Karen Benneth is a career woman who has a busy schedule. She is always moving from one project to another that she is working on. Whether it's working at the office volunteering at her church through bingo nights, or taking up a new hobby, it's all to keep her busy. However, the many activities and successes she received did not give her any satisfaction at all.

Just like any other day, Karen keeps herself busy in the office. The piles of documents that need to be finalized mean she has to work overtime today. Her office mates knew that she was a workaholic and could only advise her to rest or take a holiday.

"Karen, are you sure you can finish in one week?" asked her workmate Jose. "It's a lot..." said Jose again.

"Yes, I'm sure I can finish this document. Besides, I don't like piling up work..." said Karen who was still struggling with the computer screen.

Looking at Karen who was motionless in front of the computer screen, Jose let out a tired sigh. "I know that. All of us in this room know it..." Jose said.

"...But make sure you get some rest too, if you get sick, you're on your own" Jose advised quietly.

"Yes, yes... I understand..." said Karen who was irritated by Jose's advice. "Tsk, what does he know about my health..." Karen thought angrily.

As the clock struck 9.00 pm, Karen, who was in the office, was meticulously making report documents quickly. Some documents needed to be revised and some documents needed to be recreated. Some of them were the result of yesterday's project with another company.

After finishing her work, Karen emailed the results of the report to her boss and her teammates, not forgetting to also print the document. To avoid any problems tomorrow, she copied all her files onto a flash disc.

Karen takes a taxi home because her car is still in the shop. Tonight was cold, even though she was wearing a jacket and sweater, the wind was still cold. She also remembers that some of the employees in her office are starting to catch colds. He took eucalyptus oil to relieve the cold, he rubbed it on his hands and neck.

A...AA...ACHOOOOOOO!!!!

"Eh...?"

"Eh?"

"EH!?!?!"

Karen screamed, confused by her surroundings. Her sneeze had made her soul leave her body. She saw her body lying on the ground unconscious. Confusion and fear overwhelmed her this time. Suddenly the memories of his life were spinning, there were feelings of annoyance, anger, and disappointment that he felt. She saw people surrounding her body and called an ambulance to take her to the hospital.

The next second Karen felt her soul lift as if she wanted to fly somewhere. She insisted on staying but her soul thought otherwise. At first, she felt uplifted and a few seconds later she was flying very fast like she was riding a rollercoaster. She felt the distance between her soul and her body begin to slip away.

Karen landed on a road in the middle of the forest, where she could see a straight staircase. On it was written the word 'This Way'. She initially hesitated to return to her body, but she couldn't. Suddenly she climbed the stone stairs, the quiet atmosphere was only the sound of wind and squeaking birds that adorned her journey.

Ps: This is the straight staircase 

Sret...Sret...Sret...Sret

Karen climbed the stairway for a long time but the end of the stairway was nowhere in sight. "Is there an end to this?" she wondered.

Karen staggered on her way. She saw that the sky was still clear but somehow, she felt something strange, like eyes were watching her. The stairs began to feel heavy; the stairs were broken or there were potholes. She doesn't know how she started patching up the potholes or repairing the broken stairs.

"Why is it still light?" Karen muttered in confusion. "I've been walking here for hours," Karen said again.

Seeing a banyan tree, Karen decided to take a short break there. The calm and peaceful atmosphere with a gentle breeze made her sleepy. She fell asleep and closed her eyes.

"Hey," a small child greeted Karen.

"Hello...?" greeted a confused Karen again.

"What are you doing here?" asked the little boy in a slurred voice.

"Hm? I..." Karen said, trying to remember what was going on. However, somehow her mind went blank as if she had forgotten something. ".... I don't know...." whimpered Karen who was on the verge of tears not remembering anything she was doing at the moment.

The little boy smiled, "It's okay. To reach your goal, just keep going forward and never look back" the little boy advised. "REMEMBER NEVER LOOK BACK!!!" the little boy emphasized.

Suddenly, Karen woke up to a fox climbing on her lap. She broke out in a cold sweat remembering her dream, even though she had only slept for a short time. "What does that mean...?" she wondered. As she was about to look behind her, she immediately closed her eyes, remembering her warning. She continued her journey forward.

Before she knew it, the forest she was traveling through was thick, with many large trees blocking the sunlight from entering the forest. She continued to move forward according to what the little boy in her dream had told her. It was dark in the forest and flowers surrounded the path she travelled.

Ps: This is the picture of the forest 

Hihihihi...!!! Hahahaha...!!!

There was the sound of a bunch of children laughing, but the laughter came from behind Karen. Hearing that sent chills down her spine. "Urgh... It's like a scene from a horror film..." she cried bitterly. She walked quickly to find the end of the road.

The sounds Karen heard became clearer and clearer, the laughter of a group of children, the sound of church bells, and the smell of motor vehicle exhaust. With a pale face, she ran away from the sounds, not daring to look back. Suddenly he came out of the forest and met the stone stairway he had passed. Relieved, she continued her journey.

For days Karen had been walking on this rocky stairway and she was not sure when it would end. The further she travelled the memories of her life slowly began to fade. She cried over the sadness of her life.

"What should I do?" said Karen who was beginning to despair.

"Why is this happening to me? It's not fair at all!!!" Karen shouted in frustrated anger. "Oh... I haven't even fulfilled my life plans that I wanted to carry out" said Karen regretfully. "I haven't even been able to keep my promise to Mum..." Karen thought sadly.

Feelings of regret, disappointment, and sadness, mixed. Now Karen's aura became a negative aura. Some whispers made her feel worse. '...Look back, who knows you can try to start again...' '...Karen, I told you that you are too stubborn...' '...Huh!? Karen, you mean that arrogant woman who only cares about herself? I hate her so much...' '...YOU'RE MAKING MY LIFE HARD, KAREN!!! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!! AND DON'T COME BACK INTO MY LIFE!!!...'.

Karen's tears fell down her cheeks, the voices she heard so clearly were those of her closest friends and family. She covered her ears and continued to walk forward. She tried to keep going even though the whispers began to utter harsh words. Regret and disappointment made it the toughest point to continue this journey. Gradually, she forgot who she was and only knew that she had to keep walking forward. This is a journey without a home.

Karen's face turned deathly pale every day, the whispers made her mentally collapse. She even thought about ending her life here. As the hours passed the end of the road, she was traveling on came into view, with eyes that showed a hint of hope she immediately ran happily.

Ahead was a large gate that read: "Welcome to the Valley of Souls". This place looked gloomy and deserted, even Karen saw some people who were just like her looking empty and lifeless. She tried to talk to them but they ignored her.

Karen stayed silent in that place. Somehow the hope and excitement she felt earlier suddenly disappeared and was replaced with regret, disappointment, and sadness. Tears continued to flow even as the emotions she felt overwhelmed her.

Resignation~~~

That was Karen's current feeling, she was even ready to meet her end. She didn't even care about the wishes and hopes she had been hanging on to.

Tap...Tap...Tap...

The little boy from Karen's dream came to see her. The little boy smiled so sweetly; it made her heart warm. "Come, come with me..." said the little boy pulling her hand.

Karen immediately followed the little boy with a confused feeling. While following the little boy, they both walked into a blinding light. She opened her eyes to see a figure she recognized.

"...Mum..." Karen said in a hoarse voice.

The figure called mum widened her eyes and immediately shouted, "Doctor!!! Doctor!!! My child is awake!"

In an instant, the doctor checked Karen's weakened state. "Mum where am I...? Is this a dream...?" asked Karen, still confused by her surroundings.

"Oh, dear... It's not a dream. This is real, you were in a coma for 9 months" said Karen's mother who was very relieved that her daughter was awake.

Karen, who was not fully awake, could only stare at her mother's face sadly. She was still thinking about the journey she had taken. She was afraid that this was all just her imagination. "God, may this be real..." Karen prayed.

The next day, Karen, who was fully awake, began motor therapy so that she could walk. She made a strong effort to recover and live her life again. Many of her office mates, best friends, and even people she helped from church came to visit her and gave her some gifts for her recovery.

Since Karen's coma and long journey, she has vowed to live life with purpose and not waste the time she is given. She knew the long journey to the Valley of the Soul had taught her to appreciate and make meaning of her own life. Because this is the second chance given to her.

=THE END=

1719 words-Wattpad