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Then she noticed that her feet were dangling in the air

She gasped There was no floor beneath her, no walls around her She was sitting in a black chair in the middle

JO

of a black void with a thousand stars twinkling all around her Alone

She was drea in a chair in the ? "Tess?"

There it was again, that scratchy boilerness around her Surely if she were going to dream a voice, it wouldn't sound like that "Y-Yes?" she said, for lack of souide Do you have any questions before we begin?"

Tess started to say, "Begin what?" then changed her mind to the more obvious question "Where am I?"

There was a long pause before the voice said cautiously, "You don't remember?" "Remember what?" "Thebus"

Tess stopped breathing Memory hurled her back onto that rain-slicked Seattle street She re rubber, the driver's horrified expression through the dirty windshield Sounds she couldn't possibly have heard battered her with hurricane force: squealing brakes, a honking horn, her own strangled sound of terror

She'd been hit by the bus She glanced around Maybe this wasn't a dream after all Maybe it wasthe other side "Ah of relief "Yep" Tess shivered and hugged herself "Oh" "Now that that's settled, let's get on with it," Carol said matter-of-factly"Thishere's the theater of second chances Your life on earth?the first one?it was sort of " Carol's scratchy voice trailed off

11

"Fine"

"Yes, precisely But 'fine' isn't good enough God, in His infinite wisdoets one happy life before they et another chance"

"I don't understand"

"It's siet to choose another I studied your history very closely, and I think I know the proble to be desired What you need is someone special and a family of your own I've chosen a dozen suitable candidates Each one needs you as much as you need him All you have to do is push the button when one of them strikes your fancy"