chapter 1

THE QUESTIONS

FADE IN:

INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT

A small bedroom.

The only sound is the ticking of a wall clock.

A cool breeze slips through the half-open window, making the curtains sway gently.

The room is neat, almost untouched, as if time itself has stopped.

A wooden chair lies overturned beneath a slowly spinning ceiling fan.

Silence.

The room remains still.

CUT TO BLACK.

Complete darkness.

No light.

No sound.

No sense of time.

Seconds...

Minutes...

Or perhaps years...

No one could tell.

Slowly...

A pair of eyes opens.

A YOUNG GIRL stands alone.

She blinks repeatedly, trying to adjust her vision.

But there is nothing to see.

Only endless darkness stretching beyond imagination.

She turns around.

Nothing.

She looks upward.

Nothing.

She kneels and reaches toward the ground.

There is no floor.

Yet she somehow remains standing.

Confusion slowly turns into fear.

Her breathing becomes heavier.

She takes a cautious step.

Then another.

No footsteps.

No echo.

Only silence.

She speaks softly.

GIRL

Hello...?

Her voice disappears into the darkness.

No reply.

She turns in every direction.

GIRL

Is... anyone here?

Nothing.

She closes her eyes, trying to remember.

Fragments of memories flash before her.

A quiet room.

A lonely night.

A chair.

A terrible decision.

She suddenly opens her eyes.

Her heartbeat quickens.

GIRL

What happened...

Then the memories settle.

She remembers everything.

A deep silence fills her face.

She whispers,

GIRL

Am I...

Dead?

No answer.

She laughs nervously.

GIRL

This can't be real.

It has to be a dream.

Right?

She pinches herself.

Nothing changes.

She begins walking faster.

Then running.

She runs through the endless darkness.

Again...

And again...

But everything remains exactly the same.

No beginning.

No end.

She stops, exhausted.

She looks around.

Still nothing.

Her voice trembles.

GIRL

Is this Heaven?

Or Hell?

Or...

Neither?

People spend their entire lives talking about what happens after death.

Some believe in Heaven.

Some believe in Hell.

Some believe there is nothing.

So...

What is this place?

Was everything people believed... wrong?

Thousands of unanswered questions fill her mind.

She looks into the darkness.

Her voice becomes louder.

GIRL

Where are You?

Silence.

GIRL

Can You hear me?

Nothing.

Her frustration grows.

GIRL

People called You God.

They prayed to You.

They trusted You.

They said You answer every question.

So answer mine.

Where are You?

Why can't I see You?

She waits.

Nothing.

Her anger begins replacing her fear.

GIRL

Are You hiding from me?

Or...

Were You never there?

Her words echo endlessly.

Still...

Silence.

She clenches her fists.

Tears fill her eyes.

GIRL

If You exist...

Come before me.

I didn't come here with prayers.

I came here with questions.

And I'm not leaving until I get answers.

The darkness remains unchanged.

A long silence.

Then...

A voice.

Calm.

Gentle.

Ancient.

It seems to come from every direction at once.

VOICE

I am not hiding.

The Girl freezes.

She slowly turns around.

Nothing.

The voice continues.

VOICE

I have listened to every word.

Every question.

Every doubt.

Every moment of silence.

The Girl's eyes widen.

GIRL

Who's there?

Show Yourself.

I don't want to hear a voice.

I want to see You.

Another pause.

Then...

The darkness begins to glow.

Far away...

A tiny white light appears.

It shines like the first star in a moonless sky.

The light slowly moves toward her.

With every passing second it grows brighter.

Warmer.

More beautiful.

The darkness around it begins to fade.

The Girl instinctively shields her eyes.

The light finally stops before her.

It has no face.

No hands.

No body.

Only pure radiant energy.

Transparent.

Peaceful.

Beautiful beyond description.

Nothing like the gods she had seen in temples, churches, mosques, or paintings.

She stares in complete disbelief.

GIRL

You're...

Not human.

The light glows softly.

VOICE

You imagined Me according to your world.

But your world could never imagine what I truly am.

The Girl remains speechless.

The voice speaks again.

VOICE

Ask.

I am listening.

She gathers her courage.

She has imagined this moment her entire life.

Thousands of questions race through her mind.

Yet only one escapes her lips.

GIRL

What...

Are You?

The light remains silent for a moment.

VOICE

What do you mean?

GIRL

Which religion do You belong to?

The light gives a soft laugh.

Not mocking.

Simply amused.

VOICE

For that question...

You were willing to leave everything behind?

The Girl lowers her head.

Unable to answer.

Silence returns.

Then...

The light slowly begins to change.

Its glow gathers together.

It takes shape.

A head.

Arms.

A body.

Within moments...

A human figure stands before her.

The Girl's eyes fill with shock.

She takes an instinctive step backward.

The figure smiles.

CUT TO BLACK.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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