She opened her eyes to a wondrous light. Utter calm rested upon her soul. Ah, her once weary soul.

“You’re awake,” a voice gently sighed.

He came into view, a face from long ago. He smiled such a familiar smile. A smile from dreams.

“Why am I here?” She asked.

“You know that one,” he replied gently.

“Are you real?” She had to ask.

He nodded, just a little regret in his dark eyes. “I’m very real. Just like you.”

“Is this heaven?”

He laughed, his smile now very wide. “What else would it be?”

He held out his hand and she took it. He was her guide, she realized. Her guide into this new and wondrous world.

“I missed you in the other world,” she had to tell him.

“And I missed the other world,” he admitted. “My family, mostly, and friends. I try to comfort them when I can, but they’ve got to keep living.”

She agreed. “Will I miss the other world?”

“You will, love. You’ll miss it more than anything. But they say it will pass.”

“Has it for you?”

He stopped, his dark eyes slightly haunted.

“Not yet.”