Chapter 2

When the timeless moment passed they were standing on a featureless white plain. Dan looked around him. "Is this Heaven?"

The angel smiled. "No, a waiting area if you like. My boss will be along soon and he'll take you through admission. Ah, here he is now."

A man was striding across the plain towards them, he looked to be about sixty and was dressed in a dark suit also. "Jothan! What have you done now!" He said sharply to the younger angel.

Jothan looked nervous, "I've brought Mr Sandford in, sir."

The older angel held out his hand and a book appeared in it, Dan was disturbed to note that it had his name on it in large letters. The angel flipped to the last page and examined it. After several minutes he looked up at Jothan, "do you realise Mr Sandford had about a thirty percent chance of surviving his injuries."

"Thirty percent? But I was certain he had no chance and I didn't want him to suffer anymore."

The older angel sighed, "Jothan, you must wait until there is absolutely no hope before removing the soul, despite any suffering it might cause."

Dan had been watching the exchange still very disorientated by recent events. "Are you telling me I should still be alive? You've got to put me back now!"

"I'm sorry Mr Sandford, your body has already ceased to live, we can't put you back." The angel though for a moment, "but there may be a way of returning to Earth."

"Yes!" said Dan.

"If you would do a little job for us, we can put you into the body of someone about to die. You could carry on their life."

"I'll do it." said Dan excitedly. He might not get his body back, but at least he'd have another stab at life.

"Very well, I must clear some of the details with my superiors. I'll return in a moment." Both he and Jothan abruptly vanished.

Dan sighed and sat down on the white floor. This could all be a drink induced dream, he thought. But I might as well play along. Funny, I'm totally sober now. When did that happen?

A short while later the older angel returned and motioned Dan to follow him. "What we would like you to do is to reform the character of someone on Earth. If we don't help we will lose him to the Other Place. Your job will be to get him to voluntarily change his attitude. It will not be easy, some say it is not possible. But where there's life there's hope."

They came to a glowing portal and the angel walked through it, Dan quickly followed, not wanting to lose him.

They were in a hallway of a very impressive house. The owners had to be worth millions. "Nice place," said Dan.

"If you like that sort of thing," replied the angel. He walked to the stairs, "this way."

As they reached the top floor they heard raised voices coming from one of the bedrooms. "He's in there?" whispered Dan.

"Yes, there is no need to whisper, they cannot see or hear us." He turned and walked through the door.

Dan shrugged and followed him, he flowed through the door like it wasn't there. Inside two people, obviously husband and wife were in the middle of a furious argument.

"If I want to have a drink with the guys," he was bellowing. "I will!" He was tanned and fairly muscular with blond hair.

"You didn't even come home last night!" She retorted hotly. From there the arguing descended into name-calling. Both she and her husband were dressed for bed and to Dan's mind she looked gorgeous. She had a slim, curvy figure with breasts that were generous without being too large. She had dark hair hanging free down to her waist and her face despite being twisted with anger was obviously very beautiful. Dan noticed that his body was not reacting to her beauty as it normally would. One consequence of being dead he supposed.

The angel gestured to him, "lets go next door, so we can talk."

They walked down the hall to a spare bedroom. Even there they could hear the couple shouting. "Are they always like this?" asked Dan.

"It's been getting worse for some while, Simon Mitchell came into a fair sum of money and he seems determined to booze and gamble till he drops. He's at the top of a slippery slope, if he isn't helped now he will steadily get worse. He has already threatened Allison with violence, at this rate it would not have been long before he actually started to beat her."