Preparation

Be prepared to embark on an epic journey. One not of body, but of mind. A journey through events of insignificant people, leading insignificant lives, finding themselves caught somewhere in between, somewhere no one travels. The events you will experience have no particular importance to history. Events that will be overlooked by any who were not involved, but will always be in the minds of those to blame. Events that may touch some, may elude some, or may upset some. During our time together you will experience loss, fear, hate, love, joy and sadness. You will see the dark side of man and the light side of life. There is only one requirement for this journey. You must allow yourself to get swept along, to enjoy the experience and embrace the ride. If you feel you are ready, come with me on a Journey Into the Mind.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Depths Of Love

It had been three years since Bill last saw Sarah. Those three years had felt like a lifetime to him but now that he was on his way home he couldn’t believe he was already done. The war seemed like it would never end. Technically it wasn’t over but it had settled down enough that he was allowed to go home. Unlike most of the soldiers who were involved in the war, Bill didn’t see a firefight. Instead he was deployed to a nearby country and was there to train the soldiers before they went in. This was his curse and blessing. He did not have the same risks as many of the soldiers, but instead of staying for half a year or so at a time, he was required to stay for three years.

Three years. Bill couldn’t even imagine the things that must have changed back home. Sure he got the occasional letter but they could never do the differences justice. Everyone who sent the letters were too involved in the changes, they could not see the changes like Bill would be able to. He wondered if Sarah looked any different now, if she was still the girl he loved when he left. He was sure that she was still the love of his life, but he was worried that three years had bored her so much that she moved on, her letters had slowed over the years. Either way he would find out while he was back.

Thirteen hours is a long flight and Bill was not fond of flying. Every time the plane encountered some turbulence his heart dropped into his stomach. Turbulence wasn’t anything to worry about but Bill couldn’t help but imagine the plane going down. It wasn’t as much the thought of dying in a plane crash that scared him, more so it was the fact that he would be helpless to do anything and would not get a chance to see Sarah one last time. He could bare that thought and decided the best thing to do would be to try and get some sleep. Sleeping would at least keep him from noticing most of the turbulence.

Bill woke up in a cold sweat and every memory of his dreams faded, but he knew they were very unpleasant. The things that happened in his dreams were indescribable and he was glad he couldn’t remember them. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were all real however and could not wait to get off the plane and be safe with the people he loved. Figuring he was out for at least five hours Bill asked the attendant how much longer until they arrived in America. To Bill’s horror the attendant said that they were not headed to America but headed somewhere called Distopia, a placed he had never heard of.

Bill was shocked and did not know how to react. At first he thought that he might still be sleeping but realized he couldn’t be because everyone on the plane was just as they were before he went to sleep, there is no way they would be portrayed that accurately in his dream. Still shocked and not completely aware of what he was doing Bill got up walked toward the cockpit of the plane. The way Bill was staggering forward made many people in the plane very nervous. Near the front of the plane Bill came to some of his senses and quickly went inside the bathroom. After washing his face he decided to sit back down. He guessed that the attendant must have been joking with him to try and lighten the 13 hour flight.

Bill hadn’t sat back down for more than five minutes when the plane started to go through some really bad turbulence. Bill could only brace himself and hope nothing bad was going to happen. The person next to him started laughing when he noticed how tense Bill was and had just opened his mouth when the lights started to flicker inside the plane and the pilot's voice came over the intercom. The pilot said that everything would be ok and that the lights would start working normally once they were out of the turbulence. Bill couldn’t help but notice the nervousness in the pilot voice and wonder what was really happening. A couple minutes later the answer became very apparent. Everyone on the plane noticed that the engine just outside the window was on fire.

Panic is not the correct word for the general atmosphere of the plane but it got even worse when the plane started to drop at an unhealthy speed. Bill could not even hear himself think over all the people screaming and the sound of the engine roaring and popping. Bill guesstimated at the rate they were dropping he did not have much time to live. Knowing this was the end he tried to focus his thoughts on the one thing that had always made him happy but for some reason he couldn’t remember the last time he was with Sarah. It had only been three years he should have some memory of her. He realized he couldn’t even remember getting one letter from her. Bill couldn’t help but cry.

Patty got excited when she saw that Bill was crying. He had been in a coma for the last three years and this was the most she had ever seen happen. She quickly called the Doctor into the room and asked him if Bill crying meant that he may be getting closer to coming out of the coma. The Doctor’s words however weren’t so enthusiastic. He said that there really weren’t any signs of when someone was about to come out of a coma, they just either did or didn’t. He also said that Sarah’s death in the plane crash was the type of trauma a man may never recover from. The only way to know if Bill was about to come out of the coma would be to take a “Journey Into the Mind” of a love beyond one most ever know.

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