As soon as Dirk mentions something about an ambulance, your world goes dark. All the pain in your body ceases. And then you see it. The fabled light everyone talks about. It is clear and peaceful. As you walk along a path, you dimly hear people telling you to stay with them. Their voices sound familiar, but they are so distant.
As the voices fade, you see a figure sitting on a log. He is dressed in camping gear, and there is a cooler next to him. As the image becomes more stable, you realize who it is.
“Grandpa?” You call out to him. “Grandpa, is that you?”
Now that you recognize who the figure is, you realize where you are. You are by the lake that your family used to camp on during the summer. That is until last year, when your grandfather passed. You can see his old army tent all set up. He’s got a fire going and there are two fishing poles with lines out in the water.
“Yes, , it’s me. Come sit for a while. I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.” He tells you. He reaches down into the cooler and pulls out a beer. He opens it and takes a sip. “Ahhh, nothing like a cold beer while you’re fishing with your grandson.”
You peek in the cooler. He left it open and you can see another beer inside. This seems odd to you, as that cooler was ALWAYS full. You aren’t too sure, but you think you’re in Heaven. You always figured it would be full of angels and clouds and boring stuff like that. But this isn’t too bad. That’s when your grandfather sees you looking at the beer.
“I’d offer you one, but yours isn’t cold yet.” He says to you. Now it all seems clear. He died just before your twenty-first birthday. You were so upset that you were never able to share a beer with him at the lake. You cannot help but ask the obvious.
“Is this Heaven Grandpa?” You ask him.
“Yep. Sure is. At least for you it is.” His answer reassures you as you feel a sharp twinge in your body. He looks over your shoulder, like something is going on behind you. “Or at least it will be. I miss you so much but now is not your time. Come back in about sixty years or so. Your beer should be cold by then.”
You feel another twinge and your vision begins to fade. First the lake disappears, then the fire and the tent. Then the fishing poles. You take one last look at your grandfather and you can see him smiling at you. As he starts to disappear, he gives you a parting message.
“Take care of that girl son, she’s one in a million!!!” With that he vanishes. A third twinge causes your eyes to open slightly.
“Grandpa?” You whisper.
“HOLY SHIT!!! !!! He’s back!!! THANK FUCK!!!” You hear Alicia shout as she holds back tears.
“Where’s ?” You ask in a barely audible voice.
“She’s behind us in Scott’s car. You’re in an ambulance, you’re hurt pretty bad. You crashed through a glass table. We thought we lost you there buddy. It’s a good thing you came back to us. I’d have to kill you if you died and left that girl all alone.” All of a sudden, things go numb again and you get worried.
“Why can’t I feel anything?” You ask her.
“We just shot you full of pain killers. You’re still bleeding, but it’s going to be okay.” She reassures you. "We're taking good care of you!!!"
The next few hours are a bit of a blur. You are not sure how much time has passed since you crashed through the table. But eventually, all thoughts of this cease as you drift off to sleep.
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