1 You are not here for a sad story

So this is the end! 

It came faster than I thought it would be. At the age of 29! Who the hell dies on 29? Sorry I am not trying to be a hater but I didn't think I would be one of those sad people that would die quite early. But here we are. 

In the bed of a cancer institute suffering from gall bladder cancer. The doctors didn't give much time and said I would live for 1 year at max. My mother had it and died on year ago and now I have it. Supposedly it ran in the family, or something of that sort. 

Though my grandparents never gave that indication but one of my uncle did. Well anyways, fast forward those few months and after constant suffering and torture I knew the day which would be the last. 

I felt bad from my father. Now he would be all alone. 

"Aric, it will be fine and take care of your father." My mother had said before her fires of life went out. I had never seen my father cry but that night when we came back home after performing the rites, I heard him sob for the first time. 

In a heart wrenching way. Of course, I was a mess from before. My reports arrived after we performed the rites and as expected it didn't look good for me. We saw our options and honestly there was almost no chance of me recovering. 

My parents weren't very rich and my father had poured almost all of our savings in making my mother have a more comfortable life. Many might think I am emotionless at times, but I always thought logically and had been readied myself for the death of my mother. My own upcoming death was what surprised me a lot and I made my father promise not to spend money on my well being. 

My father at the beginning wasn't ready to listen to me but I somehow managed to make him promise me that he wouldn't spend money on me. Over the last 2 years, dad sold away the land on which he did farming. The land wasn't big or some kind of huge ranch owner. 

Being brought up in one of the small towns of Maharashtra, India, we weren't some kind of wealthy rich farmers like some of the ones in USA or other progressive countries. But my father was clever about it. With the limited land he had, he did specialization and did dragon fruit farming and even mushroom farming. 

Over the years our income was quite steady and could be easily considered as a middle class family in the country of India. I being the rebel that I was, decided to pursue engineering like many others at that time. 

Studying from one the reputed universities of the state and Mumbai, got landed on a decent back end developer job in the city itself. But, oh well, that didn't last long when a call from the hospital came just before COVID hit the 'market'. 

COVID helped me to move back with my parents and cut my costs while working from home. God was like if COVID misses its mark, there is cancer to take you out. Now we are in 2023 end I wondered if I could reach and see 2024. 

Guess what. I couldn't. 

I died on 22 December, 2023. It was painful to be honest but in a way it was a relief for me too. Maybe my father would get some financial peace at the end since we had been in debt. I just hope he would get the power and strength to live a healthy. 

But you are not here to listen to this boring and sad death of mine. You are here to see some action, drama, fantasy and yes sci-fi too. So let me enjoy the journey that is going to hit me anytime now.

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"Aric, wake up.. It's 6 am.. You have to bath and go to school. Wake up." There was a sudden loud noise that struck his ears. It felt like someone was hammering his head. 

"Aric.. Wake up.. Or else you will be late." There was again that same noise from a woman he felt familiar. Aric'e eyes was closed and it was a huge struggle for him to open his eyes. He couldn't understand what was going as the headache wasn't even allowing him to move a bit, but then in a moment's notice, the severe and skull crushing headache vanished with the blink of an eye. 

It was as if the headache had never been there.

"Aric, I am not going to say the same thing again." 

Aric, who was in sleep, all this time woke up with a start. 

"Good. Now go and wash yourself." The woman said. Aric now had his eyes wide open. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. His own mother, quite the young version of hers was looking at him with annoyance. 

Aric wanted to go and hug his mother but stopped because everything was rush back to him at an insane amount of speed. The surroundings, his old room with the old bed, his old and big mirror which was later replaced since it decided one day to fall and break off, the old color in the ceiling. 

Everything seemed nostalgic. 

"This must be a dream." Aric thought. 

"What are you doing? Go and wash yourself. Your bus will be here and you will miss it." Aric's mother, Avni, spoke out loud again ready to give some ass-whooping if his son didn't get up and make a run. 

Aric, now more confused, somehow knew that he would have to move. The autopilot function took over his body and dragged his body to the shower and washroom. Soon he started brushing and saw his face on the mirror and it was there he saw himself for the first time and everything came rushing towards him. 

He was back in time. He was reincarnated.