It returned to the plane. It once had a gender and a name, those were unimportant now, as were its position in life, and the physical items that were left behind. All that mattered now was the gate, and the gate was before it. It traveled the distance separating itself from the gate quickly, at least from its standpoint, in reality time had no meaning on this plane, it was eternal. It pressed itself up against the gate, and found that once again, it could not pass. A sorrow came over it as it moved away from the gate, and watched a steady stream of others like itself try to pass through the portal. Most, like itself, were turned away. A very few were let through, and it felt their joy on joining of the host of beings on the other side, felt the thrill of belonging, the soundless voices of untold billions joining together in unison to sing of togetherness. It was a fleeting glimpse of what was behind the gates, but it made it long even more for passage through them.
It turned its attention to the other beings on its side of the gate. Some wandered aimlessly. Some, embittered, slid towards the dark pit, where a dark caricature of the host behind the gate seethed, packed tightly together in their hate, but unable to join, each lost in their own bitterness both against those beyond the gate, and those still in the mortal realm.
It noticed the steady water-fall of beings descending back into the mortal plane preparing to take part either again or for the first time in birth into a body, as well as beings like itself recently, pouring back from the mortal plane, and trying the test of the gate.
Scattered around the plane were others, like itself, unsure of what to do, neither able to past the gate, unwilling to join the hating throng, but not ready to take on another cycle of birth and death. Some of them wandered aimlessly, it had no idea for how long, it might well be eternity, for that is how much time they had.
The mortal plane beckoned to it, but it wasn't sure it wanted to be born yet again. In the end it decided to move closer to the mortal plane to observe.
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Jimmy was playing with a soccer ball in front of his house. His mother was watching him in a somewhat distracted fashion as he kicked the ball around the yard. The phone rang, and she went into the house to answer it. She came out just in time to see Jimmy running out into the street after the ball, and hear the squealing of brakes. A man stepped out from nowhere at the last minute, pushed the child out of the way, and was hit by the speeding car.
George, 17 had been the one driving the car. He also had been distracted, he was talking to his buddy, and really not paying attention to the road. He saw the child dart out too late to avoid it, he stomped on the brakes, and the car skidded. He saw the man step in front of his car to push the child out of the way just before he struck him. He remembered the look on the mans face. He didn't look scared in those last seconds, he looked at peace, as if he had finally discovered a great truth.
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It returned to the ethereal plane. It remembered now. It had been a man, a man who had a chance to save a child's life and didn't. That time. It was given another chance, and it took it, forsaking the long life it had been granted, and all that went with it. It had no regrets. The gate loomed before it. It went towards it, pausing momentarily at the brink, then passed through to join in the unified mass of souls who were celebrating its return.