Waking Up In Heaven

I open my eyes and the light is blinding, like staring into the sun at high noon. I squeeze my eyes shut, and wait for them to adjust. It takes a long time.

When I can finally look around again, I realize I’m in a hospital bed. Strapped down like I was about to be fried on some ancient electric chair. The room is a pristine palace of sanitation, everything white and scrubbed, disinfected and shimmering. It makes me sick.

“So glad you could finally join us, Mr. Fenix.”

What the – “Who’s there?” I jerk my head to the right, and everything starts spinning, but I can make out the form of a white-haired man in a suit sitting in a chair. “Who are you?” I croak.

“My name is Henry LeCerc. You may know me as one of the twelve directors of CyberCorp. As a gesture of goodwill, I’ve had your . . . numerous bullet wounds repaired to the best of modern medical science.”

“Why the hell would you do that? Your enforcers shot me.”

“My enforcers are not me, Mr. Fenix. I am a man of great faith, and I wanted you to be around to see the Awakening.”

“What the hell is the Awakening?”

“You will know soon enough.” He looks down at his watch. “Hm. Very soon, it seems.”

“What?”

He smiles. Like a wolf.

“What?”

And then the ceiling peels back like a linen curtain to reveal the most vividly blue sky ever seen on earth. Pinpricks of white light all over the sky suddenly burst into mini explosions, out of which soar glowing white angels. The sky writhes with the mass of angels flying loops around each other. One of them floats down to the hospital room, his luminescent white robes billowing in the breeze. A gentle wind washes over me from the angel’s wings, bringing with it the scent of spring flowers and new life.

“Jack Fenix,” the angel says, hovering over my bed. “It is time to rise.” His voice is melodic, sweet and whimsical, yet forceful at the same time.

“Oh, okay,” I manage to stammer out.

The straps binding me to the bed unravel and disintegrate, and I slowly stand up on the bed.

“Good.” The angel beckons to me once, and I float into the air, flying up, up, above the city, above everything I used to care about. It all seems so trivial now. I’m going somewhere glorious.

“Welcome to Heaven.” The angels voice rings like a silver church bell in my ear.

End.

Try Again.