The Annotated Afterlife

11. Hope Gate

Quote
The quote is from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. The full quote is:

Was not this narrow enclosure, with the heavens for a ceiling, sufficient to enable him to adore God in his most divine works, in turn? Does not this comprehend all, in fact? and what is there left to desire beyond it? A little garden in which to walk, and immensity in which to dream. At one's feet that which can be cultivated and plucked; over head that which one can study and meditate upon: some flowers on earth, and all the stars in the sky.

In the novel, the chapter describes a kindly bishop, a spiritual man who takes great comfort in his small garden. It provides both the beauties of the earth and the heavens for his contemplation. I chose this quote because it mentions flowers and stars – keynotes of this chapter, and of the story itself.

Healing
When Julian and Noel go to meet the taxi, they find Edith, Thomas, and Bronwen waiting downstairs. They are prepared for a day of hiking, and Julian can't help feeling a little concerned that it might be too much for Edith, who died at the age of 89.

The others are amused by this, because although they don't look any younger at the Waystation, they have been physically healed to the point that hiking for miles is no problem for them now. Edith no longer has arthritis, and Thomas doesn't even need to wear glasses any more.

(By the way, so many of the characters in this story wore glasses, until I realised how idiotic that was, and had to go back and edit them all out!)

Bronwen points out that she weighed only thirty kilos when she died from cancer, and now she looks exactly the same as before she became ill (of course she hasn't gained any weight – she weighs nothing at all.) I was careful not to say what Bronwen's weight was before she got sick. Thirty kilos was clearly an unhealthy weight for her – she died – but I didn't want to put a number on what a healthy weight was.

Being healed only seems to affect people's body size if it is caused by illness. Bronwen no longer looks emaciated as she did when she died from cancer, but Noel is still thin, Julian is still awkwardly lanky, Thomas still has a heavy build, Edith is still tiny, and Colin's soulmate Pauline is plump. More than anything, I wanted to stress how human everybody is at the Waystation.

Upsadaisy Downs
An area of rolling hills, pleasant to walk through, with pubs and inns along the way so you can stop to eat and drink at regular intervals. It is perfect for that very British pastime of "rambling", which is more serious than a simple walk, but too casual to be called a hike. Julian actually loves hiking, and in different circumstances, I think he would have happily signed up for a day on the downs.

The name Upsadaisy, the same encouragement we give to a small child who's tumbled over as we pick them up, is meant to be another reassuring touch at the Waystation. You're dead? Well, "upsadaisy"! Headed back to Earth? "Upsadaisy"! Whatever has happened, dust yourself off and start all over again.

There isn't anywhere called Upsadaisy Downs in real life, because it's too much of a lame joke for anyone else to choose. But Daisy Downs and Upson Downs ("ups and downs") are common names for country properties in Australia, so I can't really say this one is very original either!

Thomas and Nancy
Thomas pronounces that the feelings Julian and Noel have for each other are "love at first sight". He likens it to meeting his wife Nancy, and that he could never look at another woman once he'd seen her. I wanted to suggest that Thomas might be one of those rare people who got to marry their soulmate on Earth. The name Thomas means "twin", to suggest a twin soul.

Thomas' love for Nancy suggests one reason he doesn't seem particularly keen to go Forward: he died when only in his early sixties, and his wife is almost certainly still alive. Thomas could have made up his mind he is going Sideways so he can wait for Nancy, rather than go Forward without her.