Paradiso

By Selmoore Codfish

Is Neal having a nightmare, or is there some purpose to the torture he endures? Neal Harris takes an epic journey through all time and space, which begins from his bed. The story is a reimagining of Dante Alighieri’s trilogy The Divine Comedy for the modern world.
Neal is aroused from a dream to a place where he is thrown through walls without getting hurt. Who is it that leads Neal from one of his life’s struggles to the next, and why does he insist that Neal relive each one? Paradiso is the tenth story in the Neal Harris—Faith Based Insurance Investigator Series. However, it has a much different style than the other novels in the series.
3 chapters, Approx. 31,000 words

• Language: English
• Publisher: Selmoore Codfish
• Release date: Apr 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301756209

Selmoore Codfish

Selmoore Codfish is not really a fish, but a chicken. He’s hiding because celebrity would show that he is not actually funny, just faking it. If the public knew Mr. Codfish’s identity, they would demand that he be funny all of the time. However, he would prefer to remain a dour, grumpy person. Funny people don’t get respect but are thought of as special or different. His friends and associates appreciate his dry seriousness and they shouldn’t be let down by humor.

Book preview

Paradiso

By Selmoore Codfish

Copyright 2013 Selmoore Codfish

Smashwords Edition

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Table of Contents

Paradiso

About the Author

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Chapter 1

I flew through the wall, but neither I nor the wall broke. My mother-in-law had good reason to throw me from one room to the next. However, what had happened instead was more unexplainable.

I had been sitting in the dining room of my in-law’s house enjoying the Memorial Day celebration, and talking with Karen who is a distant relative on my wife’s side. Karen had made a comment about how subdued my father-in-law was, especially around his wife. In the open, carefree flow of conversation, I said that it was because she snips at him whenever he talks.

After I said it, the dishes in the kitchen had clinked. I suddenly realized that my mother-in-law had heard every word that I’d said. Karen’s eyes opened wide and she made eye contact with me. I knew that Karen had realized that we’d been overheard too.

That is when I flew, or floated, through the wall and into the kitchen. Except, earlier today when the conversation had happened, after a few moments of awkwardness, Karen and I shrugged it off while each saying that it was okay to speak freely because we didn’t keep secrets.

It was different now in my weird dream because upon the clink of dishes, I floated through the wall and was transferred to my mother-in-law’s mind. I shared the same thoughts as she. She had just heard me criticize her, and she wanted to keep quiet to see what else was said. Conversely, she wanted to make noise so that we would know she was there. As she set a dish into the sink, it made an unexpected sound. The sound stunned her. Then I floated back to my perspective for a moment. I felt embarrassed that she’d heard me talking about her. I hadn’t intended to offend her.

Simultaneously, while back in my own mind, I could see the paleness in my own face. It was as if I was seeing out with one eye, and the other was looking in at me. The overlapping double image confused me, but also clarified the whole experience.

Then I flew back through the wall into the kitchen as Karen changed the subject. Again, I was in my mother-in-law’s mind as if it was me. I, in her mind, had heard the change of subject and was relieved. I started to make noise with the dishes more obviously so that the others wouldn’t forget that I was here.

I separated from her mind and floated above the scene. I got to see that there were no hard feelings from the conversation. In fact, I was relieved that my mother-in-law got to hear in a non-confrontational manner what I thought of her treatment of her husband.

This gave me some relief. I must have been more worried about it than I thought if my worry had spurred such a weird dream. Nonetheless, I hoped I could get a normal rest now.

This wasn’t like any other dream that I’ve had. I was never this lucid in a dream. I could sometimes have moments of consciousness while semi awake, but I felt myself thinking clearly. However, I knew that I was still asleep because I had just gone to bed.

This dream was also weird because I don’t usually fly through walls and go into another’s mind. I’m not sure that I’d call it a nightmare, but I would have rather dreamt of other things.

However, I heard the conversation start from the beginning and I began to settle back down towards my own body again. I had been looking at everything from above, but something was physically pulling me back into to the conversation.

I said to myself, I’d rather not repeat this. Yet, I couldn’t move. It was just like in dreams where I felt that I couldn’t move. If I tried to run, I would stay in one place.

A voice from behind me said, Here, Grab this. I felt a pole touch my right shoulder. I grabbed it with my other hand, and pulled myself partly around.

The voice said, Selmoore Codfish.

Huh? I said. It sounded like he was calling me by a peculiar name, but it wasn’t mine.

No. I’m Neal Harris.

I heard my own self talking below and had the feeling that I should be down in my mother-in-law’s house, despite it being an unsettling experience. I turned my head slightly back down.

Turn yourself around more. I turned and the pole tugged at me. As I turned, the scene below faded, so that I was not looking at a ceiling but at someone.

He retracted his staff and held it in one hand. He was a young man who wore a simple robe and held a gnarled wooden staff.

Who are you? I asked. I worried that a staff could be a weapon. I had no idea where I was or what was happening. Added to that, was this man talking directly to me. Was this still a dream and getting even weirder with him in it? I thought that there might be some relation between him and what I had seen below.

Call me Raphael, he replied. His tone reassured me that he was not there to fight.

Are you trying to punish me because I said those things about my mother-in-law? I regretted asking that. It seemed silly to think there was any link between her and this man.

No, this is not meant to be punishment. It is a healing process, although it can be painful. You are experiencing what people go through after their bodies die. Those who have caused or experienced pain but have not come to terms with it are placing it between themselves, others and God.

One word stuck in my head: dead. I didn’t even hear the remainder of what Raphael had said. I didn’t want to consider it, but it was the only thing that I could think of.

Am I dead? I asked finally.

No.

I’m not? I didn’t believe him.

You are not dead. You were brought here in your sleep so that you could see how everyone must eventually move beyond worldly existence.

He had brought up death again. I wanted to turn back towards my mother-in-law’s house once more. If I could see myself there it might reassure me that I was not moving to far from where I was comfortable. I wanted to keep a connection to the living so that I could return.

I slowly turned part way. I expected Raphael to hook me with his staff and pull me back, but didn’t do it immediately.

People need to see what they’ve done in their lives, he continued. "They need to have time to prepare to leave the pain behind by accepting it.

I showed you the event below because there was not much pain. He motioned that I could fully look at the scene. I floated above it detached. I could hear myself below and Raphael.

You harmed another. When you are ready to accept it, we can move on.

In that respect, I was probably ready. The scenario with my mother-in-law resulted in her having her feelings hurt for a short time. However, I was mostly attached to what happened below out of fear that I really was dead.

I can assure you, with the word of the Most High, that by the morning you will awaken in your bed in normal health, he said as he placed his staff on my shoulder again.

The Most High? I didn’t want to listen to him, or look away from seeing myself on the couch, but he had piqued my interest.

We know that you will come along with me now. That is why you were chosen, he said.

I held the end of his staff and began to use it to turn completely towards him. As I turned, I felt myself let go from dwelling on what was below. The thought of it washed out of me. I felt no stress from the conflict remaining in me. I would have no more nightmares about what I had said.

I saw Raphael full on. I also noticed the setting around him. I hadn’t paid any attention to it when I initially met him.

For the first time, I noticed a light streaming behind him. I felt that the rush of light was somehow connected to the Most High that Raphael had referred to. I knew it had to be the Most High because it was like watching a wonder of nature. It was like standing at the edge of a great chasm and wanting to remain there silently taking in its power.

I tried to capture a precise mental picture of Raphael and the light. However, my mind was in dream mode.

When dreaming, you don’t see much detail. Your eyes really don’t see the dream, and your ears don’t really hear what is said. Instead, your brain just knows what is being said and done. Unless your brain locks in on a crucial detail of the dream, you couldn’t describe