Elvis Returns to Graceland

By D.P. Smith

While living eternally in Heaven, Elvis Presley peers through the clouds down to where he once lived his mortal life  . . . and sees a world filled with chaos. The date is August 16, 2020, and the entire world is upside down, suffering through the COVID-19 pandemic, racial strife and unrest, violen

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Release date: Jun 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638372479

D.P. Smith

D.P. Smith, III grew up on the beautiful Eastern Shore of Maryland, enjoying the sandy beaches of Ocean City and the picturesque Chesapeake Bay. Growing up, D.P. was enamored with the music, the life, and the times of Elvis Presley. He spent many weeks researching for this book, all while living in an RV right across the street from Elvis' stately Graceland home. Although fictional, the book includes loads of factual, fun information about arguably the greatest entertainer of all time. Many critics are already calling this book, "The feel-good book of the year." D.P. Smith, III is also the world-renowned author of the best-selling book, Severely Skewed.

Book preview

Prologue

T

he explosions that rocked the downtown section of Portland, Oregon, on July 30, 2020, were incendiary. The massive buildup of protesters that were quickly piling in, seemingly one on top of the other, around the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, seemed to be overwhelming the local law officers and Federal agents that were sent in to quell the confrontation. The use of fireworks, Molotov cocktails, pelt slugs from sling shots, and other creative weaponry from the demonstrators, seemed to be escalating the tensions between the authorities and the different groups of protesters. Truth be told, the demonstrations that had been ongoing in the picturesque northwestern city most of the summer tended to be very peaceful during the daytime hours. Because of the current Coronavirus pandemic, the protesters wore masks as they peacefully exercised their afforded First Amendment rights. They were protesting the injustices against people of color and minorities, which was spurred on by the killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, that was perpetrated by what appeared to be a few bad, rogue cops.

But at nighttime, under the cover of darkness, there seemed to be a quite different element in the downtown sector of Portland. While the COVID-19 masks would certainly come off, they would sadly be replaced by black hoodies and full-face masks, albeit for totally different and nefarious reasons. Violent, thuggish individuals would conduct things much differently, from the daytime peaceful protesting. It became an all-out nighttime assault on businesses, stores and people who opposed their views. Agonizingly, the same types of scenarios seemed to be playing out all-across the USA, in Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York City, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Even in the nation’s capital, the same unrest churned around the same concerns, with notably peaceful daytime demonstrations turning into violent evening confrontations, rioting, looting, vandalism, and debauchery. And yes, even to a lesser extent, the same things were happening in Memphis, Tennessee, the former home of arguably the greatest singer and performer of all time, Elvis Aaron Presley.

Meanwhile, on the south lawn of the White House, the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, was getting ready, along with his COVID-19 task force, to present yet another task force meeting to members of the press and to the various news media outlets. The country was in the middle of a terrible pandemic, that had to this date, claimed over 180,000 lives, and stricken well over six million Americans, including even the President of the United States, himself. The virus, which had been ongoing since late January, had decimated the country, causing difficult challenges across the board. The once-roaring economy was hit extremely hard, with millions of Americans now out of work with no way to pay their bills. The hospital ERs were filled to capacity, with limited ICU rooms and initially, low stock levels of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the dedicated medical workers. This narrative, of course varied, depending on whatever political side you chose to listen to. And speaking of the country’s political system, the divide became even wider, if that was even possible. It appeared as though Congressional members were constantly at each other’s throats. The rift between the President and Congress got so bad that the bodies of government seemed to be at a standstill, with no side willing to give in to the other. COVID-19 relief bills, aimed at getting money and resources out to hundreds of thousands of needy citizens, were constantly delayed because of partisan politics. Yes, things seemingly looked hopeless, at least as Beltway politics were concerned. It seemed that, although politicians had the ability to work together during a national crisis, the partisan animosity pretty much stopped it from becoming a reality. Even the upcoming November election turned visceral, with mudslinging, disrespectful TV ads and animosity between the candidates, President Trump, and former vice president Joe Biden. Social media was ablaze with blatant hatred, endless name calling, and senseless threatening posts. The nation seemed inevitably close to a different kind of civil war than what had occurred over 150 years earlier in its history. This time around, it would be one between right-wing constitutional conservatives and leftist liberals, hell bent on canceling out the cultures of the other, at odds in everything from gun ownership to environmental issues (and everything in between).

Meanwhile, in mainland China, the tension between President Xi Jinping and the rest of the civilized world had become tenuous at best. Not only had tensions been raised by a world-wide tariffs war, but it was highly suspected that the above mentioned COVID-19 virus had started up in Wuhan, China, and the Chinese government’s response to controlling it was lackluster at best, according to many world leaders. Tensions were at a boiling point, when a resurgence in the COVID-19 numbers seemed to happen in the late summer of 2020. Despite there being good news of some great therapeutics and even a possible vaccine by the year’s end, it appeared that, once again, the economy would be shutting down, and the nation’s kids would not be getting back into the classrooms. Tensions between President Trump and President Xi were raised significantly by the recent evidence that China was not forthcoming with the World Health Organization about the actual initial discovery of their virus, as well as its failure in containing it. The ongoing threat that China posed with bioterrorism, along with stealing America’s intellectual properties, and their willingness to try and interfere in US elections, put the Communist nation on the minds of most Americans, as well as on the daily radar screen of the Federal government.

There was no doubt that the United States of America was in the middle of one of the most challenging years in its 244-year history. Not only was the sovereignty of the nation in trouble from the things mentioned previously, but the nation had other severe problems strewn across its landscape. Opioid deaths had drastically risen to an all-time high, and city violence involving gangs had escalated to such an extent, that many city mayors were in discord with their own citizens about how to stop them. The city of Chicago, in a recent weekend of unrest, had recorded forty-five people shot in a two-day period, with eighteen of them being fatal. New York City appeared to be invaded by a new breed of gangs that were taking over their own neighborhoods, as the vicious MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs preyed on their own turfs, in seemingly new violent and chaotic ways. Most major US cities were in turmoil, with no apparent relief in sight. The city leaders appeared to be turning their backs on their constituents that had elected them, or worse, using their positions to steal and pillage from the coffers of flawed municipalities, who were just too broken to be fixed. Local restaurants and businesses were literally destroyed by the effects of shutdowns and regulations due to the COVID-19 virus, with the majority never to reopen.

Yes, things were just about as bad as they could get in the good old’ USA, in the summer of 2020. The days of achieving success, security, and prosperity appeared to be in the rear-view mirror, as the greatest country in the free world was under siege by a ferocious virus and currently, in a great deal of turmoil.

And meanwhile, in Heaven, amid the ageless beauty and the steadfast reverence of a place where streets are paved with gold, such worries that were being experienced once by the occupants of the mortal world were nonexistent. Here those who had once roamed those same troubled lands, as mortal people who had lived reverent lives on earth, had now received their reward, that of ascending into a glorious place, a good place. The ongoing problems that remained on the earth were no longer a concern to any of those who were now fortunate enough to have eternal life in a Glorious Kingdom,

One of those fortunate souls was a man named Elvis Aaron Presley.

1

From a Cloud, So Extremely Far Away

H

eaven really wasn’t that much different to Elvis Presley than it had been foretold to him in the scriptures by his mama, Gladys Presley, and his grandmother, Minnie Mae Hood Presley. Yes, the scriptures were an immense part of his life growing up in rural Tupelo, Mississippi in the late 1930s and early 1940s. But really, though, it was more his Grandma Minnie, whom Elvis affectionately called Dodger, that had such a huge effect on his early childhood development. Her teachings of both the Old and New Testaments served Elvis quite well for his later fondness of His word, as well as for Gospel Music.

Heaven was exactly what he had learned it to be from Minnie Mae and Gladys: Beautiful streets paved with gold, with glorious streetlamps of luminous light; vibrant green trees, chocked full of fruit and nectar; an incredible kingdom, which was so incredibly perfect in every way, as well as so uniquely defined.

Spiritually, it was a place of absolute peace and resolve, with no stress or anger. Those who lived around Elvis were people of extreme faith, whose love and compassion for their fellow man continued to be their moral compass in Heaven. Elvis himself knew that, as a mortal on earth, he was certainly no angel. But despite his transgressions, he always knew that he had deep in his heart the true love and belief of God. He had long ago accepted Jesus Christ as his savior at an incredibly young age in his life and had love in his heart for most people, with the possible exception of concert promoters. When he was alive, he had once made a comment about concert promoters to one of his Memphis Mafia confidants, Robert Red West, one of the many men who were entrusted to protect Elvis with their very lives. Red, I tell you man, there’s a special kind of place in hell for each and every promoter that ever tries to cross me, chuckled Elvis. But that was long ago and far away, in a mortal life that was full of complexities and entanglements. He had realized as a mortal, of course, that it was his mama and Dodger who had worked so very diligently in seeing to it, that the fear of God had been willfully instilled in him. And whether it was the occasional thunderous hand on his backside when he got out of line or his daily doses of God’s word from the scriptures, Elvis Presley’s life’s values and been determined at such an early age by incredibly loving people. When he was on earth, he was later known as, The King, and although he remained humbled, he was treated like royalty. And now, he lived in the Kingdom of God, where everyone was the same in each other’s eyes and, even more importantly, in their creator’s. Since August 16, 1977, when he took his last breath on earth, Elvis was immediately blessed with the simplicity that his newfound spiritual placement and eternal life had given him. The complete absence of any kind of pride, envy, anger, discontentment, negativity, or judgmental bias seemed to serve him and all the other occupants in their eternal lives majestically.

He, of course, had been reunited with those who were so awfully close to him in his life on earth. Besides his mama, Gladys; Dodger; Vernon, his daddy; his baby twin brother, Jessie Garon Presley, who was stillborn thirty-five minutes before him, were also there in Heaven with Elvis. For most of his mortal adult life, Elvis had fostered extreme remorse over the fact that it had been his brother who was born first and not him, giving him some pains of guilt at how the dreary circumstances unfolded. But in the Heavenly afterlife, there was no pain, or tribulation, only resounding joy. Elvis was reunited with those who had been dearly departed from him in his mortal life, and the exuberance and joy of that alone was spectacular. There were others there also who had been a huge part of Elvis’ life on earth. The afore-mentioned Red West had arrived in 2017, who Elvis welcomed with outstretched arms. Red’s brother Sonny was there; he also arrived in 2017. Many other friends and associates had arrived as well, including Memphis Mafia members, his cousins, Junior and Gene Smith, Cliff Leaves, Charlie Hodge, Lamar Fyke, and even Joe Esposito, one of Elvis’ longest and closest friends, who had arrived in Paradise in 2016. Even Judy Spreckels, who had passed in 2015 and was the only known female member of the posse, was there, with that quirky crooked, little smile that always brought such joy to Elvis.

Yes, there were a bevy of people in Heaven who were, at one time or another, involved in the life and times of Elvis Presley back in their mortal days. When you were as big as the King of Rock and Roll, it took a lot of people to facilitate your every-day, especially when you are Elvis Aaron Presley.

But none of that was relevant in Paradise to Elvis or anyone else for that matter. Heaven was devoid of any time-continuum, as well of any political or socioeconomic structuring. It was a place that was not only reverent in its presence but simplistic in its very existence. Everyone was equal in both stature and prominence. As for his physical appearance, Elvis, like everyone else in the glorious kingdom, was in his middle-thirties. They were about the age of Jesus Christ when he died on the cross at the age of thirty-three. The only exceptions