[ WP ] After someone dies , they must be interviewed before it is decided how they will be reincarnated . You are the interviewer .

The man sitting across from you is naked. Not his fault. He died that way. Not the best way to go, but it's not like he can do anything about it. He looks more embarrassed about it than you are - you're thankful, at least, that the table is too high for you to see anything you do n't want to. 
 
 You open the folder sitting in front of you, glance briefly at the first page, then look up at him. `` Name?'' 
 
 He blinks rapidly. `` Uh?'' 
 
 It's just a formality, really. You have his entire life story laid out nearly in front of you in twelve-point Times New Roman. But it's procedure. You sigh. `` Your name.'' 
 
 `` Oh. Um. David. David Brown.'' 
 
 At least this one's cooperative. You lean back a bit in your chair. `` Do you know where you are, David?'' 
 
 `` Well, I mean --'' He crosses his arms over himself. `` Those people out there, in the blue shirts. They said this is the, uh, the afterlife. The `` Way Station.'' But.'' He lets out a short laugh, but you can see the hint of panic in his eyes. `` This is n't exactly what I was expecting.'' 
 
 You do feel bad for the guy, really, but this *is* what you hear every single day, from every single person who comes through here. This is your fifteenth interview of the morning. `` Yeah, I get that a lot.'' You flip through to the end of his file, stopping at the cause of death. *'Fell asleep in a hot tub, drowned.'* `` So I'm assuming you do n't want to come back as a fish.'' 
 
 David looks visibly startled. `` What?'' 
 
 You swear one of these days you're going to kill someone from the Welcoming Committee - what are they good for if they ca n't even be bothered to explain things thoroughly? You take a deep breath. “ This interview is your second-to-last stop before reincarnation. ” 
 
 “ R-reincarnation? ” His voice is wavering. 
 
 “ Are you a Christian, David? ” He nods, mutely. “ Look, most of the people who come through here are expecting this. Pretty much none of them are. This is just how it works. This is your fifty-third cycle, “ ( He makes a noise a bit like he ’ s choking. ) “ and we always give you the luxury of choosing what you want to be next. Maybe you want to try out something new. Like a lizard. Or a tree. Or maybe you want to be human again. I ’ m just here to figure out what the guys upstairs are going to do with you, alright? It ’ s easier if you cooperate. ” 
 
 David is silent for a moment. “ …fifty-third? And I don ’ t remember any of them? ” 
 
 You resist the urge to pinch the bridge of your nose. “ No. That ’ s how the whole thing works. New body, new life, new memories. Just how it goes. ” 
 
 “ And I can be anything? ” 
 
 “ Well, I mean, it depends on how long you want to wait – if you want an endangered species, you ’ ll be on the list for a long time, but there are so many humans being born all the time we have new souls going out every day. ” 
 
 He looks at you in complete wonderment. You forget, sometimes, how crazy this must sound to the humans coming through this place every day – for you, it ’ s just life. For David, on the other hand, you ’ re a bit worried he could be in danger of short-circuiting. “ I…what if I want to be a dog? ” 
 
 “ A dog, huh? ” 
 
 He nods, still looking a bit uncertain. “ I mean…my entire life has been so fucking stressful, you know. Just working and working all the damn time, barely making enough money to pay off loans, never catching a break. And when I finally get a chance to relax, I drown in my own damn hot tub. ” He laughs. It just sounds sad. “ I ’ m tired of that. I don ’ t want to do that again. When you see dogs, they always seem so happy, you know? Like they could get excited by anything, like…like life is an adventure. ” He stares at you with a gleam in his eyes. “ You could do that? ” 
 
 You nod, pasting on a smile. “ Yes, David. We can do that. ” And you stand, closing his file and pushing in your chair. “ We ’ re done here. One of the Tour Guides will take you to the Waiting Room. ” 
 
 He stands as well. You get an unwelcome eyeful of his junk. “ Could I be a Golden Retriever? We had one, when I was a kid, they were always my favorites. ” 
 
 You decide not to tell him that you don ’ t get to be picky about subspecies – he actually looks kind of happy. “ I ’ ll put in the word with the boss. ” You guide him, with one hand, out to the hall. “ Now come on. You ’ ve got a whole life ahead of you. ” 
 
 The door swings shut behind him. 

