My After Death
A large green door surrounded by shadows slowly swung open. Carefully I stepped through the door and glanced around looking for any source of light. Only darkness engulfed and swallowed me. I could feel myself try to scream, but no sound came from my mouth.
Terror completely overwhelmed me. Frantically I spun around in circles searching for the green door and the way back out. There was nothing, only an eternity of blackness.
It was all around me, running through me. Where was I? Was this death? Had I died and this was all there was beyond living?
Suddenly in the far off distance there was a twinkle of light. I could not tear my eyes away. The warm glow pierced the darkness surrounding me, but it did not quite reach me. I tried to move towards it but the darkness was too powerful.
This was not the ending or conclusion I wanted. If this was death, I was not ready. There were so many things that needed to be accomplished. My purpose in life was not finished. I needed to go back. Back to the living and out of this dark void.
I ran towards the glittering dot that stood out so brightly. The tiny speck grew larger and burned brighter. Squinting my eyes, I could just barely make out the green door. The light was creeping and spewing out from around the cracks and edges. It was so close.
The harder I ran, the further away it became. I had to be dreaming. This could not be real. I begged my mind to return to reality.
Wake up Michael! Stop dreaming! You have to reach that door and that light!
Digging deep within myself, I gathered all of my inner strength and pushed hard. I forced my energy to push me faster. Shadowy arms reached for me as they grasped my legs and pulled me back with cold and deathly fingertips.
I pushed harder, desperate to get away from the freezing nothingness. The icy chill shivered up my limbs and spread throughout my body and into my bones.
I closed my eyes, concentrated harder, and focused on passing through that green door, the gateway between life and death. My hand reached up and grasped the handle, a large knob that was frozen around the edges giving me a burning sensation.
As I gripped it harder, it began to warm within my palm. Gritting my teeth I fought through the stinging burn and turned it.
Everything exploded into a bright light all around me. The explosion rattled through my head as if I was standing in a church bell tower. Grasping my ears, my knees dropped my body to the floor.
The ringing intensified, turning into waves of pain that rolled and crashed through my mind. Then there was blackness again. The shadowy arms of death must have reached me… but somehow the warmth of life replaced the icy chill.
I stretched my legs and arched my back as I began to wake from a long slumber. Wow, what a crazy dream I just had!
Relief flooded me that it was only a dream. I inhaled and sighed. A yawn overwhelmed me and I was unable to open my eyes for a moment until the yawn was complete.
Slowly, I allowed the light to enter my vision, a little at a time, until I was able to readjust and focus. Looking around, I observed a very cozy living room. To the left was a nice large stone fireplace that was extremely tall.
When I turned my vision to the right, I was in awe. Before me stood a fluffy couch that was ten feet tall. Someone would have to use a ladder to be able to climb atop it.
Wait! Who would need to do that? This was ridiculous. No one would have such a large couch. I shook my head frantically attempting to put my mind back into the real world. My eyes darted back and forth as I frantically observed the rest of the items and details in this new environment.
My eyes and my mind had to be playing tricks on me. There was no way that the furniture in this place could fit inside a house. Even the windows seemed larger than the beautiful stained glass windows on display at massive catholic churches.
The door was so tall it reminded me of a fable from childhood. Remember Jack and the Beanstalk? Yea, that was it. Everything in this place was just like in the story.
Could I seriously be in a giant’s home? Maybe I was hallucinating in a hospital somewhere. My memory was sketchy, to say the least. Yea, this had to be the result of drug use.
Maybe if I squeezed my eyes shut and held them tightly closed for a moment, everything would be back to normal when I opened them again. My daughter, Jessica, would definitely get a kick out of this crazy dream. She always enjoyed listening to me when I told her about my unusually funny dreams.
We would sip on some gourmet-flavored coffee or eat lunch together while we laughed at how crazy and ridiculous the dream was. I would give anything to be there with her right now. Inhaling deeply, I kept my eyes closed and focused on the memory of my daughter. A special moment with her and my grandchildren filled my mind.
My daughter Jessica, with her long dark hair and almost black eyes, picked me up for an outing involving my two granddaughters. They giggled in the back seat, teasing each other, but not yet letting the teasing evolve into bickering.
Those girls, all three of them, are the light of my life. The oldest granddaughter possessed beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes, as blue as the deepest ocean. The youngest was a spitting image of her mother and just as gorgeous with her dark brown hair and eyes. I turned around in the front seat and smiled at the girls.
“Hey girls! You ready to go see the movie?” I asked them as they smiled, their eyes lighting up like Christmas trees. Both of them nodded their heads in unison, nearly bouncing out of their seat belts in the backseat.
“Papaw, can we get some candy at the movie? Mommy said no. She is being mean.” The oldest asked as she cut her eyes at Jessica driving in the front seat.
I chuckled and turned to Jessica. She just rolled her eyes and shook her head in defeat. My daughter already knew that I would spoil the girls and buy them whatever they wanted at the theatre.
Comfortable warmth spread throughout me as the memories played in my mind. Mentally reassuring myself that everything was fine and back to normal, I opened my eyes again. I felt a gasp escape my mouth. This dream was still ongoing.
I was still surrounded by the extremely large furniture. How weird was it that you could close your eyes within a dream and replay memories in your head? Shaking my head, I attempted to stand up.
Something felt awkward. My position reminded me of the days when I wrestled with the kids on my hands and knees. Was I on my hands and knees? This didn’t make any sense.
here…
