Second Chances

Chapter 1

"SONNY!!!!!!!"

Casey couldn’t remember much after the car she was driving hit the water. After Veronica had yanked the wheel and made the car swerve, Casey vaguely recalled hearing the sound of breaking glass above her mother’s screams. As they dropped towards the surface of the water, time seemed to be flying by in some kind of slow-motion surreal fashion.

Nothing prepared her for the impact when the car hit the water. She was immediately jolted into a state of semi-consciousness. The car bobbed in the water for about 15 seconds before it began to sink rapidly.

{This is like that movie, Titanic. Sonny never liked it, even though I made him go with me.}
As the car sank even deeper and the water pressure increased, the windows popped out. Casey felt the frigid water envelop her, but then suddenly, a strange warmth began to pull at her.
{I can’t do this! I can’t die now, God! I have too much to live for! I’m happy, and I’m in love with Sonny, and we’re going to be married!}

Casey never felt the water close around her, cutting off the supply of oxygen. Instead, she felt like she was floating in the sky above the water, more of a spectator to the event than a participant. She heard an anguished man screaming her name, and as she turned in slow-motion to look back at the edge of the cliff, she could see Sonny, cupping his hands around his mouth. Was he crying?

{Please, God, don’t do this to me now! There’s so much I haven’t experienced yet in life! I want to grow old with the man who loves me, and have his children, and watch them grow up, and play with grandchildren of my own someday. Please……I can’t die yet!}

She wanted to drift closer to him – there was a flurry of activity around him as emergency vehicles began arriving. They were all pointing down at the water, but when Casey looked down there herself, all she could see was the churning of the angry waves.

{I’m here, Sonny! I’m still up here! Don’t be sad!}
Casey grew frustrated as she tried to make Sonny aware of her presence but then suddenly, she felt herself being pulled into a brilliant, swirling vortex of light. After what seemed like a few seconds, the haze cleared, and she was nowhere near the bluffs or the water or Sonny.

{Uh-oh. This is bad. Something tells me this isn’t Kansas anymore.}

It felt like a beautiful garden. Sure looked like one – magnificent, brightly-colored flowers grew everywhere. Sunshine warmed her skin and just the gentlest hint of a breeze kissed her skin. The colors and the smells were all so much more vibrant than any she had ever seen before in her life.

{Gee, duh, Casey….that’s because this isn’t *life* anymore.}

As she turned around, she noticed that there was a beautiful bridge over a softly-gurgling creek off to the right. She began walking towards the bridge. She noticed there were no animals or birds in the garden, although she distinctly heard a pleasant song in the background. As she grew closer to the bridge, she began to see a bright white light grow in intensity. All she had to do was cross the bridge and she could get to the light just beyond it.

As Casey stepped onto the bridge, she was surprised that it didn’t give way under her weight. It seemed to be made of spun glass, and it sparkled and flashed with a glow that strangely didn’t hurt her eyes. Just as she was about to take another step on the bridge towards the light, she heard a voice in her head – her mother’s. Bits and pieces of a conversation they had had just days before came drifting back to her.

They had met for lunch and went shopping for more clothes for Casey’s trousseau. As they both sipped at their coffee and waited for the check, Veronica had reached out a hand to cover Casey’s. "Honey, are you really sure that you’re doing the right thing?"