Who Am I This Time? (standard:Fan Fiction, 13390 words)
Author: Reid Laurence	Added: Jan 23 2006	Views/Reads: 5260/2607	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Who Am I This Time is the story of a man who is reincarnated many times, but in doing so, he finds that the best way he can help himself is to not focus on himself at all!

“Life is like a train wreck, but If you stay seated and remain calm,
you'll get through the worst parts.” 

Reid Laurence 

“One - two - three - four...,” the referee shouted, and as Kelsey
watched and listened from his prone position on the floor of the boxing 
ring, the bright heavy duty lights in the ceiling seemed to blur 
together and the words in the count grew more and more distant, until 
finally, there was nothing. When the ringside doctor arrived at 
Kelsey's side, it was already too late. “He's not out,” said the 
doctor. “He's dead.” 

“Oh shit,” said Kelsey. “What happened? Did I win? My heads killin' me.”
“No Kelsey, I'm afraid you didn't win that time. But on the subject of 
your head,” continued a mysterious voice. “It won't hurt for long. The 
pain you're feeling is only a memory of the pain you felt just before 
you died. Give it a little time, it'll go away.” “Whaddaya mean, died? 
I'm alive ain't I? I'm layin' here talkin' ta you plain as day. What is 
this place anyway? It's just a bad dream ain't it. Well, it's time ta 
wake up now. Enough's enough. I got things I gotta do, like finish off 
that bum Calzone.” “Joey Calzone is the new WBA middleweight champ 
Kelsey. I just thought you should know. I'm sorry to have to tell you 
like this.” “No he ain't! I don't know what you're talkin' about, but 
that belt's mine. I earned it. You don't know the half of it. A lotta 
blood, sweat an tears went inta that damn belt. It's mine I tell ya. 
Mine!” said Kelsey, as he stood up and pressed the thumb of his right 
hand to his chest, in an effort to claim ownership of the title he'd 
lost. “Have it your way Kelsey. Whatever you want to believe, it 
doesn't matter now anyway, but sooner or later, you'll have to come to 
terms with it.” “Come ta terms with what? Who are you anyway? C'mon out 
so I can see ya. I'm tired a talkin' to a voice.” “I'm going to leave 
you for a while Kelsey. Leave you to your own thoughts, but before I 
go, I want you to start thinking of who you'd like to be this time 
around. It's all up to you Kelsey, whoever you want to be.” “What are 
you talkin' about! I'm Kelsey Leonard, that's who I am. I'm 
middleweight champ a the world that's who! You hear me?!” yelled 
Kelsey, angered and shaking his clenched fist in the air. “You'll catch 
on,” said the voice. “In time, they all do.” 

After a long period of self study - finding no need for food or sleep or
conflict of any kind, stubborn Kelsey Leonard finally came to the 
conclusion that life had indeed changed for him, and he realized that 
the life he was now living, wasn't really life at all as we know it, 
but a waiting room. A waiting room of infinite space and time. A place 
in which to rest for all eternity if he so desired, or a place where 
one could gather their thoughts, uninhibited by other people, or the 
common petty things that create jealousy, greed and hate in us all. 
This was the place where Kelsey took up residence for many, many years 
- which by his standards - were nothing more then a few passing moments 
and this was the place where Kelsey finally found himself. Striped of 
the need to prove himself or right any wrong, he finally realized that 
he wasn't Kelsey Leonard at all, but a combination of many who had come 
and gone before him, and many were the memories that took up his time 
in this refuge. So many memories of people great and small, so many 
accomplishments, achievements and acts of kindness and cruelty that at 
first, he became baffled by their sheer numbers. But upon all this time 
to reflect, he came to the conclusion that the voice he'd first heard 
after his untimely death, had come to him with a reckoning of truth, 
and the decision to move on, or to stay where he was lay only in 
himself. He was finally, the master of his own destiny. “So,” came the 
voice again, after many years of solitude. “Have you made any decisions 
yet?” “Like what?” replied Kelsey. “Concerning your future of course 
Kelsey, what else?” “Yes, I have.” “And...” “And I'd like ta go back.” 
“Fine, but you cannot go back as Kelsey Leonard. That life has already 
been lived to its fullest extent. Who - or what, for that matter - 
would you like to go back as? A dog, a cat, a king, a laborer, what 
then shall it be?” After a brief pause in deep contemplation, Kelsey 
finally answered to the voice he came to think of as his caretaker. “I 
wanna be smart,” he said, almost defiantly. “I wanna be real smart. 
Kelsey, he was alright for a tough street punk, but in school, he was a 
first rate loser. Yes sir, I know what I want. I wanna be a doctor. I 
wanna discover some new medicine, an help people like no other. I 
thought about it for a long time, an now I'm sure. That's who I wanna 
go back as, a great doctor. No more clobberin' morons in a sweaty, 


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