After The Light Fails - 1. After The Light Fails

Hello again. It's been a while since I've been here, but I finally made it back. Let me reintroduce myself. My name is, or maybe was, Frank Garnet. My friends called me Red. I died a few months ago, your time. I said I'd be back if I could. Well, 'lo and behold, it is possible to come back. Sort of. But let me start at the beginning. Or should I say the end. Of my life, that is.

The light went out, but it was only off momentarily. Apparently, it only takes a few seconds to transition to the next plane of existence. I was damn happy about that. So, as it starts getting brighter, I find myself surrounded by a blue mist. Oh, and by the way, there's no bright light that everybody claims to have seen when they 'come back from the dead.' Maybe there is if you are destined for something else. I don't know.

So anyway, I can see through the blue mist, but obviously, not very clearly. I find myself on a dirt path, overgrown green grass on both sides of it. I can't say for sure, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the path is crushed raw garnet. After I walk a few feet... Well, I'm not really walking, more like floating because I no longer have a body. I can see and hear, which I find strange, without a body, but I'm not going to question whatever supreme being placed me here. That could be dangerous to my well-being. After floating along the path for perhaps five minutes, I come to an intersection. Time is different here. I may have been floating for days, but I don't think so. There are four other paths to choose from. I take the one ahead to the right, only because something essentially pushed me in that direction.

As I join the new path, I see a deeper blue orb out of the corner of my eye. I spin around and see there are orbs approximately one foot in diameter, five or so feet above the ground on each of the other paths. They're all moving away from me. Again, I find this strange, because they weren't there before I joined the new path. I try to will myself to turn around to follow one but am unable to. I continue floating along the new path. I travel another five minutes and come to an intersection with six new spokes. This time, I don't see the orbs, but rather, an empty spot in the air on all but one path. I have stopped, so I assume the supreme being wants me to see something.

On the path, second to my left, I see the transparent image of a woman for a moment. Then she transitions into one of the blue orbs. Within a few moments, the rest of the blank spaces become men, women, and one child, momentarily before themselves, becoming deep blue orbs. Something puts the thought in my head, well, if I had a head, that these people just died. The reason I didn't see any at the first intersection was because I was the last one to arrive during that short interval of time. Apparently the other four orbs had passed away only moments before I did. I'm guided to the path third from my left, which is the only one that doesn't have an orb. As I leave my path, the final person and orb appear in the space I was just occupying.

This continues for I don't know how long and perhaps ten more intersections before my path ends at a wall. The wall is higher than I can see, and stretches to the left and right, also seemingly stretching to infinity. The wall is almost the same color as the mist, a tiny bit darker, which is why I didn't see it until I was nearly upon it. I'm stopped for maybe fifteen seconds, then begin moving toward the wall. I hope smacking into it won't hurt. Once again, I realize I'm thinking I still have a body. But an opening appears in the wall directly ahead of me and I pass through it.

I'm now in a room with blue walls, the same as the wall in the mist was, and a green floor. I'd say it was carpet, but that would only be an approximation of what it appears to be. It's partially transparent and below me, I see what has to be Earth. It's quite small, but still recognizable as if I were thousands of miles above it in space. Then, I hear a disembodied voice.

"Do not be afraid. Nothing can harm you here."

And, no, it didn't sound like the burning bush in 'The Ten Commandments.'

I'm confused, but only for a moment, because almost immediately, the entire room begins hurtling toward Earth. The voice returns.

"Your will is strong. Your desire to return to life has made us decide to grant your final wish. You will be the world's messenger. It is likely nobody will believe your story. But that is acceptable. We simply wish to share another one of the possible afterlives' humans can join. The path you have taken here is the only one which allows an astral return. You will not have a body but will be joined with another. Your experience here will incite this person to write a story describing what has happened."

I wonder who this we/us is, and also wonder to myself if I am able to ask questions.

"Yes, you may ask questions, but your time in this phase is limited, the Earth grows large beneath you."

"Will this person know I'm there with him or her?"

"It will be a male. Joining a female after as long a life as you had would be too confusing to you and would muddy the message. Your host will not be aware of your presence but will be curious about where the idea for this particular story originated."

"Will I be aware of him?"

"You will. You will experience everything he does until the story is told. That may not happen immediately. He will reject the idea a number of times before deciding to share it."

"Do I leave, or die again, when he does?"

"That must be your last question; time is running short. No, you will return here after the story is shared to continue your life's journey. No further details about that journey can be shared at this time."

As soon as the voice completed that statement, I found myself crashing into a man.

I have traveled with Mr. Lee Richard Wilson these past few months, since my initial, (previous?) demise. I am back on the path in the blue mist, floating toward whatever comes next.

The End