[ WP ] There are no new souls in the world . Every soul is from a huge cycle of souls being reincarnated between Heaven , Earth , or Hell . Do good , you go to Heaven ; do bad , you go to Hell ; do equal good and bad ; back to Earth .

The halls were so silent that Gabe ’ s footsteps produced a dull echo the likes of which he had never heard before. The paper of the memo in his aged hands crinkled softly, distinctly, as he walked, eyes forward, even as he passed one empty alcove after another. In years past, these corridors would have been brimming with activity: manufacturing, a new development here, something bright and innovative there, quality assurance, recalls and redistributions. Now, just empty halls and the sound of an old man ’ s footsteps. The sun shone as brightly as ever through the windows, but the factory floor had gone silent, a testament to work long since finished, save for one last detail. 
 
 The elevator doors were wide and welcoming, and Gabe pressed the button for the familiar seventh floor, the executive level. In the past Gabe always preferred to use the stairs, they kept him spry, but these days even he would admit that he wasn ’ t in the same condition that he used to be. Like the faithful old factory around him, he was ready to rest. He drew his readers from his pocket, bringing them up to the bridge of his nose and holding the one remaining ear piece for stability in lieu of letting them rest unevenly on his face. The missive was simple and to the point, the sort of thing that he wouldn ’ t have been bothered with in the past – not his department, after all – but as the one left behind to declare the work complete, certain minutia had made its way into his purview. 
 
 Gabe squinted as the elevator doors opened again, sliding his glasses back into his breast pocket. It always took a few moments to adjust to the lighting in the Governor of Development ’ s office, but things seemed particularly brighter today. As always, Gabe focused on the figure in the middle of it all and soldiered forward, undeterred. There was business to attend to. 
 
 The Governor turned, smiling the same warm smile that she had greeted him with on his first day. While most would have expected a man in her position, the Governor had always been content to defy those expectations, being all things to all people; cordial and familiar with everyone, and close with but a few. The consensus around the factory was that she looked like Angela Bassett, but in a private moment years ago she had confided in Gabe that it was the other way around. No matter. Gabe simply knew her as the one who always greeted him with a smile and a warm arm around his shoulders, and today was no different. 
 
 “ What have we here? ” she asked, in a way that made Gabe suspect that she already knew. 
 
 “ One final recall, ” he said, handing the missive to her. “ But there ’ s a problem. It ’ s a return, not a redistribution. ” 
 
 “ You don ’ t say, ” the Governor murmured, looking the slip of paper over, front and back. The implications of the statement were either lost on her, or left her unfazed. 
 
 “ But, if it ’ s a return, then that would make him the last of them. ” 
 
 “ It would, ” she nodded, moving to take a seat behind her desk, turning the chair towards the large picture window. 
 
 “ But, if he ’ s the last, well— “ Gabe paused. She knew the system; hell, she invented it. Couldn ’ t she see the issue? “ If he ’ s the last, then there ’ s no one to do good for, no one to do bad to. He—he ’ ll always be a zero-sum. A return. ” 
 
 “ Always making declarations, Gabriel. I ’ ve told you, not everything is so cut and dry, ” the Governor said, and he was certain he could hear her smile in her voice. 
 
 “ That ’ s why you hired me, Ma'am; to pass along decrees. They tend to be fairly— “ 
 
 “ I suppose we ’ ll just have to get someone new for him, ” she said, her words giving Gabe pause. 
 
 The old gentleman shifted his weight back and forth for a long moment. Surely she knew that production was down, and had been down since the factory produced its quota. She, more than anyone, would know the painstaking efforts and labor required to bring things back into full swing. So, then… 
 
 “ Was this a part of the plan all along? ” he asked. 
 
 “ I prefer to think of it as a pleasant surprise, ” she said, turning her chair around with the same warm smile that always meant that things were well in hand. 
 
 “ But, Ma ’ am, to start all over again; we don ’ t have the resources to— “ 
 
 “ Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel, ” she stopped him, shaking her head. “ I just need one of his ribs. I ’ ve done this before, you know. ” 

