Purgatory Park

*NOVELLA* From my collection 'Strange Bedfellows' available HERE

A darkly comedic and deeply philosophical journey that asks: If life is a rehearsal for the afterlife, what happens when you've forgotten your lines?

If you had one chance to justify your existence, would you even know what to say?

Adam Finemess lived a life of quiet, beige desperation until a heart attack turned his world—and his afterlife—upside down. Instead of pearly gates, he finds himself in Purgatory Park, a surreal landscape where the grass is a little too green and the benches are occupied by celestial guides like Reggie.

Faced with a cosmic "second chance," Adam is thrust back into his apathetic marriage and mundane routine, but this time with the weight of a divine trial hanging over his head. As he navigates a world that looks the same but feels entirely different, Adam is forced to confront the haunting questions raised by his guides: Is there a grand design, or is it just a "heavenly jukebox" spinning out of control? Does a higher power truly care about bath sealant and burnt toast, or are we all just "tormenting the living" in a cycle of our own making?

As the thin veil between Earth and the Great Beyond begins to fray, Adam realizes that his trial isn't just about his mistakes—it's a test of whether a soul can find meaning in a universe that seems to have lost the plot.