Things that Go Bump in the Night

Chapter 49: Part 1: Illumination

A/N: 

Good News: Yes, this is an update, I am not dead, I did not give up on the story, and I still plan on finishing the story before the end of this year. 

Bad News: This is another multi-part chapter, There are only two full chapters left in the book, and I still have to type them....

Happy Reading! 

Chapter 49: Illumination 

Part 1:

Let's face it, in the past couple of months, my experience with bouts of unconsciousness rivaled that of any cartoon princess. Thus, when I started to perceive anything outside of the darkness that had engulfed me, all the signs (in my Thumbelina-esque line of expertise), pointed to one conclusion.

I was pretty damn certain I was dead.

There were several facts that supported this conclusion. 

In all of my other experience trespassing on death's doorstep, there had been definite signs that proved that I had been able to ding-dong ditch before dear old Grim could turn off the soaps and answer the door.

Pain, along with some level of discomfort or disorientation, had always been a good indicator that I was still in the land of the living. I had also found that hearing voices nearby could be helpful in the determination of life.

Unfortunately, now I was not perceiving any of those indicators.

I wasn't in pain. 

Actually, I felt very comfortable, warm and safe, like I was wrapped in a giant snuggly blanket. And while I did hear a voice softly echoing in the back of my mind....I was pretty sure it was the deep rough timber of Johnny Cash.

So I was dead, but the possibility that I was in heaven seemed pretty slim.

Ring of Fire?

Seriously.

100% Dead.

I struggled to open my eyes, surprised that things like muscle control would even be possible post mortem, and became even more confused. I was on a bed in a dark room. A soft mattress was underneath me, and upon an inquisitive deep inhalation, I discovered that the sheets smelled like sand and lilac. An odd combination, but not particularly unpleasant. 

Without moving, I took a quick survey of what else I could see in my new home in purgatory. There were no windows from what I could see, the only light streamed in through a small strip between an ajar door and its wooden frame that was directly in my line of vision. With another deep breath, I sat up in the bed. I fully expected some sense of vertigo, but there was none.

I felt completely normal.

Actually, my mind was clearer than it had been in a long time. It was if someone had finally turned off a machine that was making a shrill noise which had been giving me a headache. Gone was a pain that I had grown so accustom to that had somehow learned to ignore. The relief was something I neither expected or failed to appreciate. Instead I basked in the sensation of clarity even in my confusion.

Maybe being dead wasn't all that bad?

Deciding to inventory more about the afterlife, I focused on the music that was still playing softly in the background. I could hear the sassy sound of Spanish trumpets echoing through the cracked door and into the room. The air felt dry and cool.

Too cold to be the fiery pits of Hell, too warm to be Hell frozen over.

The sheets that were now pooled around my waist were thin white cotton, covered by a thicker wool throw that was an explosion of bold color and intricate designs. The bed was small, more of a cot than anything else. The lump of my legs ended to the foot of the bed.