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  Monica,silent for a few moments, finally decided on the all important brain teaser that would ensure our entry into the gates of paradise. “You're in a room that has no doors or windows. There's a mirror and a table in the room. How do you get out?”

  There was silence from the entire group of guardians. The head keeper finally said, “There is no logical answer to your question. It is impossible. Your question is invalid. It cannot be answered. You lose!”

  “No, no, not so fast. There is an answer,” Monica said with great confidence.

  “Impossible there can not be!”

  “The answer is: You look in the mirror and see what you saw, take the saw and cut the table in half. Two halves make a whole. Jump through the hole. There's your answer. We win. You must open the gate.”

  None too happy and feeling like he was tricked and of course he was, the gate keeper opened the gate and Monica and I entered the netherworld, but we were far from paradise.

  Chapter Five

  We found ourselves in total darkness, I held on to Monica's hand for dear life, for fear I would lose her and be lost forever. I must admit I was terrified, being in this strange land in total engulfing darkness and afraid of the hardships that lay ahead. I, however, was determined to make it and live in paradise with my love.

  The darkness finally gave way to a dim green light. “The next challenge is ahead, are you ready?”

  I said I was but I was riddled with doubt, but that doubt was overcome by an overwhelming desire to succeed.

  Suddenly we were not floating any longer but were walking on what felt and looked like wet grass. Our steps were labored as we trudged along, we walked for what seemed like a mile and then we saw it, the maze.

  A huge group of dark green hedges lay ahead of us, the opening was sealed by a huge white door that was chained and locked by a large padlock that could only be opened by a key.

  “What do we do now, we don't have the key,” I said at quite a loss.

  “The key is here, we must find it,” Monica said, very matter of factually.

  “But how?” I said, not having a clue.

  “It may be an actual key or it might not be, that is the question we must answer. The key might be a part of the door. It might be a link of the chain.”

  “I don't understand,” I said still befuddled.

  “We are in an imaginary spirit world, Michael. Things are not always what they seem to be. The door itself might not be real. The lock and chain could be a figment of our imagination, don't you see?”

  I said I did, but I still was lost.

  “Let's start with the door.”

  I hit the door with my hand, it was solid, it seemed to be real. I pushed it, it would not budge, again it seemed to be real. I grabbed the chains, once again they seemed to be real. I tugged at the lock it was securely locked. “Everything seems to be real,” I proclaimed to Monica, not knowing what to do next.

  “But is it real or did you imagine it was real?”

  “What?”

  “You saw and felt what you thought was real, but was it a dream or a mirage, perhaps. I see the key to the lock in your hand, don't you?”

  “How could that be,” I said, not wanting to believe what she was saying. I looked down and to my wonder, a key had appeared in my hand. “No it can't be.”

  “In this world of magic anything is possible.”

  My spirit hand began to shake as I inserted the key in the lock and gave it a turn. It immediately opened and fell to the ground. The chain fell as well, the door opened with a loud creak.

  “Oh, my God!” I said still not believing.

  The maze lay ahead, it was like a puzzle with a thousand pieces, we entered apprehensively, hoping we would chose wisely and not be lost in the nothingness. There were dangers everywhere, one wrong turn could be the end.

  “Wait,” Monica said before we took a step. “We must study this situation like a mathematics problem. There is no time limit to finish the maze, so we must take our time and be cautious, oh so careful, my love.”

  “I was never good in math. You were always the smart one, I on the other hand was the laborer, the builder.” I said, telling her something she knew all so well.

  “Yes, I know. Your skills as a builder will be needed later. We must conquer this obstacle together. It is the only way.

  We stood transfixed for several minutes. I was at a loss, I was only hoping Monica knew what the solution to the problem was.

  The choice was to go left or go right, either way we had an identically equal chance of being successful. A one out of two chance didn't sound that good to me. “Which way?” I said looking confused and troubled.

  “If we choose correctly that means we went the right way. So to the right is the way to go,” Monica said confidently. She took my hand and we went down the dark green corridor heading for the next puzzle.

  “After you go the right way there is only one way that is left. Left, we go left.” I looked at her in amazement, but we went left and we did not encounter any danger. “All we have to do is use our imagination and we will successfully navigate the maze. Remember we are in a fantasy world.”

  The answer appeared in my mind's eye as by magic. “I see it. I can see the whole pathway. It is as you said, fantasy.” I took the lead this time and followed the road map in my mind . Left, right, right, right, left, left and so on we made our way through the maze.

  Coming out of the maze we entered a desert. The sun beat down on us brightly, but we were glad to be out of the hedge land. What new challenge lay ahead, I did not know. But soon we found out.

  Chapter Six

  The desert sun blazed down on us, I held my hand over my eyes to deflect the sun's blinding glare. “What is this place? I asked Monica, afraid of what she might say.

  “It is the land of the sand people.” She said looking around apprehensively. The look she gave made me nervous, she seemed to be frightened for the first time since our journey began.

  We labored through the hot heavy sand, hoping we would not meet the sand people but knowing we were not going to be that lucky. “How do we defeat the sand people?” I asked hoping she knew.

  “They can not be defeated. They are invincible.” She said again with that same terrified look on her face. “We must hide until dark, then we will try to sneak by them. It is the only way.”

  “I'll just blast them with my special sandman gun.” I said jokingly, but thinking it might work since we were in an imaginary world.

  “I'm afraid no weapon that we could imagine can kill them.

  “No weapon we imagine can defeat them?”

  “No, we must hide. Fortunately they can not see very well, especially at night and they can not smell us like animals can. Also, even though they are very large, they can not move very fast. ”I looked up, the sun was still high in the sky. It was going to be a long day. Then I heard it, softly at first but building into a roar. It was a strong wind blowing in, stirring up the sand to the point where we could barely see.

  “They come,” Monica yelled.

  “What?”

  “They're coming, we must hide behind those rocks over there.” She grabbed my hand and drug me to the huge boulders and we jumped behind them.

  We huddled together behind the stones, I peeped out wanting to get a look at these so called sand people, but fearing what kind of terrifying beings they might be.

  The ground rumbled, as if a herd of huge cattle was stampeding right next to where Monica and I were hiding. There must have been twenty or thirty of them, huge sand creatures resembling a man, but like sand castle people made by giant children during a day at the beach. They had no eyes, but sockets where eyes should be, no mouth but a hole instead. They made a whistling sound as they thundered by looking from side to side with their vacant holes.

  Monica and I held on tight to one another, hoping they could not see us or that we would not be blown away in the almost hur
ricane wind that was blowing as the sand people lumbered by.

  Just as we thought we had it made, suddenly the whole group stopped. We sat breathless, hoping we had not been detected. Two of the sand people seemed to be searching the area, maybe they were aware we had entered their land. Luckily they did not see very well for they would have surely seen us. Satisfied, they moved on.

  “That was too close,” I said, still breathing hard.

  “Yes, it was,” Monica said breathing hard as well. “We will stay here until it is dark, then we will try to make our way to the oasis.”

  “The oasis?”

  “You will know it. The sand people can't go there. If we make it, we are safe. It is lush and green, a place we can take respite from our hardships.

  Finally the sun began to ease in behind the horizon to take a rest from its day's work. It was a welcome site for Monica and I, for we were weary from our travels and the long day spent in the land of the sand people.

  “I think we can make it now, Michael. It is almost dark and the oasis is not far. Let's go.”

  Taking my hand, we started across the sand that had cooled somewhat with the setting of the sun. We walked arm and arm, like school children, young lovers out for their first night. I was happy just to be with my love, and she with me. “I wanted to talk to you, about that night.”

  She shook her head, “No, we will wait until we reach the oasis. We will have plenty of time then. Besides we still must look out for the sand people. Sometimes they venture out after dark.”

  We were almost a hundred yards from the oasis, from safety, to the respite, when two sand people appeared out of nowhere. Somehow we had run right into their path in the darkness.

  “Run,” Monica yelled, wide-eyed, grabbing my hand so we would not get separated.

  The sand people, realizing two spirits were in their land, turned and gave chase. They were slow as Monica had said, but being large creatures, had long legs that made up for their lack of speed.

  They were gaining on us, as we closed the distance between us and the oasis. All we had to do was make it there and we would be safe.

  “Run, my love, run!” Monica yelled and I ran as fast as my spirit legs would take me. Closer and closer, almost there. They were right behind us.

  Finally the oasis.

  “We made it,” I cried joyfully. We both fell on the lust green grass of the oasis exhausted.

  Chapter Seven

  Oh blessed, peaceful sleep, with my love in the oasis, a sleep like no other in my memory, came over us. I could not dream for I was already dreaming, but actually I was living a dream. There was no other place, heaven or earth, I had rather be.

  I awoke early, Monica was still fast asleep, I looked around in wonder at the wonderful place we had chosen for our respite from our journey. We lie next to a small pool of water that was so blue, it put the bluest skies ever known to man to shame. A brilliant waterfall cascaded over the pool sparkling in a sunrise bright red from early morning sun that was just waking up and peeping over the horizon.

  Monica woke up a short time later with a beautiful peaceful look on her face, smiling as if she had just awaken from a heavenly dream. “Good morning, my love,” I said. She just smiled a smile that said it all.

  We lie in each others spirit arms, but there was no feeling of warmth or tenderness in our present form. Her touch brought on no sensual desires like her human form had, and yet it was wonderful in its own kind of way. In that proximity we stayed for a long while, until I broke the silence. “I have thought many times of the night your physical body died, of how terrible it must have been, but I could only imagine what actually happened. All I knew was the incredible loneliness and emptiness in my soul I have felt everyday after you were lost to me.”

  Monica was silent for a moment and finally said, “Yes, it was a terrible night. You mustn't blame yourself. You know how stubborn I could be. You offered to drive me, but I insisted I could drive myself. It was a particularly bad night, visibility was low, the road was extremely slick from rain that had turned to sleet and then to snow. The further I drove the worst the road conditions got. Then suddenly I hit a slick spot on the highway, the car began to slide, I wrestled with the steering wheel trying to regain control but the harder I tried the more I lost control. I saw the tree coming towards me , it loomed closer and closer, I covered my face not wanting to see as I crashed into the tree, hurdling my frail physical body through the windshield. Then there was the blackness. I saw my broken bloodied body on the icy highway from my spirit eye as my soul hovered above my dead flesh and body frame.”

  The sadness overcame me and I was once again that man overcome with the new grief of losing his beloved wife and it was overwhelming. I felt like crying but tears can not flow from the eyes of a spirit even if he or she experiences a great moment of grief.

  Monica took my hand and said, “ we can stay here for a day and then we must go. There is much we must do and there is a great distance we must travel before we reach paradise.”

  We fell once again into a deep sleep, a trance like state almost, a great peace came over me, a peace I had never known before. In a day we had to continue our journey, I dared not think of the perils ahead, only the love that I knew at that moment in time.

  Chapter Eight

  I woke up the next morning still entwined as one with Monica, she awoke smiling but with a look of concern on her beautiful face. “What's wrong?” I asked, noticing her disconcerting expression.

  “Oh nothing, don't worry.”

  “I wasn't worried, but the look on your waking face troubled me. My soul was at peace and I was happy but now I fear there is cause for concern.”

  “You must make a choice here. I didn't tell you before but I feel you must know.”

  “Please tell me, I thought I had made my choice.”

  “This is your last chance to return to your physical body unharmed and unchallenged. However if you continue on from here and you decide to return you will face terrible dangers and challenges even more difficult than the ones we have already faced. The choice is yours.”

  I sat silently for a few moments. I knew I wanted to be with Monica more than anything in the world forever, but still a gnawing feeling in the pit of my gut kept telling me I should go back home, the journey was too perilous. I felt a flash of heat from the shame of even thinking such a thought and for letting such feelings of weakness creep into my being.

  “Another thing I want you to consider,” Monica said holding my spirit hands and looking into my eyes. “We can not be as lovers in paradise. We can only have spiritual love, not physical love. It is not possible. We can no longer feel the passion we once knew in life or on the night when I reappeared to you on the deserted icy highway. But if you return, I can visit you every year on the anniversary of my death. I will be in my earthly body and you will know me. I will not have to deceive you again. We will know great passion on those nights. Passion like you have have never experienced, this I guarantee.”

  I was at a loss for words. I was for the first time indecisive. Maybe I should go home. But to see my beautiful wife only once a year, when I had the chance to spend eternity with her, that was a decision I could not and would not take lightly.

  “You have until the sun rises in the morning to make your decision. Choose wisely. Only you can make the decision.”

  Chapter Nine

  I decided to continue the journey, the overwhelming thought of not spending an eternity with Monica was just more than I could bear, even if it meant never touching her physical body and enjoying the passion of her charms ever again.

  The sun rose and my decision was made, and now I must tell my beautiful wife, sleeping peacefully next to me the decision I had made. I hoped it was the right decision, alas, it was the only one I could make.

  Her eyes opened slowly, a smile spread across her face as I greeted her with a good morning kiss and a smile that matched the one on he
r face. “Have you made your decision?” She said, with a questioning look on her face.

  “Yes, I have.”

  “Well tell me, don't play games with me. I need to know. For if you have chosen to continue we must be on our way.”

  “I made the only decision I could make. I will continue the journey, so we can be together, forever. That is my greatest desire.

  “I had hoped you would choose to continue, but I feared the lust of the flesh might prove to be too overwhelming and you might give in, in a moment of weakness”

  “My love is stronger than any power on earth or in the heavens. You will see, I will prove it to you,” I said with pride and conviction.

  Looking towards the beautiful blue sky, Monica said, “Then we will go.”

  “What is the next challenge?”

  “It is more a test than a challenge.”

  “What kind of test?

  “We will face the Demons of the Dark, hideous monsters, some real, some imagined. But even the imaginary ones are dangerous. We will be thrust into a world where dreams and reality exist on the same plane, and the test will be to survive in this world for a full day.”

  “How will we know what is real and what is a dream?”

  “That is for us to decide. How we decide will determine our fate”

  “When will this horrible thing begin?”

  “As soon as we take one step off of the green grass of the oasis, the nightmare will begin.”

  Chapter Ten

  A dark ominous cloud appeared the moment we stepped out of the sanctity of the oasis. The sky was black but was streaked with red. It seemed to bleed, like a sucking wound, it pulsated, thumping like the beat of a heart. The wind whispered at first barely audible, but then that whisper turned into a roaring wind. A thousand screams could be heard at first in a distance but those screams came closer, even closer, as a thousand mouths opened up in the sky, they screamed, and screamed.