The Original Plan

Our creators designed a perfect life for us, but something went terribly wrong...

By: Robert Sefer

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

The novel opens with the protagonist’s death. His soul begins its journey toward the afterlife, but instead he wakes up in someone else’s body—on another planet! It soon becomes clear that the planet’s inhabitants have made him the unwilling subject of a scientific experiment.

They resemble humans from Earth, but are far more intelligent. With their advanced technology they can tap into the path souls take after death and intercept them. Their plan is to attach a tracking device to his soul, let him reach the afterlife, and then bring him back. They are deeply curious about what happens after death.

While they prepare, they are talking with their subject. The protagonist learns that the universe is full of inhabited worlds, all populated by the same human species—designed by our creators. His hosts are so scientifically advanced that they have unraveled nearly everything about the universe and life itself.

They possess concrete evidence that humans were created. They know how life was spread to the planets, the truth about evolution, and even claim to know the answer to the ultimate question: the meaning of life. There is only one thing they still don’t know: what awaits us after death.

As the conversation continues, they realize that something has gone terribly wrong on Earth. According to our creators’ original plan, humans across the universe were meant to enjoy lives of peace and good health. But Earth is an exception: alone among inhabited worlds in being plagued by war, disease, poverty, hatred, and division. Over the next few hours they uncover what went wrong on Earth—a discovery that is thought-provoking, even shocking.

Then the experiment finally begins. The protagonist’s soul reaches the afterlife and meets his grandmother. She shows him what heaven is like—and it is nothing like what we imagined...

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The Original Plan was inspired by grief. When Robert Sefer’s beloved grandmother passed away, he began to wonder where she had gone. He found religious explanations unscientific and scientific ones disappointing. This story is an attempt to reconcile those two perspectives.

It can also be described as the journey of a scientific, rational-minded person turning toward a more spiritual path.