"Flight number 5J 703, please proceed to the boarding gate. Thank you."

 

I woke up feeling exhausted. Upon opening my eyes, my forehead creased when I noticed that I am in an unfamiliar place. There are many people everywhere walking with their baggage; the ceiling and floor are all white.

 

I stood up and stared at a group of people who were passing by wearing their uniforms, like pilots or flight attendants. A big screen on the ceiling flashed a date and time as if it’s for a...flight? 

 

What am I doing here?

 

I walked around with a curious face when suddenly, someone bumped into me. The woman apologized and continued to run. I noticed that she dropped something on the floor. I immediately picked it up to bring it back to her, but the woman was already gone. 

 

I looked at the thing in my hand and realized that it’s her passport. My eyes widened. It must be important to her, so I hurried to find the woman.

 

I continued to walk while asking random people if they knew the girl on the passport, but no one recognized her at all, so I decided to go to the Help Desk to turn it in.

 

"Sir, excuse me. Some woman dropped her passport on the floor, and I can't find the owner. I will leave it here in case she'll come back again, " I said to the personnel.

 

"Sure, no problem, sir."

 

I continue to wander along. Questions ran through my mind as to how I ended up here. My pondering stopped when someone tapped my shoulder. It was the help desk personnel.

 

"Are you new here, sir?" he asked politely.

 

"Ah… Yeah. I don't even remember why I am here," I answered, scratching my head. "What is this place? Are we in NAIA? I don't remember having a scheduled flight."

 

He just laughed at me and then shook his head.

 

"Sir, let me welcome you to the Golden Gates Airport!" 

 

I looked at him with curious eyes. “I still don’t understand. Why am I here? Where am I supposed to go?”

 

"Sir, you’re going to heaven!"

 

"To heaven? Wait… I am already dead?" I asked nervously with wide eyes open. "But that's impossible! I still have a lot of work to do! My thesis—"

 

"Sir, calm down." 

 

He went back to his desk and typed something on a computer or, more likely, a… hologram?

 

"Sir, based on our records, you are Kevin Alvedo. You're in a coma right now due to an accident that happened last night. So, sir, I think our Big Boss just wanted you to pay a visit here, but don't worry, you can come back to your world again."

 

"Who is Big Boss?" I asked. He pointed up his finger. Oh, god—I mean… God?!

 

"Depends," he replied. "But before that, let me give you a tour!"

 

The help desk personnel brought me to the entrance of the airport, much to my curiosity. There were a lot of people—or spirits? I don’t even know anymore— waiting in line with their luggage.

 

"This is the entrance of Golden Gates Airport. Only people from the book can enter through this gate," he explained to me.

 

I looked at the airport staff holding a big and thick book in front of the entrance. Two guards stood in his back and passengers whom he interviews. I heard him asking passenger's name and then searching it in the book.

 

A red light alarm suddenly created a disruptive noise when a thin boy tried to enter the gate. The airport staff shook his head after saying that the boy's name was not on the book list. That made the boy become furious and fly into a rage. The guards took him out of the entrance as he screamed, "This can't be! I paid so much money for this ticket!"

 

"You have to buy a ticket?" I asked. But the help desk personnel just laughed at me.

 

 "Sir, the ticket can't be bought in Golden Gates."

 

 "Oh."

 

"It will automatically be in your hand once you do something good for your people. That's the first reward you will get from our big boss."

 

I was about to ask again, but he immediately invited me to go to scanning area.

 

"This is a security check. Our angels will observe if you're ready for your flight. This is also where you have to leave your baggage," he nonchalantly explained.

 

"Baggage?" 

 

He nodded. "Yes, baggage. Dresses, emotions, illnesses, all in all!" he explained, smiling. "You will leave it all here because at our destination, we won't need to bring anything. Why? Because we already have everything."

 

I gasped. I wasn’t ready to leave everything behind. To my surprise, the staff scanned all of the passengers’ bodies and things before letting them go inside.

 

"And this is the boarding gate." He pointed at the passengers who were sitting on gray seats. A lot of them are waiting for their boarding in a long time. But, unlike in your world, even if you get in here at the last minute, you can still chase."

 

I nodded at his explanation while staring at a flight attendant who's checking the passport from the passengers before letting them in the airplane.

 

I was about to leave the place when suddenly, I saw a familiar girl running and panting. 

 

"Wait, wait!" She panted loudly upon reaching the door where the flight attendant was waiting.  

 

"May I see your passport of salvation, ma'am?" asked the crew.

 

She immediately checked her things, pockets, and dress to get the passport. But she pulled nothing.

 

"Omg! Where is it? I just placed it here! Maybe I dropped it?" she said, panicking. "What am I gonna do?"

 

The help desk personnel and I looked at each other. He gave me a meaningful smile as he handed back the passport to me. He gestured for me to go to the woman. 

 

I went to the girl and asked, "Uh, miss? Is this the passport you're looking for?" 

 

She suddenly looked at me, and at the passport I am holding. She gasped in shock.

 

"Yes, it is! It is! Thank you, thank you!"

 

She smiled, but suddenly, she stared at my face with a pondering look, as if she was trying to figure out who I was. 

 

"You look familiar. Are you the boy from the resort yesterday?" she asked.

 

My forehead creased. "How did you know?"

 

"Wow! It is really you!" she exclaimed happily. "Thank you, because you are the reason why I got a passport."

 

"What?" I asked curiously. "What do you mean?"

 

She becomes silent for a while as if remembering something before looking past me. 

 

"When you were sharing words from the Bible, I was in the cottage next door. I listened to you." she started, looking at me and then laughing a bit. "At first, I just laughed at you because it was unusual to hear something like that. But I understand the message you are conveying. When acceptance prayer comes, I silently joined in prayer and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and my Savior."

 

My eyes widened, shocked at what she said.

 

"R-Really?"

 

She nodded and smiled at me. "Yes. The day after, I drowned in the sea because of the big waves and no one could save myself from dying. But if it's not in your message, I won't be here today. Thank you so much. Thank you."

 

She left after, leaving me dumbfounded and almost crying in happiness.

 

I can't believe that after the prolonged hardships of sharing the bible with everyone, someone has already got their interest to listen and apply the words from me. I almost gave up on sharing words from Jesus because no one believed in me. That's my first time to hear someone being thankful because of me. It made me tear up.

 

Now I know the reason why I am here today.

 

"Are you alright, Kevin?" the help desk personnel asked me.

 

I smiled at him. "I need to go back." 

 

He laughed a bit. "Why so sudden?"

 

"I know now the reason why I am here. It is because to know the message of God to me. I realized that my efforts were not wasted to share the Bible with everyone." I heaved a sigh and smiled again. "I really need to go back now. There are still a lot of people waiting for me to share the words of the Bible."

 

He suddenly smiled and nodded at me. "Congratulations and good luck, Kevin."

 

He looked at his watch, typing something before looking back at me.

 

"Until we meet again, Kevin. Ready to send."

 

I suddenly woke up, hearing some apparatus and a cry of a lady.

 

"Kevin, my son! Oh, thank Jesus! You're awake! Thank you so much, Lord!"