Everyday is a near-death experience... a divine reminder that the presence of death is the gift of life. Perhaps it takes dying to notice what it means to be truly alive.
— Lazlo's Journey, The Life I Left Behind
News
REPORTER: This is Katy Cooper, reporting to you live from Sea to Sky highway in British Columbia at what appears to be an unexplained head on collision.
ANCHOR: Can you tell us what happened today, Katy?
REPORTER: I'll do my best, Roland. I'm staring at a mashed up red Porsche tipped on its side. Another car is perched precariously on the edge. Fire and Rescue are on scene attempting to extract the passenger trapped deep inside.
ANCHOR: Can you tell us the cause of the accident, Katy?
REPORTER: Hold on, Roland.
ANCHOR: Katy?
REPORTER: Well, Roland, an eyewitness apparently caught the whole scene. I'm searching for him now.
ANCHOR: We're standing by, Katy.
REPORTER: Roland, I think I've managed to locate the eyewitness. Apparently he is a cab—
ANCHOR: You're breaking up, Katy.
REPORTER: Roland, the eyewitness is a cab driver.
ANCHOR: We're losing you, Katy. Tell us what happened.
(Sirens wailing. Lights flashing.)
ANCHOR: Katy?
REPORTER: Must be the high altitude, Roland. According to the eyewitness. Two lost souls experienced a head on collision.
ANCHOR: What time did the collision occur, Katy?
REPORTER: According to the eyewitness, the time was 3:10.
(Sounds of a saw cutting into metal.)
ANCHOR: Can you tell us the status of the two drivers, Katy?
REPORTER: Stand by, Roland. Everything is a bit muddled here.
ANCHOR: Katy?
REPORTER: Fire and Rescue are cutting into the car perched on the edge of the cliff. It looks like a crushed up FIAT. They are having trouble reaching the passenger. It appears to be a—
ANCHOR: Come in, Katy. We're losing you again.
REPORTER: They're trying to reach a woman, Roland. According to the eyewitness, her name is Lilly.
ANCHOR: Can you tell us the status of the other driver, Katy?
(Sounds of a defibrillator. Paramedics shouting. “Hit him again!”)
REPORTER: Oh my God.
ANCHOR: Is the driver alive, Katy? Is he going to make it?
REPORTER: Roland, I think they have a pulse—
ANCHOR: Can you explain the scene, Katy?
(Paramedics frantic. “Hit him again—we have a pulse.”)
ANCHOR: Katy?
REPORTER: Two teams of paramedics are on scene, Roland. It's crazy out here. The team is frantically defibrillating the man.
ANCHOR: Can you confirm the other driver's name, Katy?
REPORTER: According to the eyewitness, Roland, the driver's name is Lazlo. The eyewitness has a statement to make. Stand by.
(Frenetic scenes of ambulances and fire trucks.)
ANCHOR: What did the eyewitness see, Katy?
REPORTER: I have the bearded cab driver now, Roland.
ANCHOR: What is he saying, Katy?
REPORTER: Sir, can you shed some light with us as to what you witnessed here.
ANCHOR: Katy?
REPORTER: Sir, what did you see?
EYEWITNESS: I see many miracles, my dear.
(View of cab driver and Katy standing at the edge of the cliff.)
REPORTER: Do you think they are going to make it, sir?
EYEWITNESS: Everyday is a near-death experience, my dear... a divine reminder that the presence of death is the gift of life. Perhaps it takes dying to notice what it means to be truly alive.
ANCHOR: Can you tell us who the eyewitness is, Katy?
REPORTER: Thank God, you were here. What is your name?
EYEWITNESS: You can call me, G, my dear.
PART 1
Heaven
The End — Time is 3:11
Perhaps it takes dying to notice what it means to be truly alive...
G says I have a choice—that life is a choice. I feel a thrill rising within me, and I suddenly find that I must catch my breath. I hear these words whispered lightly: If you truly love someone then set them free.
Like a crisp autumn day, every thought flitters toward my love. I tilt my head, searching the indigo sky, my heart tightening, my soul satiated with the lingering, sweet aftertaste of life. I contemplate our journey through life... the events that led us here. The choices we made. The miracles we missed. The life we didn't notice.
G whispers to my soul that everyday is a near-death experience—a divine reminder that life is brilliant and brief. Lilly and I resembled two ships lost at sea—drifting aimlessly through the darkness... searching for the light... longing to find our way home—home to the only why that matters in the end—our love burns like an eternal flame, deep in the recesses of our hearts.
The deafening drum of the spent defibrillator echoes in the serene scented air. I glance down, pressing a firm hand upon my chest. My heart still aches with a loneliness of loss. Like most couples, Lilly and I lost our way... driving ourselves toward a delusional end prize: fame and fortune served as our compass. We pushed aside the simple things that matter... a life overflowing with passion and purpose... a life filled with greater meaning.
I pivot toward Lilly, exhaling a long winded sigh, savouring the gift of the present moment, marvelling the essence of her very being: lavender scent, slender fingers, the curl of her bottom lip. I don't want to let her go. I don't want this divine moment to end.
G presents us with a glimpse at the end of the line. A new beginning. A rebirth—an awakening to the things that truly matter—a climb back into our soul, a miraculous moment to witness an eternity of miracles... to marvel our greatest treasure: the gift of life—the one we are meant to live.
I glance up, Heaven pulses like a beating heart, the celestial sky ablaze with the gifts of life. My head sinks into my shoulders, emotions pooling, my heart fluttering, my mind spinning—a wave of longing and rippling in the sea of my soul. G says I have a choice—that life is a choice. So I choose to let Lilly go. Give her the final push... a thrust toward the light. My last breath becomes her first. Choice guided by love. Death becomes the gift of life. This is why I exist—my soul's deeper reason for being—to help my love remember the agreement we promised each other's and our own souls at the time before time—to see the bigger picture—to show her the world—to live the life she is meant to live. G shows me the way to love—to open my heart, and receive the gifts of life. An uneasiness stirs within... whispering... fluttering at the edge of my soul. Love never dies—it just changes form—
I glance down, feet bare, curling the edge of the rail. My linen pants sway softly with every step. I peer out toward the rolling hills, feeling the heated shimmer of the sun, hot on my face. The countryside dances under an indigo sky. My eyes widen with wonder at Lilly's Heaven—her paradise.
I close my eyes, swallowing hard, my head racing like a high speed train, attempting to make sense of it all. Choice at the end of the line. The miracle of my love's final moment, glimmers in the air like the rising and swooping of sparrows.
Heaven's train stands waiting, engines thrumming, steam snorting and whistling. Love and Light stand poised at the edge of the doorway, eyes shimmering, their smiles broadening like two children who just earned a gold star. My hands tremble in disbelief. The Soul of Love tilts a reassuring nod as if listening to the whisper of my soul. Her beloved sister taps the side of her miner's hat. A blinding flare sweeps wildly and swiftly from the front, illuminating the way. The side of the Hidden Villa Express glistens in the frothy mist of the early-morning air.
I cast them both a hesitant wave. I tilt my head. An inner knowing thunders across the heavens. My heart groans with a loneliness of loss. My mind trembles with the urgency of the moment. A voice shudders through my soul. Life is a choice—
The sun rolls across the horizon. Bright shades of violet and pink meld with each other between Earth and sky. I stand, witnessing the progression of time as past and future intertwine in wildly stirring vivid colours. Time no longer exists here. The only moment that matters is now, the arrival—choice at the end of the line—a chance for Lilly to feel again, begin anew, and create the life her soul desires to live.
My heart feels near to bursting. Panic rises in my chest. I turn, eyes casting down, tears trickling. I brush a hand gently along Lilly's glistening face, my fingers tingling with the gentle caress of her lower lip. My breath lodges in my throat. I would give my life to kiss those lips one last time. Lilly's eyes widen with child-like innocence, unaware of the gravity of the moment. She pulls me close, a whisper of hope trails in the lavender-scented air. “Don't ever let me go, Laz.”
I close my eyes. My heart wrenches as if to split open; I can picture it spayed in two. I push back the tears from my soul. We stand poised at the edge of the world—the in-between, huddled in an endearing embrace of love and light. One heart. One beat, pulsing like a vein of life. The moment lingers for a lifetime—my soul willing time without end. The line between Heaven and Earth blurs. A gentle breeze brushes away salty tears. Reassurance whispers in my soul. Love never dies—it just changes form.
I press a warm hand upon Lilly's chest. A wave of unconditional love fills my heart anew. My throat tightens. My breath rises. I sense the gifts of life, pooling in the bed of my soul like a newly forming ocean. Choice at the end of the line. Sunlight trembles. Thunder rumbles. A kaleidoscope of rays flicker, resembling falling fireworks. An aura of white pearl hovers above. I feel G's presence welcoming me home. I turn to Lilly, eyes searching hers, my voice humming with hope.
“Reach up, Lil.”