Void Stage

Arrival and first test at heaven

I couldn't wait to explore the rest of the room. I walked over to the balcony with him and opened the doors, feeling the ocean breeze on my skin. I could hear the sound of waves crashing against the shore, and the cries of seagulls flying overhead. It was so peaceful and calming, I felt like I was in a dream. As I walked back into the room, I noticed a figure sitting on the beach, reading a book. It was his wife. She looked up and smiled, and I could see the relaxation in her eyes. He took a step forward and introduced me to her. As I stood there, trying to take it all in, I heard a soft whisper in my ear. "Welcome to heaven," it said. "You are now part of the world with enormous possibilities." I spun around, but there was no one there. The voice seemed to come from all around me, echoing off the walls and the orbs. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I realized that I was truly in a place beyond our world.

Again before I realized, we were standing above the earth in space, or you can say we are floating. As I stood at the peak of the world, the wind howled and the ground seemed to sway beneath my feet. I felt a strange sensation, as if the very fabric of reality was pulling me towards the depths of the planet. I looked down and saw the ground rushing up to meet me, the trees and buildings blurring together in a kaleidoscope of color and light. I tried to step back, to find my footing on the precipice, but my feet seemed rooted to the spot. The world around me was spinning, and I felt myself falling, falling into the heart of the earth. As I plummeted towards the ground, I saw strange visions flash before my eyes. I saw the birth of the planet, the cooling magma and the slow formation of the continents. I saw the rise and fall of civilizations, the evolution of life on earth, and the countless generations that had come and gone. I felt a sense of awe and wonder at the vastness of time and space, and yet, I was powerless to stop my descent. I was a small, insignificant speck in the grand tapestry of existence, and yet, I was a part of it all. As I fell deeper into the earth, the air grew hotter and more dense. I felt the heat of the mantle, the intense pressure of the earth's core, and the strange, otherworldly energy that pulsed through the planet's innards. Then he suddenly came to my sight and he was saying something. I was not able to understand what he was talking about due to the rush of air. He came towards me and laid his hand on my chest. I suddenly noticed something on my chest and back. It was a parachute. He was trying to grab the handle. As we were zooming towards the ground fast and out of fear I remembered a scene in which the parachute did not function correctly. And then, just as in that scene suddenly started happening to us. Just everything went black in front of my eyes. Then I felt myself slowing, my fall came to a stop. I opened my eyes. It was a bright sunny day on the earth and both of us were standing on top of himalayan mountains. It was so real that I even forgot that I know how to fly.

Then he said, "I thought you had an unfulfilled dream of skydiving while you were alive on earth. But here you are so scared and without any idea how to do it.".

I said, "I was interested while I was a kid. But now I don't have any such childish dreams."

He: "Welcome to heaven. You don't need to be shy. You can do anything here. Just imagine it and it can be yours."

I: "I am really amazed by all this. But I need to find my wife."

He: "Don't worry. Let me take you to your wife."

I: "Can you really?"

He: "Yes, I surely can. Come with me."

He opened a shimmering portal in front of us. I took a deep breath, and stepped into it behind his back. Before I could ask him anything, we were in front of my house. He told me to go ahead and open the door. I opened the door. As I stepped in I got dragged into a past illusion on the earth. My father was reading the newspaper as usual sitting in front of the TV. My mom came out from the puja room. Watching this my heart started aching and tears rolled out from my eyes. I could not resist my feelings. I rushed towards to hug her. But she stopped me and started scolding me.

She: "Are you coming now from jogging? Check the time now. It's almost time for your breakfast. You wait, there. You don't learn till you get a serious beating. And why are you crying, have you gone mad? Have you brought the groceries?."

I could not believe what I heard. I ran back towards the door. When I opened the door, no one was outside and it was just like my neighborhood. I then turned back and my mom was in front of me. Before I could ask her anything she grabbed the grocery bag out of my hands and held my ear and dragged me towards the bathroom and asked to take a shower. I started feeling restless like I really had been jogging for a while all sweaty and smelly. I could feel pain in the back of my head and upon checking it was bleeding as if I fell and beat my head with something. I went into the bathroom hiding my hand and head from mom to check in the mirror. I was really bleeding. I took a quick shower and I came out of the bathroom. After checking the surroundings I entered my bedroom. I started searching the fast aid box in the drawer where I used to keep the blood. That's when she came into the room and saw my wound.

She: "Oh my god! What happened? Are you okay? Let me help you with the fast aid."

I: "Shh! Don't shout. Mom will hear you."

She: "Ok, I will be quiet but what happened?"

I: "I am not sure, it's complicated. Could you just help me to stop the blood."

She: "Oh dear, let me see it right away."

She reached out to my head and gently did the fast aid.

She: "That must really hurt. Let me bring some food here. I will also bring an ice pack, do you need anything else?"

I: "No, I don't need anything else."

My mom called my name and asked: "Son! Are you out of the shower or not? Padmaja can you check on that fool. He has been acting strange since coming back."

I immediately asked Padmaja: "Wait! I don't need anything else but can you keep mom out of here. She will be worried."

She said not to worry and to take some rest. Then she went outside. I started thinking about what was happening? Was this illusion also created by him? Where is he now? Suddenly a past memory flashed back in front of me when a similar incident occurred. That day I fell on the ground on the back of my head due to stumbling upon the door. I fell and hurt my head. I was slightly bleeding that day. My wife did the dressing of my wound without letting my mom know about that incident that day. After remembering that I thought of the room to be back as it was before. I became sure that this must be the work of the attendant and I am still in the same room. Then he appeared in front of me.

He: "What happened? Why did you come out of the illusion so fast? Was that not a happy moment for you? You got all of your family back. Don't you like that? I understand it's just a past dream, but that day was the only happy moment with your wife I could find from your memories."

I: "No, it is just a past memory. Those were not real."

He: "Ok, I understood what you mean. Why don't you imagine whatever you wish for. It will fill that for you. You can even be a superhero."

I: "I don't have any such wishes left. I just want to find and ask for her forgiveness for what I did to her. Only by doing that could I atone for my sins."

He: "Greetings! This was just a qualification test before going into the assembly hall to confront the lord. Many people fall into the eternal world illusion in this room and stay here till they empty all of their penance. Then they were sent again to earth as a baby. But as you pass then you are qualified. If you want you can go out to roam around or stay here. But be prepared before the brahma muhurta as per the wheel. Well, then excuse me. I will come back then to take you to the assembly and there you can represent your concerns in front of my lord."

I: "Thank you. I will wait for your arrival tomorrow."

I made the room just like the cave I was staying in while I was on earth. Then I started meditating. The next day, I came back to my scene when he woke me up. I asked for his forgiveness as he needed to come to wake me up.

He: "Don't worry about it. It is just that you are not so familiar with the timing concept here and the sunlight does not fall into this room like earth. Let's go to the assembly hall now."