A New Novel About Heaven

by Cheryl Garrison Garrett

Jared Wolcott did not believe in a physical Heaven, so when he arrived there, he had no idea where he was. A vibrant light radiated behind him, and although aware of its presence, Jared was not compelled to turn toward the light.

He had the sense that he was floating and looked down, but he saw no feet, just a bench—a crudely carved wooden one that reminded him of the church pews he sat on as a boy.

With his back to the light, he hovered in place and peered into a massive chasm. It was dark gray, rock-filled with no sign of life. He knew that if he pushed forward too far, he would have a mighty long fall.

While everything in front of him was gloomy and gray, the light behind was just the opposite; and in its presence, he felt safe, strong, unrushed, and energetic. He knew who he was and sensed that he could move about, stay, or leave. A familiar scent of lemon oil rose around him and brought with it a childhood memory of times spent dusting and cleaning stair railings, chair rungs, church pews, and carved wooden claw-shaped feet of a dining room table at his grandmother’s house in Gaffney.

As he thought about these chores, the dark-quiet expanse in front of him brightened. Jared watched the dull nothingness transform into a space filled with radiant, billowing, cumulus clouds that generated the sound of rushing water and presented vivid, color images of him as a child, a teenager, and a man.