Within
your short story, create a powerful scene without using any dialogue.
Approx 1,526 words
Being Dead
©2004 by W. E. Lopez
Being dead isn’t as bad as I had been
told, at least, not yet. So far there has
been no fire and brimstone; does that mean I’m not going to hell? Or perhaps I’m only waiting for the next
bus. I’ve never been able to keep up
with all the descriptions espoused by the many different religions. Am I awaiting the sound of the trump and
resurrection? Or perhaps I’ve been reincarnated
as an earthworm?
No, that’s not possible, even if I
were an earthworm; I’d have some sensation, wouldn’t I? I’m sure I would feel the sandy rasp of earth
as I pushed my body through the soil.
Wouldn’t there be some sensation of cool and warm? I don’t know.
I’ve never had a conversation with an earthworm. At first, I was painfully cold… but now, I’m
not aware of anything at all, I’m dead.
Perhaps I’m the embryo of a chicken,
or snake, or insect, protected within the shell of my egg and waiting my birth.
I remember my death; it’s not the
sort of thing you’re likely to forget, no matter how long you’ve been
dead. The snow had been blowing almost
horizontal to the ground and the wind-chill factor must have been in the teens
or lower but the heater in my car kept me warm and comfortable as I drove the
highway from Fallon to
It was 1920 hours, 7:20 p.m. for
those who have never learned the military time system, when I signed out of the
duty room and tossed my duffle bag in the trunk of my rented Corolla. By 1935 the outskirts of Fallon were behind
me as I breezed along Highway 50 toward Fernley. All I had to do was make it to
It wasn’t my fault I just didn’t have
any way to avoid it when I saw it coming.
A beat up pickup heading south was driving very slowly, and the driver
of the Food Giant truck approaching from behind nearly ran into him before
slamming on the brakes. The semi must
have been doing sixty and suddenly slamming on the brakes isn’t very smart on
an icy road.
Fear and the accompanying rush of
adrenaline surely played tricks on my mind, for the scene seemed to unfold in
slow motion as the trailer behind the semi began to jack knife and sweep across
the road headed straight for me! The
letters spelling Food Giant were at least three feet tall and getting bigger as
the trailer closed the gap. Earlier I
had been busy packing my kit and didn’t have time for the evening meal. A variety of painted vegetables spilling from
a cornucopia on the side of the trailer, the Food Giant logo, suddenly reminded
me how good a tossed salad smothered with bleu cheese dressing would taste
right now. Highway 50 has only two lanes
and it was impossible for me to get out of the way. The trailer crushed the front of my Corolla
and probably crushed me too, although I was unconscious by that time. Even unconscious, I was aware of the numbing
cold beginning to penetrate my body when the engine died and the heater quit
blowing warm air. It was bitterly cold
but I couldn’t even shiver as my arms and legs turned to ice.
That’s the last I remember, and now
I’m dead. I never made it to
Donna won’t have to worry about
that. She’s only twenty-four with a strikingly
good figure. Having a kid might narrow
her choices for a second husband, but there are always men around who don’t
mind raising a step-child.
So I don’t have to worry about
driving through the snow to
I never experienced that light at the
end of the tunnel so many have reported after a near death experience, did it
all happen too fast? I didn’t have time
for my entire life to flash before my eyes, not even the unforgettable night of
our honeymoon two years ago. There are a
lot of things in my life I’m glad I didn’t have to review in that final second,
but I feel cheated I didn’t get to relive that very memorable night.
And now I’m dead, but what’s
next? Is there a purgatory and will I
endure unending torment while atoning for my sins? Where are all the family, friends, and
acquaintances that have gone before me?
I’ve always heard you will meet them when you cross over? Why am I alone?
I remember Mr. Walker, in Physics 101,
saying that matter and energy could neither be created nor destroyed, but it
could change state. I guess, if a person
really does have a soul, it must be some sort of energy, but what happens to it
after death? Does it just float around
in the cosmos somewhere waiting to be reborn again? Or will it eventually disappear, like a
battery running down? Is that why no one
else is here? Have their batteries
finally run down? How long do I have
before my battery runs down and I fade away to nothing? Will it happen quickly, like turning off a
switch, or will I fade away, getting weaker and weaker like the headlights
someone forgot to switch off on a parked car?
Wait… it seems to be getting lighter
now. Not something you can actually see,
it just doesn’t seem as dark as before.
If I move forward now, if I could move
forward now, would I encounter that light at the end of the tunnel?
*
* *
“The EEG monitor is showing a
dramatic increase in Alpha and Theta waves, Dr. Burmer,”
Frederica Norton said.
Maxwell Burmer,
Chief of Neurology and specialist in cold weather injuries, changed the focus
of his attention from the patient in the chamber to the EEG. “Thanks, Freddie. I’ve been expecting that. Over the past three weeks, his reflexes have
shown an increase in body tics and muscle palpitations. I expect he would have regained consciousness
some time ago if we hadn’t kept him sedated.”
“Will you have him transferred to a
bed, doctor?”
“Not yet, Freddie, his spine has
barely begun to heal and the associated nerves to regenerate. If we move him too quickly, he could be a
paraplegic for the rest of his life. Perhaps
in another week or two he’ll be strong enough to move. It’s been fifteen weeks now, but the crisis
passed in the first 72 hours when we brought his body temperature back to
normal. We’ve simply been giving his
body a chance to heal itself.”
“I remember what he was like when
they first brought him in, doctor. I’ve
never seen a case of hypothermia as severe as his, and yet the patient survived. His core temperature was 22C, isn’t that a
record of some sort?”
“The Russians saved a patient with a core temperature of 21C, Freddie, but I think there was irreversible brain damage. We’ve improved upon their technique by totally immersing the body in saline solution and allowing it to warm more slowly. At first his brain functions were close to zero and it could have gone either way. When brain activities showed he was beginning to recover from his cold injuries, we had to administer massive tranquilizers to keep him sedated until his body injuries could heal. I wonder what it was like for him. This will definitely be one for the books when the shrinks have a chance to interview him about his near-death experience.”