(my English isn't that good)

Well, that's a rather sad way to die, choking on a fish bone. As I was approaching the light at the end of the tunnel, I found a locked door, what's with the EA up in here.

In front of the door, there were the words: "Entering the afterlife:

1. Be vegetarian
2. Be vegan
3. If points 1 and 2 are not applicable, a special qualification will have to be given, living the final 24 hours of the life of every vertebrate you are"

"Why vertebrates?" I thought to myself, there are a lot of other animals that aren't vertebrates, what's the deal here? Also, this seems awfully against people who aren't herbivores...

Fine, I'll take the special qualification as punishment for not being an herbivore even though my body is built for digesting meat also.

In an instant, I find myself as a chicken, I'm not going to describe it in too much detail as this will just be my body for the next 24 hours. Luckily, I get to control my body, that would have been boring if I only got to watch the life of the chicken.

Interestingly enough, the life part only existed until I was about to be killed, so there's no pain involved, not sure what the punishment is here. The kill also always happened at the end of the 24 hours, why must this be a plot point damnit.

Some interesting things I learnt in my 8000 days as a chicken... What? You don't wanna hear about that? Fine.

And... There's fishes also, I guess they're vertebrates too. Not sure I learnt that in science class. I'll have you know that knowing one of the fish that killed me is gonna die in the next 24 hours made controlling the fishes way more fun.

This special requirement really just grouped up all the animals as one species and made me live through it in order from the highest number, they could have mixed it up y'know? For the variety of course.

Apparently, I've also eaten 80 rats... Yeah, good thing I'm already dead and I don't have the bodily functions to throw up.

As the view faded to black again, I was waiting for the next 24 hours that I had to live through. As the lights focused, I realised I was in a bed.

Hmmmm, rats I understand, but I don't remember eating somebody's pet, there's no way it could have gotten into my food right?

I looked down at myself, seeing a body that's definitely a human.

Oh my god, I've eaten a human?

Wait nevermind, that's my shirt and bed, I'm in my own final 24 hours?

I could try and give an explanation for this, humans shed dead cells, I might have eaten parts of myself, but seriously, those requirements are way too strict. Is that why I've been getting so many days? Because of cells from other animals? Are you kidding me?

Doesn't that mean I can get days from animals that weren't even actually eaten by me? It's just dead skin droppings?

This does bring up an interesting question though, while my death is definitely confirmed in the next 24 hours, does this mean I'm working in the alternate reality? Where anything I do doesn't change the outcome? If so, there's really nothing for me to do this time, I can enjoy my opposable thumbs and start playing some of my favourite video games.

As the 24 hours finally ended, I finally got back to the locked door, in high energy. The door swung open and...

Hell is stranger than I could ever imagine. I have lived thousands of lives mostly as animals for 24 hours. Then the most astounding thing occurred.

I wake up next to a beautiful woman. We're both naked, she starts to rub my arm and says "No, don't go yet." She looks vaguely familiar to me but I can't place her face to a name.

"I have to go." Whoever I'm in leans over and gives a kiss and walks into the bathroom. I'm my dad. I see my dad's face looking back at me from the mirror.

I start sobbing. He died when I was ten. We walk out to his old blue Ford Bronco. The memories of that truck flood my brains. Riding to the beach with the roof off, mom's hair blowing in the wind. Then it dawns on me that woman wasn't my mom. The next thing after the twenty minute drive home with the radio blasting was walking into our house.

Little ten year old me runs up "Daddy! You're home." I wrapped my arms around his neck. The emotions I'm feeling now are a sea of confusion. Anger for his infidelity, but joy at the same time because I remember that last day with him.

"Yes, ma'am had to race the sunrise to get here before you left for school. We're gonna play hookey today. Go get dressed I got something I want to show you." Ten year old me takes off racing up the stairs.

"Bill he can't miss school today. He has a big test." My mom says.

"It's okay Claire. Life is full of crappy test days today is a beautiful spring day and I have a big surprise for you too. Now quick go get dressed I have something I want to show you." He smacked my mom's ass as she walked by him. I could feel my dad's emotions. It was different when I was a chicken, turkey, or cow. Their were emotions felt more like butterflies from being afraid of every noise my dad's butterflies were from the excitement he had pent up keeping this secret. I knew what was coming it was the best and worst day of my life. I figured despite everything I just found out about him being unfaithful I'm going to enjoy this day from his side getting to watch me enjoy it.

We drove the hour to the lake and sitting in the marina was a twenty six foot boat. We had a great day on the water. The part where he let me drive the boat with his hands off the steering wheel I got to remember that feeling from when I was a kid and when I looked down as him I felt a good mix of pride and pleasure because he too knew what it felt like taking control of the boat as a child. He felt so strong about this moment I almost could see his memory with my grandfather. My mom was laughing and smiling the whole time. He looked at his family with total love in his heart. He really did love us. The next part after boat I don't remember because I was asleep on the ride home.

"Bill how are we going to afford this? Please tell me you just rented it for the day."

"Claire I told you a new company started using us for shipping into the city. I'm getting paid twice as much. It'll be fine and I promise if at any time money even feels a little tight the boat is gone. But you gotta admit he had a great day today. Way better than some stupid test." Mom just stared at my dad. My dad offered my mom his hand and she took it and they held hands and talked the whole ride home. My dad and mom really loved each other.

After we got home my dad laid down to get sleep. It's weird dreaming when you're alive let alone when you're possessing someone else for the day. It was in this dream that I had a moment to talk to my dad. We were on the boat again just sitting tied up to the dock.

"Damn Mike you grew up fast. It seems like earlier today that I first brought you on this boat."

"Dad listen tonight at work you're going die." I said

"Mikey don't worry about me I drive a truck forty miles round trip. I have the safest job in the world. But how did you get so big so fast."

"Dad this is important don't go to work today."

"Mikey I know this is just a dream but I like seeing you all grown up. You look real good." A light turned on the dashboard of the boat and a buzzing noise started. I realized in this moment I had something that I wanted my whole life since that day. I stood up walked over and hugged him. Squeezed him in this dream so tight he couldn't get up. Tears were running down my face.

"Dad, I love you so much. I missed you so much. I also want you to know, I know you cheated on mom but I forgive you please promise me you'll tell her tomorrow." I could feel the dream weakening. There was a constant buzzing sound and we're awake. It was ten p.m. My dad got up looked at my mom

"Honey, I have som.." He broke off talking. I could feel his inner conflict. "Honey I love you." He leaned over my mom in bed gave her a big kiss. Walked out the door and climbed into the Bronco.

As we're stopped at a red light on the way to the lot where my dad keeps his truck, a car rearends us. Not hard just a soft tap. It's late and there's no other cars. My dad gets out and walks back to ther car. I can feel his anger but also his compassion. "Are you all right?" He asks.

" Yeah I'm fine." The man steps out of his car. I feel guilt and a little bit if fear. I can almost recognize him. "Listen I'm sorry about this I spilled my coffee lost concentration and bam. This is totally my fault." The man sticks out his hand apologetically. My dad reaches out clasps his hand and went to say something and then my dad looks down a needle in his arm. Grogginess sets in. We stumble and fall. The guy loads us into the backseat of his car. We blackout. This time instead of a dream world I'm just trapped in a dark ether.

My dad wakes up strapped to a table. Next to him is the woman from earlier. She's been beaten severely, almost unrecognizable. There's a familiar smell in the air. Meat. Her face from earlier I just realized who she was. She worked at the butcher shop near my dad's truck yard. The man was the butcher. He wasted little to no words. My dad bled out quickly. When he was dying I could feel his emotions. He was sad he wasn't going to see me grow. He was sad he didn't tell Claire the truth. And he hoped the adult version of me he saw in his dream was how I turned out because I seemed to be a good honest man.

The icky blackness of death again surrounded me. It then occurred to me that the chickens and cows were all animals that I ate. The cops only found my father's head on a stake in the park. My dad's friend the day of the funeral brought us a tray of roast beef from my dad's favorite place to grab lunch.

I wake up a woman naked laying in bed looking at my dad.

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