1 Life

{Hospital X, Main corridor}

"Ugh,...I have a feeling that today will be a busy day" said Roro.

"I'd better buy some coffee first, to help me stay focused until the night comes" said Roro with a sluggish face, and sleepy eyes.

Roro walked to the vending machine and inserted her money. She pressed the button for black coffee, and waited for her drink to come out.

"Huh, why isn't this machine dispensing coffee?"

But the machine didn't dispense anything. Roro pressed the button again, but the machine still didn't dispense anything.

"Shit!" Roro shouted.

Roro started to get annoyed. She turned red and kicked the vending machine. She cursed and shouted. She felt like today was going to be a very bad day.

Roro finally gave up and went to the lift. She pressed the button for the third floor, and waited for the lift to come. She sighed and tried to calm herself down. She didn't want today to be a bad day, but it seemed inevitable.

The lift finally came, and Roro got in. She pressed the button for the third floor, and the lift doors closed. Roro stood inside the lift and closed her eyes. She tried to think positively, but she could not. She knew today was going to be an unlucky day.

The lift stopped at the third floor, and the lift doors opened. Roro got out of the lift and walked to her office.

In her steps, Roro saw Andean who was sitting and looking upset and confused.

Roro, with narrowed eyes, approached Andean who was looking glum in front of his computer screen. The young man seemed to be in trouble. Roro was curious as to what kind of mess the new employee was in.

Roro approached Andean, "Andean, what's wrong?" Roro asked.

Andean replied, "The lab results of this new virus are out, but I can't analyse them," Andean said as he showed Roro the lab results on his screen.

Andean showed the lab results to Roro, who quickly understood the implications. The virus was apparently capable of causing Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), a life-threatening condition.

Roro quickly responded to the lab results shown by Andean.

"Hmm... from these lab results, it looks like this virus can cause ARDS," said Roro.

"Wow... that's a really dangerous virus," Andean was surprised to hear that and realised how dangerous the virus was.

Roro was pleased to see Andean's face, which looked silly and cute at that moment. Without realising it, a slight smile appeared on the edge of Roro's lips. It awakened a warmth in her heart that had been buried for a long time. It had been a long time since Roro had seen a new kid who liked to act silly. Roro Dirghayu had been working as a Laboratory Analyst for 4 years at an elite private hospital. Currently, Roro is 28 years old and feels very comfortable with the life she has lived so far.

"Is there anything else you don't understand?" In their conversation, Roro asked Andean if there was anything else he didn't understand.

"I guess that's it, thanks for helping analyse the data," Andean said with a smile and gave Roro two thumbs up. Andean admitted that he had understood everything and was grateful for Roro's help.

Roro also returned Andean's smile warmly. They exchanged smiles, forgetting the chaos for a moment.

***

Morning turned to night, at exactly 8.15pm. Everyone started packing their things and getting ready to go home, including Roro who had finished packing and was getting ready to go home. Roro walked towards the lift, thinking about what she had experienced today and feeling satisfied with the work she had done.

'I can't wait for tomorrow,' Roro thought inside the lift as she waited for the doors to close automatically.

"Wait," Andean shouted, "don't let the lift doors close, Roro!" Andean ran towards the lift.

"Shhh!... no need to shout," said Roro in a worried tone.

Roro was a woman who disliked noise. She often scolds people who do it.

"I'm sorry, I thought you would just leave the lift door closed," said Andean.

"Hmp!," Roro said angrily to Andean.

"Yeah, yeah, don't be so angry. If you keep getting angry, you'll get old quickly," Andean apologised and tried to defuse the situation, but Roro still felt angry.

"Alright, please press the button for the first floor," said Roro in a voice still full of tension and anger.

"Ok ok, no need to rush," Andean replied as he pressed the button for the first floor that led to the basement of the building. They both boarded the lift that went down to the first floor.

Roro still felt a lingering anger towards Andean. An awkward atmosphere was created in the lift. Every second in the lift was slow and tense. Not long after, the lift door opened with the number 1 emblazoned on the door.

Roro immediately walked out of the lift while deliberately ignoring Andean without saying a word to Andean who was right behind her. Roro headed towards her eccentrically parked motorbike, wearing a full face helmet and a tight black jacket. She switched on her motorbike and prepared to head home. Her house is on the edge of a mountain with a very steep road.

Roro looked at the sky, which looked like it could rain at any time. 'It looks like it's going to rain soon. I'd better go home soon,' Roro thought.

On the way to her house, heavy rain suddenly began to fall. Fog began to appear as the intensity of the rain grew heavier. The road became increasingly difficult to traverse, and a chill began to settle over every corner of the road. Roro slowed down her motorbike to reduce the risk of accidents, especially as the road became steeper.

Roro then paused for a while, praying silently that the journey to her house would go smoothly and without a hitch.

However, fate said otherwise. The sound of a car horn coming from the opposite direction was heard at high speed. A fast approaching car broke the silence of the night.

"BEEP... BEEP... BEEP!" the sound of the car horn became closer and louder.

In the end, the thing that Roro least wanted happened. An accident that Roro couldn't avoid happened. The car crashed into Roro's motorbike.

Roro's body was thrown to the grassy road that was wet from the rain. Because of the impact caused by the car's impact, her body could not move at all. Her body was covered in wounds caused by the impact of the car.

"Aaaa.... Aaaaah!" Roro felt tremendous pain and tried to endure it. Thoughts began to pass through her mind as more blood came out and she wondered if this was the end of her life.

'Is this the end of my life? Is my life this short?' Those thoughts filled her consciousness quickly.

'Cold... It's so cold,' her body began to get very cold.

Roro's body, which had lost a lot of blood, began to turn blue. Roro's consciousness began to fade rapidly. Her body, which was once warm, was now cold as ice. Roro lay helplessly by the side of the road, just an empty shell.

"Ahhh..." was the last sound that came out of Roro's very pale mouth at the end of her life, and then everything went silent.

In the end, Roro gave up her last breath and left this world. The light of her life that had given colour and warmth to her loved ones faded away. Her family, unaware of Roro's tragic accident, still waited at home with hopeful hearts.

As the rain continued to pour, Roro's lifeless body lay by the side of a lonely road. The silence of the night deepens, with only the sound of raindrops accompanying her final journey. A thick fog shrouded the scene, as if to hide the tragedy that had just occurred.

As the mist swirled, a dark silhouette appeared in the distance. A person in a long coat stepped slowly towards Roro's sprawled body. Her face was invisible, only a black shadow covering his identity.

With slow steps, the mysterious figure extended his hand, as if gently stroking Roro's cold face.

< ****** > The mysterious figure seemed to speak to Roro while crying tears.

Then, from the mysterious figure's hand came a mysterious light. The light slowly wrapped around Roro's body, then the light flickered brighter. In the blink of an eye, Roro's body disappeared instantly.

<***** >The mysterious figure spoke again.

The figure then disappeared after saying unintelligible words.

***

'Where am I?, shouldn't I be dead?, why is everything soft and warm?' Roro then woke up and wondered where she was now.

'It's so dark in here, maybe I should try moving around a bit' Roro then tried to move her whole body.

Roro tried to move her whole body, she moved left and right. Every movement made strange noises. Every time she moved her body there was a warm liquid that moved with her.

'Why is it so cramped here?' After Roro moved her body, she finally realised that the place she was in was very cramped.

Then some crazy things came to Roro's mind. As if those things could happen after death.

'Is my mind still alive even though my body is dead?, and am I currently in a coffin?', Roro with her strange mind began to think of all the possibilities.

'Wait a minute, if I'm in a coffin, shouldn't there be no warm liquid here? What kind of place am I in right now?' Roro couldn't stop wondering about the place where she was right now.

'Maybe I should try kicking the walls in this place'

Roro then kicked hard at the wall in front of her, she kicked so hard that there was a sound from outside that screamed like it was in pain.

<Ahh! >

'What is that sound?'-asked Roro curiously-'Could it be that I'm not actually in a coffin, but in a womb?' Roro thought.

Roro then tried kicking the wall again, to confirm what she was thinking now.

<Aww > There was a loud scream from a woman.

Roro heard another scream after kicking the wall for the second time. This time the scream was louder. It was a woman's scream.

*Noise*

Although the sound was unclear, Roro finally heard the conversation of two people which eventually confirmed where Roro was right now.

'It's probably true, that I'm in a woman's womb right now and I've become a baby'

Roro, full of astonishment and confusion, realised that she had been reborn in a woman's womb. She felt the soft touch of the warm liquid surrounding her, signalling that she was in the amniotic fluid protecting her. The magic of reincarnation and a new cycle of life unfolded before her.

Recognising her new state, Roro began to pay attention to the sounds coming from outside. In her mind, she began to assemble a puzzle to find the answer to who she was and why she was in this womb.

'Right now, I'm probably in the process of foetal development,'-thought Roro carefully-'The amniotic fluid surrounding me has an important role in protecting and providing nutrients for my growth. Every second in this womb is a new opportunity to grow and develop into a healthy human being.'

Roro heard the increasingly clear conversation from outside. The voices revealed little by little the identity of the mother who was carrying her. Through her speech and the voices she heard, Roro began to imagine a woman who struggled through every phase of pregnancy.

In the womb, Roro felt every vibration coming from her mother. For some reason, she began to feel attached to a mother she had never known before. Roro's curiosity for the outside world grew, but there was also a feeling of gratitude and hope that she would grow up in a loving and caring environment.

Week after week passed, Roro felt the changes in her body. Her physical growth and development became more and more apparent, with organs developing and taking shape beautifully. She felt her own heartbeat and small, unexpected movements. All of this gave her an amazing new life and proved that she was truly present in this world.

In her journey as a growing foetus, Roro continues to absorb new knowledge and experiences through her limited perception. She observes the increasingly clear sounds from outside, recognising the voices of family and friends present with her mother.

Every precious second in the womb moulded Roro into a strong and vibrant individual. In this uncertainty and mystery of reincarnation, Roro feels called to live life with courage and dedication, as she had done in her previous life as a researcher.

Roro continues to grow in the womb, looking forward to the time when he will greet the vast outside world. Her faces a future yet to be revealed, ready to take on challenges and make the same positive impact as she once did.

**********************************************

I will be entering the Spirity Awards 2023 Webnovel Contest with this novel [An Accident That Made Me Reincarnate]. Please support me, so that I can be encouraged to write this novel. Thank you.