"The Light At THe End of the Tunnel"

“The Light At The End of The Tunnel”

By Cody Williams

 

1.

            It was July 1^st, 2014. That was Mathew Keller’s expiration that he heard the doctor give his wife as she stood outside of his hospital room. He can remember that when she came back in, she was crying. For good reason. The colon cancer had taken its toll both mentally and physically since he was diagnose a year ago.

            “We’re going to take you home now Mattie!” His wife uttered to him as she took the doctors advice. There was nothing more she could do. Nothing at all. He could barely remember the car ride home. Hell, he wasn’t quite sure how long it took. One minute, he was there, and the next he didn’t know where the hell he was. The next thing he remembered was lying in his own bed with family member surrounding him. His wife, Jenna, his son Joe, and his daughter Naomi all stood there and looked down upon him.

            Mathew opened his eyes as wide as he could and stared into the face of his morning wife. With what little strength he had left, he lifted his right arm and placed it on Jenna’s hand and rubbed it with his thumb. Almost knowing that something was about to happen, Smokey, the household cat that Mathew bought his wife three years ago leaped up onto the bed and curled up into a ball and lay beside of him. Jenna began to cry again and then reached down and kissed him gently on the forehead.

            “Don’t cry baby! You must be strong!” He uttered before he closed his eyes again and was that blinding white that most people who experience a near death experience claim to see. But this was claim…he saw it, and he was sucked in it.

 

2.

            Mathew looked around for a moment. He noticed something strange but wonderful at the same time. The pain that he had experienced in the past year was no longer there. The bedsores that covered his back and legs were gone. He smiled for the first time in a year. All was good.

            He looked around again at the walls that were lined with stone. He was in a tunnel. Matthew looked down the tunnel to the white light that was now at the end of it and started to walk over to it. A he grew closer somebody began to appear. It was his father and mother that he lost twenty-seven years prior in a car accident on their annual summer trip driving back to Tennessee from Florida.

            They didn’t look anything like they did when he put them into the casket. They had a glow about them. They were wearing white robes and looked like they did when he was a kid. His father had the color back in his brown beard and his mother’s hair was no longer silver and colorless but beautiful and blonde. The two of them handed out their arms and Mathew went into to hug them as he stepped out of the tunnel into the light. He was now on the other side.

 

3.

            The wrinkles on Mathews face disappeared after he stepped into the light. The hair that he had once lost in Chemo Therapy grew back instantly, and his silver bearded that he gave up on shaving turned back to its original brown color as well.

            “I missed you guys!” He whispered to his parents. They said nothing and just hugged him for a moment. They let him go and he noticed that many other people in clean white robes circled around him and began to applaud. His mother and father stepped aside and one by one, the strangers came into shake his hand and hug him. Every single one of them was beautiful and had angelic like glows around them.

            After warm welcome the crowd began to die down and it was just he and his parents again.

            “Mom? Dad? What is this place? Is this the other side?” He asked them. They gave answer and just continued to smile at him. They hugged him again.

            “It’s so great to see you son!” His father whispered in his ear.

            “It’s great to see you too dad!” He replied.

            “He wants to see you!” His mother told him. They pointed to a pearly white building at the top of a mountain. Mathew nodded and began making his way to the peak of the mountain.

 

4.

            Mathew reached the top of the mountain and gazed upon the pearly white building that stood before her. He took a deep breath and walked through the glass double doors of the building. The lobby was white and empty. At the center of the floor was a man with his back to him.

            “Hello? You wanted to see me?” Mathew said nervously as he approached the man. The man turned around. He was seven feet tall and had long black hair and a black beard. His skin was brown and flawless. The man smiled. Mathew stared at him in awe and said nothing more.

            “Welcome Mathew!” The man said with strong deep voice. Mathew couldn’t bring himself to speak. “What have you done for the commend man?” He asked. Mathew looked at him confused for a moment. The man saw this and a television screen appeared from nowhere and floated in mid air. It started from the moment he was in 1956 and went through every year of his life show every generous deed he had performed. The film stopped and television screen disappeared. The man looked down at him.

            “You have committed many selfless and generous acts Mathew! For that a applaud you!" The man said to him. “But have you done everything you could? Was there anything else you could have done to benefited even one more person?” He asked.

            “Yes! Probably!” Mathew replied nervously. The man nodded and smiled again.

            “Well, then I guess you better get on that! I guess you better get back to work!” The man said. He reached out to him and placed his index finger on Mathew’s forehead. Mathew saw another blinding white light and was once again sucked into it.

 

5.

            Mathew took in another breath and sat up from the bed. His hair was gone again and his facial hair was once again silver. But something was the same. The pain that left him before was still gone and he felt as good as new. Jena saw him and darted into the bedroom.

            “What the hell happened? I thought you were gone!” She said, as she couldn’t believe it. She began to tear up again. He hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.

            “I was for a moment. I guess I got a second chance!” He said. She smiled and pulled away.

            “What was it like?” She asked him. He smiled.

“I’ll tell you all about it over a cup of coffee!” He said. She smiled back and left the room. Mathew stood up from the bed for the first time on his own in six months and smiled. “Thanks for the second chance!” He said. He walked over to the doorway and out of it as his son and daughter greeted him.

Copyright 2014 by Cody Williams
Courtesy of TTP Entertainment

Author's Note

A little something different. Enjoy!

-CW

Reviews

[Sharon Kim]

I love this uplifting tale! You're right, something different! I really enjoyed it.
In the first line did you mean expiration date?
In this sentence-“What have you done for the commend man?” Did you mean the common man?
A very nice story Cody!

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Sharon and yes, I did mean "expiration date".

-CW

[Sharon Kim]

:)

[NoelHC]

An interesting tale, and a possible explanation for those "miracle" recoveries you hear of every so often. Lots of little grammar issues to fix up, but a good story.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Noel!

-CW

[Dayran]

A near death experience not unfamiliar to many ... but a new perspective on death ... that is astounding. Nice write CW. Happy Independence Day.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Dayran! Happy Independence Day to you as well!

-CW

[Stephanie M]

That was an interesting concept. Nobody really knows what's in store for us on the other side. I've often
wondered myself. Nicely written.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Stephanie!

-CW