Chapter 3: The Seven Minutes of Reminiscence

(It is said that when people face death, their life flashes before their eyes.., there is a final reel of memories played by the brain in the last seven minutes after the body shuts down.

That's when the soul gathers the lived moments before it gently leaves the human body.

But when I stood at the edge of death…

There was no flashback.

No rewind.

No single memory came to mind.

Only a blank space. A void.

As if I had never truly lived.

I knew what happened in my life, the events, the years, the losses but not how they felt.

I had no memories, only a record.

That's when I realized: my memory was void.)

As I passed through the hospital entrance, I saw a dead body being taken away.

The family was screaming, crying and was completely broken.

The man was gone, but the grief in the eyes of those who loved him…

That pain lingered in the hallway like a shadow that wouldn't leave.

The pain that I couldn't help feeling deeper.

And for the first time in my life, I thought…

Maybe it's good I don't have anyone close to me anymore.

Maybe it's a blessing that no one will cry at my death.

Maybe I can die in peace...,without hurting anyone.

That's when a strange thought crossed my mind.

(Some people lose their life in a single second...., in just a blink...,no time to think, no time to wish.

But me? I've been given a notice period of my death.

My heart could have stopped at any time, suddenly and that would've been it.

What if it had? What if I had died yesterday, without knowing?

Wouldn't I have regretted never truly living?

But… I didn't.

I was told. I was warned.

That means maybe, just maybe, I've been given a second chance.

I don't know how many days I have.

But I know now…

They're meant to be lived.)

🕛 Midnight - The Hospital Exit

It was already midnight when I left the hospital with a strange sense of hope.

My thoughts felt clearer than they had in a long time.

When I reached my dorm, I sat down on the chair and opened a diary that had been quietly sitting in my drawer.

It was my bucket list.

As I flipped through it, I felt disappointed.

By life. By fate.

I started crossing off the dreams I knew I wouldn't fulfill.

📕 The bucket list

•Visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris

•See the Colosseum of Rome

•Witness the Northern Lights

•Ride the rollercoasters at Disneyland

•Take a picture with the giant Pikachu in Shanghai

•Help Yangchen find her father

•Ask Mom why she chose my sister over me

•Watch a sunset from a cruise

•Fall in love

•Wear a long white gown with a crown

•Live a life fully

That last one hit me the hardest.

"To live a life fully."

Even life....,.... was on the list ..,a wish, not a reality.

It struck me.

I had saved "life" for later.

And now that I didn't have a "later,"

Life itself was the only thing I was being offered again.

I crossed off everything… except that last wish.

Then I opened a box and took out my passport.

I flipped through its empty pages.

No stamps. No journeys. No memories.

This was supposed to be filled with adventures.

Now, it felt like an expired ticket to a world I'd never reach.

I stared out the window at the moon and stars for a long time,

And then, out of exhaustion, I fell asleep head resting on the diary.

🌄The next morning,

The sunrise kissed my cheeks through the window.

It felt so fresh… so warm.

I smiled.

What if all of yesterday was just a nightmare?

But the way..,the last day haunted me was quite big to be called nightmare.

Anyway...,

The sun peeking behind the mountains reminded me of home.

The forests.

The climbs I used to make as a child.

The freedom.

And suddenly, I thought,

Maybe I can't travel the world…

But I can still wander through forests and hills.

Maybe I can reclaim my childhood memories,

Or make new ones.

Within the time I've got left,

I'll make nature my family.

And give my final days ,

The most beautiful seven minutes' worth of memories.

Dear Seven Minutes,

I'm going to fill you with something beautiful. I'll give you a memory worth holding onto.

I dressed up, packed my things, and stepped out like I was walking into life itself.

As I walked through the street, smiling to myself,

my phone rang.

The screen flashed the time: 11:11 AM.

📞 11:11 AM. : The phone call 

Just like yesterday.

My heart skipped.

I picked it up.

Caller: "Hello, I'm calling from S & S Audit Associates. Your resume has been reviewed, and you're invited for an interview today at 1:30 PM. Please be on time or the opportunity may go to someone else."

Me: "Thank you for the offer… but I'm sorry. I'm not taking the interview. Please cancel my application."

Caller: "As you wish."

I ended the call and stood still for a while.

This job was once my biggest dream.

But dreams don't matter when your reality has a countdown.

What's the point of a 12-hour work day, six days a week,

when I barely have seven to eight weeks left?

It was painful to reject.

But it didn't make sense anymore.

So instead, I chased my side dream.

People didn't know this about me ,

But I always thought that if everything failed, I'd become a tour guide.

Travel the world, help others explore.

Of course, I hadn't traveled much myself.

But I had one edge:

I could speak 29 languages.

So I rewrote my resume and sent it to various travel agencies.

The next day, I got a call from "TRIP A LIFE" Tour Guide Agency.

They had a group of tourists arriving,

and urgently needed someone who could translate for them.

Just like that, I was hired.

They didn't know about my condition.

But if they had… they wouldn't have hired me.

So I stayed silent.

Or maybe I lied to live once again.

I was ready.

Safari outfit. Backpack. A heart that still wanted to live.

•••••

February 17, 2024

The job day

I reached the office early.

There, I met my senior tour guide. He was a cheerful looking man.

"Hello, I'm Aryal Lama," he said.

"You're my assistant and translator. Whatever the guests ask, you would have to translate for me and to them."

I smiled.

"Nice to meet you. I hope we work well together."

For some reason, I laughed loudly.

Lama: "Why are you smiling so big? Are you that happy to get this small-salary job?"

Me: "Maybe you're funny. Or maybe I'm just happy.

Also… Can I ask something? Why does your name sound like two surnames?"

Lama: "Ah, long story.

My mom's surname was Aryal, my dad's Lama.

They fought about whose name I should carry.

While they were arguing, my sister went ahead and filled both surnames in the name column of my birth certificate."

He laughed.

"I've grown to love it."

I chuckled.

"You really are funny."

Lama: "Alright, enough gossip. We need to pick up the tourists."

We reached the hotel. The tourists were gathered at the entrance all but..., one.

Lama: "Where's the last guy?"

One tourist pointed. "He's on the phone over there."

As he finished the call and walked toward us,

I felt… weird.

He walked like a comic book character stepping out of the page.

The sunlight reflected off his face like a spotlight.

He looked…

Charming.

"Get a grip, Jeena," I told myself.

"Stop blushing!"

But I couldn't stop.

His glance, his smile…

It made my heart skip in a way I'd never felt before. My cheeks turned red as the cold air brushed it off. There was a strange feeling I couldn't explain...,that I had never experienced before.

At the time, the thought crossed my mind;

Was this man… going to be a part of my last seven minutes to reminiscene?

It was hilarious and terrifying at the same time.

•••••

TO BE CONTINUED…