Forever Early

Rick finally collapsed onto his cot. He slept for nearly twenty hours. Right before he awoke, he felt himself floating away from his body. After a journey in which time has no meaning, he found himself hovering above a highway paved with gold. There were clouds but no sun or stars or moon in the royal purple sky. The golden highway ran next to a mile-wide river of crystal clear water. He had never known water so clean; huge fish could easily be seen cavorting from the shallows to the depths. The clouds in the sky, river bank, fish, as well as the beautiful trees lining the road, the grass, flowers, rocks, and birds each gave off their own light as if they were filled with stars.

Down the highway was an ugly black mist. Rick watched a girl with a sad expression walk out of the black mist. He did not recognize the girl, but at the same time was sure that he knew her. The girl stopped and gave one quick look back into the mist. She shivered then turned and walked on up the golden highway.

Rick rooted for the girl to be happy, to forget the ugly black mist from where she had emerged. Hovering above her, he followed until she stopped to stare at a pair of tawny animals lying together beside the highway. A big male cougar lay with his front leg over a spotted fawn. At first Rick was appalled, wanted the girl to dash away. But she knelt down and petted both creatures. She sprang up from the friendly animals with an astonished smile. Joyfully, she dashed up the golden highway. Rick followed above her, shared in her happiness as she found she could run up tall hills and rock climb sheer cliffs without tiring.