_______________________
Robert Allen Pfeifer,
36, of Monroe, died
Friday in an accident
on highway 15. He was
killed instantly when
another car crossed in-
to his lane and collid-
ed with his car head
on. He was a music in-
structor at Monroe Cen-
tral High School. He
was also an active mem-
ber of the Elks Club
and Calvary Community
Church.
Survivors include his
wife, Susan Ann Pfeifer
of the home; two sons,
Jeffrey Allen Pfeifer,
age 10, and Joseph Al-
len Pfeifer, age 6; his
father and mother, Carl
Allen Pfeifer and Mary
Jane Pfeifer of Colum-
bia; and his sister,
Sally Swafford of Alex-
andria.
Funeral services will
be Tuesday afternoon at
1 p.m. at Calvary Com-
munity Church with E.J.
Camp officiating. Bur-
ial will follow in the
Monroe Memorial Park
Cemetery under the dir-
ection of Barnes Funer-
al Home of Monroe.
Visitation will be from
2 this afternoon until
8 this evening and from
10 in the morning to 8
Monday evening at the
funeral home.
_______________________
Bob Pfeifer was confused.
Only moments before, he was driving home from a teachers' convention at night. Suddenly, it was as bright as day, and he found himself standing outside in front of what seemed to be a massive marble statue. His initial instinct was to check his watch to see how much time had elapsed, but to his surprise his good $50 watch was missing. Still intent on determining the time of day, he looked up to find the sun, but alas, all he could see was a white haze. Wherever the sun was, the clouds in the sky had refracted the light evenly, so he could not be certain where the sun was. Bob needed some kind of orientation, so he took a few steps back from the statue, so he could at least see that better.
As he stepped back, he realized that the statue was even larger than he had first thought. It had to be at least 70 feet high, and almost as wide. In fact, it wasn't really a statue, but more like a stone wall with high relief carvings on its entirety. Some of the figures in the relief work seemed to stand out completely. In the very center of the wall was a carving of the crucifixion of Christ, and right underneath it was the scene of the resurrection. Surrounding these two scenes were smaller scenes from the life of Christ. Many of them he recognized, such as the healing of a blind man; others he did not.
Bob's first inclination was that he was dreaming. He pinched himself to double-check.
Even though Bob pinched himself quite hard, he didn't feel any pain. It wasn't that his skin was numb, for he sensed the slightest touch. This fact seemed to confirm his dream theory. Unfortunately, that wasn't reassuring, for it meant he had better wake up ASAP because he should be driving his car.
As Bob looked at the wall closely, he saw that it seemed to have a luster that marble couldn't produce. Could it be carved from alabaster? He had never seen an alabaster statue before, so he had nothing to compare this to.
To the left of this wall there was another wall, just as tall, but extending to his left as far as he could see. This wall appeared to be made of green glass, yet is seemed to glow on its own accord. The green wall met the stone wall at an obtuse angle.
There didn't seem to be anything on the right side of the stone wall. Bob decided to go around the other side of the this wall, to see if there was relief work on that side as well.
As Bob came to the right edge of the wall and looked around it, he made two discoveries. First of all, there was another green wall just like the first, extending to his right as far as he could see, but the left edge of the wall stopped abruptly about 20 feet in front of him. It finally occurred to him that this stone wall he was admiring wasn't really a wall at all, but a giant doorway between two green walls. It was as though he were peeping through a door standing ajar, but from the perspective of a mouse.
The other discovery Bob made was music coming from the doorway. Being a music instructor, he was familiar with many different types of music, but this was unlike any he had heard before. The instruments that he could pick out seemed familiar enough. There was definitely a violin section, something that sounded like a piano, and there was a brass sound as well. It was the harmonies that made it unique. He could recognize most of the cords as major or minor cords, or their variations, yet somehow they seemed different, especially the minor cords. Normally, the minor cords have a tinge of sadness to them. Some of the cords he was hearing were certainly minor cords, but it was if someone had surgically removed that tinge from them. Also, the intervals between the notes were unusual. The result was very pleasing, however it was done. The music also was much fuller and richer than even a full orchestra. He could hear high notes that would be out of most peoples' hearing range, as well as bass notes that caused the ground to shake.
Even though the door would be considered ajar from a distance, in fact the opening was a good 20 feet wide, so Bob had room to spare going though the doorway. This turned out to be a good thing, for as Bob was going in, he was met by a woman running past him going out. She had short blond hair, seemed like she was in her twenties, and was wearing a summer dress, but what struck Bob as odd was the her expression. Her face was full of pain, and yet also determination. She obviously was trying to get somewhere, and as fast as possible. She did not speak to Bob, in fact, she didn't even acknowedge his presence, but kept running after she ran out the door. If this was a dream, Bob thought, then she must be the character corresponding to the March Hare from Wonderland, who was always late for something.
Bob was going to look to see where she could possibly be going, but by this time he had gone though the doorway himself, and the sight took his breath away.
There was a yellowish path, about 10 feet wide, leading straight out from the entrance he came in. It went straight out from the gate and into the far distance. To his immediate left and right were flowers gardens with oversized versions of every imaginable flower. The rose blossoms were over a foot in diameter. There were other paths that met with the one main path, but these seemed to twist and meander their way around the sections of the gardens. Walking on these paths were people wearing clothes from many different cultures and eras, ranging from tunics to old western style clothing up to more modern attire. The effect was quite startling. It seemed like actors from 20 different Hollywood movies happened to be on break at the same time.
As Bob started to walk down the main pathway, he found the source of the music. To the right of the path, about 200 yards away, was what appeared to be an orchestra. The director was quite tall, but even so he had to stand on a high platform to see everybody. Instead of wearing a black tuxedo, as Bob would have expected, he was wearing a choir robe. Also, the conductor was not using a baton, but was directing with only his hands. The members of the orchestra were wearing many different types of clothes, so Bob got the impression that this was only a rehearsal and not the actual performance. There was something like a piano in the center of the orchestra, but it was about twice as large, with two people playing it. The other instruments in the orchestra also seemed to be different.
Bob stood there, mesmerized by the music. It was as beautiful as any music he had heard. He mumbled to himself, "If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up."
About this time, the song ended, so Bob figured this would be the perfect time to make his way down the main path for a closer look. As he did so, he heard a voice behind him. Mr. Pfeifer?" Bob turned around. Behind him was a man in a navy blue suit. "You are Bob Pfeifer, aren't you?"
"Yes, that's me."
"My name is Tobias. I have to apologize that our hospitality was a bit tardy. You see, your accident was rather sudden. We weren't aware you would be coming today."
"My accident?"
"Your automobile accident."
Bob tried to think back. He was driving his car just before he got here. He could vaguely remember an oncoming car that he saw cross the median. The headlights of that car blinded him, and then there was a flash of an even brighter light and a very brief split second of sharp pain. For some reason, until now, that final moment had been blocked from his memory.
Bob muttered to himself, "If this is a dream, now would be a real good time to wake up." His mind raced back to Susan. She would be expecting him home by midnight, and she usually stayed up for him. She always got upset it he didn't come home around the time he said. In fact, she was probably worried about him already. "I seemed to have lost my watch," Bob said to Tobias. "Could you tell me what time it is?"
"The time is now."
"Well yes, but I mean the time of day."
"This is not the past, and it is not the future. It is the present. That is all you ever need to know."
At first Bob thought that the man was just being obstinate. But after thinking for a moment, Bob realized that in a way, he was right. It didn't matter what time it was. The fact was, he wouldn't show up at all. He thought about Susan having to raise Jeff and Joey by herself. Bob had made sure that she would be provided for, but even so, it would not be easy. Bob loved them so much, that he didn't want to leave them behind. The thought briefly came to his mind wondering whether he could still go back, but he knew that this was impossible. Still, he would miss them so much.
Bob probably would have stood there for hours, had not the orchestra started up again, capturing his attention. Its sweetness of the music seemed to melt away the sadness he was feeling. Bob was drawn toward the music, partly in curiosity, partly just to hear it better. Because this was an "outdoor concert," Bob was able to move to the side of the orchestra to get a closer look at the instruments.
As he got closer Bob could see some of the instruments were quite different from the ones he was familiar with. He noticed there were instruments that looked like violins, but their shapes were slightly different. In one section he recognized what looked like trumpets, but instead of three or four valves there were six, which had to be fingered with both hands. Bob wondered what possible advantage there would be to have the extra valves. Perhaps that had something to do with the different harmonies he was hearing.
From where he was now standing, Bob could get a closer look at the large, piano-like instrument in the front of the orchestra. The two players had their backs to him so he could clearly see the keyboard, which didn't look anything like a piano keyboard. In fact, it resembled more of a typewriter keyboard, with rows upon rows of keys, each key elliptical. The keys were colored with many different bright colors, which apparently had some purpose in identifying the notes. It was obvious now why it took two people to play it: there were just too many keys for one person to do all of the work.
Tobias had now followed Bob to the side of the orchestra. Bob turned to ask him about the large instrument. "That's a quincentachord. It's called that because it has five hundred strings inside."
"Five hundred strings?"
"Well, four hundred seventy-eight to be precise."
"How many octaves does it have?"
"Well, only nine, but each octave has fifty-three notes."
Bob did some quick calculating in his head. Fifty-three was not a multiple of twelve, which is the number of notes he was used to in an octave. "How can you have the same types of harmonies with fifty-three notes per octave instead of twelve?" Bob asked.
"Actually, the standard harmonies can be reproduced much more accurately using this system. I'm told that mathematically the fifty-three note octave gives the best representation of a perfect fifth --- that's the interval between a C and a G --- over any octave system with less than 200 notes per octave. This system also happens to give superb representations of other harmonies as well, much better than the standard twelve-note octave. The biggest difference is in the minor chords."
"I noticed that the minor chords actually sound sweeter than what I am used to."
"That's the result of these harmonics. Using the twelve-note octave the middle note of the triad is actually two percent off what it should be, even on a perfectly tuned piano. It has to be that way for the major chords to be in tune. On Earth, we probably wouldn't even notice much difference, but we have more acute hearing now, so we can distinguish more notes. "
"But isn't it unwieldy having fifty-three notes per octave?"
"The musicians are extremely talented," answered Tobias.
"The keyboard looks more like a computer keyboard than a piano keyboard," Bob noted.
"Excuse me? A what kind of keyboard?" Tobias asked.
"A computer keyboard. A computer is a machine that's capable of running different programs which are fed into it."
Tobias shook his head slowly. "Must be another one of those crazy gadgets they've invented."
"Something like that," Bob responded.
Bob turned to watch the quincentachord players again. Judging by the way they were pounding on the keyboard, it was apparent that they had been practicing a long time indeed. Their style reminded Bob of a good friend of his, Luke Benson, who was a master pianist.
Luke had been his roommate during the latter part of Bob's college years. Bob's specialty was his vocal music, so naturally Luke accompanied him on many occasions. Luke had died a few years ago, so of course he would be here somewhere. He certainly would appreciate this wonderful music he was hearing. Bob and Luke were each other's best man during their weddings. But unlike Bob's marriage, Luke's was very rocky. When Luke's marriage finally broke up it was Bob who helped him pick up the pieces of his life. Luke often commented on how he envied Bob for finding such a good match for himself. It wasn't long after his divorce that Luke discovered he had cancer. He went through surgery and chemotherapy, which at first seemed to be successful. However, the cancer reappeared in his lymph nodes. At this point there was nothing the doctors could do, and Luke died a few months later, with Bob and Susan at his side.
Just thinking about Luke made Bob want to find him. The two of them could catch up on all of the things that have happened since his death. "Say," Bob asked Tobias, "would you know where I might find someone I knew by the name of Luke Benson?"
"He would be a newcomer," Tobias answered, "and I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with newcomers."
"Well, actually he's been here about five years."
"Like I said, a newcomer."
"Well, do you know how I might be able to find him?"
"Is he a good friend of yours?"
"Yes, in fact he was my best friend for a long time --- until I met my wife."
"If he's here, you'll eventually run into him. In fact, you will most likely find him when you're looking for someone else."
"But isn't there some easier way for me to get hold of him?"
"Well, it's quite possible that he will also be looking for you. That is, if he knows you're here, in which case he may be waiting at your new house."
"My new house? Where would that be?"
"I've got the address right here. I wrote it down for you so you wouldn't forget it." Bob looked at the card Tobias gave him. On it was the inscription, "MMCLXVI, CCXXXII." It didn't look much like an address, but he felt too sheepish to inquire further. "If you need any help finding the place," Tobias added, "just ask anybody. You'll need to head East for a distance, and then head North."
Tobias started him out so that Bob knew which way to go. The only thing Bob wondered was just how far was "a distance."
Bob continued down the street as he had been directed. The music of the orchestra put a rhythm in his step, until the music very slowly started to die away. Then came a point when the music had stopped altogether. Bob figured that the orchestra was just resting between numbers, as they had before. As Bob continued along the path, he observed the different houses. All of the homes he was currently encountering had an oriental style to them. There were ginkgo trees along the sides of the road, complete with their distinctive smell. He noticed, by looking between the homes, that there were very lush gardens in back. He could see a chain of ponds, with a small waterfalls between them. On the surface of the ponds were lotus plants with their brightly colored flowers. The sounds of the waterfalls were all Bob heard at this point. He thought it odd that he wasn't able to hear the orchestra anymore, not even faintly. It had been at least five minutes since they stopped, and their break wasn't nearly that long the last time. Bob turned and looked back towards the orchestra.
The scene took him by surprise. Instead of the orchestra being several blocks away as he expected, it appeared only as a tiny speck on the horizon. The large stone door that he had entered now looked like a single tall building from a city skyline. He could look down on the translucient green wall stretching in either direction from the doorway until his view was blocked by the trees and houses. Looking down was the right terminology, for the road he was traveling on was gradually ascending, although he hadn't noticed it before. It seemed like five minutes ago, ten at the most, that he had heard the music coming from behind him. He couldn't possibly have traveled that far in that amount of time, even if he had been running. But he wasn't running at all --- he was merely going at a leisurely stride. He didn't feel fatigued or even short of breath after this seemingly incredible feat.
Bob turned back uphill. Although the sky was still hazy he could now see a bright spot through the haze just above the horizon straight ahead of him. Bob gathered from this that it must just be the beginning of a new day. In fact, the sun couldn't have risen more than an hour ago, and though it was daylight when he came, to travel that much distance on foot in one hour was incredible.
One thing he did understand from Tobias's instructions were that he had to go both east and north, and so far he had only been walking due east. But his instincts told him that he needed to keep going further east. He was about to pass by two oriental looking men going the opposite direction, who were talking to each other. Bob was aware that he had not spoken to anyone since Tobias, yet he relized that he was not lonely. Bob waved and said "Hello" to the two men, and returned his greating in either Chinese or Japanese. It might as well have been Swahili for all Bob knew, but he still understood the greating. Apparently, not everyone here spoke English, but yet there was no language barrier. When Tobias indicated that it would be easy to ask for directions, he knew Bob would be able to understand other languages, but he just didn't know Bob. Once, when he was on a family vacation in Washington, D. C., he drove around the same block four times looking for Ford's Theater, before giving in to Susan's suggestion that they stop to ask a pedestrian for directions.
The road Bob was walking on seemed to be made of crystals, but none like anything he had ever seen before. Bob decided to stop and stoop down for a closer look.
The roadway was made of bricks one by two feet each. They were clear enough so he could see the ground underneath, but they had a yellowish tint in them. There was no mortar between; there didn't need to be. Each brick was perfectly shaped and fitted --- a piece of paper wouldn't fit in the cracks. Bob tried to think of which jewel had this yellow tint, but he couldn't think of any. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice from behind him.
"Appreciating our handiwork?" Startled, Bob jerked up and looked around. He saw a form of a man with his hands at his hips, smiling at him. He was very large --- about six foot seven. He also had the muscles to go with his height, yet he seemed very gentle. He was surrounded by a soft glow. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Iscar."
"I'm Bob... Bob Pfeifer. I just got here today."
"I thought as much. I can spot a newcomer from a mile away."
"How so?"
"They're still looking at everything like they've never seen it before. You, for example, were studying the walkway fairly intently."
"I was just wondering what these bricks were made of."
"Why, they're solid gold, of course."
Bob was confused by this. "That's impossible. You can't see through gold."
"Ah, you're thinking of metallic gold. We started out using metallic gold for the streets, but the metal was too soft. We all ended up with gold dust on our feet. That's when one of our engineers came up with the idea of using crystallized gold."
"Crystallized gold?"
"Any mineral can be made into a crystallized form by a suitable arrangement of the atoms. Take carbon for instance. Normally, pure carbon is black, but when enough pressure and heat is applied..."
"...it becomes a diamond, which is perfectly clear."
"Exactly. Now, a similar process works for gold. We have to apply a tremendous pressure to the gold as we heat it not just to its melting point, but close to its boiling point."
"What did you do, borrow one of Hell's furnaces?"
The angel smiled wanly. "No, we couldn't do that; we had to build our own. It had to be specially designed to cool the gold very quickly. That's when the crystallization takes place. The result, as you can see, is a form of gold that's transparent and much harder. In fact, it's almost as hard as diamonds."
"So it will last indefinitely. Sounds like an incredible amount of work for just one brick, and there must be millions of them here."
"Once we got the process started, it wasn't so bad. It's incredible what you can accomplish when you don't have to worry about a budget. But the real task was making the gates. I'm sure you saw them one of them on the way in."
"Oh yes. The intricate carvings were very impressive. What kind of white stone was that made from?"
"That's no stone. My friends carved that gate from a single pearl."
Bob looked unbelievingly at Iscar. "All right. Just where did you get the 300 foot oyster?"
Iscar laughed. "I know its hard to believe. It actually came from millions of oysters, all working in one large tank. Each oyster had part of its shell removed, so it would think the pearl was inside its shell. It took close to a century before the pearl was large enough to start carving. It wasn't perfectly round, but of course that didn't matter. In the end, we were glad we only had to make twelve of them."
"You mean there are eleven other gates like that one?"
"Oh yes. Three on each side. You'll discover that there is a lot of symmetry here. For example, the main roads are all evenly spaced --- one road every 3 stadia."
"Stadia?"
"Oh, you're not familiar with the units here. Each stadium is about 607 feet."
"Just when I thought I had gotten used to the metric system..."
"It's not that bad really. All of the roads are marked at each intersection, so its almost impossible to lose your way. In fact, there's one right down here."
Iscar pointed down the street towards the nearest intersection which was about 100 yards away. At first Bob could not see anything that looked like a sign so he wondered what Iscar was referring to. As the two walked over to the intersection, Iscar headed toward what looked like a miniature obelisk. It was about five feet high and it looked like it was made of solid gold. At first Bob thought it was just decoration, but as they got closer, Bob realized that there was something written on the sides. On the side facing the road he was on, written vertically with raised letters, was "CLXVI". On another side of the obelisk was written "MMXXXII". The other two sides had Chinese characters embossed on them.
"So what does this mean?" Bob asked.
"The roads are numbered with Roman numerals. The first number is the street number, the second the avenue number. Thus, we are standing at the intersection of the 2032nd street and the 166st avenue. The markers are all placed at the southeast corner of the intersection, so you can get your orientation from them."
"Wait. You mean there are over 2000 streets here?"
"Actually, there will eventually be 4000 streets and 4000 avenues."
"What do you mean eventually? They are not all finished?"
"Most of them are, but we aren't quite done yet. Part of my job is to finish up the remaining roads. The Lord would like us to get all of the roads finished by the time He returns to Earth. The problem is, none of us know when that is going to be."
"So you still have a lot of work to do yet?"
"Yes, and I suppose I should be getting back to my job. My workmates always tease me for taking such long breaks."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you from your work."
"It's no problem. I enjoy orienting newcomers. And everyone knows that whenever I'm delayed, it's because I'm helping someone."
"There's one more thing you can help me with. When I came here, I was given an address of MMCLXVI, CCXXXII."
"Ah, that would be the intersection of street 2166 and avenue 232. You need to go 134 more blocks north, and 66 blocks east."
Bob did some quick calculations in his head. Even though that seemed a long distance, it was not that much further than the distance he had already traveled. He was amazed at how fast he was traveling.
"Do you have an address where I can visit you?" Bob asked.
"No, only the forgiven ones get to have a place of their own. But I can visit you sometime when I'm not working."
"That will be great. I look forward to seeing you again."
"Same here. Bye."
As the two went their separate ways, Bob was full of anticipation. He wondered what was in store at his home intersection. The thought also occurred to him that perhaps the road he was looking for was one of the ones still under construction.
Bob decided to keep going east. The road he was on seemed like one of the main roads since it was perfectly straight. Every once in a while he noticed a crossroad, but as he looked down each one it curved in the distance. There also seemed to be more traffic on the road he was on --- people of many different races, most of them Oriental.
But as Bob kept going, he noticed there was something going on in the distance ahead of him. At first it looked like a mass of people slowly coming towards him. But soon it became apparent that in fact most of the people were only stepping to the side of the walkway, to allow for something to pass through. It reminded Bob of vehicles pulling over to the side of the road to allow an ambulance to speed by. As this wave got closer to him, he could see that there was a single man running towards him, and other people were stepping aside to let him pass. At first Bob thought he must be someone important for everyone to respect him in this way, but his clothes indicated to him that he was a fellow newcomer---his shirt and slacks were in the modern fashion. Even though Bob was not sure what was going on, he also stepped to the side of the road to let him pass. Perhaps this man was delivering a very important message to someone, and this is the fastest way for information to travel here. But as the man passed by, Bob noticed that he appeared to be in pain. Whatever the message is that he is delivering, it could not be good news. Bob watched as the man continued to run downhill, until he was out of sight.
Bob looked at the people around him, and found that they had solemn looks on their faces. Bob knew that there was no language barier, but he wasn't sure if those around him knew anything more about this strange event then he did. Bob decided it was best to just continue on.
As he traveled down he road further the incline in the road became more acute. Instead of a very gradual slope he was now walking up and down a sequence of hills. Each hill seemed to peak at a slightly higher level than the previous one. The grade was still gentle enough so he could walk them without getting tired, but he noticed that now the houses were either split level or were partially underground to compensate for the slope.
Many hills later, as Bob approached the crest, he found the bright spot on the horizon again, still straight ahead of him. He noticed that it was now a bit higher than it was before. From this he gathered that about another hour had passed. Bob decided it would be best to start traveling north, since he didn't want to overshoot his mark. He could always alternate between east and north until he came to a more familiar territory. At the next intersection of roadways, he took a left turn, hoping that it wouldn't lead to a dead end.
A bit further down the road there was a gentle bend to the right, apparently to compensate for the rolling hills. At this point he could definitely sense that he was going uphill, much more than when the road was straight. He also came across a small bridge over a rivulet. As Bob crossed the bridge, he peered into the water which was perfectly clear. The bottom of the brook was sand, but there was something in the sand that made it sparkle like millions of minute jewels. There were also wakin goldfish, some of which were at least 18 inches long, swimming beneath him. Everything around him reminded him of walking through a Japanese garden. Bob had never been abroad, so this was the only experience he could relate to.
As Bob made his way past row upon row of houses, he noticed that the scenery started to change. Instead of the Chinese gardens and ginkgo trees, he started to see a few birch trees intermixed with very British looking homes. Also, more of the people he passed by looked European, although there was still a great mix of races. At one point he came to a group of trees like none he had ever seen before. The leaves were very large and irregular, about the size of his outstretched hand. On the tree were fruit about the size of baseballs in various colors, growing in clusters. Many of them were green, some of them were a pale orange, and still others were a deep purple. The trees smelled invitingly sweet. Up until now he had not been hungry, even though he had been walking for miles. But seeing these trees suddenly made him hungry. Bob gathered that the deep purple fruit were the ripe ones and picked one of them. It looked something like a plum but it was even larger than an apple. He didn't even have to wonder whether or not it was edible. Bob bit into it.
The fruit was much juicier than Bob had anticipated and some of the juice dribbled down his chin. It did taste a little like a plum which was what Bob expected, but it had a different tang to it which seem to remind him more of a mammoth cherry. The inside was a bright red and with every bite Bob kept looking for a pit inside, but there didn't seem to be one. Finally, when Bob came to the middle of the fruit, he found a few seeds the size of apple seeds. They were small enough so that he didn't mind swallowing them. He finished eating the fruit rather quickly, for it was so juicy that he was having a hard time holding onto it. His cheeks, chin and hands were now covered with sticky red juice.
Bob did not want to continue his journey a mess so he looked around for some way to clean himself. In the distance, away from the road he could hear a slight trickle of running water, so he followed it. A few yards away was a small artificial rivulet which periodically had channels branching off and going underground. Apparently this rivulet was used to irrigate the trees. The rivulet itself was made out of bricks the same size and shape as the ones used for the road, but these had a dark blue tint instead of the yellowish tint of the crystallized gold. Bob kneeled down beside this artificial stream and started to wash his face. The water was cold, and as Bob was washing he discovered that the water was also refreshingly sweet. He was thirsty after the oversized plum or whatever it was, so he spent quite a while using his hands to cup water to his mouth. He then found his way back to the road, and proceeded north.
It didn't take Bob nearly as long as he thought it would to reach the intersection MMCLXVI, CCXXXII. At least his intersection was finished. He double checked the road marker to make sure it matched the address he had been given. He knew his home would be somewhere nearby, but in which direction? He started out going south simply because he was already on that side of the road. He checked the names of all of the houses until he came to the next intersection. "Well, I have three more chances." He turned around and headed back toward the marker.
As Bob approached the intersection the second time he noticed a woman who was just leaving her own home on the left side. She was attractive and in her late thirties or early forties, or so she appeared. She had green eyes and brown shoulder length hair. As she saw him, she flashed him a smile. Bob figured he could use some help in finding his place. He hurried a bit so they would naturally converge.
"Hi, I guess we must be neighbors," Bob said warmly.
"We're all neighbors here," replied the woman.
"Well, what I mean is that my place is somewhere around here. I just got here today."
"Oh, another newcomer! My name is Wanda Martin." She extended her hand.
"Bob Pfeifer. Nice to meet you."
"You can expect to be called a newcomer for awhile. I've been here about six years, and I'm still sometimes called that."
"So this is your place?"
"Yes. I was just leaving to go visit a friend."
"Well, I wouldn't want to keep you..."
"Oh no, it's no problem," Wanda interrupted. "It doesn't matter when I see her. Besides, for all I know, she could be at the Center."
"The Center?"
"If you haven't been to the Center yet, you should go up there. That is where the Throne is. It's called the Center simply because it's in the center of the city. Both the streets MM and MMI will take you straight up to it. You can't possibly miss it ---you'll hear the music from miles away."
"I take it the avenue numbers are also MM and MMI. That would be almost two thousand blocks away."
"Granted it's a long hike, but its definitely worth going up."
"You mean going down, don't you? I mean, aren't we presently north of the Center?"
"North and South doesn't matter. When you are heading toward the Center you are going up, and when you're walking away from the Center you are going down. That's just the terminology here."
"It seems like I've been walking all day just to get this far. It's surprising that there isn't a faster way to get from place to place."
"What difference does it make?"
"Well, it just doesn't seem very convenient."
"When you've got all of the time in the world, you don't need convenience."
Bob thought for awhile. "I guess it doesn't matter. It's just that for some reason I thought we would, like, be able to fly from place to place."
Wanda smiled knowingly. "Take my word for it --- don't try it. You'll only land flat on your face, and everyone around will know that you're a newcomer."
"Sounds like you speak from experience."
Wanda blushed. "Well, the only thing that got hurt was my dignity."
As they looked at each other, Bob started to laugh. Then the two of them had a good laugh together. After that Wanda changed the subject.
"So where do you live?" she asked.
"Well, I'm not quite sure. All I know is that it is around this intersection." Bob showed her the card with the address MMCLXVI, CCXXXII.
"You're on this block all right. You'll just have to keep looking in each direction until you find a house with your name on it," Wanda said as she handed the card back to Bob.
"There's no way of knowing on which street to start looking?"
"No. I guess God lets us figure out things like that on our own."
"That's the way it was on Earth," Bob retorted. "Well, I've already checked this street, so there are three more streets to try."
"Here, I'll help you find it. It will be within a half block from this intersection, so you won't have to go down the whole block." The two of them walked back to the marker, and then decided to try going east. Bob tried to orient himself by finding the bright spot that would be the sun, but he couldn't seem to find it. There were apparently more clouds in the sky than before, yet rather than the sky being darker as a result, it was just as bright. "The clouds are thicker now then they were before," Bob commented. "It makes it hard to see where the sun is."
"What sun?" asked Wanda.
"You know, the sun. I noticed it rising this morning when I came in."
Wanda looked quizically at Bob. "That wasn't the sun you saw. That light was coming from the Center, and it never moves."
Bob defended his position. "Well, then why did it appear to be rising this morning?"
"Because you got closer."
Now it was now Bob's turn to blush.
"It's okay," Wanda quipped. "You're a newcomer."
Bob was silent for a few moments while Wanda smiled knowingly. Finally, his poise was restored to where he felt free to ask more questions.
"So it is just the light from the Center that is illuminating the entire sky?"
"That's right. Right now the clouds are lower, so they are being illuminated from above."
"That also explains why the light is most diffused. How low do the clouds get?"
"Oh, there are many times when we actually have fog. That's the only way a lot of the plants get their moisture. It can get as thick as pea soup, and I tend to stay inside at those times. There are other times when the clouds are actually above the center so they are being illuminated from below. The effect is quite spectacular."
"How so?
"If you're far enough away from the Center the whole sky will appear red, as it does during a sunset on Earth. When you're closer to the Center you can see rainbows in the clouds as a result of the refraction."
"That does sound spectacular," Bob commented.
At this point, Wanda called out "Here it is!" About a fourth of the way down the street, she noticed a house with the name "Robert Pfeifer" on it. It was a colonial style home, not unlike the house he grew up in only larger. It looked rather out of place in the setting of crystallized bridges and gold streets, but since all of the houses on this block were different styles that were just as out of place, one more thing out of place seemed perfectly in place.
"This is the right house, all right," Bob confirmed. "Thanks for your help."
"It was my pleasure. I'll see you around. You already know where I live."
"O.K. I'll be sure to visit sometime. See ya." Bob started up the path to his front door. As he turned around for one final wave, he saw Wanda continuing east.
Bob turned back toward his front door, excited about the possibilities that lay beyond it. The first thing he noticed was that the door didn't have a lock on it. "Of course," Bob thought, "there wouldn't need locks here." Bob entered his new house and started fumbling for the light switch. After feeling for the switch for a few seconds, he realized there wasn't any. He checked the other side of the door but there weren't any switches there either. Finally, he opened the window shade next to the door. Light flooded the room through the window. Bob didn't realize how bright it was outside until he saw the way the light through one window filled the entire room. There was clearly no need of incandescent lights during the daytime. At first Bob wondered how he would light the room at night, since there didn't seem to be any lamps. But then it finally dawned on him that there would be no night.
As Bob looked around the room, which was obviously set up as a living room, he had a very strong sense of deja vu. Even though he had never been in this house before, everything in it seemed vaguely familiar. Across from the front door was a fireplace with a davenport facing it. Near the corner of the room, on the left, was a quincentachord very similar to the one he saw earlier. He walked over to it and examined it. It had ten rows of multi-colored keys. Bob counted nine different colors and each row of keys consisted of either two or three different colors. He sat down on the bench. At his feet there were five brass pedals. "I wonder what the other two are for," Bob asked himself. The complexity of the instrument made him reluctant to touch it. But his curiosity had been piqued. He decided to press one key, chosen at random, just to see what would happen.
A single note came forth from the quincentachord. It sounded very much like a note from a perfectly tuned piano, but sweeter. Bob noticed that as he pressed the one key, two other keys, one four rows above the first, and another four rows below, automatically were depressed at the same time. Those three keys were all the same color, so apparently they represented the same note, which could be reached three different ways. This meant that the instrument might not be quite as complicated as Bob first thought. Gaining confidence, Bob tried pressing two different colored keys at once.
Unfortunately the two keys Bob pressed were not part of any chord. Instead of harmony, there was dissonance.
"Well, I guess I've got plenty of time to learn how to play," Bob muttered.
He got up and walked over to the fireplace. He knew that it would never get cold enough to need a fire, but that had never stopped him before. He remembered back in Louisiana when he would turn on the air conditioner in the winter so that he and Susan could spend some time in front of a cracking fire.
On the mantle above the fireplace were several pictures. In a large frame was a portrait of Susan. The other pictures were of other family members and friends. There was a picture of Jeff, his older son, and pictures of his parents. He found a picture of Marian, his high school sweetheart. As he looked closely at the pictures, he realized that they were not photographs, but very realistic paintings. The brush strokes were short and precise, creating a three dimensional effect similar to the Dutch masters' paintings. He looked for a picture of Joey but he couldn't seem to find it amidst the others. Suddenly something caught the corner of his eye that caused him to abandon his search.
In the opposite corner from the quincentachord, next to a window which still had the shade down, was the chair.
It wasn't very long ago that he had been sitting in this chair reading the morning paper. It was his favorite chair, a recliner which he had re-upholstered to match the rest of his living room furniture. The chair he was looking at was identical. Bob opened up the shade of the nearest window so he could examine it in the light. On the left arm of the chair was the same coffee stain --- caused when six year old Joey decided to climb into his lap without giving him enough warning.
Until now, he hadn't realized how much he had missed his family. He sat down in his chair and looked across the room at the portrait of Susan. It was only this morning he had seen her last, yet he was already lonely. He knew that eventually she would be here too, but he longed for her now.
Suddenly he knew how to cure his loneliness. Even if Susan wasn't here yet, he knew that Luke was. There had to be some kind of directory somewhere, and he could visit him. Perhaps someone around here would know where Luke lived. There was much more of his new house to explore, but that could wait. He got up and closed the window shades, since he always liked leaving things the way he found them. As he left he turned to take another look at the room. The light from the open doorway seemed to spotlight the mantle with the collection of portraits.
Bob closed the door and headed back towards the intersection MMCLXVI, CCXXXII. But as he started out, he noticed a gentleman on the front porch of the Edwardian style mansion next to his. Actually, this house was over 200 feet away from his own, but since the houses were so spread apart, this was the closest house to his. The man's turn of the century attire is what caught Bob's attention. He was wearing a straight lined sack jacket, high collar and bow tie. He was wearing a derby bowler hat, and was holding a cane with a silver handle. Bob thought that he should go ahead and introduce himself, so he approached his home.
"Hello, sir," Bob called out. "It seems we are neighbors."
"Hello to you too," the man called out.
"My name is Bob Pfeifer. I just arrived today."
"I'm Herbert Seager. Come on up and sit for a spell." He referred to the porch swing that was on his front porch.
"Thank you." Bob climbed the stairs and sat down with Herbert.
"I was waiting for you to show up. Your place has been ready for some time, and now I finally have a neighbor."
"How long have you been here?"
"In Earth time, since 1903."
"Over a hundred years?"
"Well, my friend, it doesn't seem like that long. One thing that shocked me when I first got here is that time is not absolute. Instead, time travels at a different rate depending on where you are. I admit this dumbfounded me at first. Newcomers seem to do a better job at understanding this. Apparently some great scientist on Earth discovered the same principle."
Bob nodded.
"I'm sure you have lots of questions." Herbert said. "I'm still finding new discoveries after all this time. But if there's anything that I can help you with, feel free to ask."
"Well, I am looking for a friend of mine, Luke Benson. I don't suppose you know him."
"No, I'm sorry, I don't. But if he's here, I'm sure you'll find him eventually."
"Oh, I'm sure he's here. He went to church regularly."
"Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily mean anything."
"Well, is there some kind of directory somewhere where I can look him up?"
Herbert laughed. "Such a directory would have to constantly be updated."
"But where could I begin? For all I know, he could be clear on the other side."
"He probably would be residing in the English speaking sector, which is where we are now. Of course, that's still quite a large area, but it does narrow down the possibilities considerably."
"Isn't it also possible that he would be at the Center?" Bob asked.
"That's quite possible, but there are so many people there that it would be very difficult to find a particular person. It is also so large that it would take a small miracle for the two of you to run into each other, even if he were there."
"I guess I didn't think about that."
"Do you know for certain that Luke is here?" asked Herbert.
"Well, I guess I always assumed ..." Bob said slowly and thoughtfully.
"You can't assume things like that." Herbert interupted. "I learned that the very first day I came here."
"What happened?"
"I arrived here with Phillip Rogers. He was my compartment mate on the train to Chicago. Apparently the train was going to fast around a curve, and derailed. We both heard a loud crash, and then we both were in front of the gate."
"That's very similar to what happened to me today."
"Anyway, we went in, and after chatting with a few other people, we decided to head towards the center. After awhile, my companion started to complain about being sore. This struck me as very strange indeed. It wasn't just his legs that were sore, but no, he was sore all over. This pain had come on so gradually that he hadn't noticed it until that moment."
"Kind of like when I was enjoying a day at the beach that I didn't notice anything until suddenly I realized that I was red as a lobster," Bob commented.
"Exactly. Except he wasn't sunburned, or at least he didn't appear to be. Anyway, the pain was tolerable, so we decided to continue on uphill. But the further we went, the worse this pain got for him. It was like a burning sensation all over. I started to get very concerned."
"Wait a minute," Bob interupted. "There is no pain here. I've already tested this myself," refering to when he pinched himself.
"My sediments exactly. Even though I was a newcomer, I knew something was terribly wrong, so we decided to go back the way we came to see if we could find someone who could help us. But this is the weird part --- as we started to go downhill, the symptoms went away, or at least sharply decreased. I was greatly relieved. Whatever this was, it was apparently going away as mysteriously as it appeared."
"But this doesn't make sense. There are no diseases of any sort here. How could he have some kind of ailment?"
"I admit we were dumbfounded at first. In fact, we just stopped in the middle of the road to ponder what was happening. But no sooner than we had stopped, that his burning sensation started to return. I needed to ask somebody what could possible be going on, and fast. I spotted a couple further up the road, so I thought we could go uphill a bit to talk to them. However, as we started our way, his pain started increasing to the point where he could barely walk. I finally decided that it was going to be this difficult, going downhill would be easier than uphill, so we turned around again. After awhile the symptoms started to let up some."
"Hold on," Bob commented. "Are you saying that the problem increased when you went uphill, yet decreased every time you went downhill?"
"That's what I finally figured out. But overall, the problem kept getting worse. He got to the point where, if we stopped for a rest, he would feel like he was being dipped in sulfuric acid."
"What could possibly be causing this?" Bob asked.
"I was a newcomer, and have never seen this before. But then finally a possible explanation dawned on me. I asked him if he had ever committed his life to Christ and accepted his forgiveness."
"And?"
"He told me he tried to live by the Bible and live right, but didn't know he had to do anything else."
"What happened?"
"I continued to escort him downhill. Soon he was running instead of walking, because it felt somewhat better for him. I was easily able to keep up with him, but I knew that soon the road would level off, and he would not be able to go downhill any further."
"This is what I don't get. What does running downhill have to do with anything?"
"Any iniquity will react with His Glory. The two cannot coexist. By going downhill, we were moving away from the Center, which slowed down the reaction. If we stopped, or worse yet tried to go towards the Center, the reaction would get worse."
"But I thought you said he was a good person. Why would the reaction be so severe?"
"It ultimately does not depend on how much wrongdoing there is in a person. A single drop of vinegar will react violently when added to a full box of baking soda. And few people realize just how much wickedness there is in their lives."
"So what were you able to do?"
"I ran with him down to the gate we came in. That is as far as I went, I really couldn't help him any more than that. He continued out the gate, and ran into the distance."
Bob remembered the man he saw running earlier, whom he thought must have delivering a message. He also remembered the woman coming out the gate as he was going in. "Does this happen often?" Bob asked.
"I've learned since then that most people never even make it to the gates. But occasionally the reaction is delayed."
Hearing this suddenly made Bob concerned about Luke. "What about Luke? What would be the best way to find out for certain that he is here?" Bob asked.
"Do you know that he committed his life to Jesus?"
Bob thought back on Luke's life. He remembered how Luke was on the board of directors in the Elk's club, and hence was involved in many projects to help out the needy. There were also many occasions when he volunteered his time to play the piano for weddings or funerals. Bob had always admired how giving Luke had been. Bob had tried to follow his example, and even joined the Elks himself, but Bob never had the time to get involved the way Luke had. It wasn't just time that Luke donated either. Bob remembered one Labor Day when Luke made a fairly large contribution to the Muscular Dystrophy Association and talked him into doing the same. If it hadn't been for Luke's example, Bob would probably not have been so giving himself.
"He's got to be here somewhere," Bob said almost in a whisper. "He's just got to be."
Herbert looked at Bob for a few moments. "Until you do know for sure, it probably would be best to take your mind off of him," he finally said. "If he is here, you'll probably see him when you are looking for someone else; there's no rush here."
"So what should I do?"
"My advice would be to head towards the center. The closer you get to the center, the more people you will see. You will almost certainly find someone you know, who also knows Luke."
"That is a great idea. Thank you."
Bob shook Herbert's hand. "Be sure to tell me what you find out," Herbert said.
"Don't worry, I will."
Bob thanked Herbert again, and began his trip towards the center. For all he knew, Luke might be at the Center himself.
After Bob left Herbert, he headed back towards the intersection MMCLXVI, CCXXXII. He made a point to notice where his home was relative to the obelisk marker, so he could find it next time. Bob then started out by going south, hoping to find street MMI. Presumably, that was the street Bob had started out on when he first came in.
After traveling a few blocks south, Bob came to a T intersection. There was a road marker here just like the ones on the other intersections, but there was no road going south. Bob wondered if perhaps this was one of the roads that hasn't been finished, but as he looked in the distance to the south he could see the long row of trees that was an indicator of a river ahead. Bob figured that if he made his way east there must eventually be a bridge over the river which would allow him to proceed south again. After traveling a few miles he came to a crest of a hill and saw in the distance what looked like a large blue jewel hovering over the river. As he came closer, he saw that in fact this was an arch bridge over the river made entirely of deep-blue stones. The river was about 300 feet across, so spanning the river without intermediate supports represented a major engineering feat. As he started to cross he noticed a woman standing on the bridge looking down into the water below.
It was Wanda.
Bob walked up to where she was standing. "Strange we should meet again." said Bob.
Wanda turned around. "Oh, Hello, Bob. What brings you this way?"
"I was on my way towards the Center. Did you visit your friend?"
"No, she wasn't home. Knowing her, she's probably out visiting someone else."
"So you came all this way for nothing?"
"Oh no. I can hardly call a trip in vain when I appreciate the scenery on the way. This sapphire bridge is one of my favorite spots."
As Bob looked out into the valley formed by the river, he could understand why. Because of the arch of the bridge he was about 40 feet above the river, so he had a bird's eye view of the valley. There were rolling hills on either side of the river, splotched with different shades of green of the different types of trees. As he looked into the distance, the hills became higher and higher until there were mountains, barely visible in the haze. The water in the river was perfectly clear --- even from this height he could see the stones on the river bottom polished by the water into multi-colored gemstones. Bob first thought that the river must be quite shallow, but the water was flowing too quietly. The depth the river was confirmed when Bob noticed a leaf floating on the surface, many feet above the bottom. He watched as the leaf slowly made its way under the bridge. Bob was expecting the leaf to disappear out of sight, but instead he could still see the leaf through the bottom of the bridge. It was as if he were looking at the leaf through a dark blue filter. The leaf appeared to dance, changing its size and shape occasionally as the light was diffused through different bricks of the bridge. The leaf continued to drift until Bob was looking at it through the other side of the bridge. It still looked dark blue, but the motion became much more regular because these stones were cut square. The leaf's image slowly made its way up the side of the bridge, till Bob could see it again in plain view. It appeared to be more yellow than before, but that was just an illusion caused by the contrast of seeing the leaf though the blue stones. By this time the leaf was so far down stream that he could barely make it out. Then it completely disappeared from view.
With the leaf out of sight, Bob turned his attention again to the mountains in the distance. Somewhere, beyond the haze, was the Center, but of course it was much too far away to see. Under his breath, Bob whispered a belated "Thank you."
Wanda overheard his whisper, and smiled. "The view is breathtaking, isn't it?"
"Yes," Bob responded. After a long pause, Bob finally asked, "So if your friend wasn't at home, how will you find her?"
"Oh, I'll run into her sometime. It's strange, but I noticed that if I'm looking for someone in particular, I usually don't find them immediately. But then when I go someplace else, I'll run into them accidentally."
"I happen to be looking for a friend myself. His name is Luke Benson. I don't suppose you would know him, would you?"
"No, I haven't heard of him. Are you sure that he is here?"
"I'm pretty sure. I guess part of the reason I was wanting to see Luke was because I was missing Susan," Bob responded.
"Susan?" asked Wanda.
"Susan is my wife," answered Bob.
"Or rather, was your wife," Wanda corrected.
Bob was taken aback by this. "I still think of her as my wife, even though we are now apart. I still love her, and I know that she will someday join me here."
"That's wonderful. Except that you won't be married then."
"Why not?" asked Bob.
"There aren't any marriages here. Its impossible to say `till death do us part' when there is no more death. Besides, there's no longer a need for pro-creation. In fact, ther is no more physical intimacy."
"So all relationships are platonic?"
"Platonic relationships can still be very rich."
Bob was actually saddened by this news. Married life was going to be one of the things he would miss here. "I still love her more than I will ever love any other person. It's going to seem strange not being married to her."
"I'm happy to hear that your marriage was that successful."
"How about you?" inquired Bob. "Were you ever married?"
"No, I never did get hitched. I spent a lot of my time establishing my career in nursing first. After that, I had a couple of opportunities, but I wanted to wait until I found someone who was really right for me. Unfortunately, I had to come here before that person came."
"You sound as though you did want to get married." Bob responded.
"Yes I did, but then again I don't have any regrets about it. Even if I had known that my time was short, I don't think I would have wanted to waste it on marrying the wrong person. But there are many aspects of marriage that I will never be able to experience."
"Such as?"
"Well, the obvious one comes to mind. I firmly believed that physical intimacy was meant only for marriage."
"I agree with you there," Bob replied. "That's the way God designed it."
"The point is, I'll never really know what sex was like. Nor would I ever know the joy of giving birth, or of raising children of my own. That used to be the desire of my heart."
"So these desires went unfulfilled?" Bob asked.
"There are joys here that would make those things mild in comparison, such as journeying to the Center. It's not worth going back for, even if I could. The way I think of it, it's kind of like I always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, but there are views here which are equally breathtaking, even though for different reasons." The two of them turned and looked out over the river again, with the mountains in the distance.
"I understand what you mean," replied Bob.
The two of them gazed into the scenery for while, speechless. Finally, Wanda turned to Bob. "I'll tell you what. I was just planning on heading back home. If you care to join me, we can pass by your place on the way. It's possible that Luke would be there, trying to find you." The idea sounded wonderful to Bob. As they walked off the bridge, Bob let Wanda lead the way. "Are either of your parents here?" Wanda asked as they were walking.
"No," Bob responded. "Both of them are still..." He was about to say "alive," except that hardly seemed like the appropriate term. He and Wanda were just as alive as they were. "Both of them are still on earth," he finally answered. "What about your parents?"
"My mother is still on Earth."
"What about your dad?" Bob asked.
Wanda gave him a sad look. "My dad died of a heart attack when I was 19. At the time I was praying for him to receive Christ. Even after he died, I had the hope that he might have done so during his final moments, but he never did. I found out for sure when I came here."
Bob gave her a look of sympathy. "How did you finally get over that?"
"You never get over it, you just get used to it."
As this point, Bob regretted bringing her dad up. "I'm sorry to hear that," was all he could say.
"Well, there's nothing I can do about it anymore." Wanda said. "But I am still praying for my mom."
The two of them walked in silence the remainder of the way to Bob's house. There was still no one waiting for him, as they had hoped. Bob was about to say goodbye to Wanda, when she stopped him. "How about if you come on over to my place," said Wanda. "I'll fix you something to eat. Hospitality is our strong suit here." Ironically, Bob's first thought was whether Susan would approve of his having dinner with an attractive young woman. But then he remembered Wanda's comment that he was no longer married to Susan, so it would be all right. Besides, Bob never could pass up an offer for food. The two of them made their way down the street to Wanda's house.
As they entered her house Wanda went over to the window to open the Venetian blinds. Bob first noticed that the room had the aroma of flowers, and as the light poured into the room he could see several bouquets throughout the room.
"I notice that you have quite an array of flowers here," noted Bob.
"Yes. I have my own garden out in back so I can have flowers all of the time."
"The arrangements are beautiful."
"Thank you. Go ahead and make yourself at home, and I'll fix something."
Bob made his way to the sofa in front of the window and sat down as Wanda went into the kitchen. Bob noticed that on the table next to the sofa, beside one of the bouquets was a picture of a man. It was the same style of painting as the portraits that were on his mantle. Bob picked up the picture to study it further. The man in this painting was in his thirties and was quite handsome. As Wanda came out of the kitchen with a bowl of fruit, she noticed Bob looking at the portrait.
"That's LeRoy." Wanda explained. "We were dating each other for a while, but it didn't work out between us."
"What happened?" Bob asked.
"He moved away for a job while I was still in nursing school. I wanted to transfer to the city where he was working, but I didn't get accepted by that school. We kept in touch by phone, but he was too far away for me to visit. There was no way we could keep the relationship going so we finally broke up. Eventually, LeRoy found someone else."
"I'm sorry to hear about that."
"Oh, I'm long since over that, and besides we remained good friends even after he was married."
Wanda put the bowl of fruit on the dining room table, and back into the kitchen. Bob noticed that there were a few other portraits scattered about the room. He thought about getting up and looking at them but decided there would be no point since he probably wouldn't know any of them anyway. He didn't want to pry into Wanda's life more than he already had, although she didn't seem to mind.
Bob made some other observations about the living room. It didn't have a fireplace like his home did, but was an intimate room. On the wall opposite the entryway was a love seat that matched the sofa he was sitting on. The room was decorated in soft pastels. There was another window on the same side of the room as the front door but the blinds were still closed. It didn't really matter, since there was plenty of light in the room from the one window. At first Bob wondered why Wanda didn't open those blinds instead, but then he realized that there would be more privacy this way.
Wanda came out of the kitchen with what looked like a plate of large cookies, as well as some other plates and utensils. She set them on the dining room table and invited Bob to come. As Bob sat down beside Wanda he once again had a tinge of guilt.
"I wonder what Susan would think about this?" Bob commented as he sat down.
"She'll understand perfectly. You're here only for a snack. Besides, you are no longer committed to her."
"I suppose so. But even so it feels kind of funny. I mean, Susan may not even know that I'm dead yet."
"I commend your loyalty, but it really doesn't matter. Besides, why wouldn't Susan know where you are?"
"Well, I was driving home from a convention when apparently there was an accident. It all happened so suddenly, even I can't figure out exactly what took place. My best guess is that the car that was coming from the other direction swerved into my lane."
Wanda had a puzzled look on her face. "Was it raining at the time?" she asked.
"No, and I don't remember the road having any sharp turns in it. The only explanation I could think of is that the other driver was drunk. It was late on a Friday night, so that certainly is plausible."
"I suppose that would be the best explanation."
"In which case it would be rather ironic. If it weren't for this person getting drunk and deciding to drive anyway, I would be with Susan right now." Bob's thoughts raced back to Susan. Perhaps at this very moment a police officer would be waking her up to tell her the news. He could see her bursting into tears and trying to comfort Jeff and Joey.
After a long pause Wanda broke the silence, and seeing the look on Bob's face, said "I'm sorry."
"It's kind of paradox, isn't it? This should be the happiest day of my life, but instead I'm feeling sorry for Susan."
"That's not a paradox at all. You're just putting other people's feelings before your own, which is pretty much the norm around here."
Bob had to smile at that one. "So I guess this is a stage everyone goes through." Bob reached for what he thought was some kind of cookie. It was very thin, and irregular shaped. As he picked it up, he found that it was much lighter than he expected.
"Not everyone," Wanda replied. "In your case your death was unexpected. As a result, it will take you more time to adjust to being here."
Bob crunched into whatever it was that he picked up. But as he bit into it, it immediately melted in his mouth like cotten candy, releasing a burst of a sweet cinnamon flavor.
"These are delicious," Bob commented. "What are they?"
"It's a very old recipe, and I made some personal modifications. I call them `souffled wafers'."
Bob finished his wafer, and decided to try the unusual fruit that Wanda had served. They were pale green and kind of fuzzy like a peach, and at first he wasn't sure if they were ripe. He figured they must be as he picked one up, since it was soft to the touch. He was about to bite into it when he noticed that Wanda was peeling hers with a knife. He figured she must know something that he didn't, so he took a knife and started peeling his. "So, did it take you very long to adjust to being here?" asked Bob.
"Well, no actually. But that was only because I had a long time to anticipate it."
"How so?" asked Bob.
"Well, during my first year of medical school I was in an accident, but not nearly as severe as yours. I had a broken leg and a broken rib and had lost quite a bit of blood. I had to spend about two months in the hospital before I could go back to my studies."
Bob had finished peeling the skin off of whatever this fruit was. It was a peachy orange color on the inside, and actually slimy, which was a great contrast to its fuzzy green skin. Without its skin the fruit was difficult to hold onto so Bob decided to cut it up into small pieces. It had a single pit in the center, but it easily separated from the pulp. "So what did that accident have to do with your being here?" asked Bob.
Wanda took a deep breath. "Shortly after I had my degree and had starting my nursing career, I discovered that I had contracted AIDS from one of the blood transfusions."
Bob was about to put a piece of the fruit in his mouth, but he stopped himself and put it back down on his plate. "How horrible!"
"I think the hardest part was giving up my nursing career. After all of the hard work of going through training I was, of course, unable to practice."
Bob looked across the room to the picture of LeRoy. "You gave up a romance so that you could get that degree, too," Bob commented.
"There are lots of decisions that I would of made differently if I had known what was to happen. But I made all of those decisions based on what I did know, and what my goals were. Hence, as far as my decision to continue with my nursing degree, I feel like I made what was the right decision at the time."
"So you don't regret all of that time you spent in school?"
"It wasn't that I had made a bad decision, the problem was that I was given a bad set of circumstances," replied Wanda.
"That's for sure," Bob replied.
"You know, for a long time I kept asking `Why?'. I guess I always figured that I would find the answer when I came here."
"And what is the answer?" asked Bob.
"The answer is there is no answer. At least not the kind of answer I was expecting. I guess I was wanting a simple explanation, such as having my mother come to believe as a result. But nothing like that ever happened as far as I know. Instead she became very cynical of my faith. God did give me the strength to go though it all, even though I was asking a lot of questions. But my mom didn't see it that way. She figured that if God was real and loved me the way I claimed He did, He would miraculously cure me of my disease."
"How did you explain to her why He didn't?"
"The problem was I didn't have a very good answer at the time. I was asking similar questions. For example, at the time I was asking why God allowed me to go into nursing school if He knew it would be in vain."
"I could see why that would be a difficult question. Were you asking God for direction at the time you went into nursing school?"
"As it turns out, it wouldn't have made any difference either way. What I've learned since then is that God didn't cause me to get AIDS, nor was this something that was predestined to happen to me since the time I was born. It just happened."
"So you're saying that it wasn't God's plan for you to get AIDS?"
"Of course not. Although God may have used that experience to help me grow, and perhaps even those close to me to grow, I know now that a loving God would never actually plan for me to get AIDS."
"But if it wasn't God's plan, then why did it happen?" Bob asked. "Isn't He in complete control?"
"Yes and no. From what I've been able to comprehend so far, our own free will comes into the picture. Because God is all powerful, He has chosen to limit His power so that we would be able to have free will. As a result He will never interfere with someone making a bad choice."
"But what would this have to do with your getting AIDS?"
"The whole AIDS epidemic was caused by a long string of bad choices. So unfortunately, it's as though God has his hands tied."
"Just as God couldn't prevent someone from getting drunk and running into me," Bob concluded.
"It's not that he couldn't, it's that he wouldn't. If we assume that, in fact, the other driver was drunk, it would still be possible for God to have kept him from hitting you, without compromising that person's ability to choose."
"Wait a second. Now you're confusing me."
"It's OK. It took me a long time to figure this out, and even now I don't claim to have all of the answers," replied Wanda.
Bob's thoughts went back to what Tobias had first told him when they met. He mentioned something about the fact that his coming wasn't expected today. Apparently, his car accident had been an example of something not part of God's plan. "So if it wasn't God's plan for me to be here, then why didn't he prevent the accident? Or how come he didn't have me survive the accident?"
"I told you I didn't have all of the answers. All I know is that sometimes He protects people from tragedies, and sometimes He doesn't. I do know that during the times when He does allow tragedy to strike, he gives us the strength to get through the situation. I can testify that He gave me a lot of strength when I needed it the most."
"Right now Susan and the kids are going to need God's strength more than ever." There was a moment of silence, as Bob silently said a prayer for his family. Wanda's apparently didn't know what he was doing, and eventually broke the silence.
"You haven't eaten any of your praseodrupe," Wanda said.
Bob looked down. Indeed, he had cut it up into bite sized pieces, but had not taken a single bite. He had been so involved in the conversation that he had completely forgotten about it. In fact the intensity of the discussion left Bob feeling rather emotionally drained. "So that's what this is called," Bob commented. "That sounds like some sort of scientific word."
"Well, many of the names given to things have remained unchanged since the original Greek and Latin words were used. So unless someone has come up with a new name since then, it is going to sound scientific."
Even though Bob wasn't very hungry, he took a bite. It was very sweet, and just a little bit tart. It had a kind of tropical taste to it, but what it reminded him of he couldn't quite pinpoint.
"I've never had anything quite like this before. What is it related to?" Bob asked.
"It's grown only here, as you might expect. So it's not related to anything on Earth."
As Bob started eating he felt himself being refreshed. It didn't take very long before there was just a single pit on his plate. "That was delicious even if it did have a strange name."
"Actually, it's one of my favorites."
"There was a different kind of fruit I tried when I first came in. Actually, it was rather messy."
"What did it look like?"
"It was kind of like a giant plum, about the size of a baseball."
"I suppose that would be a plumgrape. Except I don't think they are all that messy."
"They are when one doesn't have any utensils. The only thing is, these didn't look or taste anything like grapes."
"No, they don't. I guess that they're called that because the grow in clusters."
"Sort of like the name pineapple, which doesn't grow on pine trees, and doesn't look or taste anything like apples."
Wanda smiled. "Yeah. Sort of like that."
There was a lull in the conversation, and Bob caught himself looking at where his watch should have been, but realizing that of course it wasn't there. "It seems like we've been talking for hours," Bob said, trying to cover his mistake. "It must be getting late."
"It doesn't ever get late here."
"Oh yeah, that's right."
"How quickly he forgets," Wanda said as an aside.
"It's just that I hadn't planned on spending this much time here. I don't want to be rude, but there are so many other things I want to see. For example, I really haven't explored my own home yet."
"Oh, I understand," replied Wanda. "But you're welcome to stay for as long as you wish. Everything else will wait. In fact you'll have just as much time for that then as now."
Bob had to think about that one for awhile. "I guess that's one advantage of having an infinite amount of time."
"So if you want to stay, you may. I could quickly put the dishes away."
Bob still had Susan on his mind, but he was starting to get used to the idea that he was no longer married to her. The thought occurred to Bob that it might be a very long time before he would see Susan again. He might as well build other friendships in the meantime.
"Oh, I suppose so," Bob finally replied.
Wanda went into the kitchen with the dishes, and Bob made his way back to the sofa and made himself comfortable again. Somehow being with Wanda reminded him of the days before he met Susan, when he was dating Marian --- though not seriously. There was a mutual understanding between them that the relationship would always be just a friendship, so they felt free to date and get to know each other deeply. Ironically, the fact that there was no possibility for future commitment helped them to be at ease with each other. As a result, they remained very good friends even after both of them had married.
That was the way it seemed now, with Wanda. Even though they were developing a friendship, it obviously wasn't going to lead to anything beyond. Because there were no presures of courtship, he felt very much at ease with her.
But Bob noticed that he indeed was somewhat attracted to Wanda, and this seemed confusing. If all relationships were platonic, there would no longer be a need for physical attraction. Perhaps he was merely being attracted in a friendship sort of way. After all, even though he had known Wanda for only a short time, they had discussed some rather emotional issues. After some thought, Bob decided this was the only explanation.
Wanda soon finished the dishes and went back to the living room. "I really appreciate all that you've done for me today," Bob told Wanda.
"Oh, it's been my pleasure," Wanda said as she sat on the other side of the sofa.
Once Wanda sat down beside Bob, he realized that he was indeed romantically attracted to her, in spite of the fact that this seemed impossible. Perhaps there was something about Wanda that reminded him of Susan. He looked forward to the day when he could show Susan all of the wonders that he was experiencing. He realized that it may be quite awhile before they would be reunited, but it would eventually happen. Still, it would seem strange not being married to her when that day finally arrived.
"What I don't understand," Bob finally said, "is that having been married for twelve years, I'm used to being intimate with Susan. I guess it's just hard for me to imagine not having that intimacy when Susan finally comes here."
"I never said there isn't any intimacy. There's just a different kind of intimacy then what there was before."
"I thought you said that there is no more physical intimacy, that all relationships are platonic."
"There are different dimensions of intimacy besides the physical kind."
Bob thought for a minute. "I think I see," Bob finally said. "Even with platonic relationships, there is still an intellectual dimension, that is, knowing someone on an intellectual level, but there is also an emotional dimension as well. For example, I knew Susan's deepest thoughts, goals, and dreams, and vice versa. There were times that we could practically read each other's thoughts. I suppose that that type of intimacy would still exist here, wouldn't it?"
"Of course. It takes time to develop, just as on Earth, but time is not a problem."
"But with Susan the physical dimension completed the other two. It gave me a way to express the other two types of intimacy. It would seem strange when she finally comes not to be able to express my love on that level."
"Actually, losing the physical dimension frees the other two. But there is a fourth dimension you haven't mentioned yet."
"How about spiritual intimacy?" Bob said after thinking for a moment.
"This is in fact the deepest dimension, but on Earth we could only stratch the surface. Our physical bodies got in the way. So even though the third dimension of intimacy is gone, a fourth dimension replaces it."
"How so?
Wanda paused for a few moments, with her hand holding her chin in thought. "I guess the best way to explain it is that two people's spirits merge together temporarily. It is known as pneumajunction. It's only now that our bodies are spiritual that makes it possible."
"You mean that we can actually pass through each other?"
"Well, our spirits can. But there's more to it than that. For a brief period of time, the two people can actually read each other's thoughts. I guess that's one of the by-products of being in exactly the same place at the same time. It's a beautiful experience, and as you can imagine, it's rather intense."
"I'm beginning to understand why this would be so intimate."
"It's also fairly clear why the other two dimensions of intimacy need to be developed first before pneumajunction would be meaningful," Wanda added.
"Of course the other two dimensions take time to develop."
"Well, time is one thing we have plenty of," commented Wanda.
"How does this compare to the physical intimacy Susan and I had on Earth?"
"You're asking the wrong person. Remember, I was never married. But even those who I've talked to who were married find it hard to compare the two. It's not that one is better than the other, it's just that they're different."
Bob's thoughts turned back to Susan. His heart leaped as he realized that he would someday be able to share a new dimension of intimacy that they had not yet shared, even though they had been married for years.
"I'm looking forward to sharing this with Susan. This pneumajunction, or whatever it's called, sounds fulfilling."
"Well, there's really no reason for you to wait that long. You keep forgetting that you are no longer committed to her," Wanda said with a smile.
"I suppose not. But still, wouldn't it be better to wait for her? I don't want her to get jealous or anything."
"You don't understand. There is no more jealousy here. Pneumajunction expresses the friendship type of love, not the sexual type that you're thinking of. The sexual type of love does not exist here. That is why there is no jealousy."
"So your saying that Susan wouldn't mind if I didn't wait?"
"Well, she would expect you to make new friends, wouldn't she? And pneumajunction is simply a way of expressing that friendship."
Bob was silent for awhile. As he thought about Susan, he realized that he did feel a sense of commitment, even though they were now apart. For the first time he wondered whether she might eventually remarry. She certainly would be free to do so, but Bob had a gut feeling that she wouldn't. The two of them had loved each other so deeply and had worked so diligently to make the relationship strong, that it would be hard for Susan to find somebody else.
"I think," Bob finally said, "that even though I don't have to wait for Susan, I want to anyway. Since this is a form of intimacy, I feel that it would only be proper to experience it first with her."
Wanda was very understanding. "Actually, yours is not an uncommon decision. There are quite a few people who opt to wait for their spouse to get here before trying out pneumajunction."
"Then do these people commit themselves to showing this kind of intimacy to their spouse?"
"Ironically, no. You'll understand eventually when Susan does get here. As intense as it is, pneumajunction isn't the kind of intimacy that implies commitment. So those people who do wait for their spouse find out that there was no real reason to wait after all."
"Even so," Bob insisted, "I do want to wait at least until Susan comes."
"That's fine," Wanda said with a smile. "You'll have just as much time then as you have now."
Bob had to smile at that comment, too. Suddenly, a look of concern crossed over his face.
"Is something the matter?" asked Wanda.
"Well, I was just thinking about Luke again," Bob commented. "I keep thinking that somewhere, he's looking for me. If so, he would be having a difficult time trying to find me, wouldn't he?"
"I doubt that he would be spending that much time looking for you. He might not even know that you're here yet."
"Too bad there isn't a telephones around here somewhere. I could at least leave a message on his answering machine."
Wanda started chuckling, and Bob joined her as he realized how silly his suggestion was.
"It must be strange without all of the means of communication that we're used to," Bob commented, "things like telephones, computers, or even the mail service."
"Well, even though there is no mail, it is a fairly common practice to slip a note under the front door." Suddenly Wanda's face lit up with an idea. "Say, you didn't by chance miss seeing a note from Luke when you first got to your house?"
Bob thought back. "Well, I certainly wasn't looking for any notes, but then again I have a hard time believing that I could miss something that was on the floor."
"Well, it was an idea," Wanda responded.
"It's like you said. He probably doesn't know that I'm here yet."
Wanda bit her lip as she thought of something else. "There is one more possibility to consider. You never did say that you were sure that Luke was here, did you?"
"Herbert asked me the same thing," answered Bob. "According to his lifestyle I would have to say yes, but to be honest I didn't talk with him much about his relationship with the Lord. He always told me that that was a personal matter, and I pretty much respected his wishes."
"So there is a possibility that he isn't here?"
"I'm not sure I want to consider that possibility until I knew for sure."
Wanda remained silent for awhile and pursed her lips. Finally, she took a deep breath. "I'm not sure how to tell you this, but I'm afraid you may have to face that as a possibility."
Bob felt a knot in his stomach. He wasn't too sure what he would do if he found out that Luke wasn't here. Yet deep down, he now realized that that it could be. Even though Luke had gone to church with Bob several times, Bob had never seen a chance to talk to Luke about his faith. Bob realized then as he looked back that there probably were many opportunities if only he had taken them. "I'm not sure how I could forgive myself if it turned out that Luke wasn't here."
"It's best not to put too much blame on yourself," Wanda said after a brief pause. "I know how I blamed myself when I found out for sure that Dad wasn't here. But after a while I realized that ultimately it was his decision and not mine to make. Besides, at this point you don't know for sure whether Luke is here or not."
"That's true," Bob said hopefully. "It may just be that I haven't found him yet." Bob got up from the sofa. His determination to find Luke had been renewed. "Even though I've enjoyed the time we've spent together, I think I should be going," Bob said. "I'm not going to find out where Luke is by staying here."
"I understand. You can come back at any time," Wanda said as she stood and walked with Bob to the door.
"I suppose there will be of time to talk later, won't there?"
Wanda smiled at that comment as she opened the door for Bob. "Let me know what you find out."
"Okay, I will," Bob said, as he started to leave. As an afterthought, he turned and said "Thanks again."
"Oh, you're very welcome," Wanda said as she waved goodbye with a smile.
Bob left Wanda's place disheartened. Although he still felt that Luke must be here somewhere, both Herbert and Wanda had given him reason to doubt. He made his way down the street to his house. He still had a glimmer of hope that he had missed a note written by Luke. As Bob opened up his front door, light poured into the living room. His hopes of finding a note were quickly shattered as he searched the floor. Still, he felt that there had to be some way of knowing for sure that Luke was here. He entered his living room, shutting the door behind him. The window shades were down, so the room was only dimly lit, yet it seemed even darker than it was in comparison to the outside. His hand automatically reached for the light switch that wasn't there. He didn't bother to open the shades but headed straight towards the one familiar thing, his chair. He wanted a place to sit and think, and that didn't require much light. He had done a lot of thinking in this chair, praying too. It was from this very chair, or at least the one like to it on Earth, where he had had his daily devotions. "Perhaps that's why this chair was here," Bob thought, "it may have as much sentimental value to God as it does to me."
This was the thought in his mind when he first noticed it. In the center of the room, hovering about four feet from the floor, was a pinpoint of light illuminating the room as a single candle. Bob was a little startled, but not at all afraid. The light was slowly coming toward him, and at the same time was beginning to grow --- at first to the size of a golf ball, and to a basketball. By now Bob knew who He was, and welcomed the thought of having a private conversation with Him. The Light continued to grow until it was the same size he was, shining as bright as the sun. Bob's eyes quickly got used to the intensity, so that he could gaze straight into the Light. When he did so, he saw His face of loving consern.
"Child, why do you seem sad?"
"I'm concerned about my friend Luke."
"I understand your concern."
Bob felt an icy hand grip his stomach. He knew. "He isn't here, is he?"
"No."
Bob understood that meant there was only one other place he could be. Bob could feel the tears well up in his eyes. Even as he did he was puzzled at the apparent contradiction.
"I thought there wasn't supposed to be any crying here."
"That's not true. I cry all of the time for those who would not accept My gift."
"But Luke was such a good person!"
"Just being committed to living right is worthless, because everyone is righteous in his own eyes. That is the mistake Luke made. Even though I gave my life for forgiveness of sins, Luke never personally accepted my sacrifice. So when he arrived here, he was overpowered by My Father's glory."
"No!" Bob sobbed.
"I understand your pain. I loved him too, and my pain was far greater than yours the day Luke had to run away from here."
Bob pushed back his tears. "But I thought there wasn't supposed to be any pain at all here."
"That's the final paradox. This place was created to be without suffering, but those who reject My gift will cause pain to those who loved them. There will always be some incompleteness."
"But doesn't the scripture say that there will be no more crying here?"
"You misunderstood. In the very same passage, it also says that I will personally wipe away every tear."
"And how is this paradox resolved?" Bob asked.
"All crying and pain shall eventually pass away. But for awhile, there will still be suffering, even here. However, I do know something that will make you feel better."
Bob looked at His outstretched hand. At first all Bob could see was light radiating from it, so he couldn't see that there was anything in it. But as he looked closely, he could see that He was holding a picture. Bob took the picture and looked at it.
It was a portrait of Joey.
"A few days after your accident, Joey started asking Susan some important questions."
"A few days? The accident wasn't that long ago!"
"You've been a little more than a week, even if it doesn't seem like it. Anyway, Joey wanted to know for certain that you were in Heaven, and he wanted to know if he would be there too. After Susan explained to Joey about Me, he spent a few days thinking. This morning he accepted the gift of My grace."
Tears welled up in Bob's eyes again, but this time they were tears of joy. "I've been waiting for the day that he would come to that decision on his own." He looked down at the picture of Joey, smiling back at him. "But I always figured I would be there with him at the time."
"In fact, it was your unexpected arrival here that helped him make that decision."
"But I'm still going to miss Luke, and wish he were here. How will that pain ever go away?"
"Over time your pain of missing Luke will fade away, especially as you learn of more people who accept my grace. However, I will always be feeling his pain. Mine are the only scars that will never heal."