A Second Chance

I awoke to the sound of a chain clanking up against what sounded like a metal bar. I adjusted my eyes to see my surroundings, and I saw I was in what looked like a birdcage. I looked down and saw my hands were shackled together and my right foot had a ball and chain connected to it. Next thing I know, I saw a giant hand, with long claws grab onto one of the bars of the cage. Then a skeletal face with no eyes, and sharp teeth looked right at me as it peered through. The being gave me a very feral grin and said “I see my little pet has awakened. Just know you can never escape this prison without this key that I never let out of my sight", he said showing me a key attached around his neck. "I suggest you get used to your new home because you’re never leaving this place after what you've done”. I was so out of it still and it was hard to comprehend what was just said to me and what state I was in. I kinda just sat there staring with no thoughts coming to my mind. It was as if my mind was a blank slate that I myself had the brush to put colors on the canvas, but felt I couldn’t. I sat there for a while until I realized where I was and how I ended up in this state. I gave up on the light I always believed in so much that the creature that I saw earlier, I remembered was darkness himself it seems. Yes, I became a prisoner to darkness himself and now he was going to use me any way he saw fit. I've been in a constant battle with the light and darkness most of my life. I always felt I won the battles but was still always at war regardless of that. It happened so fast, darkness swept me up before I could even notice it. I started contemplating how I was going to escape this place. The cage was empty except for what looked like human remains. I didn’t want to disrespect the dead but I had to do what was necessary to get out of this place. I wasn’t going to let darkness just do whatever he felt like to me even though I finally succumbed to him. I picked up the pointest and sharpest bone and proceeded to pick the lock on the shackles that were on my hands. I managed to shimmy the lock and off came the shackles. Of course, I thought this was too easy so I waited a bit before trying to get the lock of the ball and chain on my leg off. My intuition never fails, as I heard darkness coming back and I quickly put the shackles back on so he wouldn’t suspect a thing. He approached the cage, and just sat there staring at me. “You know if you take a picture it’ll last longer”, I chimed in, as he sat there and didn't move a muscle felt like he was eyeballing me despite lacking any eyeballs. He chuckled and said, “that smart mouth of yours is going to get you in even more trouble my pet". He threw a chicken leg that was about the size of my arm at me. "Eat up. You'll need all your strength to be useful to me", he said as he turned his back and walked away. I refused to eat what he gave me as there's no telling what he was going to do to or with me. I picked the bone back up and continued to pick at the restraints on my ankle. "Angela, baby please wake up", I heard a voice say in my head. "Who is that?" I asked aloud as if the person could hear me. "We all need you baby please come back to us", the voice said, sounding very sad and pleading. That voice sounded so familiar but I couldn't tell where I heard it from before. Snapping back to my current situation, I continued picking the lock and got myself free. All that was left was the lock to the birdcage in which I was being held prisoner in. I hurried over to it and shimmy the lock and was able to unlock it. I looked down but didn't see how high up I was or if there was a place to land. All there was, was pitch blackness everywhere even underneath me except for a tiny hint of a dim light below that I spotted suddenly. I heard darkness coming back and took a chance and jumped to that one dimly lit spot.

I screamed on my way down only to fall on something soft and resembled cotton. I opened my eyes to see I landed on a cloud and was surrounded by nothing but endless clouds and sunlight that lit everything in sight. "You made it Anglea '', a male voice said, and I began to look up and see a figure with a white robe and wings, but couldn't see his face. He stuck his hand out to help me up off the cloud. "Who are you?" I asked, and wondered how I survived that fall despite taking a chance on either dying or something else happening. I took his hand and adjusted my clothes. "I'm the one who knows all and sees all", he replied and I just looked at him with a confused look on my face. "Wait a minute, you're telling me you're God?" I was shocked and couldn't believe what I was seeing. "I mean once upon a time I believed in you but I gave up after seeing despite believing in you, life was still terrible for me", I said while still processing the current situation. "Yes Angela, you have guessed correctly. I am who you just said", he replied. I stood shocked and with my mouth wide open, "So you're telling me I'm dead?" He put his hand on my shoulder, "not quite Anglea, you see you have people who care about you, and those same people are fighting with you since you are still alive because of a machine made by man" He said. "So what does this mean for me then?" I couldn't help but ask him as I try to ponder what I've done and how I might possibly get a second chance at life. "It's not your time to go Angela, but this may be your only chance for a second chance or you could end up back where you just came from and be there for eternity". I held my head down as I recalled what I'd done and wondered why I was being given a second chance at all. "Listen, Angela, if you choose to live again, I promise to make your life much better as long as you promise not to end it again", he said and held his arms out for me to hug him. I thought about all the pain and suffering I was enduring in my everyday life that led me to end it all. I went on every day with a smile on my face but it was just a mask to hide my pain. Everyone saw me as a successful businesswoman, but all I saw was a woman who was broken, damaged beyond repair, and was on the verge of insanity and ending it all. "Angela, I know life has dealt you a terrible hand, but I'll send you back with a life that will be fulfilling in every aspect if you allow me to be in your life again", he reassured me out of the negative thoughts. I looked up even though I couldn't see his face and with tears in my eyes, I finally embraced his hug. "I promise", I said as I enjoyed all the positive feelings and thoughts that engulfed me as I hugged him. He finally removed his arms and spoke with a voice ever so soft yet so powerful "then return to your loved ones, they're waiting for you", he said as he stepped back a few feet from me. A sudden light pierced my eyes I was blinded for a few moments only to see the ceiling of a hospital room and lights. As my eyes adjusted, I looked to my left and saw my long-time boyfriend David by my side asleep with dry tears on his cheeks. I realized it was his voice I was hearing while I was in that dark place. I smiled and put my hand on his soft black curly hair. He woke up and realized I was finally awake, tears filled his brown eyes and he rose up to kiss and hug me. "Oh Angela, I thought I lost you, but never gave up hope", he said in-between sobs. I hugged and kissed him back and looked him in his teary eyes, "I'm sorry David, I thought this was the only way to get rid of the pain" I said with tears in my eyes as well. "Baby, I know you've been fighting for so long I just wish you would have allowed those of us who love and care about you in, instead of pushing us away", he said as he placed his hands on my cheeks. "I made a promise to someone that I wouldn't do it again and I promise to you all I won't do it again", I said to him. The nurse walked in and interrupted our little reunion, "I see our patient has awakened. Well we have to check her vitals and to do some tests and let her rest afterward", the nurse said looking at me and David. "Well I guess that's my queue to go", he said as he kissed me goodbye. "I love you baby, and call me as soon as you can", he said as he got up to leave. "I love you too, and I will", I replied back to him. After an hour of testing and checking my vitals, I was finally able to rest. As I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling, I thought about the wonderful people I have in my life and how good they've been to me. I thought back to that promise and said to myself, "maybe a second chance isn't so bad". I slowly drifted to sleep as I dreamed of those who've been with me through thick and thin and vice versa. I'm going to make sure he doesn't regret giving me that second chance.