THE MOMENT
Magnus smiled as he woke up. He felt the cool desert breeze caress his cheeks and heard the palms swaying before he opened his eyes. It was all familiar by now; he was dead again. Finally, he opened his eyes and sat up. The looked around from his wicker chaise to admire the lakeside office. His seat rested on a floor of terracotta tiles that met a sandy shore on one side. There was no wall to block the carefully designed view.
The sky was deep purple with no sun in sight. The large, mirrored surface reflected an upside-down sky of purple clouds and tall palm trees dotted the shore around the lake. Magnus turned to the half of the building that served as the office. Oasis, his caseworker, sat at her desk in conversation with another woman. Oasis had short, dirty-blonde hair that looked like sand and she wore a navy blue suit. Her desk was also wicker, with a solid wood top. Though she sat in a high, leatherback chair. The other woman had red skin and what seemed to be rubies embedded around her skull like a crown. She wore a white suit. Neither of the women had noticed him yet but now that he was paying attention, he heard their conversation.
"Favor?" Oasis asked. She was notably offended. Magnus felt glad he wasn't the one that caused it this time. "You're severely underselling what you're asking for," she shook her head.
"I know what I'm asking," the red-skinned woman shook her head. "But, if I'm right...," she sighed. "...that means someone changed the timeline. Not just for an Earth; the entire multiverse is different now." Oasis giggled at her guest.
"Then, you don't know what you're asking," she laughed. "Or, at least, you don't realize Whom you're asking."
"What?" the woman asked.
"I'll save you a lot of trouble. You're right. Someone has changed the timeline," she smirked. Magnus had been through enough lifetimes to understand some bits of conversation. And, the few things he understood left him more unsettled than he should have been in the afterlife. Even the cool breeze did little to distract him from the fact that his caseworker admitted the multiverse was different now. If anyone would know, it would be her.
"We Middlemen have a job to do, regardless of what goes on in the multiverse. We are the bureaucracy that keeps souls moving. Without us, there is no functioning multiverse. Did you think we wouldn't be informed of any changes that might affect that job?" she asked.
"You tell 'er, Oasis," Magnus couldn't help but chuckle to himself. At the end of each lifetime, Oasis was always there to welcome him with a warm smile and a cold drink. It took him a few deaths before he could start remembering her; he forgot everything between lives. But, each time he remembered more, she gave him more information. By now he considered her a friend, even if not a close one. And, it fired him up to see her fired up. Unfortunately, both women turned and noticed him when he chuckled.
"Magnus, oh damn, I forgot," Oasis said. "Wait there a moment." Then, she turned back to her guest who was already standing up.
"If you won't help me, then I'll find someone else," the woman said. She threw a black card on the floor to open a portal.
"Wait," Oasis stopped her from stepping into it. "I just confirmed the timeline intentionally altered. And you're still trying to change it back?" The red woman's posture changed completely. She lowered her shoulders and loosened her back; she appeared completely defeated.
"I had a sister," she said. "I had a best friend. I want that life back." Oasis studied the woman for a moment.
"I'm only promising that I'll take a look," Oasis said. The red woman's posture changed immediately. She stood up straight and eager with hope.
"Really?" she asked.
"I may not find anything," Oasis shrugged. "I may not share anything I do find with you. But, I will, at the very least, look into the situation as much as possible without risking my own position." Magnus chuckled again. Whenever Oasis spoke like that, she'd already made up her mind to help. Again, both women turned to him and Oasis stood from her chair.
"This meeting never happened," the red woman said. Oasis nodded as she approached Magnus.
"Hello, Magnus," she smiled. "The good news is, you're done. You've earned enough points to be the Unique Soul you wanted,"
"Uh oh...," Magnus hated when she started with good news. He glanced around to see past her, but the red woman was already gone. "What's the bad news?" he asked. She winked at him to soften the blow.
"You need to forget this conversation, so I'm going to need you to go around again."
"But, you said I was done!" Magnus said. Oasis nodded. He heard her giggle as everything began to go black again.
"Consider it a bonus round."