John did not fall. He jumped. He jumped into the ice-cold water from the bridge. His heart stopped very soon. But strangely he could see and he could hear and he could move his hands and legs. The water took him to a beautiful place. There were buildings tall enough for men in beautiful colours in the water. Strange creatures swam in and out of the houses. They were not fish but moved like fish. A creature half-woman, half-fish swam to John. She spoke a beautiful language that he did not understand. It sounded like singing and praying. She took him to her place on her back. It was a lovely place. John lived there like a king. She brought him food every day. The food was delicious. She taught him her language. She showed him the city. She showed him the crystal hall, a place where they all danced and sang every day. He was there for two months. In these two months he learned their language, their songs and their habits.
And then, a man found him on the river bank.
“Are you OK?” the man asked.
“Where am I?” John asked.
“You are on the river bank.”
“Which month is it?”
The man looked surprised by the question.
“It’s August. I have already called your family. They will be here soon. They already buried you. Everyone thought you were dead. You fell into the ice-cold water in January and you never came up. How did you survive?”
“You won’t believe what I have seen and the things I have learned.”
When his family was running toward him they heard the man sing. He was singing in a language they did not understand. He was singing so beautifully that everyone thought he sang like angels in heaven. John became a very different man.
Originally posted 2020-05-04 05:32:00.