Chapter 2

The path continues through the orchard. As I walk on I can still hear the melody in the air. It seems to come from everywhere and no where all at the same time. Coming to the end of the orchard I can see something twinkling in the distant like a diamond.  Nothing really makes sense in this world. I stop and look at it, this thing in the distant. Its like looking at an oasis in the desert shimmering promising respite for a weary traveler so I continue on.

Coming over the last couple of hills I can finally see what it was that was shinning so bright. It's a city, a massive city bigger then anything I've ever seen. The architecture was amazing. Every building was mostly open to the elements. It had a classic roman styling to it, but it hinted at something else. Something I could not put my finger on. The one feature that stood out from everything else was three towers that climbed above all the other buildings. The tower in the center was the tallest of the three. It stood half again as tall as the other two. The next largest tower stood to the immediate right of the main tower and then the other tower smallest of the three to the left of the main tower.

These towers are what I had seen back in the orchard glittering on the horizon. Each tower shone so brightly I had to shield my eyes from the glare. It reminded me of the sunlight shining on the newly fallen snow in my other life. From the top of each tower a light emitted shooting straight up to the heavens. Even though the sun still shone brightly, I could clearly see the light coming from them. When I looked at these three giants standing before I am  overcome with such a feeling of love and piece. I had to get to this city, to these towers.

The melody, I could clearly hear it again. The closer I got to the towers the louder and clearer this melody became.  When I had stepped from the great hall it was but a faint whisper on the wind, now I could hear voices singing in a language I could not make out.  I knew that I had heard this same melody somewhere before....

As I rounded the last hill and started my descent towards the city the more vibrant the colors became, colors I that I had never dreamed of, let alone seen before. There were reds,blues,purples,gold, silvers and so many more colors.  It was like walking through an oil painting. I feared that if I brushed one of the flowers that its color would come off on my robe.

Coming to the bottom of this hill the cart path broadened into a wide road. As I walked on this road I looked down and I could see my reflection on its surface.  I felt like I had been walking forever. It seemed like ages ago when I awoke in the massive hall and stepped out into the orchard. Looking up at the cloudless sky I could see the sun shinning brightly. It had not moved an inch since I came to this place.  What time was it I wondered? I had no idea, apparently time worked different in this place.

I was starting to feel a little bit different ..every step I took I felt some different part of my body. Some muscle I didn't know even existed flexing. I've got too stop for a second. Running my hands through my hair I notice the scar that was on the back of my hand from when I was in high school is gone. I pull up my robe to look at my legs. Before rotating back to duty I had, had surgery to repair the veins in my legs, there had been scars that ran the length of my legs, these too were gone. Gone as if they had never existed.

All my old aches and pains from a life time of sports and abuse to my body where gone. I felt like I was twenty years old again! Man, I wish I had a mirror. I bet if I looked at myself I would look as I did when I was in high school.  As shocking as this even my memories had changed. Now when I thought of my friends and loved ones they were replaced with younger versions of themselves. All the memories I had were all happy memories, no longer where there sad memories to cloud my mind over. Any of my memories that had been sad where changed so I could see the consequences of my choices that led to the sadness of the memories.

All the time I've been here I've not seen anyone else. No other people or animals. Just me walking this path. It's been a beautiful barren landscape.  The road is lined on both sides by fields full of something that looks like wheat, although I guess it could be anything.  I can hear something coming through the field. Out from the field bursts a large dog. It looks like a German shepherd. The dog see's me and stops. We are starring at each other like its some sort of standoff.

The dog looks so familiar, I've seen it before...Looking at me still the dog barks excitedly its tail wagging a million miles an hour. Before I can even do anything the dog is running towards me. Is it going to bite me?!  The dog jumps up into the air hitting me with its full weight and knocking me to the ground. I make to shield my face certain its gonna bite me, but no it starts licking my face all over. OH MY GOD....now I remember this dog.  Misty!!! You died when I was still in high school, we had to put you down, your hips where going out and you were always in pain.  Here you are though the young dog I remember. We used to have so much fun playing in the yard and walking through the cherry orchards.  I pull her close to me and bury my face in her fur inhaling deeply. I smell the sweet smell of honeysuckle and jasmine. Just what I remember her smelling like when she would return from a romp in the woods by our house.

God, how I missed her. I feel the tears running down my cheeks again as I hug her to me.  She whimpers softly and gently takes my hand in her mouth pulling me back to my feet.  “OK, girl I'm getting up.”  As I regain my feet, Misty is quivering in excitement. She barks again louder this time.  Urging me to follow her.