I woke up as if from a long dream. In the distance, I can hear the soft whisper of an ocean. Opening my eyes, I blinked at the clarity and mildness of the sky- even the sun was gentle. On the fringes of the horizon, white fluffy clouds hovered as if they weren’t sure if they were welcome. I spread my fingers out and was pleased to find sand so soft, that it felt like satin. In the distance I could see that the patch of sand I lay in connected to the beaches of my childhood where I walked hand in hand with my parents- flying in small leaps.

To the right, my childhood neighborhood complete with neighbors long since forgotten, unfolded with a kind of logic found only in dreams.

I knew that my dog and my cats and the eternal people that made up my friends, family, and loved ones were all there, bound by love and it would last for as long as I wanted- until I wanted to play the game again. And I would play the game again, but for now I just wanted to rest. After all death was hard but living was forever.