20 July 2012
I was just making a quick stop at the shop to pay for the petrol I had pumped into my beat down work van. I couldn't see over the top and my tardiness encouraged the idiotic decision to make a run for it towards the pay area. Making my way across the lane, I heard the sound of bones cracking and noticed I was looking at the sky. A second later, I was lying on the ground looking at the front of the white car that had just hit me. I didn't see my life flash before my eyes or think of my loved ones. I vaguely wondered why the car had been driving so fast. I slowly turned my head, pain searing down my neck, and saw my van at least twenty feet away. I didn't have the strength to turn my head back. Black spots appeared in my vision until I was in total darkness. I closed my eyes, too weak to keep them open.
I awoke to find a beautiful woman at my side. Her warm touch felt like silk against my forehead, her red curls danced around her face, gently tickling my cheek as she leaned over to assess me. "We're so happy to see you!" she said. Her voice was soft and smooth. This woman was perfect. I doubted anyone would disagree but no one would ever convince me otherwise. "Where am I?" I asked, expecting a weak voice. To my surprise, my voice was strong. With this epiphany came a barrage of realisations. I was no longer in pain. My stiff neck was miraculously better. My body didn't have a scratch. All of those bones I heard crunching and cracking were healed. "Oh God", I thought, "I've been in a coma. How long have I been lying in a hospital bed?"
I looked around. I wasn't in a hospital. In fact, I wasn't even in a building. I had woken up in my perfect getaway island. I kept a photo of it taped to the sun shield in my van and every time I was having a rough day, I'd pull it down and imagine I was there sipping a tropical cocktail in the warm sun.
"Oh my God, I'm dead!" I shouted. The woman took her hand away from my forehead and gave me a puzzled look. "Yes" she whispered, "You were hit by a car. Now you're with us and we're here for you. If you have any questions, just ask"
This was going to be a long Q&A. I considered running. Maybe I suffered head trauma and I was trapped by these people. "What do you mean "we"?" I couldn't see anyone else. Then in the distance, I saw my dog running towards me. My beautiful Angel. She had also been hit by a car. I winced at the thought. She jumped up onto my lap and lavished me with the two years worth of kisses I'd missed out on. Further back, I saw my Grandmother, both Granddads, other relatives and a friend that I knew to be deceased.
"Okay, I must not be trapped" I thought, desperately trying to come up with a rational explanation that involved me being alive. "Maybe crazy though..." "You're not trapped or crazy" the voice soothed. I looked up at her perfect face, horror-stricken upon realising she could hear my thoughts. "Our bodies aren't necessary here" she continued. Her mouth wasn't moving. I was listening to her thoughts. "We appear in this form because it's what you are accustomed to. You can take any shape - or no shape - we live here in spirit"
I gazed at my hand, imagining it was a lobster's claw. And there it was, a giant claw where my hand should be. I gasped. I couldn't tell if I was speaking or thinking the gasp. This information rendered my "body" and mind utterly confused. The woman laughed and took my claw in her dainty little hands.
"We have a lot to discuss" That was for sure! I had forgotten about my family. I was surrounded by them now. I stood up to hug my Grandmother. I felt a jolt in my heart as I suddenly remembered my living Grandma. Then another jolt. My whole family! Jolt. My friends, my life! I collapsed onto the greenest grass I've ever seen, real physical pain shooting through every part of my body. The jolts hitting my chest made me feel like I was on fire. I closed my eyes, hoping it would all go away, but it wouldn't.
"Clear!" Jolt. I opened my eyes to find a team of plastic aprons and masks hanging over me. "He's awake! Morphine, stat!" I drifted off, thankful for the excruciating pain that let me know I was alive.
7 - Heaven • Opuss № I