DanWebb89
09-15-2010, 02:53 PM
They say that when you are on the brink of death, your whole life will flash before your eyes. You will see the defining moments throughout the many years you have lived. Moments that made you who you are and how you came to be at this point in time. Your greatest achievements will be relived. Each instant where you made someone, or even yourself proud and happy will be reflected upon. So will the lowest moments, when the world seemed to be closing in around you. Each regret will be felt as if it had just happened for the first time. They say that every single person that you have loved will once again be close to you. And again you will feel the cold anger of each person that you have hated and despised.
An old man lay upon a hospital bed. Death was coming for him. He knew this. His family knew it, all of whom were sat beside him, waiting for the dreaded final moments of his life.
The man lay there, staring at the ceiling. He believed that his life would flash before his eyes, but it never came. He desperately clung onto the last thread of his being, waiting and hoping for the replay that didn't seem to be coming. He didn't say a word. His family said nothing either, both too scared to mention what was going to happen any moment now.
The man didn't think about his past, he did what all people do their entire lives. He started looking to the future. Fear started to grip him. What was going to happen to him once his life exited his body? Over the many years he had lived, many suggestions had come upon him, various theories and some bizarre claims. All along his journey, he had brushed them aside – knowing that it didn't matter at that point in time. But now it did matter, his life had caught up with him... and he was going to pass away.
Would death be a journey as some claimed it would be? Or would death be the end for good?
He started to wonder about the concept of reincarnation. A strange belief, but one drench in ideas and possibilities. Is it too much to think, that he would close his eyes, and then open them again in a completely new body?
The man was now a bird. His strong and graceful wings flapping alongside his long and slender body. He was a bald eagle. The man couldn't believe what he was seeing; he was higher than he had been in his entire life, higher than he had ever dreamed about being. Below him was a magnificent coastline. The wind gliding through the separate feathers on his body was exhilarating in a way that he had never thought possible.
With another flap of his huge wings, the man started to fly even higher. The clouds passed over him like a mist and he seemed to be at a perfect balance between the Earth below and the Space above him. The air was cold but refreshing. The light was getting darker, yet it was soothing.
Then, with a sudden thought, the man closed his wings are broke into a dive. In all his life, he had never experienced such a rush. The speed, the velocity – all of it was greater than he knew possible. In that moment, he realised how being human is such a restriction, and how animals all succeed in the freedom that we fight for.
Passing through the clouds, he did not flinch. The ground below him was but a blur. The coastline was approaching fast, and he was showing no signs of stopping. He could see tremendous waves crashing violently against the sheer cliffs. He could see the blades of grass in the fields swaying gently in the morning wind. He could smell the plants below, and the salt in the sea.
The man was going to hit the floor. Just ten metres off the ground, he opened his wings again. A roar of air engulfed them, pushing at him like a parachute. His descent had stopped as quickly as it had begun. The man now soared gently over the cliff line, ecstatic at the experience he had just been through.
In the hospital room, the heart beat monitor began to slow. Fully aware of where he was again, the man tried to picture the eagle once more. But it was gone. He couldn't imagine the wind and the spray of the sea, all he could see was the white tiles on the ceiling above his bed.
The man started to worry. Reincarnation seemed like such a wonderful thing, but was it even possible? Could it be true that our spirit will live on in something else?
The man was now in a jungle. No longer was he soaring high above the seas and woodlands below. He seemed to be on what could only be described as a large tree trunk. He looked around, curious at his new form. A massive tropical jungle surrounded him, making him seem tiny and insignificant. Drops of water dripped off every single leaf in sight, making a beautiful shower of sparking light everywhere.
The man attempted to move forward, he did so with a surprise. Legs did not take steps for him. His body seemed to wriggle and slide ahead. What a strange feeling. He carried on, moving slowly but surely down the huge piece of wood. The man continued to look around, still confused – but accepting what has happened, has happened. Ahead of him now was a huge and massive leaf. It seemed like the greenest leaf he had ever seen. It looked... delicious. His slide became faster as he crawled up next to it.
Its smell was intoxicating. It just looked so good. To the man's surprise, he bent forwards and started eating it. It filled his mouth with new and exotic flavours. Each bite seemed to be better than the last. A huge bead of water ran down the spine of the leaf. As it passed him, he saw his reflection in the dew for what he really was. A caterpillar. The man had woken up... as a caterpillar? He pondered over this strange decision for a while; it didn't stop him munching at the wonderful leaf though. He realised that he wasn't' on a tree trunk... he was on a branch. He was just a tiny insect in an enormous world.
After a short while of eating and thinking, the whole leaf has gone. It wasn't enough – the man needed more. Wriggling ahead, he saw what looked like another fantastic leaf. If the caterpillar could drool – it would. It slid towards the new leaf with purpose in its heart. As soon as it touched the leaf though, something awful happened. The giant leaf turned around. The man cried out in horror. A monster was in front of him. Its teeth were terrifying; its claws were the scariest thing he had ever seen. He tried to turn and run as fast as he could, but every movement was restricted. As fast as he wanted to go, it was never enough. Pain shot through his back as the huge predator insect dug its fangs into his skin.
In the hospital, the man opened his eyes again. His ears were ringing. It seemed like a bomb had just gone off next to him and he was still in a state of shock. The man next to his bed leaned forward and looked at his Father, trembling. If only there was something he could do to ease the passing.
The old man was still terrified over the vision he had just had. What if death was a bad thing? What if all the horror stories he heard about the afterlife were true?
The man suddenly was stood next to his body. He looked down at himself, and the family sat next to him. What a strange, out of body experience this was... literally. He held out his old and wrinkled hands, they didn’t seem quite there. It was difficult to comprehend, the glow of a person’s soul, simply wasn’t there any longer. He couldn’t feel his heart beating. There was no blood being pumped through his body. In a slight panic, the man reached forward to put his shaking hand on his son's shoulder. To his surprise, the strangest thing happened. The old man's hand travelled straight through his son. The strange hand had shifted in form, and became a light mist. Swirling light that you could see but wasn't really there. He had become a ghost.
The old man took a single step back in a mild panic, and everything went dark. He felt no pain – he felt nothing. He stood still for the longest moment, trying to figure in his head where the single step backwards had taken him. There were no answers; everything was a mystery at this point. With a deep breath, the man slowly moved his body and took another step away. Light filled his vision again; ahead of him was his answer. A wall. He must have travelled through the very fabric of the hospital. He turned slowly to see what was behind him. He stood in the busy hospital corridor. Doctors, Nurses and other medical staff walked up and down the straight path, always seeming in a rush. A few patients cautiously negotiated through the busy crowds of staff.
His weak eyes couldn’t quite believe what was going on, but he knew that he couldn’t stay stationary forever. His still legs began to move forward at a slow and cautious pace. He wandered down the corridor, hoping that someone would notice him. But no one did. He stuck out his hand to stop a Doctor, but his hand glided through the person like it had never been solid at all. The old man stopped in the middle of the corridor, he began to sob. Scared, lonely and confused. People walked through him in all directions. The man needed to go back to his room, perhaps he could reach out to his family. If people believed in ghosts, there must be some way to establish contact.
He turned, and immediately stopped. In front of him – something was looking at him. He had never seen anything like it. It was a dark figure. It stood ten feet tall, and wore a cloak of pure black that draped over its entire body. With a startling realisation, the man knew that he was facing death. Slowly, the reaper in front of him began to raise its left arm. A skeletal hand, covered in rotting flesh and loose skin pointed directly at him.
Surely this wasn’t real. He had to wake up. It was another fantasy, it had to be. Death couldn’t take him in this way. The man turned on the spot, and began to walk the other direction. He wished that he could move faster, but his joints simply wouldn’t let him. He didn’t turn around, but could hear footsteps following him. Each one was a click and scrape. It wasn’t the sound of a shoe; it was like a bone being forcefully scraped across the ground beneath him.
In his haste, the man tripped. For what seemed like a lifetime, he watched the floor getting closer to his face. He reached out his hands and braced for the impact. But he didn’t feel anything. Opening his eyes again, he realised that he was half above the ground, and half inside it. His ghostly body had absorbed the impact, and given him another chance. But it was too late. He felt a cold and hard set of fingers grab onto the back of his clothing and pull him round. The old man whimpered as he looked upwards, the reapers face was staring back at him. Loose skin was draped like a cloth over a skull with teeth as sharp as daggers. This was the end.
The man cried out for help one last time as the creature leaned in and consumed the man with its cloak.
And then, there was darkness...
The man was still aware of where he was. But he was nowhere.
The old man looked around. There was black. Just... black Darkness had consumed him. There was nothing. No light. No sound. He could no longer feel. There wasn’t a single smell in the air. There was no air. Everything was just gone. Was this death? Was this the point in which ones life will end up? It was like a prison. It was worse than a prison. It was nothing. And the man was trapped... forever. What could be more final than death?
The man’s heart began to slow down in his chest. His lungs began to feel tighter. He was back in the hospital bed. His life was still clinging on, terrified of the final blink of his eyes. His family were still beside him, holding each other’s hands softly. If only he could reach out to them, let them know how he is feeling... but his body was simply too weak. His mouth was becoming increasingly dry. It felt like his body was shutting down section by section. It wouldn’t be too long until his brain turned off, and death would reveal its great mystery.
The old man never considered himself to be religious. He had never gone to church regularly, and he didn’t pray by his bed every night. With this thought, a new vision began to flood his senses. If God does exist... what did he have planned for the old man’s death? The man gave in and closed his eyes, hoping that they would open again.
The man opened his eyes and pure light almost blinded him. He was stood on a cloud. A white robe was wrapped around his body. Ahead of him was a wonderful sight. He had always wanted to believe in it, but was always too cynical to really try. It was a white gate, made of pearls. Each one glistened from the amazing rays shining in every direction. Was this heaven? Could it really be true?
Ahead of him was a table. A man with a thick white beard sat behind him. He smiled at the old man, beckoning him to come over. The man did so. His joints suddenly didn’t feel so stiff. All the weaknesses in his body had been replaced with strength. With this wonderful revelation, his walk almost transformed into a strut. Perhaps death could be a good thing. Could death give him new life? He stopped in front of the desk. Before he had a chance to speak, the bearded figure held up a finger to shush him. He simply looked up and down the old man, checking him over. It was a surreal and odd feeling to be examined in this way. The old man smiled politely, but the bearded figure didn’t return the favour.... his eyes suddenly expressed a great sadness. Something was wrong. The bearded man sighed and shook his head.
The cloud that the old man was standing on suddenly opened. He began to fall. He let out a scream of utter terror and desperation. All his new strength felt like it was beginning to drain away once more. The wind blowing against his face starting making all his pain return. The air around him was starting to become hot. Fumes started to fill his nostrils. A chill ran down his aching spine, he had a horrible feeling of where he was headed.
The man landed with a thump on solid ground. Pain flooded through his entire system. It felt like every bone in his body had just shattered, and was repairing itself again. With great effort, he got to his feet and let out a sigh. All around was fire. If his previous location was indeed Heaven, there was no doubt in his mind where he was now. There was another set of gates, these ones were spiked and on fire. Next to it was another desk, this one was jet black. A bright red figure sat behind it. Massive horns were upon his head, and it appeared that he had hooves. The man gulped. The devilish figure signalled with his finger for the man to come forward. He didn’t want to, but felt inclined to... it felt like someone else was controlling his actions.
The red demon looked up and down him as the bearded man had. His large, crimson nostrils breathed in and out with the fumes of Hell. To his horror, the demon gave the old man a huge, toothy grin. This time it had been correct. It appeared that he finally had a place somewhere in death. The great fiery gates opened, and the man started uncontrollably walking towards them. He couldn’t imagine what was inside, he didn’t want to. He closed his eyes as fire lapped against his saggy skin.
The man didn’t open his eyes back in the safety of his hospital bed. He couldn’t bear to see what lay beyond them. He could hear the sounds of machines beeping gently around him. The thoughts of his death were choking him with fear. There was no guide as to what will happen upon death, no instructions. It could be worse than he had imagined.
But, it could be a journey.
He began to wonder if all the theories were simply stories. Could it be that every idea of death was no more than someone’s imagination? There was so much that was possible, that never seemed able to be. Perhaps he would wake up in a completely new universe. He may not wake as a human, or as an animal. Perhaps death transformed him into something beyond this world.
With a massive force of willpower, the man opened his eyes in the hospital room. His family looked back at him with a certain manner of surprise, almost like they thought the end had come already. With all his strength, he gave them a slight smile. His son smiled back at him, and a tear rolled down his cheek.
The man closed his eyes again. He felt his body powering down.
Then, as promised, something amazing happened. His life flashed before his eyes – and it was wonderful.
His family sobbed into each other’s arms as the heart rate monitor let out a squeal that filled the quiet room. The old man was gone.
He had gone on a new journey, death.
THE END
An old man lay upon a hospital bed. Death was coming for him. He knew this. His family knew it, all of whom were sat beside him, waiting for the dreaded final moments of his life.
The man lay there, staring at the ceiling. He believed that his life would flash before his eyes, but it never came. He desperately clung onto the last thread of his being, waiting and hoping for the replay that didn't seem to be coming. He didn't say a word. His family said nothing either, both too scared to mention what was going to happen any moment now.
The man didn't think about his past, he did what all people do their entire lives. He started looking to the future. Fear started to grip him. What was going to happen to him once his life exited his body? Over the many years he had lived, many suggestions had come upon him, various theories and some bizarre claims. All along his journey, he had brushed them aside – knowing that it didn't matter at that point in time. But now it did matter, his life had caught up with him... and he was going to pass away.
Would death be a journey as some claimed it would be? Or would death be the end for good?
He started to wonder about the concept of reincarnation. A strange belief, but one drench in ideas and possibilities. Is it too much to think, that he would close his eyes, and then open them again in a completely new body?
The man was now a bird. His strong and graceful wings flapping alongside his long and slender body. He was a bald eagle. The man couldn't believe what he was seeing; he was higher than he had been in his entire life, higher than he had ever dreamed about being. Below him was a magnificent coastline. The wind gliding through the separate feathers on his body was exhilarating in a way that he had never thought possible.
With another flap of his huge wings, the man started to fly even higher. The clouds passed over him like a mist and he seemed to be at a perfect balance between the Earth below and the Space above him. The air was cold but refreshing. The light was getting darker, yet it was soothing.
Then, with a sudden thought, the man closed his wings are broke into a dive. In all his life, he had never experienced such a rush. The speed, the velocity – all of it was greater than he knew possible. In that moment, he realised how being human is such a restriction, and how animals all succeed in the freedom that we fight for.
Passing through the clouds, he did not flinch. The ground below him was but a blur. The coastline was approaching fast, and he was showing no signs of stopping. He could see tremendous waves crashing violently against the sheer cliffs. He could see the blades of grass in the fields swaying gently in the morning wind. He could smell the plants below, and the salt in the sea.
The man was going to hit the floor. Just ten metres off the ground, he opened his wings again. A roar of air engulfed them, pushing at him like a parachute. His descent had stopped as quickly as it had begun. The man now soared gently over the cliff line, ecstatic at the experience he had just been through.
In the hospital room, the heart beat monitor began to slow. Fully aware of where he was again, the man tried to picture the eagle once more. But it was gone. He couldn't imagine the wind and the spray of the sea, all he could see was the white tiles on the ceiling above his bed.
The man started to worry. Reincarnation seemed like such a wonderful thing, but was it even possible? Could it be true that our spirit will live on in something else?
The man was now in a jungle. No longer was he soaring high above the seas and woodlands below. He seemed to be on what could only be described as a large tree trunk. He looked around, curious at his new form. A massive tropical jungle surrounded him, making him seem tiny and insignificant. Drops of water dripped off every single leaf in sight, making a beautiful shower of sparking light everywhere.
The man attempted to move forward, he did so with a surprise. Legs did not take steps for him. His body seemed to wriggle and slide ahead. What a strange feeling. He carried on, moving slowly but surely down the huge piece of wood. The man continued to look around, still confused – but accepting what has happened, has happened. Ahead of him now was a huge and massive leaf. It seemed like the greenest leaf he had ever seen. It looked... delicious. His slide became faster as he crawled up next to it.
Its smell was intoxicating. It just looked so good. To the man's surprise, he bent forwards and started eating it. It filled his mouth with new and exotic flavours. Each bite seemed to be better than the last. A huge bead of water ran down the spine of the leaf. As it passed him, he saw his reflection in the dew for what he really was. A caterpillar. The man had woken up... as a caterpillar? He pondered over this strange decision for a while; it didn't stop him munching at the wonderful leaf though. He realised that he wasn't' on a tree trunk... he was on a branch. He was just a tiny insect in an enormous world.
After a short while of eating and thinking, the whole leaf has gone. It wasn't enough – the man needed more. Wriggling ahead, he saw what looked like another fantastic leaf. If the caterpillar could drool – it would. It slid towards the new leaf with purpose in its heart. As soon as it touched the leaf though, something awful happened. The giant leaf turned around. The man cried out in horror. A monster was in front of him. Its teeth were terrifying; its claws were the scariest thing he had ever seen. He tried to turn and run as fast as he could, but every movement was restricted. As fast as he wanted to go, it was never enough. Pain shot through his back as the huge predator insect dug its fangs into his skin.
In the hospital, the man opened his eyes again. His ears were ringing. It seemed like a bomb had just gone off next to him and he was still in a state of shock. The man next to his bed leaned forward and looked at his Father, trembling. If only there was something he could do to ease the passing.
The old man was still terrified over the vision he had just had. What if death was a bad thing? What if all the horror stories he heard about the afterlife were true?
The man suddenly was stood next to his body. He looked down at himself, and the family sat next to him. What a strange, out of body experience this was... literally. He held out his old and wrinkled hands, they didn’t seem quite there. It was difficult to comprehend, the glow of a person’s soul, simply wasn’t there any longer. He couldn’t feel his heart beating. There was no blood being pumped through his body. In a slight panic, the man reached forward to put his shaking hand on his son's shoulder. To his surprise, the strangest thing happened. The old man's hand travelled straight through his son. The strange hand had shifted in form, and became a light mist. Swirling light that you could see but wasn't really there. He had become a ghost.
The old man took a single step back in a mild panic, and everything went dark. He felt no pain – he felt nothing. He stood still for the longest moment, trying to figure in his head where the single step backwards had taken him. There were no answers; everything was a mystery at this point. With a deep breath, the man slowly moved his body and took another step away. Light filled his vision again; ahead of him was his answer. A wall. He must have travelled through the very fabric of the hospital. He turned slowly to see what was behind him. He stood in the busy hospital corridor. Doctors, Nurses and other medical staff walked up and down the straight path, always seeming in a rush. A few patients cautiously negotiated through the busy crowds of staff.
His weak eyes couldn’t quite believe what was going on, but he knew that he couldn’t stay stationary forever. His still legs began to move forward at a slow and cautious pace. He wandered down the corridor, hoping that someone would notice him. But no one did. He stuck out his hand to stop a Doctor, but his hand glided through the person like it had never been solid at all. The old man stopped in the middle of the corridor, he began to sob. Scared, lonely and confused. People walked through him in all directions. The man needed to go back to his room, perhaps he could reach out to his family. If people believed in ghosts, there must be some way to establish contact.
He turned, and immediately stopped. In front of him – something was looking at him. He had never seen anything like it. It was a dark figure. It stood ten feet tall, and wore a cloak of pure black that draped over its entire body. With a startling realisation, the man knew that he was facing death. Slowly, the reaper in front of him began to raise its left arm. A skeletal hand, covered in rotting flesh and loose skin pointed directly at him.
Surely this wasn’t real. He had to wake up. It was another fantasy, it had to be. Death couldn’t take him in this way. The man turned on the spot, and began to walk the other direction. He wished that he could move faster, but his joints simply wouldn’t let him. He didn’t turn around, but could hear footsteps following him. Each one was a click and scrape. It wasn’t the sound of a shoe; it was like a bone being forcefully scraped across the ground beneath him.
In his haste, the man tripped. For what seemed like a lifetime, he watched the floor getting closer to his face. He reached out his hands and braced for the impact. But he didn’t feel anything. Opening his eyes again, he realised that he was half above the ground, and half inside it. His ghostly body had absorbed the impact, and given him another chance. But it was too late. He felt a cold and hard set of fingers grab onto the back of his clothing and pull him round. The old man whimpered as he looked upwards, the reapers face was staring back at him. Loose skin was draped like a cloth over a skull with teeth as sharp as daggers. This was the end.
The man cried out for help one last time as the creature leaned in and consumed the man with its cloak.
And then, there was darkness...
The man was still aware of where he was. But he was nowhere.
The old man looked around. There was black. Just... black Darkness had consumed him. There was nothing. No light. No sound. He could no longer feel. There wasn’t a single smell in the air. There was no air. Everything was just gone. Was this death? Was this the point in which ones life will end up? It was like a prison. It was worse than a prison. It was nothing. And the man was trapped... forever. What could be more final than death?
The man’s heart began to slow down in his chest. His lungs began to feel tighter. He was back in the hospital bed. His life was still clinging on, terrified of the final blink of his eyes. His family were still beside him, holding each other’s hands softly. If only he could reach out to them, let them know how he is feeling... but his body was simply too weak. His mouth was becoming increasingly dry. It felt like his body was shutting down section by section. It wouldn’t be too long until his brain turned off, and death would reveal its great mystery.
The old man never considered himself to be religious. He had never gone to church regularly, and he didn’t pray by his bed every night. With this thought, a new vision began to flood his senses. If God does exist... what did he have planned for the old man’s death? The man gave in and closed his eyes, hoping that they would open again.
The man opened his eyes and pure light almost blinded him. He was stood on a cloud. A white robe was wrapped around his body. Ahead of him was a wonderful sight. He had always wanted to believe in it, but was always too cynical to really try. It was a white gate, made of pearls. Each one glistened from the amazing rays shining in every direction. Was this heaven? Could it really be true?
Ahead of him was a table. A man with a thick white beard sat behind him. He smiled at the old man, beckoning him to come over. The man did so. His joints suddenly didn’t feel so stiff. All the weaknesses in his body had been replaced with strength. With this wonderful revelation, his walk almost transformed into a strut. Perhaps death could be a good thing. Could death give him new life? He stopped in front of the desk. Before he had a chance to speak, the bearded figure held up a finger to shush him. He simply looked up and down the old man, checking him over. It was a surreal and odd feeling to be examined in this way. The old man smiled politely, but the bearded figure didn’t return the favour.... his eyes suddenly expressed a great sadness. Something was wrong. The bearded man sighed and shook his head.
The cloud that the old man was standing on suddenly opened. He began to fall. He let out a scream of utter terror and desperation. All his new strength felt like it was beginning to drain away once more. The wind blowing against his face starting making all his pain return. The air around him was starting to become hot. Fumes started to fill his nostrils. A chill ran down his aching spine, he had a horrible feeling of where he was headed.
The man landed with a thump on solid ground. Pain flooded through his entire system. It felt like every bone in his body had just shattered, and was repairing itself again. With great effort, he got to his feet and let out a sigh. All around was fire. If his previous location was indeed Heaven, there was no doubt in his mind where he was now. There was another set of gates, these ones were spiked and on fire. Next to it was another desk, this one was jet black. A bright red figure sat behind it. Massive horns were upon his head, and it appeared that he had hooves. The man gulped. The devilish figure signalled with his finger for the man to come forward. He didn’t want to, but felt inclined to... it felt like someone else was controlling his actions.
The red demon looked up and down him as the bearded man had. His large, crimson nostrils breathed in and out with the fumes of Hell. To his horror, the demon gave the old man a huge, toothy grin. This time it had been correct. It appeared that he finally had a place somewhere in death. The great fiery gates opened, and the man started uncontrollably walking towards them. He couldn’t imagine what was inside, he didn’t want to. He closed his eyes as fire lapped against his saggy skin.
The man didn’t open his eyes back in the safety of his hospital bed. He couldn’t bear to see what lay beyond them. He could hear the sounds of machines beeping gently around him. The thoughts of his death were choking him with fear. There was no guide as to what will happen upon death, no instructions. It could be worse than he had imagined.
But, it could be a journey.
He began to wonder if all the theories were simply stories. Could it be that every idea of death was no more than someone’s imagination? There was so much that was possible, that never seemed able to be. Perhaps he would wake up in a completely new universe. He may not wake as a human, or as an animal. Perhaps death transformed him into something beyond this world.
With a massive force of willpower, the man opened his eyes in the hospital room. His family looked back at him with a certain manner of surprise, almost like they thought the end had come already. With all his strength, he gave them a slight smile. His son smiled back at him, and a tear rolled down his cheek.
The man closed his eyes again. He felt his body powering down.
Then, as promised, something amazing happened. His life flashed before his eyes – and it was wonderful.
His family sobbed into each other’s arms as the heart rate monitor let out a squeal that filled the quiet room. The old man was gone.
He had gone on a new journey, death.
THE END