The Next Person You Meet in Heaven

Annie reaches the afterlife and is washed into a world of perpetual blue. She wonders whether she is in a dream and what happened to Paulo, and as she looks around, the blue fades away to be replaced by both natural and urban landscapes. One by one, a series of train car chairs appear in front of her, and Annie follows them until she reaches a compartment door. Inside, she finds a young boy in control of the train.

Annie is six years old and walking home from school with an older boy and his two sisters, whom she stays with until her mother gets home from work each day. They tend to bully her and take advantage of her naivety, and on this occasion, they decide to urge her to knock on the door of the house where a witch is rumored to live, offering to pay her five dollars. Annie’s mother has been tight on money since being single, and Annie is enticed by the idea of being able to buy toys. She knocks on the door of the house. A woman answers. She scolds Annie and explains she isn’t a witch; she’s just sick.