Second Chance

Have you ever dreamt of your own death?

This happened to me the other night. My two best friends and I were stationed at the top of this monopole tower. Suddenly, a loud crack split the air, and the tower gave way beneath us, folding at its base like it had been struck by something massive. We were now free-falling.

I remember it all being so visceral. I immediately understood my impending death. There was no room for hope. As I was falling through the air, I remembered being too scared to look at my friends. If I saw the sheer terror on their faces, it would make it all too real. I mustered up the courage to reach out and grab their hands. We held each other as we fell, but none of us said a word—not even a scream. It was a silent recognition of our love for each other.

Although the entire experience was nightmarish, the kind that almost feels traumatic, it was interesting to gain insight into the places my mind would travel in the moments before death. There was no flashing of life before my eyes. I barely had time to think at all. After I interlocked hands with my friends, I was now responsible for my own consolation. As I continued falling, the only thing I could think of was a video I had recently watched about the Titan submarine. I had learned that the impact of the implosion was so great that the passengers didn’t have time to process what was happening. That was the position I was in. I knew falling hundreds of feet would surely be high enough to kill me instantly. It would be life. Then blip. Afterlife? I thought to myself, This is it. This is the moment in which I find the answer to the one question every person on planet Earth undoubtedly shares.

And then my eyes opened.

It was like a shock was sent through my whole body. I shot up and looked around my college sorority house room, still engulfed in my faux fur blanket. The version of myself that was falling through the air, just a moment ago, would surely consider this heaven. And in that moment, although I knew it was all just a bad dream, I felt as if I was given a second chance.