Charlie Rose
Charlie Rose was on top of the world.
Her manager woke her up early in the morning with incredible news.
The number one contender for the regional women’s boxing championship had suffered a career-ending injury, and tonight was the fight to determine who was the new number one contender.
Charlie had known this for weeks; the great news was one of the fighters that was in said fight had also suffered an injury, and Charlie had been given her spot.
Most fighters balked at last-minute fights, but Charlie was a student of the game. Not only was she constantly training, but she always studied videos of the top five fighters in the region for this exact reason.
She began her morning routine: a hot shower, yoga, and light cardio. The goal was to loosen up for the day.
Her smart speaker rattled off the day’s headlines. Usually, it was just background noise, but a name caused her ears to perk up.
Raymond Green.
“Google, replay that last headline.”
The speaker gave the usual chirp of acknowledgment.
“The funeral for hero SWAT captain Raymond Green will be today at City Memorial Cemetery. Hundreds are expected to be in attendance to honor a man who saved so many during the darkest days of our city’s history. Cpt. Green will receive full honors, and the mayor vows to bestow on him the highest honor he possibly can.”
Charlie shook her head. Raymond was her grandfather’s brother. He had been the one who taught her to fight, as well as encouraged her to stick with her chosen path.
It had been years since she had spoken to him. She was always so busy. Now his funeral was being held on the same day as the biggest fight of her life.
She sat on her yoga mat and meditated on her great uncle and the things he taught her.
She came to the conclusion that if he were here, he would tell her not to pass on this opportunity.
“The dead know nothing,” he would say. “Focus on life and the living.”
When she opened her eyes, they blazed with renewed focus and determination.
Not only would she win, but she would dedicate this match to Uncle Raymond.
This was her night.
When the time for the fight came, her opponent was not ready for Charlie’s unique blend of Wing Chun kung fu and Western boxing.
It was a dominant win, and to make things even sweeter, the champ was front-row center for the whole thing.
On top of the win, the pay for the fight would be a veritable windfall. She was getting the winner’s purse, plus her manager had bet on Charlie as the underdog.
Come tomorrow morning, her account would be flush with cash. As Charlie walked the Atlanta streets, she beamed wide. She could not believe her luck.
Now she was on the way to spend the evening with one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen. He was an up-and-coming fighter who made extra money as a bartender.
Charlie had spent eight months just trying to get his attention. He finally gave her the time of day once she had become a ranked fighter.
At first, she just assumed he was a gold digger. Once they started spending time together, getting to know each other, they became inseparable.
Once tonight’s fight was over, he texted her a picture of a candlelit dinner for two, with the caption reading, “Waiting for you, Champ.”
Charlie couldn’t think of any better way to spend her time after a fight. She didn’t even bother talking to the press.
It was the best night of her life, bar none.
She didn’t even notice the headlights of the box truck barreling down on her until it was too late.
Charlie stepped off the curb with her hands in the pockets of her red romper and her head back deep in thought.
The driver of the truck had been driving all day without rest stops, peeing in bottles because his delivery was already behind schedule.
His GPS had him 30 minutes out from his destination.
He was tired, so tired that when he blinked, his eyes didn’t reopen.
He didn’t notice when his foot relaxed, pressing the accelerator to the floor, causing the truck to pick up speed.
He didn’t even feel it when his truck slammed into the new number one contender for the regional boxing championship.
He didn’t wake up until the truck veered into a streetlight a block later.
The trucker called for paramedics when he noticed he was bleeding from his head. It only took them five minutes to get to him.
They were on the scene for twenty minutes waiting for him to give his statement to the police and get his citation for the accident.
It wasn’t until they were en route to the hospital that they noticed a body in the street.
They didn’t even recognize the young woman from the fight they had just watched online.
They took one look at her mangled body and radioed for the police and the coroner.
Charlie woke up with a start.
The last thing she remembered was a bright flash of light. She had no idea what happened or where she was.
When she looked around, what she saw completely took her breath away.
As she stood and turned, in all directions she could see stars, planets, and swirling nebulae. Comets shot by at blazing speeds.
She watched a distant star go supernova in a brilliant display. A tear fell from her eye as she witnessed the full majesty of the universe as if she were standing at its center.
She realized how truly insignificant she was in the grand scheme of things but didn’t feel bad about it. Instead, she was grateful to be a part of something so vast and beautiful.
“Charlie”
She gasped when she heard her name, and she looked around and saw no one.
The Voice that spoke was soft and melodic, as if the entire string section of a grand orchestra had played one note just for her.
It made her not want to answer. Her own simple voice just didn’t feel worthy to answer such an incredible sound.
“Yes, I’m Charlie.” She managed to squeak out, trying to push down the shock and confusion she was feeling.
“Charlie, you were taken from your world well before your time. You are not meant to be here yet.”
“What do you mean, before my time? Where am I?” Charlie asked, hoping the voice didn’t mean what she thought it did.
“You were meant to live on and do great things.”
The voice continued as it showed Charlie images in her mind of her going on to win the regional championship, then the state invitational.
It showed her going pro and becoming a champion.
She was playing in movies and using the money to start youth programs for young women that wanted to get into sports but did not have the money or resources to get started.
It showed her starting a family and raising her children to be leaders in sports and industry.
It brought Charlie to tears seeing everything she wanted in life coming to pass right before her eyes.
She grew up dirt poor, and all she ever wanted was to live a good life, where her loved ones didn’t have to struggle the way she did.
“What happened?” she whispered through her tears, scared to hear the answer.
The next thing she saw was her walking down the street, on cloud nine, reveling in her recent success.
Then she saw the truck and physically recoiled as it hit her.
Her chest ached as it heaved with her sobbing, mourning the loss of a life she’d never have.
The Voice remained quiet as Charlie fell to her knees, devastated, as the reality of her death rocked her very essence.
When she finally stopped crying, the voice spoke again.
“Charlie, because of your untimely demise, you have been presented with a choice. You may either move on to the afterlife and enter into eternal rest, or you may start over. There is a world that needs a hero. Should you answer the call, you will be given everything you need to succeed.”
Charlie lifted her head. “A hero? On a new world?” she asked, eyes wide with surprise. “Wait, will I keep any of my old memories?”
“Normally, this would not be allowed; due to the circumstances of your death, we are willing to grant you three requests.”
Charlie nodded her head as she thought for a moment, chewing on a fingernail. Finally, she said, “First, I want to have memories of my skills, at least. I want to be able to fight on the same level I do now. Second, I want to be female, smart, beautiful, and extremely physically capable. Third, if magic is available, I want to be able to use it and be good at it.”
She had always been fascinated by magic; she loved anime, but she didn’t want to be a glass cannon that couldn’t defend herself in a scrap.
“Very well,” the voice said as Charlie’s vision once again filled with bright light, and she felt warmth all around her.
She felt the sensation of floating through the air; she thought she heard a smile in The Voice’s tone as it spoke.
“Good luck, Charlie, we’ll be watching.”
