Eden’s Children

By David Smith

A group of strangers. An unusual place. A Disembodied Voice. Heaven On Earth? I don't think so.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Truth Book Publishers
• Release date: Jan 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781946598363

Book preview

A young man is sitting in the corner of a padded room in a straightjacket, peering out over his arms that are lying across his knees. He stares distantly at the door across the room as if he is expecting someone to walk through it at any moment. His face glistens with sweat; his hair wet, draped and clinging to the sides. His mouth is partially open, breathing like someone resting after a strenuous workout.

Suddenly, the sound of keys jingling on the other side can be heard as someone turns the lock to open the door. A clunking sound echoes throughout the room as the key turns the gears unlocking the door.

The young man sits motionless focused on the door, with no emotion, anticipating its opening. The door handle moves, then it slowly begins to open, revealing a shadow of someone on the other side opening the door. An orderly, a man in his thirties with short brown hair, enters dressed in a white uniform, dangling the keys from his fingers. He is followed by a man who looks like a doctor carrying a clipboard with salt-and-pepper hair and looks to be in his fifties.

The young man’s demeanor remains the same as the two men make their way into the room, shutting the door behind them. The doctor gives the young man a visual examination from afar, as he pulls a pen from his breast pocket, looking at him curiously. So, how are we doing today, Sid? Again, the young man’s position and stare remain intact without a word spoken. Not speaking today? the doctor asks, surprised.

He’s probably just a little tired from all the screaming he done earlier, the orderly suggests.

The doctor looks at the orderly and then back at the young man. Is that true, Sid?

The young man’s eyes go from a fixated stare to looking in the eyes of the prying doctor. Whatta you care? he asks, disgusted.

The doctor kneels down with a concerned look on his face looking back at the bitter young man. I care very much about you, Sid, the man confesses.

The young man turns his head away from the doctor in an act of disbelief and doubt. Liar, Sid mumbles.

What’s that? the doctor asks, unsure of what the young man said.

Sid looks back at the doctor angrily. You don’t believe a word I say, so there’s no way you can understand me. You don’t understand anything.

The doctor sighs and returns to a standing position. All right, Sid. You say God talks to you and tells you things. If that is true, then why would he allow you to walk out into traffic and almost be killed? I mean, you can’t very well tell us what he has to say if you’re dead, now, can you?

Still staring at the doctor, Sid’s eyes start to squint. I wasn’t in any danger, he growls.

Why? Because you think he would have saved you?

No, because I can take care of myself, Sid explains.

And what a great job you’re doing, the orderly scoffs. I mean, look around, Sid. This ain’t exactly heaven.

The doctor looks over at the orderly and frowns, not seeing his comment as helping the situation. The orderly apologizes. Sorry, I just meant he can’t do God’s bidding from in here.

God’s bidding? Sid says, confused. You think I’m supposed to do God’s bidding? I never said anything like that.

Well, aren’t you? Isn’t that why he speaks to you?

No. I’m not here to do God’s bidding or even explain any plans he may have for you morons. Like I told you before, I’m here to find others like me.

Well then, you’re in the right place, the orderly assures him.

I’m not crazy, you asshole! Sid shouts.

The doctor steps between the two with his arms up in front of him, facing the young man as a calming gesture. Let’s calm down, the doctor says soothingly. No one thinks you’re crazy.

Sid looks up at the ceiling, ignoring the two men, and begins crying out for help. TELL ME WHAT TO DO! PLEASE, YOU’VE GOT TO HELP ME!

The doctor and orderly move in to secure the young man as he begins to kick at them while they approach. NO! LEAVE ME ALONE! GET AWAY FROM ME!

As the two men grab him, Sid hears a voice call out to him. Sid, just relax. I’m here with you. Just concentrate on my voice and block out everything else. Do you understand?

Yes, I understand, Sid says softly.

Good. Just do as I tell you. You have to show them that you’re not crazy.

What? How can I do that? I’m in a straightjacket.

Not with your body, Sid, but with your mind. I need you to focus. You can do this.

Do what? Sid asks.

You need to start thinking about the walls around you. You need to visualize that they are not there and that you cannot be held by them. Concentrate, Sid. I know you can do this.

Sid closes his eyes and begins to picture what the voice has instructed. He begins by blocking out everything around him, like the doctor, the orderly, and especially the tight-fitting straight jacket. He begins to picture the walls fading in his mind, allowing him to see into other rooms and even the hallway outside his room. He can see people walking down the hall and even looking back at him. Sid starts to feel excited about his accomplishment and a real chance at freedom.

He stands up from the corner of the room, seeing he is alone and jacket-free. The room is peaceful and quiet as he makes his way slowly across the room in the direction of the hall where people are walking by and even smiling at him. This brings a smile to his face as he reaches out to make contact with them. But as he gets closer, they start to fade away, and a darkness takes their place and moves in his direction. Then, as fast as everything had appeared, it was gone.

Sid opens his eyes to the reality of the doctor and orderly standing over him, with the doctor holding a syringe. Are you okay, Sid? Disappointed that his dream is over, he nods his head to let the doctor know he’s fine. Sid, I need you to stand up. We need to get you out of here.

Sid starts to wonder what the doctor injected him with after hearing the words we need to get you out of here. Sid looks confused by the doctor’s comment and starts looking around to see if he’s still in a dream or if something else was going on. As he scans the room, he sees the walls are splintered with huge cracks from floor to ceiling, making the room appear as if it were about to collapse. Shocked, surprised, and drugged, he wonders if any of this is real.

"What happened?'' he mutters.

There must have been an earthquake or something, the orderly suggests. The two men lift the helpless young man up from the floor and escort him to the door. As Sid is moved across the room, he continues looking around at the massive damage in amazement. They lead him out into the hall where there is a nurse waiting for them.

What happened in there? she asks, peeking into the room and looking over the unusual scene.

It must have been an earthquake or something, the doctor replies. How is the rest of the hospital?

The nurse turns away from the wrecked room back to the two men. The only activity was coming from this room, Doctor. The rest of the hospital is fine.

The doctor and orderly look at one another, confused as if that can’t be. You must be mistaken, the doctor assures her. There’s no way there was that much damage and nothing else was affected.

The doctor and orderly start examining the hallway and walls, searching for anything to explain what they just went through. They search the adjoining rooms to Sid’s and are shocked when they see the walls are in pristine condition. The nurse stays with Sid as the two men continue their investigation, desperate to unveil the cause for what they witnessed. After finding nothing, the two men return to Sid and the nurse.

Doc, I can’t find any damage anywhere. How is that possible?

I don’t know, the doctor replies, dumbfounded.

I do, Sid says with a drugged smile. God told me this was going to happen.

Frustrated with lack of answers to this mystery and not wanting to hear Sid’s delusional take on what happened, the doctor asks the orderly to take him to another room. The orderly escorts Sid away from the doctor and the nurse, letting him know what he thinks about Sid’s theory. God must really hate you. Sid just looks up at him with glazed eyes like he has no idea where he’s at or what was said.

* * *

In another part of the hospital

An elderly woman is lying in a hospital bed motionless, staring at the ceiling, with background sound coming from the television set in the corner of the room hanging from the ceiling. The door to her room opens, and a young nurse in her twenties walks in and walks up to the side of her bed. And how are we today, Marion?

The elderly woman lies silent and unmoved by the nurse’s question as the nurse tucks in her blankets and fluffs her pillows. It’s a beautiful day today, Marion. Maybe later I’ll take you out in the courtyard so you can enjoy it. Wouldn’t that be nice? Still the old woman lies looking as if in a coma and unresponsive. I’ll take that as a yes, the nurse says, upbeat and cheerful. She checks the monitor next to the bed and then exits the room in almost a skipping manner.

Without moving a muscle, only her eyes, the elderly woman looks over at the door as it shuts behind the young woman. She extends her arm out toward the door as if she’s reaching for it. Then, with her palm facing up, the old woman makes a fist and raises her middle finger. Take that outside to the courtyard, you spunky little bitch. She returns her arm back to her side on the bed with a look of disgust on her face.

That wasn’t very nice, a gentleman’s voice says from the other side of the bed.

Calmly, and frowning, she turns her head to the side of the bed to address the man’s comment. She turns to see a transparent image or hologram of an elderly man standing there looking down at her. "Don’t give me that crap, Baxter,'' she says irritably.

She’s just trying to be nice and do her job, he says in the young woman’s defense.

Bullshit! She’s gloating because it’s not her lying here dying.

The ghostly man looks at her confused. But you’re not dying.

She doesn’t know that, now does she? the elderly woman proclaims.

If you don’t like it here, then why don’t you just leave and move somewhere else?

She frowns at him. And tell me, dear Baxter, where could I go to get the souls I need to feed on?

The elderly-looking spirit thinks for a moment and then looks up as if he had a revelation. I know, he says with enthusiasm. You could hang out in the graveyard.

Again, she looks at him with a disgusted look on her face. Were you this stupid when you were alive? There are no spirits in graveyards, you moron. You have to get them while they’re fresh. Besides, where would I sleep? What would I eat? Do me a favor and think before you open your mouth.

He puts his head down like a child who has been scolded by a parent. Sorry.

She looks away from him, aggravated by his ignorance. Idiot.

After a moment, he quickly raises his head as if he had remembered something or had something important to say. I almost forgot, he says with new life, there was an incident earlier involving a young man. I think his name is . . . Sid.

She continues to lie motionless and unimpressed with his new revelation. What incident?

Well, he destroyed his room, he replies. She slowly turns her head toward him with a displeased look upon her face. That’s the big news you had to tell me?

Realizing she is losing her patience with him, he quickly reiterates. He made the walls in his room crack and break without touching them.

Intrigued, but still cautious, she sits up and glares at him. Are you sure?

Positive, he assures her. I even went and looked for myself.

Find out everything you can about this young man. I want to know more. He smiles and nods, pleased she is interested in what he has to say. Now, imbecile! Baxter quickly fades away, leaving the agitated woman to ponder the story he has told her, and to keep from being the target of her aggression. She lies back in the bed staring at the ceiling, thinking back to the days of yesteryear when she found out she was different.

It was the day of her grandfather’s funeral when she and her mother approached the casket. She remembered how others were standing around crying and feeling depressed or sorrowed by his passing. For her, there was no crying or sorrow, which the family wrote off as her being too young to understand or comprehend. But what they failed to understand was what happened the actual day he had died. It was Marion who found him in bed the day he took his last breath, a day she will remember the rest of her life. She watched as his spirit rose from his body and levitated above it. She remembered feeling excited, not scared by the event, as he looked down on her smiling. She smiled back feeling better than she ever had, without a worry or concern as to why.

It was that day that he explained to her what life and death would mean to her throughout her life. She would come to see life and death unlike anyone ever could imagine. For her, there would never be pain, fear, or mystery in death; only hope, benefits, and life.

* * *

Outside the hospital, in another part of town

A man sits at a desk with piles of papers and books scattered about the top of it. He’s reading something that he’s completely focused on, blocking out everything else around him. He has salt-and-pepper-colored hair, cut short, and is wearing square-rimmed reading glasses. He appears to be in his mid- to late forties, dressed in a business shirt with blue pinstripes running down the white background. The shirt is completed with a dark blue tie hanging loosely around his neck.

The man is mumbling to himself as he reads from the text in front of him as if he’s fully enveloped and committed to it. As he reads, a woman walks up from behind him and puts her hands on his shoulders and begins rubbing them gently. She has long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, with blue eyes, and looks to be about ten years younger than the man. She is wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with the sleeves rolled up almost to her elbows, and gray dress slacks. So how’s it going?

The man continues reading without acknowledging the woman’s question, as if he didn’t even know she was there. Seeing how focused he is on the task at hand, she tries to see if she can distract him. I’m naked, she whispers. The man looks up like someone home alone who just heard a strange noise in their house. Well, you are awake in there, she teases.

He turns to face her, surprised to see her standing there. Where did you come from? he says with a half-smile.

I teleported in, she jokes.

His smile increases. Now that would help in giving me the proof I need.

She smiles back at him and shakes her head. You really believe in all this, don’t you?

Yeah, yeah, I do.

Any thoughts on how you’re going to prove this theory of yours? she inquires.

The man looks down, discouraged, uncertain how to respond. She reaches down and places her fingers under his chin, lifting it up for him to face her. You'll find a way, she says consoling him. If what you’re looking for is out there, you'll find it.

He’s grateful for her support and reaches up to give her kiss. It’s going to be like finding a needle in a haystack, he admits.

I think that you’re a needle in a haystack, she confesses. He looks at her curiously as if he’s thought of something. What? What is it? He digs through the pile of books until he finds the one he’s looking for and then opens it up. He sets it in front of him, flipping through the pages as if looking for something in particular. He stops on a page and begins to read from it or his interpretation of it. The woman pulls up a chair next to him, eager to help him make sense of what’s troubling him or just listen to what his theory is.

Do you remember me telling you about Dr. Vynn? he asks. The woman nods. "Well, according to Dr. Vynn, he believes that all men were created in God’s image, but he also theorizes