Quote:
"The disembodied spirit is immortal; there is nothing of it that can grow old or die. But the embodied spirit sees death on the horizon as soon as the day dawns."
~~Thomas Hobbes
Darling always had a love for gardens. If she could, she would sit around in her backyard all day, admiring the scenery. What wasn't to love about a garden?
The bees would pollinate the flowers while getting nectar for their honey; the beautiful dragonflies would roam around; the geckos would hang out, trying to catch a bug or two for their meal; and the flowers always smelled so beautiful.
This is definitely heaven, Darling thought to herself. Either that, or I'm dreaming. Gardens like this only appear in dreams.
With a deep inhale, she exhaled and went back into her house.
Wait a minute, she thought to herself. She looks around and can't believe her eyes. She goes to turn around to head back to her garden, only, it's no longer there.
She's surrounded by stone walls and stairs.
I knew this was a dream.
She descends the stairs, where she finds two statue angels standing on opposite sides at the end of the corridor. Both of them were standing in the shallow water of the fountain.
Before Darling's eyes, a familiar face in a white robe appeared to her.
"Jonah?" Darling asked. "Is that you?"
He gives a small laugh. "Well, I suppose I could be," he answers in a vague way. "I am whoever you need me to be."
Darling shakes her head. "I don't understand."
"It's to help you transition."
"Transition."
Jonah--or whoever he or she is--just shakes his head. "Let me explain."
Darling interrupts him. "Come clean," she begins. "Who are you?"
"I think you already know. But if you really want to know, I'll tell you."
She bites her lip and contemplates for a moment. She speaks. "Go on. You were going to explain something to me."
He snaps his fingers as if he suddenly remembers. "Ah, yes! There are two angels as you can see."
She sees the angels again. It was almost as if for a moment, she forgot she saw them the first time around.
"You will forget the angels every time you look away from them," he replies. "They are only meant to be your guide."
"My guide?"
He nods.
"For what?"
"Well," he gently strokes his beard. "That's your decision to make. Either way, they both lead to the same place. One is just a longer journey than the other."
"Am I in heaven?" Darling asks.
He gives a contemplative face. "Eh, more or less," he answers. "But we really call them realms. Right now, you are in the realm where good souls stay until you're ready to be reborn."
"That means," Darling almost dares not say the words, but manages to anyway. "I'm dead?"
"Only the shell, dear," Jonah replies. As to quote Thomas Hobbes: 'The disembodied spirit is immortal; there is nothing of it that can grow old or die. But the embodied spirit sees death on the horizon as soon as the day dawns.'."
"Oh," she replies. "And what about my loved ones?"
"You can watch over them anytime you like," he answers. "I merely give you a choice of which path you choose: The long one, or the short one."
"What's the long one?"
"Well this one," Jonah points to the angel on the right. "She will take you to a different life. It will be like you're reliving your life all over again, but it will be in a different situation. Either way, you're still meant to be with us on this very day."
"And the other?"
"The other one will lead you to the life you've always known. In both worlds, you can watch your family without you. One version may never know you while the other one does. Either way, you'll still be back here, watching over them."
"So, you're telling me I had a different life in another," she pauses at the thought for a moment. "Realm?"
"That is correct," he replies. "There is a parallel universe. You can choose what you want to see."
"I see," Darling replies.
She bites down on her lip to think about this. Is she even remotely curious how her life could have been in a parallel universe? And what if my life was no good there? All these questions flooded her mind.
A few moments passed and she speaks. "I've made my decision."
"Are you sure?" Jonah asks. "Once you go down that path, there is no going back."
"I'm sure," Darling answers. "What do I have to do?"
"Just stand in front of the angel of your choice, and close your eyes. The angel will touch you, and you will arrive at your destination."
Darling sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She walks over to the angel, and closes her eyes.
She blinked, and is now exactly where she wants to be.
Written 8/31/15, Monday by ©Diana Jillian
THIS STORY IS DEDICATED TO DEBORAH. I MISS YOU, BUT I KNOW YOU'LL NEVER BE FAR AWAY.
I HAVE NO GUESSES. I'M IN NUMB MODE. I CAN'T THINK STRAIGHT!!! SORRY IN ADVANCE.
~~DJ
Prose, Short Story, Dedication,
