Eternal

Cato looked out the window, and noticed that the soft light cast by the setting sun had been replaced by a blue-green pulsating light that seemed to envelop the cabin. Inquisitive by nature, he went to explore the source of the light. Stepping onto the porch surrounding the cabin, he took three steps down, then headed north into the forest. The light did not diminish, on the contrary, it intensified in color as if beckoning him. Making his way through the trees, when he got closer to the source a figure appeared. Startled, he stopped and stared, then slowly ventured forward. As he did the backlit figure gradually began to take shape and he started discerning details. The figure appeared to be about his height and weight. He stepped closer. Not only did the figure resemble him, it looked exactly like him. Beyond, a second figure appeared, and he recognized the swaying hips and soft curves of Amanda. In bewilderment he said to himself, 'This can’t be. I’m hallucinating!' The figure raised his arm and extended his palm upward in the universal symbol for Halt. Cato stopped in his tracks and asked, “Who are you? What are you?”
The stranger smiled and said, “We’ve come to help you review your life. You are who you are because of some important choices you’ve made that steered your destiny to where you are now.”
“Why are you doing this? What is the purpose? I can’t change what I did, can I?”
“If there was one thing in your life that you could change, what would it be and why?” the figure asked.
Cato knew exactly what it would be and why, but he was afraid to articulate it because of the pain he would feel. The memories that would bubble to the surface would only tear away the scab that had formed in his heart and leave it raw and exposed again. He could not go back and relive the anguish and agony that he had felt. His eyes watered, and looking at the figure he said, “What would that accomplish? You cannot change the past.”
“Let’s just say that right now you are living in multiple spaces, dimensions if you wish. Each space is a result of the varied choices you have made throughout your life. Some are simple mundane, unconscious acts, others are more complex, conscious acts, which all carry significant consequences. Think of it mathematically as a series of if-and-then questions. If you choose yes then something happens. If you choose no then something different happens, and every decision brings a new set of choices to make.”
“What’s the point if you can’t change anything?” Cato asked.
“Ah, but you can," the figure replied. "Throughout your life, you are given many opportunities to correct your course. One of the if-and-then questions will loop back to the moment when you chose a path, and will present you with the opportunity to make a different choice. You can make a different choice, or not. If not, the alternate choice will loop back again, and will continue looping back in this lifetime or another.”
“What is the purpose of all this?” Cato inquired.
“To grow spiritually, back to when you were perfect,” the figure answered.
“Back?” Cato asked.
“Yes, back! Back to where we all come from,” the figure replied.
“Where is that?” said Cato.
“From the divine source. When you decide to work at it, you will remember. You will remember the reason you chose to reincarnate at this particular point in time. When you do, then you will be able to complete your mission and fulfill the destiny that you charted for yourself. You have already come a long way,” the figure explained.
“How do you know all this? Why have you come to me now and not before?” Cato questioned.
“I have come to you, many times before," the figure said. "In your dreams, as a gentle tug in one direction, as your inner knowing, as a whisper in your ear, and as a teacher with the message I had to convey.”
“I don’t remember. Did I listen?” Cato asked.
“Sometimes. Other times I had to keep coming back. You can be pretty stubborn, and accepting your mistakes is a big challenge for you,” the figure answered.
“How do you know me so well?” asked Cato.
“Because, I am you,” the figure replied.