Ethan, a twenty-seven-year-old office worker, stood once again in front of the coffee machine, watching as the dark liquid slowly poured into the paper cup. It was an almost automatic ritual, one of those little habits he repeated every morning to stave off the boredom.
In his thoughts, he wondered as always what his "big decision" of the day would be: coffee with a bit of sugar or without sugar, the most exciting dilemma in an otherwise monotonous life.
"This time, I think I'll go for a latte," he murmured, feeling that this small change might be the most exciting part of his day.
Around him, the muffled background noise of keyboards and ringing phones was the same as ever. Nothing seemed out of place… until a sharp, sudden noise tore through his dull routine.
"What the hell?" he said, startled.
Suddenly, an unbearable pain exploded in his chest. He could barely breathe, barely let out strangled cries of agony. His hands trembled, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor.
"Call an ambulance!" one of his coworkers shouted."Don't worry, Ethan… help is on the way," another said, kneeling beside him.
'Damn it… so this is how I'm going to die. Without accomplishing anything in this boring life… I didn't even fulfill my dreams… Damn it… I don't want to worry my parents… DAMN IT!'
With that thought, the pain began to fade… or so Ethan believed. In truth, his body was slowly shutting down. His vision darkened as he felt himself floating, rising higher and higher.
'What a strange feeling…'
Then, an invisible force pulled him upward with sudden violence. Ahead of him, a tiny golden light like a distant star grew larger and brighter with every passing second.
"Am I… going to heaven?".