A Long Way From Home

A Tale Of Three Men

"A man, to be greatly good,  must imagine intensely and comprehensively; he must put himself in the place of another and of many others; the pains and pleasures of his species must become his own."

-P.B. Shelley

I once had a thought about being alive. And I hadn't  acknowledged the concept thereafter. The thought was simple to me, happened during a moment of solitariness, but it's long lasting effect endured even until the warm summer night of June 28th.

That was nearly ten years prior to the concept of the "life" versus the "death" that all mankind and womankind shall meet.

It clashed together under the long sparkling trail of a comet. I, my son, and my father witnessed it together for the first time on the awe-inspired night. The location was God's Ridge, just south of the greater Clover Lake.

My dad noted the smell of daffodils. I noted the smell of his minted wintergreen tobacco. And all the while, my son- Eli, looked onward across the lake that rippled gently. A slow rolling tide splashed against the rocks of the shore where we stood. My boots were clayed, my dad's was as well. My boots were fairly new. His were fairly worn down to the seam.

Eli pointed with his small index. We nodded at him simultaneously, squinted our eyes out toward the water. For the greater part of an hour, Dad and I spoke of how beautiful the fierce streak of light in the sky looked upon the water. Much like a Picasso or Monet, there was no end to the color that started in the sky and connected to the lake. Eli grinned solemnly and bowed his head at the great reflection. He had finally noticed the world had no end at which point he turned to me and whispered. "Dad, is there a Heaven?"

I was breathless by his curiosity and sheer randomness. He then commenced to swating at flies that landed on his legs. Never looking back again for an answer.

"Umm..." I turned to  my own dad for guidance, who was only hiding the humor of my reaction behind his sleeve. I learned a fact about kids when Eli was three years old. When they ask a question, generally, they aren't wanting to know a factual answer. Instead they just say random things that are interpreted as deep cognitive thought.

Eli's comet blew through the solar system at 70 kilometers  a second and continued on that orbital trajectory for the 2 hours, 46 minutes of the estimated 2 hours, 21 minutes and was visible to the entire Eastern seaboard. My son smiled so big that night and reached up to me with slunk shoulders. He huffed aggressively. I scooped him up into my arms and dad nudged my shoulder with his elbow.

He muttered sacredly, "Don't forget to answer his question."

"He's done forgot dad." I tried to persuade him.
Dad scratched his silvery beard and peered intently at me through crystal blue eyes.
"Don't let this opportunity pass," he continued. "He isn't forgetting anything. He is waiting."

"How would I know if there is a heaven? I want him to know facts. Life will be complicated enough for him in dealing with actualities."

"See that comet? What man on earth can say with absolute certainty that when it was created in the Big Bang, that it wasn't conjured up by an omnipotent being? Either way... His imagination will fill in the rest. Listen Jason, It's not lying to him. It's more about broadening who he'll be one day. Give him the choice."

Dad smirked tightly and looked on as the comet clipped the distant horizon, washing all of us in bright orange and wavering teals. Dad wiped a tear from his eye. I was in shock. One tear after another slipped down both sides of his nose.

Later that night I wanted to ask why he cried. Somehow I felt it was too personal. It had nothing to do with me. As I tucked Eli in bed I thought about what dad had told me.

"Eli, you remember when you asked me and papa if there was a heaven?"

"Yea," he coiled in his blanket.

"I want to be honest with you. I can't tell you there is. But I can't tell you there isn't. Maybe one day you'll be a world renowned astronomer. And you'll be able to tell me."

"Oakkky." He laughed. I laid down on the couch down stairs and contemplated over my dad. Why did you cry? Why did you cry dad?

The spark of life is not knowing the answers to everything... I remember thinking.

...

The stars sprawled out as a curtain over William and his son- Jason. Cat fish gulped and popped out of the water. William bated Jason's hook and coached him on how to cast it out into Clover Lake. Jason asked suddenly, "Papa. Is there a heaven?"
"What Jason?"
"Is there a heaven?"
"No, son. There's no such thing. Don't let people force that shit down your throat." He retorted in a scratched voice.

Jason lowered his head and fell silent for the remainder of the trip.