01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24
For in instant, all the world was Johnny's hateful face and a flood of pain. It was strangely slow, being lifted from the ground by the blast. I could feel, more slowly than you can imagine, the force of transferred energy and momentum hurling me toward the wall. I could see blackness start to telescope in, closing out the world around me. Even as it was happening, though, before the sickening thud against the wall, I felt darkness and pain and momentum slipping off of me like fingers losing their grip. I could feel, for a tiny moment, my body rushing away from me.
And then everything was gone. There was only light and warmth. My eyes were open, but I couldn't see a thing except bright, white light, white light that didn't burn. Soft, white light was everything. At first the light was cradling me, but then, gradually, it wasn't. Gently, I became aware of a sense of direction. I began to feel a familiar feeling under my feet. Gravity. Ground. Not just ground, I realized. Something else.
"Grass," I whispered. I knelt easily down and felt the grass with my hands. As close as I got to the grass, however, I could see only the soft, bright light. Then I sat down, there on the soft grass, and tried to remember where I had been just a moment before. As I sat, I became aware of another sense. Hearing. Sound. Gradually, like a deafening wind noise was calming down, I began to hear the world around me.
The first thing I heard sounded like water running over rocks, a soothing sound. Then, from here and there, I heard faint sounds like voices. Almost immediately, I became aware that I was naked, and I put my hands over my lap to cover myself.
"Hello," I said softly. I didn't expect to be heard. The voices were more distant.
"Hello," came a lady's voice, very near. She had a sweet voice. "Don't be afraid," she said. "My name is Naomi."
"Hello, Naomi," I said. "My name is..." But I couldn't remember.
"It's okay," she said. "It takes a while for everything to come back to you. That's perfectly fine and normal."
"It is?"
"Yes. Perfectly fine. Nothing to worry about."
"I... uh... can you see me?"
"Yes," she said. "The light is very bright here, but we can see here with special lenses, like shades. Would you like some?"
"I don't have any clothes," I said, feeling myself blush.
"It's okay," she said with a little laugh in her voice, "I'm respecting your privacy. Would you like a robe to wear? I have one here. I also have a blanket if you're cold."
"Oh, thank you," I said.
"It's okay. I'm here to welcome you and help you. It's what I do."
"Oh." I didn't know what to say.
"Here," she said, and I felt her walk up on my right. "I'm going to slip this robe over your head." She placed her hand on my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "Welcome," she said, and then I felt soft fabric sliding over my head. She took my right arm at the elbow and, lifting it gently, she guided my hand into the sleeve. Then I felt her place a folded blanket into my lap, and I lifted my other hand and found the other sleeve. "There you go," she said as the robe fell around me.
"Thank you, Naomi," I said. "That's much better."
"You're welcome. I'm putting some glasses into your hand. Slip them on carefully and they will block most of the light."
I felt her hand touch my right hand and, when I opened it, she put the glasses onto my palm. I felt them for a minute and, when I was sure I had them turned correctly, I slid them on. Naomi was a lovely young lady. She had brown hair, one length, that fell to about her chin. She had olive skin. She reminded me of a Turkish girl I had known in... But it slipped away. I couldn't remember where I had known her.
"Hello," I said, sheepishly. "Thank you again."
"You're welcome again," she said, and she stood. "Come with me."
"Okay," I said, and I stood easily to my feet, the silver or grey robe falling all the way to the grass. We were standing on a low hill. Behind is, at the top of the hill, was the source of the light. It was a tall, round... something. It was brighter than anything I had ever seen. I slipped the glasses down on my nose and tentatively at the light. I could see nothing again, but it didn't burn like looking at the sun. Putting the glasses back into place, I looked down the hill and saw several big, white buildings. There were other people walking around on or near the hill. Some of them wore long robes, like me, and others wore normal looking clothing. Naomi was dressed in a simple, loose suit that looked vaguely Asian or African. I couldn't tell.
"Come," she said, smiling. She began to walk slowly down the hill.
I followed her for a few steps, but then I stopped as an idea occurred to me. It had been at the back of my mind, but it suddenly jumped into the foreground. "Naomi?" I said.
"Yes?" She turned toward me and took a step closer, showing that there was no hurry.
"I died," I said. "I died, didn't I?"
She walked over right in front of me, very close, and took both of my hands between hers. "Yes," she said, very softly, "you did, but everything is going to be just fine. I promise."
And then, I couldn't even tell you why, I started to cry. At first, Naomi kept holding my hands. Then, when I started to sob, she put her arms around me and laid her head on my chest. "It's okay," she whispered over and over. "Everything is okay." I couldn't even tell you how long I stood there on that beautiful hillside, in the arms - I was sure at the time - of an angel, and cried and cried and cried.
Comments