Flames burst from out of the river and a voice called, “Alexander Nyrax! You have been expected.” It sounded like many voices in unison. The voice of many waters from the Bible,thought Alex. So then it was true. He had died and now he didn’t know where he was. Was this hell, Hades, Sheol, or the river Styx?

Alex mustered the courage to ask, “By whom?”

Deafening laughter erupted from the flames and when it subsided, the voice said, “You will be taken by the Boatman. He is to tell you all you need to know before you meet the One.”

“The One? Do you mean God?”

“That who is called by many names and is one. Some call him God, some call him Allah, or Elohim, or the One, the Universe, the Creator.”

“He is expecting me?” Alex asked.

“Yes.” The voice and fire died down. The mist thickened around Alex. He stood with his feet planted firmly on the ground and waited for it to dissipate, but the mist coalesced and engulfed him. After a few moments, the mist cleared and he could make out a boat with a dark figure floating along the water towards him. The figure wore a cloak and held an oar in both arms. He seemed to be the very manifestation of death; the Boatman.

“Come,” said the Boatman.

Alex did as he commanded and stepped into the boat. He sat down and looked at the figure with an innocent expression. The boat slowly and steadily traveled upstream. Along the way, deathly sounds echoed in the air. There was no light, only gray. To his left and right, he saw figures aimlessly walking up and down.

The boat entered one of three caves. A holy white light emanated from it. When the boat was fully immersed in this light, Alex felt a sense of peace, joy, and complete surrender. He smiled and his eyes brightened and shone with the luster of a thousand suns. He looked at his body. Instead of a shirt and denim jeans, he now wore a long white robe. He remembered the book of Revelations and realized the things that John at Patmos had said about his visit to heaven must have been true.

“Unbelievable,” Alex tried to say, but no words came out. He realized telepathy was a means of communication. So many different fragrances were in the air, in the atmosphere. There were aromas of exotic flowers and perfumes. He felt invigorated. He seemed more alive than dead now. I must be in heaven,he realized. His body and hair were anointed with fragrant oils and perfumes. Even the boatman who had worn a long dark cloak had changed his appearance. His cloak transformed to a completely white luminescence and shone with a blinding patina.

“Now,” said a voice, “You look fit to meet the God of gods, King of kings, and the Lord of Hosts!”

The boat no longer floated on water but on air. Everywhere lights, colors and glimmering stars shone brighter than anything Alex had ever seen. His eyesight was not affected by the brightness; it was as though he could see things unimagined. He heard rolling waves, soft thunder, and the distinct humming sound he had heard when drinking blood. He heard soft bells and voices singing in a choir. This must have been the choir of angels singing everlasting praise to God. As they came closer to God, the sounds and the smells became more distinctive. Color and light transformed into a mosaic of rainbows. There were no words to describe it.

The boat slowed down and gradually halted to a complete stop. In front of them was a double-gate of immeasurable proportions. It was infinitely high, and stretched down beyond Alex’s vision. There were seven rods on each gate. The voice said something indistinguishable and they opened up. The boat did not move any further. The Boatman gestured for Alex to step out.

Alex stepped into the light. There was no boundary and no horizon, only the bright white glow. Alex felt disoriented at first, but once he walked to the other side, watching as the boat left and vanished slowly from his sight, he got the hang of it. As he walked on, his anxieties dissipated. From the midst of the light, a figure appeared and said, “Think and it shall be done.”

“What?”

“Realize yourself, young one. You must embrace the truth.”

“What do you mean?”

“The only way you can get to the one, to the truth, is to think and meditate upon it and you shall be transported there.” The figure repeated, “Think and it shall be done.” It faded away into the light.

It sounded simple enough, and so Alex concentrated on being in the throne room of God. But every time he tried, he was bombarded with images that he did not want to see. So there’s a catch to it,he thought. It’s like meditation.If he could keep his mind firm and concentrated on the thought of God long enough, he would reach the throne. He tried three more times to concentrate his mind. Each time he failed.

Why wasn’t it working? There was enough silence and solitude to attain a perfect state of concentration. Wait! That was it. He was concentrating too much on the exterior. It was simple. There was no effort needed. He needed to simplify his thoughts. There was no need for ritual or standards or anything else. It was complete surrender, simple surrender, and faith.

He closed his eyes, breathed out slowly and thought only of God as he used to at the Monolith. He felt himself melt away into the stars. Suddenly he was connected to every proton, neutron, atom and quark.

He felt as large as the Universe itself, and yet infinitesimally small. He was not Alex. He owned no body, mind, soul, or spirit. He was everything and everyone. He realized nothing mattered. When he opened his eyes slowly he saw what he had been waiting for since time began:

God.

At eight o’clock, Richard and John entered Jarad’s room. The patient followed their movements from his bed. “How are you feeling?” John asked. They sat on the chairs near his bed, while Jarad sat upright so he could have his breakfast. He sipped his orange juice, ignoring them.

John and Richard looked at each other across the bed. Jarad cut into his sausages ferociously, put a rather large bite into his mouth and greedily chewed on it.

John and Richard said nothing for the next two minutes, while Jarad continued to stuff himself. The silence was extremely uncomfortable.

“Can’t you see that I’m busy?” Jarad said. He finished his breakfast and gulped down his juice.

“We wanted to see how you were,” said John.

“I’m doing just fine, thanks,” Jarad said, his voice muffled by the napkin he used to wipe the crumbs from his mustache.

“We have a proposal for you, my old friend,” said John.

At the mention of “friend,” Jarad burst out laughing. “Friend! What the hell is that?”

“Now you’re just being unreasonable. Remember, you started this.” Jarad was about to speak, but John raised his palm. “I’m not saying I am better than you Jarad. You and I are the same. The only difference is...” he gave a wicked smile, “I succeeded where you failed. And the reason for that is because I have good intentions.”

“Whatever problems there are you know I would have overcome them.”

“And you still can,” said Richard, preparing some coffee for all three of them.

“What?” asked Jarad, confused and keen to know more.

“That’s right; but under one condition.”

“You know it’s inevitable, Jarad,” John said, sipping his coffee. “This war was always going to happen, whether there was a prophecy or not.”

“Oh, I get it!” Jarad said sourly. “You want me to lead the battalions.”

John nodded.

“I’m retired, you know that,” Jarad said.

“Look, I’m offering you life or death; choose life for your own sake. Please.”

“Please?” Jarad raised one eyebrow in feigned astonishment.

Richard said, “Jarad, we are literally offering you life. If you join us in this war, things will be different for you and for the others.”

“In fact,” said John, “with my help, you may still have enough credibility to be part of the executive branch.”