The Wish

Another Story by Vikki Anderson

I couldn’t believe it. There really are Pearly Gates; wouldn’t my brother be surprised?  He always said, “When you are dead, you’re dead.”  Why they are called the Pearly Gates, I am unsure; however, there I was; won’t s just standing before them with a ticket in my hand waiting on a very long line, just like at the delicatessen. I wondered if we would get a sandwich when our number was called.

I looked around the sea of unfamiliar faces and noticed that we were all singing or humming and very pleasant to one another even though it seemed as if eons were passing before reaching the entrance into Heaven.

How I got here was a little bit fuzzy. I remember being in the hospital room, but how did I get there? Why was I there? I had to think.

The dog! Yes, I remember now. I let the dog out on his lead chain at midnight on Christmas Day Night. I had Christmas Dinner at my house for 16 people and I left dishes out because I just didn’t have much energy left after dinner. It was snowing and between the wind and the snow, I walked down the deck steps carefully and clipped the dog’s collar to the chain. I turned, slipped and smashed my face right onto the cement patio. Talk about seeing stars! I never knew what it meant before, but now I knew. It seemed as if my head was ripped open. I got up and grabbed my bleeding face. I grabbed the dog and let him free of the chain and that was all I could remember. Then I remember the hospital.

It seemed like a dream. Was I really here in Heaven? This must be another one of those lucid dreams I used to have, but I’ll play along. I mean, it should be fun. Maybe I was embarking on yet another astral projection.

I noticed the most glorious angel voices singing and welcoming us to their plane of existence. It sounded as if a harpsichord was playing although the woman next to me said it was a violin. The man behind her said it was a flute. I assumed that we all heard what we thought was beautiful and peaceful and just enjoyed the music in our own way.

I held ticket 99999. How odd. In life, I was a 9 and in Heaven, I am 9 five times over. Would this ending number follow me around throughout all of my lives in the universe?

I was greeted by a beautiful angel who motioned that I go with her. We walked together for a few moments and wound up in a spacious room which almost instantaneously turned into my home. I felt so comfortable there.

“This is your favorite room, isn’t it?”

“Yes, my fairy room.”

She smiled. “So, what have you done with your life?”

“My whole life? Do you have a few hours?”

“We have an eternity.”

“Oh, of course. What have I done? I helped a lot of people. I was a metaphysics teacher, writer, and lecturer. I was able to give back to so many who could not afford my services. I gave hope to many who had little, and gave optimistic choices to others who were confused and frightened.”

“You have helped many.”

“Yes, and they really did need me, more than I had hoped, but that was the path I had chosen.”

“Yes, it was your choice.”

“Oh, I’m not complaining. I just wish my life wasn’t so hard.”

“In what way?”

“In every way. Every time I had a good thing happen to me, there was a bad thing to cancel it out.”

“Yes, you had picked a difficult path.”

“I picked? I keep hearing about a contract, which I’m not so sure I believe in, but I wonder is there a contract that I signed before reincarnating?”

“Yes.” Magically a copy appeared and she handed it to me.

I looked it over methodically and carefully. “I contracted to lose my first child? Then be married to a psychotic husband. Wow, I even contracted for my best friend of 30 years to abandon me and move down south? What was I thinking? I contracted for a second husband, that controlling bastard. Oh, can I say bastard up here?” I laughed. “I actually contracted to raise my daughter all alone?” I looked at her, “Why would I do this? Who makes up these contracts anyway?”

“Why, you did.”

“Why would I do that?”

“For the apparent lessons you would learn from each experience.”

“Experience? Being a single mom, struggling and having to eat at my parents’ home for two years after my daughter was born – why wouldn’t I make money an issue in this lifetime? Why would I pick the wrong husbands and by the way, I was still fighting for the $67,000.00 husband number one owed my daughter. She could use it for her college loans – she is a triple major; you know and now has five degrees and finishing up her Ph.D. and could use the money.  And I hope she gets it.”

“Yes, I know and she will get the money owed her.”

“How is my daughter?”

“She is well. She is the one who found you that morning. You were nearly frozen to death and she called the ambulance.”

“Was it her laundry day?” I laughed.

The angel looked at me with smiling eyes.

“Well you know she only visits when she has to do laundry and she only stays a few minutes.”

“It seems that way, but you do know she loves you very much.”

“I wish she would have shown me more.”

“And she wishes the same.”

“Will she have children?”

“Yes, she will have a lovely boy named Liam and a baby girl some years later.”

“Will I be able to see them?”

“Yes, you can visit whenever you like before you incarnate into your next life, even after that you can always be around them if you wish.”

“You know, I wised up down on earth. I worked for a lawyer for over 30 years and I am not going to sign another contract. Obviously, I make poor choices.”

“We must make the necessary choices.”

“I am so tired of choices and what’s with free will? It just gets us into trouble.”

“It is a gift that God bestows upon his creations.”

“I don’t want the gift any longer.”

“It is not yours to throw away.”

“I know that it is a gift and I appreciated it; however, if you look at my life you will see I made so many wrong decisions even though I thought I was doing the right thing at the time. I married twice when what I really wanted was to be left alone so I could meditate, write and teach.”

“You can do that again.”

“Please don’t ask me to make any choices. I can’t make another choice.”

“You will not have to do anything for now but rest and look around Heaven and get comfortable. If you go through that door, you will be bathed in the white light and you will learn many things instantly, like the meaning of life, your purpose in the scope of the universe and things you’ve always wondered about.”

“Maybe I should take notes.”

“Walk through the door, child. Welcome,” and within a moment, the beautiful angel had disappeared.

I wondered if I had been cremated, but I knew my sister would take care of all of the mundane responsibilities associated with a will. God, I hope they found it. My house was such a mess. I hoped they had found all of the paperwork that I meant to put in my safety deposit box, but were scattered throughout my office. I supposed they would have to make the best of it. Would my daughter keep the house just like she always wanted? The yard was very big and I’m sure would be a safe haven for her future children. Brinkley! Where was he? Who would take care of him? I hope he was healthy after being left in the snow all night. Look where it got me? So many disconnected thoughts ran through my mind.

I walked through the door as instructed and felt unconditional love and compassion. I was content and happy and the last incarnation didn’t mean as much to me as I thought it would. I accepted it as fact and wanted to move on past that.

The beautiful garden ahead of me was filled with the most fragrant of flowers. Purple Irises filled most of the garden. Funny, it was my favorite flower and here it is in Heaven.

I heard a faint dog’s bark in the distance and noticed a black and white dog running towards me. As it got closer to me, I realized it was my beloved Teddy that I had to put down several years before. He licked my hand and jumped on me and I hugged him so much as my eyes overflowed with tears. “Teddy! You’re here. Come on, boy, let’s see where we are supposed to go.”

We walked for some time; however, I couldn’t be sure how long since there doesn’t seem to be a clock or a watch anywhere. Now I really know what sidereal time means – star time – Heaven time – eternity – all the same time – the present, the Eternal Now.

I walked through a lovely town of gold and looked at the unique structures and paths. I noticed that all the residents were happy, seemed healthy and were all wearing white togas similar to those of Greece on earth in an earlier period. As I looked at myself, I too was wearing a toga and looked quite smart in it. I was a perfect size 7 here as I was in my younger days. I bet I could eat all I want up here and never gain another ounce. Heaven seemed all that I thought it would be.

There was a welcoming party that evening and I had met some of the people from the line earlier in the day. The food was delicious – everything seemed more delicious than normal, the drinks, the food – even the air smelled fresher and what a delight to learn that no one smoked in Heaven. All of Heaven was a smoke-free zone – thank God! I think I will.

We were all taken back to our homes to rest and acclimate ourselves to our new surroundings.

The next morning, I was again with the angel whom I had met the day before.

“You will not be here long.”

“No? Where am I going?”

“You must reincarnate soon.”

“I just got here. Can’t I rest a bit? That’s the matter with my life too. No rest, no time, no fun, just work, work, and work and stress all of the time. Just worrying about other people and always trying to help them. I hardly ever got a thank you, but that was okay, I knew I was doing what I was meant to.”

“You did very well on earth.”

“You must say that to people who have had rough lives to make them feel better.”

“I would never lie.”

“I know you are a very honest soul.  That’s why you get to move on quickly.  Most souls who have led dishonest, brutal, vengeful or hateful lives have to be reeducated and it takes a while for them to reincarnate.”  She cleared her throat.  “What do you think you would like to do in your next lifetime?”

“Do?”

“Do you want adventure, fame, do you want a romantic significant partner who will be with you through the positive and negative times. Do you want to love again? Do you want children? Do you want to be successful? ”

“I don’t want anything.”

“You must choose.”

“My choice is not to choose.”

“So, you do not wish a contract and guidelines to your next life?”

“Nope.”

“You are sure.”

“Yep.”

“Do you wish for me to choose a life for you then?”

“It can’t be any worse than the choices I’ve made for myself.”

“Anything you want me to know before I choose?”

“Yes, please make it a quiet life with no surprises, no betrayals, unconditional love, no money problems or health issues. Health is the thing that always gets you. I want to relax and reflect on the universe and my place in it. I want to be free of worries and cares and not have to make any decisions. I want to just BE.”

“You will have a month to readjust here to your spirit body before reincarnating. Use the time wisely.”

“I will. Will you find me in a month?”

“You will find me,” and with that the etheric angel faded into nothingness.

One Month Later:

“It is time.”

“It’s been so peaceful around here. I will hate to leave it. I love the choir practices every day.”

“Practice makes perfect.”

“Yes, I understand that it does.”

“You are still quite sure you want me to choose your next lifetime.”

“Please.”

“Okay, close your eyes and you will be transported to your new life.”

“Oh wait. What about Teddy?”

“He will be loved and cared for as all the animals are here in Heaven.”

“Thank you for your help.”  I smiled.

“May the Source shine within you today and always.”

“You as well.”

Within moments, I felt different. Going from feeling light and feathery to feeling heavy and solid was not a pleasant experience. I couldn’t seem to move much.

The night was very dark and frigid. I hated the cold, but I would wait until morning to see where I was.

It wasn’t much better in the morning; however, the rising sun was glorious. It looked like a Maxwell Parish sunrise with brilliant splashes of color.

“Am I total consciousness?” I said in a rather low and confused voice.

“Not yet.”

“Who said that?”

“I did.”

I looked around and yet saw nothing but a very strange and eerie landscape. “Where are you?”

“Next to you.”

“I don’t see anything but rocks and mountains.”

“Yes, here I am. I am the large boulder right next to you.”

“You’re a rock?”

“It seems we both are.”

“I’m a rock? What kind of nonsense is this?”

“Oh, it’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad? I’m a rock!”

“You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”

“Is it a good thing?”

“It depends upon your point of view.”

“Where are we? This doesn’t look like Earth.”

“Earth, Heavens no. We’re on the red planet – Mars. It’s peaceful here.”

“Mars?” I took a deep sigh. “I’m the consciousness of a rock and I’m on Mars. What else could go wrong?”

“It’s one of my favorite places to meditate and just be.”

“But it’s cold.”

“Yes, it gets very cold here at night especially in the winter months. I sense it’s approximately 125 degrees below zero.”

“And this is where I get sent. I hate the cold. Where’s a contract when you need one?” I laughed.

“Well, there are other things to do to take your mind off of the cold.”

“Like what?”

“Well, the sunrises, for example, are brilliant.”

“Yes, it is very nice, but what else is there to do?”

“The sunsets are equally beautiful.”

“Sunrise, sunset, got it. What else can a rock do?”

“Do? We don’t do much of anything, but we have plenty of time to contemplate the universe. It is a quiet life with no surprises, no betrayals, unconditional love, no money problems or health issues. You just relax and reflect on the universe and your place in it. You are free of worries and cares and will not have to make any decisions. Here, you can just BE.”

“Oh no.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I asked to be sent here.”

“Did you sign the contract?”

“No, I asked for all of the things you just said and I told my angel to choose a life for me.”

“You must be an exceptional person to be sent here with me.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“I am.”

“I don’t understand. I had a crazy life on Earth, but there were people in my life, I had communication with them and yes, even though things were hard, I did have a life.”

“You have a life here too.”

“I beg your pardon, but what type of life is this?”

“It can be whatever you make it.”

“Well, what do you do here? I know you meditate and contemplate and all that is good and all, but doesn’t it get a trifle bit boring?”

“Boring? No. In the spring algae pop up here and there. That’s new life forming on this planet although the astronauts never land at the right time and believe it’s a lifeless planet.”

“Were there ever people on this planet?”

“Yes, but they’ve all ascended to a higher plane of existence. They live in another dimension of space and time.”

“How do you ascend?”

“It takes patience and practice.”

“I guess I have both now. I can’t believe I’m a rock.”

“You will be fine. You will learn how to accept what is and how to just be. You will look at the beautiful sunrises and sunsets and look forward to them each and every day. You will come to understand yourself in a way you never have before and you will finally let go of everything that has kept you from attracting unconditional love and happiness into your life.”

“It all sounds so wonderful, but I am not as sure as you.”

“Time will help.”

“How long have you been here?”

“A millennium.”

“Is that how long I’m stuck here on this planet?”

“I’m sure you will be onto your next incarnation soon unless you decide to stay here.”

“I’m not sure I want to stay.”

“Give it a try first and then decide. Everything is not always as it seems.”

“Let’s see, what do I have to decide?  If I like being a rock or not?”

The other rock chuckled. “You do have an interesting sense of humor.”

“Well, I guess I would have to, especially now that I am a rock and am talking with another rock.”

“Actually, we are speaking telepathically. Rocks do not have mouths.”

“Right. What was I thinking? Hey, there was rock painting on Earth. Maybe if I can find a can of paint and a brush, I can paint some mouths for us.”

“No brushes, no paint, no people, no nothing except us and the universe.”

“It is so quiet here.”

“Yes.”

“I have a feeling of contentment and inner peace.”

“Yes.”

“I guess it’s not that bad being a rock.”

“No, not at all.”

“I mean, are we really rocks or is our consciousness stuck in a rock.”

“We see ourselves in the manifestation of the rock; otherwise, it would be hard to adjust to the concept of being total consciousness all at once.”

“So, we are ethereal beings without form.”

“Yes, but the rock gives you a place from which to get comfortable with your formlessness.”

“You’ve been very kind and I have been impolite. My name is Victoria, what’s yours?”

“You may know me as Jesus, but others know me as Krishna, Mohammed and Buddha and so many other names on other planets that you would not have heard of as of yet.”

Suddenly everything made sense and I knew I was in the incarnation that would help me achieve some of the things that were missing in my life. “Look, the sun is setting. Isn’t it a beautiful day?”

“Every day is a day to rejoice as is this first day of your new journey towards enlightenment.”

A total sense of peacefulness and inner calm resonated deep within me. I was no longer upset at the path that my angel chose for me. I didn’t sign the notorious contract that I dreaded, but in a way, I had asked her to send me to this place where I could just be.

We both watched the sun slowly set behind the mountains turning the sky into a fiery red, so unlike Earth. As it slowly faded into nothingness, a portion of the Earth hung in the night sky like a crystal hanging from a clear glass window giving me a sense of eternity and universal peace.

Jesus and I became silent and meditated and contemplated the universe and our place in it and looked forward to tomorrow’s sunrise.

***

The Wish© is an original story by Vikki Anderson. Copyright © 2006 — 2020 http://www.VikkiAnderson.net.

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