Read Online Just Like Heaven by Steven Slavick - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Steven Slavick
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saying.”
Roland walked up to him in powerful strides, face impenetrable. “ I disagree . You called upon them. There’s a difference. Your voice cracked in agony. You called out for them because you needed their strength to help you endure one of the life’s mos t painful experiences: losing your loved one s .”
“That’s ridiculous. I’ve never prayed a day in my life. I never went to church. Everyone says if you d on’t believe in God or Jesus, you do n’t go to heaven. So if this is heaven, how can I be here? How is that possible? Is it a mistake? Is that why I can’t taste a burger? Is that why I can’t smell anything? Is that why I can’t breathe in this place?”
“He wanted you to be here because that’s what you both decided upon. And the reason you don’t taste anything is because, in heaven, you don’t need food. You don’t need a sense of smell. And you don’t need to breathe. You’re thinking in terms the human form understands. Do me a favor. Poke yourself.”
“What?”
“Go ahead: poke yourself. You’d rather not? Fine. Allow me.” He reached out and jabbed a finger into Nick’s chest , but Roland’s finger bent into his chest, almost making his form shimmer.
Nick stood firm, rearing back a fist. “Hey, buddy you better watch it.”
“Did you feel that? The force with which I pushed you would have made you take a step back – if you were in corporeal form . But that didn’t happen. Because that isn’t your human body. That’s down on e arth right now. While your soul is here with me.”
“In heaven.”
“Indeed. Why would you need to eat or sleep? Heaven is the most perfect place in existence because Go d made it so. He wanted all of H is children to return home to a place of beauty and wonder, after having experienced so many challenges on e arth .”
Nick had to admit that e arth was not the nicest place to live. So that part, about God wanting to make heaven a place of contentment, rang true to him – if there was a God . Come to think of it, Nick hadn’t felt hunger pains in some time . So the logic of not needing to eat or sleep made sense. If his spirit, not his body, traveled to heaven, why would he need to eat or sleep? It would be unnecess ary. After all, humans only eat food to use those vitamins, minerals, protein, etc. to use in th e form of energy. And they sleep in order to restore bodily functions. If he didn’t exist in human form, he wouldn’t need to eat or sleep.
Therefore, Roland had finally made some sense – if Nick believed in heaven. But he didn’t. Still, maybe opening his mind to possibilities he hadn’t before considered might prod his brain to give him some answers, so that he co uld discover the reason he dream ed up this imaginary world.
Another question prompted consideration: while dreaming, how often did he eat, sleep , or breath e? None! Therefore, he assumed that whatever drugs the nurses pumped through his veins in the hospital had resulted in a more realistic dream-state.
“ All right,” Nick said. “What’s next, Colonel?”
* * *
Inside the Hall of Reco rds, a building similar in size and structure as the Hall of Wisdom , Nina appeared with Mei Lee on the first level and gaped in awe at the towering marble columns and spacious steps that reached up countless levels toward a massive dome. It seemed that, although there seemed to be a limitless amount of floors inside this building, the dome l ooked only about forty levels above her. This t rick of physics reminded her of God’s power to bend space and time at His will.
In every direction, row upon row of endless shelving units stretched throughout the building. And just as with the dome, Nina didn’t need to wander down an aisle to know that, the farther she traveled down that row, the further
Roland walked up to him in powerful strides, face impenetrable. “ I disagree . You called upon them. There’s a difference. Your voice cracked in agony. You called out for them because you needed their strength to help you endure one of the life’s mos t painful experiences: losing your loved one s .”
“That’s ridiculous. I’ve never prayed a day in my life. I never went to church. Everyone says if you d on’t believe in God or Jesus, you do n’t go to heaven. So if this is heaven, how can I be here? How is that possible? Is it a mistake? Is that why I can’t taste a burger? Is that why I can’t smell anything? Is that why I can’t breathe in this place?”
“He wanted you to be here because that’s what you both decided upon. And the reason you don’t taste anything is because, in heaven, you don’t need food. You don’t need a sense of smell. And you don’t need to breathe. You’re thinking in terms the human form understands. Do me a favor. Poke yourself.”
“What?”
“Go ahead: poke yourself. You’d rather not? Fine. Allow me.” He reached out and jabbed a finger into Nick’s chest , but Roland’s finger bent into his chest, almost making his form shimmer.
Nick stood firm, rearing back a fist. “Hey, buddy you better watch it.”
“Did you feel that? The force with which I pushed you would have made you take a step back – if you were in corporeal form . But that didn’t happen. Because that isn’t your human body. That’s down on e arth right now. While your soul is here with me.”
“In heaven.”
“Indeed. Why would you need to eat or sleep? Heaven is the most perfect place in existence because Go d made it so. He wanted all of H is children to return home to a place of beauty and wonder, after having experienced so many challenges on e arth .”
Nick had to admit that e arth was not the nicest place to live. So that part, about God wanting to make heaven a place of contentment, rang true to him – if there was a God . Come to think of it, Nick hadn’t felt hunger pains in some time . So the logic of not needing to eat or sleep made sense. If his spirit, not his body, traveled to heaven, why would he need to eat or sleep? It would be unnecess ary. After all, humans only eat food to use those vitamins, minerals, protein, etc. to use in th e form of energy. And they sleep in order to restore bodily functions. If he didn’t exist in human form, he wouldn’t need to eat or sleep.
Therefore, Roland had finally made some sense – if Nick believed in heaven. But he didn’t. Still, maybe opening his mind to possibilities he hadn’t before considered might prod his brain to give him some answers, so that he co uld discover the reason he dream ed up this imaginary world.
Another question prompted consideration: while dreaming, how often did he eat, sleep , or breath e? None! Therefore, he assumed that whatever drugs the nurses pumped through his veins in the hospital had resulted in a more realistic dream-state.
“ All right,” Nick said. “What’s next, Colonel?”
* * *
Inside the Hall of Reco rds, a building similar in size and structure as the Hall of Wisdom , Nina appeared with Mei Lee on the first level and gaped in awe at the towering marble columns and spacious steps that reached up countless levels toward a massive dome. It seemed that, although there seemed to be a limitless amount of floors inside this building, the dome l ooked only about forty levels above her. This t rick of physics reminded her of God’s power to bend space and time at His will.
In every direction, row upon row of endless shelving units stretched throughout the building. And just as with the dome, Nina didn’t need to wander down an aisle to know that, the farther she traveled down that row, the further
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