Back so soon?

Everything was white, Astra couldn't see who was talking to her.

"I would've expected you to last a little longer after the last time," said the voice, "but then again, I guess intelligence is not your strong point."

Astra tried to block out the light with her eyes, but it was to no avail; the light was everywhere!

"You didn't give us enough material to reconsider your position," continued the voice, "so we'll need to defer you again."

Astra finally found her voice. "Who... who are you?"

"You've forgotten me so fast? I did wipe your memory a little, but I would've thought you'd remember me when you returned here."

The light was dimming, or perhaps Astra's eyes were just getting adjusted to it. She first saw her arm, stretched out in front of her trying to block out the light unsuccessfully. She noticed it was no longer naked, it was covered by the sleve of a white robe.

She next saw an old man, some distance away, standing in front of a large pair of golden gates.

"Do I... know you?" she asked.

"Oh, come on. It's the second time you've died today. Can't you remember the Keeper of the Pearly Gates?"

"S... Sa... Saint Peter?"

"No, I'm Simon. I'm subbing for him today. Hadn't I told you? The First Apostle has a busy afterlife."

Astra said nothing.

"Well, here's the deal: in your previous life you were quite mean to Fred, so we gave you a second chance with him."

"I was?"

"But your forced niceness still doesn't cancel out the fact that you were a spoilled child, and were trained to be a ruthless killer."

"But I..."

"Nevertheless, when you were in charge of your kingdom, you gave what you could to the poor and tended to the needy."

"And that's... bad?"

"That's... problematic. It means we don't know what to do with you, so we're sending you back to Earth, and will judge your case again when we have more conclusive evidence."

"But... wait... how is this going to work?"

1. "We're going to reincarnate you into another form. If you'll allow me a moment, I'll call our assistant for reincarnation."
2. "We're sending you back in time again."
3. "I can't really say. I'm sending you to the limbo, you'll be told what to do there." And before Astra could say anything, there was a bright glow that enveloped her.

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