smell of strawberries, the car, the taste of the scotch, the curve...

It was like waking up scared from a nightmare in the middle of the night. All the memories and sensations coming back at once. The sound of tires on the asphalt. The wheel not responding. The last thing he remembered was the impact. 

"How…" 

Air was not flowing down to his lungs. His blood pressure was off the roof, making his hands shake.

"Why…"

"You died in that car accident, Adam."

Adam didn't know what to do. His whole body was trembling, even his closed fists. In front of him, the tiny white dot stars started to get blurry. 

Lonelier than when he got in his car, Adam's mind travelled to his family. The phone, his mother called, he had the vague memory of answering a call. 

Feeling pain took over his body, something touched his shoulder. Flinching, he looked but there was no one by his side. Just the emptiness of space.

"So, am I in heaven?" 

Everything that was said, along with the memories repeating themselves were conflicting. Physically Adam felt fine, great even. His mind was confused but it didn't feel different at all. Still, a weird impression on his chest agreed with what Calder said. 

"There is no heaven, son. There's either life or death."

"Then where am I?" Fluctuating in space, with only stars under his feat and the planet Earth as their witness, Adam had no idea what was going to happen. 

"You have been chosen." 

Growing up, the Cross family was not religious or even spiritual. Adam only knew what was common sense to the majority of people. The concept of reincarnation was new to him. Noticing the boy's confusion, Calder continued.

"In other words, you get to live a new life. If you choose to." 

Adam was looking up desperately, trying find the god that had saved him.

"Yes! Please God, let me go back."

"I'm not the god you think I am." Calder's voice was drifting away, making Adam nervous. He didn't want to be left alone. "I am only here as a guide. From now on, this is between you and the Universe."