Endless Sky and Open Sea

It happened on Halloween night in South Boston. Nobody would have guessed, or known, but this would be the final night famed metal musician, Dex Fafara would be alive. He was supposed to have been playing at a gig, probably a run down pub smack dab in the middle of the “bad side” of town. The kind of bar that reeked of smoke, presumed illegal substances, and worst of all (to Dex of course), watery, flavorless cocktails. Why would he be going to such a run down old place? Extra money. Extra money for habits he had picked up. However, he had decided that evening that instead of playing a gig that might would cover the cost of getting there, he would find happiness in the illegal substances in his room. More like, his hotel room. It was a sad looking motel room, with cigarette burns on the bedsheets and peeling yellowed wallpaper. The singed sheets weren’t even serving their purpose, rather, they adorned the floor in smelly piles. Such a glamorous lifestyle. 

It was that time of evening when the sun had just set and the night was getting chilly. Dex had sealed his fate with the fatal dose of drugs, just the amount he thought would sedate him. His troubles about needing to go to the bar faded away just as they had appeared (which still took several minutes) due to the substance. This would be his last time he would ever worry about having to show up to a performance. Out of his normal mind, he sat down on his bed and began to work on some songs on the bass. However, every time he began to play, he was constantly dissatisfied with the way he was playing. One time, he would be playing too legato. The next time, he would have messed up a rhythm. Everyone would have noticed I played that wrong! Dex thought. With every mistake he made, the more upset he would be. The drugs didn’t take away his severe anger. He had once assaulted a bartender for giving him the incorrect order. However, Dex had grown up around police officers and other assorted law enforcement, so they gave him a few months of community service instead of giving him a proper punishment. Despite all of his rage, he was a great person. Just confused, and unfortunately, he didn’t understand or “get” a lot of social cues, and he couldn’t tell exactly what was socially acceptable. Dex knew perfectly well beating up a bartender wasn’t acceptable, though. 

His brows furrowed. He tossed his bleach blonde hair. His eyes narrowed as his breathing became shallow. Out of anger, or out of breath? He flung off his bass and threw it against the ground. A piece of the headstock broke off, exposing the pale, splintery wood of the body. Dex seemed to sober up. That bass was his best friend. His prized possession. It would cost him to get it fixed. Money that would’ve been taken from his stash money. He stared at the damaged instrument on the ground, shocked and speechless. Then, it hit him. He had wood glue in his cabinet! Dex shot up off the bed, nearly trampling his bass, and ran to his kitchen. Dirty dishes and clothes littered the floors and tables. He frantically searched for the glue that he imagined he could fix his bass with, shoving spices and plastic cups to the ground. In his haste, he realized he had shoved the glue to the ground. Quick as a whip, he picked it up, but had forgotten the cabinet door was still open. He banged his head on it and promptly blacked out. 

Surprisingly, Dex woke up relatively quickly and seemed to have completely sobered up. He rubbed the spot on his head that he had hit on the cabinet door, but to his surprise, there was nothing there. Although he hit his head hard enough to black out, apparently he had not hit hard enough to leave a pesky knot. He was confused. He wasn’t in his apartment anymore. He was in a meadow. The meadow, almost a perfect circle of green grass and a gorgeous array of wildflowers, was surrounded by a large forest, the branches of inviting oaks swayed delightfully. Dex took in a deep breath. He was breathing in clean, fresh air. In the distance, he heard the babbling of a brook. Dex took a tentative first step, wondering if he was dreaming. However, his body was completely mobile, and could move however he wanted. He used this advantage to dash over to the sound of the flowing water. It was on the edge of the meadow. A small stream of water was leading into a little pool of water. Dex fell to his knees and took a sip of the clear water. It was crisp and delicious. It had a bit of an odor to it, but it wasn’t anything like the fluoride that was usually in city water. It smelled earthy, like mountain water. Mountains! He looked to the horizon, and in the near distance, he could see jagged peaks of snow capped mountains. It looked like a mountain range. The corners of his mouth slipped into a smile. This is how a human should be living! He thought, lapping up more of the sweet waters, waters that distorted the looks of flat stones on the bottom of the pool. 

Unfortunately, Dex was in this place for a reason. A gust of wind blew through the trees, blowing his shoulder length hair. He stopped what he was doing. Dex fixed his posture and still sat down in the reeds near the pool. At the end of the forest, he saw a tall, skinny dark figure. He squinted his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things, but when he did, he blinked. The figure was behind him. He turned around and let out a silent scream. However, the thing wasn't as scary as he had thought it would be. It was a woman, she looked about in her mid 30’s, but she had lines on her face from smiling for years. Her almond shaped eyes were kind, a warm brown, but had a certain tiredness to them. Her dark cloak obscured a sundress, a cream color, decorated with an array of real flowers and vines. Her hair was dark and wavy, it seemed to blow gently, although there was now no more wind. 

“Hello, Dex” she said in a welcoming voice. 

“How do you know who I am?” the musician stupidly asked, as he was world renowned as a musician. The woman smiled, her eyes beginning to squint slightly. 

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are in the afterlife. This is heaven. Or, more like, a subdivision of heaven.”

“I couldn’t have hit my head that hard…” he muttered. 

Her smile softened, and then vanished slowly. Her eyes were sad and sympathetic, and she pulled him into an embrace. 

“It is now 3:22 AM on November 1st back in Boston. At 12:54 the previous night, you passed away of a drug overdose.”

“No, please! I never got to say any of my goodbyes, nothing at all-” Dex stammered, and for the first time in a while, tears slipped down his face. His eyes were widened and shocked. 

“Well, your heart stopped. They have discovered your body. As of right now, your earthly corpse has just been discovered. Your chest is still warm with life.” 

“Is there any chance I could still be alive?” Dex pleaded. The angelic woman shook her head. 

“If you hadn’t drank the water, there might have been an opportunity for you to live. But since you did, you sealed your fate. You are now dead. There will not be another chance in this life.” With this, Dex broke down sobbing, and she wrapped her arms around him again. “However, this is not the end. You must wait, but one of the women you have seen is carrying your child. If you choose to, you can be born again as her child.” Dex was heartbroken, but the final tear slipped down his face.

“Will I keep my memories, or my musical skills?” 

“Your memories, no. You can be a musician again, if you so choose. This is your choice, Dex. Do what your soul needs to. However, a soul leaving unfinished business in an earthly realm is never a good idea.” The man stared into the mountains. In the distance, he could hear waves lapping against the ocean, along with the continued rustling of trees. “Come with me, as you consider” she took his hand, and walked him through a small trail in the forest. Mushrooms flourished in the ground, and green vines swayed lightly in the trees. After a couple minutes of walking, they arrived at the beach. The waves became louder, but the sea was calm. There were no huge waves. There were soft waves lapping against the pebbly shore. Dex took in a breath.  

“I have decided. I want to be born again. How long must I wait?”

“You must wait until your earthly body is born again, through this woman. You really are extremely lucky you are able to start again. Most do not get this privilege.” Dex didn’t meet her gaze. Instead, he looked at the deep blue waters of the open sea, the endless sky kissing the soft waves at the horizon. 

“Shall we finish this?” she asked. He looked the mysterious woman of death in the eyes. Her hand was extended, as if waiting on him to shake it in contract. He tentatively took out his own, and shook it. From then on, the soul of Dex Fafara would be put into the womb of a woman, to live his life again. Until then, he found comfort in the sea and the meadow.