One More Day

Tracy was 22 when her Grandpa passed away in her arms. Her Granny died four years earlier, and she struggled for over a decade to accept their deaths. When she wakes to see them standing beside her bed one morning, she uncovers a secret that will change lives around the world forever.

For my grandparents Major Anthony John Honnor and Jane Mary Honnor. For over a decade, I’ve dreamt of spending one more day with you. ~ Emily-Rose

Loss

Have you ever lost someone you love an insurmountable amount?

So often, even if we have time with our loved ones before they pass, we still feel like there’s more we could have said, more we could have done. And then the unbearable feeling that we can’t live without them, we can’t let them go...

Tracy grew up in the same house as her grandparents. They lived in a big lovely Georgian House in the English countryside surrounded by fields of golden corn. It truly was Idyllic.

To her, they weren’t just her grandparents; they were like second parents. So, when they passed away; her world shattered into a million pieces.

People say grief eases, but I’m not sure about that. I think it hits less frequently, perhaps.

This book is for all the people who know that excruciating feeling of pain in your heart. The sense of loss. The people who desperately wish you could hold your loved ones again. The people who can’t come to terms with the fact they are gone. The people grieving.

Step into a world in which one more day with your loved ones is possible...

Cucumber Sandwiches

Grandpa had been a former major in the military. He drove tanks! He was an average height man with dark grey hair, tawny brown eyes, and peachy skin that glowed as he smiled.

He’d survived a Japanese prison camp as a child, served in the military, and overcome alcoholism. Yet, the most beautiful thing about him was his innate ability to inject humour into everything, no matter the extent of his pain.

Granny was a petite woman with white hair and a beaming smile that always shone with coral lipstick.

One beautiful British summer’s day, after an afternoon tea of cucumber sandwiches in a quintessentially English countryside garden, Granny passed away very suddenly. She'd been sick for a while, but a brain aneurism took her that day.

“Jane?” “Jane?” grandpa echoed. But there was silence. Granny was gone.

This pain for Grandpa was a different kind of pain. It was the type of pain humour could not fix.

“Oh, Jane!” he’d cry. Each day from the day of her death until the day of his own. Sadly, this was the beginning of the end for Grandpa.

Chapel of Rest

As Tracy sat Infront of Granny’s coffin, she froze. She couldn’t speak. Fear swept over her like a cold gust of chilling wind. Her skin was ice cold to the touch. Her facial features were stiff and rigid, her complexion grey and sallow. And that favourite coral lipstick... missing. It was as if she was a ghost.

This is the moment Tracy had wanted to say goodbye, but instead, she sharply tugged her hand away from Granny’s face and ran. Ran out of the room as fast as she could, tears streaming down her face, holding her chest and whaling between breaths. That was the last time she spent with Granny.

The Inevitable Death

Tracy was twenty-two when her Grandpa passed away in her arms. His head lay upon her left arm, her right hand in his hand. Her fingers curled around his wrist gently as she felt his pulse, beating softly now but not yet still.

He glanced up and looked into the eyes of each person standing by his bed before finally settling on Tracy’s. As she felt him slip away, his eyes glistened. Even in death, they sparkled.

All of a sudden, Grandpa took an almighty breath that grabbed her by surprise. It was the sort of breath someone might take as they gasp for air, loud and deep. She screamed in shock, burst into floods of tears, and ran out of the room. It was his last breath.

Gathering herself together, Tracy realised she’d left Grandpa. The one thing she knew he was afraid of was dying alone. She ran back, scooped him up, and cuddled him for what felt like hours. He’d gone.

As time passed, she felt the cold creeping over his skin and onto hers. She didn't want to let go; it wasn't fair! The faint sounds of the nurses telling her it was time to let go floated in and out of her awareness.

Her heart physically hurt; she knew that moment would mean she would never get to hold him again. She'd never get to see his smile or his eyes twinkle. The cheeky laugh he'd give as he said something funny, or the pearls of wisdom he'd periodically drop casually into conversation.

And as Tracy drove away from the nursing home, music on full blast, a sense of numbness swept over her. She couldn’t cry; she couldn’t feel. It was all numb.

It’s ok, she thought. I’ll wake up from this soon, and it will all be a horrid nightmare. She couldn’t fathom she’d never see Grandpa again. If only she knew at that moment the magic and mystery that awaited her.

The Fantasy

Tracy knelt at her grandparent’s grave with her newly published book in her hands. “I wish you were here to celebrate with me,” she sobbed.

Walking into the nursing home a few weeks before Grandpa's death, Tracy told him about her publishing deal. Images of how his face lit up flooded her memories, the pride in his voice as he explained she was the second author in a long line of the family on his side.

As she reminisced, she smiled. A warmth wrapped around her heart and travelled out over their graves. It was as if they acknowledged her presence.

There were only two other times Tracy had felt them as close by as this since they died. The first was during a car crash Tracy had just after Granny passed away. It was raining, and the ground was wet. After exiting the motorway, there was a traffic jam ahead. Tracy slammed on her breaks and pumped them even, but nothing happened. The car didn't slow down. She gripped the wheel and braced for the inevitable crash, and as she did, she felt Granny's presence beside her, and she felt calm.

It was a five-car pile-up, but miraculously Tracy escaped with merely a bruise on her nose from the airbag.

The second time was the time she took a boat trip to a small island in Australia. As she leant over the rail to watch the Dolphins swimming alongside the bow of the boat, she could feel Grandpa with her.

Together they’d shared many happy memories on his boat, the Amelia May. He’d put on his captain’s hat and tell them they were setting sail to sea with choc ice in hand.

Shortly after that experience, Tracy found out Grandpa had lived in Sydney before being captured in Manila in WWII.

That’s probably one of the most challenging things about losing someone you love, isn’t it? The special moments we long to share with them even long after they are gone.

Talking with her grandparents by their graveside became a regular thing for Tracy. It was a way of feeling close to them. The more time she spent there, the more she dreamt of having one more day with them.

A lot of people say that grief eases with time, and that the sadness fades. But that wasn’t the case for Tracy. The concept of letting go felt impossible. What did it even mean? She thought. Surviving without them seemed an impossible feat.

The sadder she grew, the more she daydreamed, and the more she daydreamed, the more intense her visualisation became.

The Old Quarantine Station

It is said that people dream differently. Some in colour, some in black and white. Some in motion and some in still images.

Tracy was used to her slightly bizarre and incredibly detailed dreams; however, this dream was a particularly odd one.

She stood at the entrance of an old quarantine station. The tunnel into it was dark and large slabs of grey, cobbled stone lined the walls. The roof glowed with hazy orange, fire-lit lamps that seemed to stretch on forever. There was a man in the distance, but what he was saying was faint and indistinct.

To the left, about mid-way down the tunnel hung a portrait of a woman. It stood out amongst the darkness. It was a portrait that seemed to date way back into the history books. It was an oil painting, but resting on her ear lobe was a tiny diamond. It sat raised upon the surface of the canvas.

Tracy reached out and traced her finger across the surface of the diamond. As she did so, she felt electricity run through her fingers. There was energy so intense she’d have sworn the woman in the painting might turn and say something to her.

She was jolted out of her trance-like state by the sound of soft footsteps in the distance. She could just about make out the figure of two people walking toward her. And then everything went black.

The Return

At four AM, Tracy awoke to a soft light beaming in through the open curtains. There, at the side of her bed, stood two figures. She blinked a blurry blink expecting the next time she’d open her eyes, they’d be gone. But when she opened her eyes again, there they stood.

Grandpa was dressed smartly in his suit and to the left of him was Granny, who wore a pastel yellow blouse tucked neatly into a pair of pastel, sky blue, high-waisted trousers. And, of course, her signature coral lipstick.

The sound of their soft voices startled Tracy. She jumped out of bed, ran to the bathroom, and leant against the cold ceramic sink breathing quickly and heavily now. She splashed cold water over her face and repeated the words to herself over and over, “It’s just a dream.”

“Tracy?” they tapped gently at the door. She paused for a moment more before opening it just a fraction at first. She felt afraid.

“This can’t be real,” she said with a shaky voice.

It was at that moment she noticed the air around her looked noticeably different. Softer, creamier in tone, and glistening, almost sparkling. Golden Light poured in through the windows from every angle, and as she looked out of the window, the light was so bright, she could see nothing.

“Are you ok, darling?” They spoke as if they’d never left as if they’d never died. Tracy fell to her knees and sobbed. She’d dreamt of this moment for over ten years.

A Level Down from the After-World

Tracy followed Grandpa and Granny down a dark narrow path that seemed to wind on forever. In the distance she could see the old quarantine station from her dream, she couldn’t believe it!

They approached the same tunnel she’d seen previously, only this time it glowed around the edges. There was an energetic force surrounding it that was so strong it almost tumbled her backwards.

“That’s the portrait from my dream,” Tracy said. She remembered reaching out to touch the diamond earring. A little nervous at first, she proceeded to do so again.

This is where it all went dark last time. Perhaps she’d wake up again. WHOOSH, it threw her back against the wall, and she slid to the floor. Picking herself up wearily, she looked confused. “This didn’t happen in my dream,” she said. “That’s because you’re not where you think you are,” Granny responded.

“Not where?” said Tracy, even more confused.

“Your world.”

“My world?”

“You’re in the after-world, Tracy. It’s a level between life and death, in the middle. The only way to access it is through this gateway. It only works for those who desire so enormously to spend one more day with their loved ones that it pulls them through into the after-world.”

Tracy stared at them in disbelief. “There is a catch, though, Tracy, as with all good things in life that test us,” said Grandpa. “From the moment you stepped into the after-world, a timer began.” Grandpa pointed to a small timer on a white wall behind Tracy.

“We’re only here for one more day, Tracy.”

Tracy’s expression saddened.

Granny and Grandpa took Tracy by the hand and led her around a corner to reveal a sea of faces staring back at them.

“These people are all waiting for their loved ones.”

Tracy looked at them with a baffled expression. There, in the living world, we all dreamed of spending another day with our loved ones. And now, here they were waiting for us in the middle.

They can’t take the escalator to Serenity until they’ve finished what is unfinished. The moment one of their loved ones crosses the threshold into the after-world, their day begins.

“That’s beautiful,” replied Tracy.

“It is, but the trouble is no one in your world knows about it. There was a man who found the gateway about three years ago, but he never succeeded in the quest to spread the news.”

“How did you reach me then?” Asked Tracy.

“We didn’t. You summoned us in your dreams both day and night. It was your fantasy; it was your creation.”

Tracy was starting to realise the impossible could be possible. That we are only limited by what we perceive to be limitations. Little by little, those parameters were beginning to shift for Tracy, with all of the crazy happenings.

“If you are the only one who knows about the after-world by the end of the day, that is how it will stay forever. The gateway to the after-world will close, and Serenity will cease to exist for all the future dead who have unfinished business.”

“What do I need to do?” Asked a scared but determined Tracy.

“Let the world know the after-world exists, that there is a way to spend one more day with their loved ones.”

“Can you come with me? I want to be with you today.” Tracy asked timidly.

“We can’t leave the after-world, darling. Remember, we were only able to reach you through your dreams.”

Tracy had never been faced with something like this before. She stumbled backwards and tripped over her own feet.

She sat on the cold, hard floor, lay her head back against the wall, and thought about how she could tackle this.

There is a way, she thought. If she could access Mr McPherson. He was the current global leader. Unfortunately, not a nice one. He was so power-hungry; he’d single-handedly managed to eliminate all other people with political power. No presidents, no prime ministers, just him. Global domination. And not now, but in a moment, you’ll find out why.

“I’ll do it, said Tracy. How do I get back to my world?”

Touch your finger to the diamond again, but this time, visualise your world. Believe with all of your soul you are there. Imagine precisely where you want to go, and then step forward.

I’d like to say this was a straightforward process, but alas, the first time Tracy tried to do this, she stepped face-first into the wall. It was a giant step in preparation for a big journey.

On her second attempt, she stepped forward, a little timidly this time and understandably so. Her shoe sunk into the wall. It quite literally disappeared out of sight.

She leant forward and felt the same energy field she had felt in her dream. It seemed to pull her closer to it like a magnet. She reached for her grandparents and grasped their hands before tumbling out through the other side of the wall.

Mr Mcpherson

Mr McPherson was a power-driven, manipulative and narcissistic man. He hadn’t always been that way. After all, most people aren’t as children.

As a child, he had been imaginative, loving, and happy. But, at Twelve years old, his dad was taken from him in a freak accident involving a snowstorm while skiing the Alps.

As the wind blew hard, it triggered an avalanche. A then-junior, Mr McPherson, was slightly ahead of his dad, racing him to the finish line. He looked back over his shoulder at the thundering sound of snow crashing down on top of him, burying him alive. The boy dug and dug for what seemed like an eternity, but his dad was gone.

Over the years, his mind grew darker. And the dreadful thing about hanging around in darkness is, the longer you’re there, the more it spreads. It’s like a disease, a virus that seeps out and touches anyone and everything it comes into contact with.

He left behind all empathy, and the narcissist within him took over. Mr McPherson made it his mission to control the world around him. One thing he knew for sure was that if he wanted all-encompassing power, he needed to eradicate all other leaders.

The details of how he obtained this power are neither here nor there. However, what is crucial for you to understand is that what was once a world full of belief and magic had become dull, grey, and lifeless.

Live Stream

“I need to speak with Mr McPherson,” Tracy commanded.

His soldiers sniggered and glanced at one another back and forth with rolling eyes. “It’s urgent,” Tracy said forcefully. “I have information that will quite literally change the world as we know it.”

The soldiers ignored her request and continued to chat amongst themselves. This wasn’t going to work, and if Tracy was going to get to Mr McPherson quickly, she would have to take drastic measures!

Her sister Charlotte was a news presenter at the local TV station. It’s worth a shot, thought Tracy.

Clutching a piece of paper in her hands and a few squiggly notes, Tracy approached her sister. “I can’t explain why now, Charlotte, but I need you to direct a live feed through to Mr McPherson’s office, please.”

“Are you kidding, Tracy?” she cast her eyes over the notes.

“This is nuts. You’ll have me fired!”

“I’m aware of how crazy this sounds, but it’s true, and I don’t have much time until the gateway closes. I’ll fill you in with everything you need to know, but for now, you just need to trust me. Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me before?”

Charlotte shook her head and passed her a small microphone which she clipped to her top.

“Going live in five, four, three, two, one.”

Charlotte spoke first. “Mr McPherson, I’m coming live to you from Newsreel Studios. Can you hear me?”

“Yes, Charlotte, loud and clear, what do you have for me?”

“My sister has stumbled upon something quite extraordinary, Sir. It’s called the after-world and....”

He cut Charlotte short. The news screen glitched, and Mr McPherson appeared.

“I’m sending someone over to pick you up immediately. Meet my soldiers on the roof of the newsroom in five minutes.”

And with no other explanation, the live stream disconnected.

The girls stood in shock; did he already know about this?

Captured

Tracy reassured her sister she’d be ok alone, and as she climbed inside the chopper, there was a deathly silence. No one said a word. Sat in the shadows was Mr McPherson. The light caught the left side of his face just slightly. She could just about make out the corner of his thin lips and dark grey stubble.

“Do you know how long I’ve kept this nonsense from the world? It’s utter rubbish. No such world exists.”

“I’m sorry to cut you short, Sir, but it does. I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” said Tracy.

"Another man came to me three years ago with the same foolish story. False promises, the false hope of reconnecting people with their loved ones. It's no good for society. It's torturous if you ask me.”

“And if you don’t mind me asking Sir, did you ever go and see for yourself?” said a brave Tracy.

“Deal with her,” Mr McPherson demanded as he beckoned the soldiers to take her away.

They shoved her into a tiny, dark holding cell. She tripped upon entry and stumbled forward. The only visible light was a small hole in the wall no more extensive than the length of her little finger. The smell was ghastly, and the damp was worse.

She peered through the hole and could faintly make out a figure huddled in the corner of the next cell. The soft glow of a dimly lit candle sat beside them.

“Are you ok?” Tracy asked. There was no response.

“Are you the man Mr McPherson was talking about?” Still no response.

“I’ve been there too,” whispered Tracy.

The figure shuffled closer. Tracy could now make out the delicate features of a somewhat dishevelled looking man. He was gentle but timid and small.

“To the after-world,” said Tracy quietly.

“Go on...” he said.

“I know you’ve been silenced. But why?”

“Well...” he paused for a moment to check for the sounds of soldiers.

“After his dad died, he found it too painful to talk about what happened, to talk about any of it. Mr. McPherson is bitter and nasty and wants to know nothing of the after-world.

They locked me up here to keep the truth locked away with me. No one knows I'm here. Not even my wife and daughter. I don't know what they were told became of me.”

Tracy saw the glisten of a tear roll down his cheek and heard a gentle sniff.

“What’s your name?” Asked Tracy, with a kind tone.

“It’s Quinn, Ma’am,” he replied.

“Quinn pleased to meet you; I’m Tracy. How long have you been here?”

“Well, I don’t have access to the time, but I’ve kept count on the wall. Three years Ma’am.”

“Oh, Quinn! Three years!”

At this point, she noticed a small bowl to the side of him; a few grains of rice remained. She wondered briefly if it were her imagination, but...

“Your rice... it’s moving!”

Quinn sighed. “Not much choice around here,” he said. “It’s weevil-filled rice or nothing. It’s an eat it, or die sort of situation.”

Tracy remembered the story of her Grandpa. He’d been captured along with his younger sister and parents in Manila at the beginning of WWII.

They were held captive for the entire duration of the war and received no more than a handful of weevil-filled rice per day. Perhaps half of a banana on a good day. His sister would sit and pick out all of the weevils as grandpa hungrily shovelled them into his mouth.

“It’s protein,” he’d say. “Don’t pick them out.”

Tracy shuddered at the thought.

Quinn could hear the shuffle of the soldier's feet moving closer.

“They will silence anyone who speaks of it...” he whispered loudly and forcefully.

The door outside the cell swung open, and Quinn retreated backwards to his corner and buried his head in his hands.

Tracy could hear the lock to her cell door turning. They were coming for her.

Think Tracy, think! she told herself. She closed her eyes, leant her head back against the wall and began to imagine an escape...

“Granny, Grandpa, if you can hear me, I need you!”

She imagined being pulled into the after-world. Tracy felt the ground shake, the walls cave in, and a magnet-like force pulled her backwards through the wall as she tumbled out the other side. She was back in the after-world.

Tracy flung her arms around Granny and Grandpa and spoke of her ordeal. They decided that if Mr. McPherson wasn’t going to take this seriously if he wasn’t going to come to them, they’d have to bring him to the gateway to the after-world instead!

The Kidnapping

The world went black. Utter darkness. Mr McPherson struggled, tossing his head from side to side.

Tracy had crawled like a ninja beneath his desk. She tied his shoelaces together before creeping behind his chair and pulling a brown potato sack over his head.

Charlotte, Tracy’s sister, whipped off his tie and bound it around his hands. They injected his neck with a sleep serum and tumbled him onto a food trolly draped with a white table cloth. All was quiet.

The girls slipped into staff uniforms and wheeled the trolly out of the office. Soldiers lined the hallway with guns. Beads of sweat laced the girl’s foreheads, but they had to maintain composure.

They continued down the corridor until a woman abruptly stepped into their path.

“And where do you think you’re going?” The woman asked. Tracy began to answer, but the woman interrupted her mid-sentence.

“You’re late! Follow me!” She snarled.

The woman’s name was Katrina. She was a tallish woman with neat burgundy hair that sat at shoulder length. And a fringe, slightly parted to the side to narrowly miss her eyes. She wore a green t-shirt with a denim dungaree dress and a pair of brown sandals. She seemed angry and also a little bit sad.

Tracy didn't know yet that Katrina hid a deep, dark secret that no one else knew. And the trouble with hiding dark secrets that no one else knows is that they eat you up inside, as much as hatred does.

And so, over the years, much like Mr McPherson, it engulfed her. Poison running through her veins.

They took a sharp turn to the right, and Katrina swung open a set of big, heavy wooden doors. They opened into a large living room. On the other side of the room, just next to the fireplace, was a statue of a spade, made entirely of silver.

She placed her hand upon its handle and twisted once to the right. The floor began to give way forming a ramp down to a narrow tunnel. It looked distinctly like the one Tracy had walked with her grandparents. The one from her dream.

Coming from their current direction, the distance they walked seemed further. Tracy sure as hell didn't want her finding out about the kidnapping! She was beginning to worry that Mr McPherson might wake up soon.

Almost immediately preceding that thought, Katrina stopped sharply in front of the portrait that hung on the wall. From this direction, it was to the right of us. To the left was another small tunnel, and just to the right side of that tunnel, Tracy could see a small holding cell.

Katrina turned to the portrait and ran her fingers across it.

Tracy glanced at the portrait and then back to her...

“This portrait, she said wistfully, was my grandmother’s. It is a portrait of my grandmother’s grandmother, Maggy, who stumbled across a gateway to an alternate world after losing her husband Albert in the mines."

Tracy gasped. “So, I didn’t create it then?”

“Create it? No darling, the after-world has been here for hundreds of years. You simply re-opened the gateway. You’re the key!”

Katrina continued with her story; "Beneath the old quarantine station, diamonds were discovered. Just a tiny handful within an area of rock just at the entrance to this tunnel.

Men came from everywhere to mine here in the hope of finding more. Until one day, a landslide caused a portion of the mine to collapse and killed poor Albert.

Grief-stricken, Maggy didn't move from her bed for months. She grew weaker and more depressed and cried his name each day.

One night, Maggy fell asleep and awoke here in this tunnel. As she walked the tunnel, she grew angry. She picked up a large piece of flint that lay on the ground and hurled it at the wall. As it did, it splintered the rock beneath it.

There, beneath the surface lay a tiny diamond with rough edges. Maggy reached out to touch it, but the strangest thing happened. The earth began to tremble, and an almost magnetic feeling overcame her body. It absorbed her. Somehow, she became trapped between this world and the after-world. Neither here nor there.

Legend has it that she is within the wall between the living and the after-world to guide people to the gate. To reconnect loved ones. Only once this happens can she move through to the after-world to be with Albert.”

Katrina caught a glimpse of the brown potato sack out of the corner of her eye. And a small tuft of hair poking out of the top. She leant down to remove the bag.

“My brother, I see you succeeded. Girls, well done.”

“You knew about this? But how?” Stuttered a startled Tracy.

“Mr McPherson is my brother.”

“Your brother?”

“Yes, but what I am about to tell you, I’ve never shared with anyone.”

“You have my confidence,” said Tracy.

“When our dad died in the avalanche, I was there. I'd wanted to take the challenging slope and told dad and my brother I'd be back to meet them in ten minutes. I skied as quickly as I could to find my family. When I reached the bottom of the slope, I felt the earth shudder a little. I looked up to see the side of one of the mountains crashing down. Dad had been buried in the avalanche.

My brother and I dug for hours, so long and hard that I became sick with pneumonia.

I passed away that day. My brother clung to me tight and refused to let me go. I came back, but I wasn't the same. So much so that somehow, instead of passing into the after-world, I remained in the living world.

My great-grandmother had refused to let me through the portal into the after-world. Instead, she asked me to stay on earth with my brother until he no longer needed me. I'm all he has left as our mother died during my childbirth.

My brother knows the after-world exists. Accepting it would mean he has one more day with me until he has to let me go. Forever.”

Mr McPherson's behaviour was starting to make some sense. A man who had lost everyone dear to him clung to the one thing he thought he could have; Control.

But the truth is, we never truly have control of our surroundings. We merely think we do.

In reality, the only power we truly have is over ourselves, the decisions we make, and the actions we take that dictate our reality. If we want to change our circumstances, we have to change what we make the events in our lives mean.

“Hang on, what do you mean he has to let you go?” Quizzed Tracy.

“I'm not alive, Tracy. But I'm not dead either. My deep dark secret. The one I haven't been able to share with another living soul. I've been here in this quarantine station since the accident. I don't know why and I don't know how, but you seem to be the key. The only one who can reunite a world full of lost loved ones.”

“Quinn...” Tracy remembered. “Why is Quinn locked up?”

“Quinn was the very first person to experience the dream of the after-world, and just like you, he found it. But, before he could see his loved ones, he was taken hostage by my brother and his soldiers.

His wife and daughter were told he'd died while exploring a tunnel, that heavy rocks had tumbled and trapped him. But alas, here he sits in his cell. Your loved ones Tracy, protect you from my brother. He is unable to hold you, hostage, as long as your grandparents are here for one more day. And that is why time is of the essence. We must ensure the world knows about this before the day comes to an end. The only way we can do this is to make my brother see the magic of the after-world. To help him reconnect with his soul.

“Why haven’t you tried to help Quinn?” Asked Tracy with a harsh and judgmental tone.

Katrina bowed her head in shame. “My brother's power is far greater than mine. As I previously mentioned, the only reason I'm still here is to watch over him. I can't do anything that would break his rules. But you can....”

Katrina pointed to the cell. And then to one of the soldiers, a lone guard standing to attention outside Quinn’s cell. Hanging from his belt were a set of keys.

“Sleep serum.” Muttered Tracy. She was still dressed as staff, and there was enough sleep serum for one more person.

She put her finger to her mouth signalling quiet. And tiptoed into the left tunnel. She walked a short way forward, and just as the guard was about to question her, she collapsed out cold on the floor. (The guard thought).

He approached the young woman, leant down to check her pulse, and Tracy, who had the syringe hidden in her right hand, thrust it into the exposed skin on his arm. The guard tumbled to the floor, and Tracy grabbed the keys.

“Quinn, it's Tracy,” she whispered loudly through the door. “I'm going to open it now; you're safe.” He cowered in the corner, too frightened to move.

“I can't, I can't, Tracy.”

“Yes, you can, Quinn, but we don't have much time. I need you to trust me.” She spoke reassuringly. She threw his arm around her shoulder and helped him to his feet.

He hadn't walked more than the length of his holding cell in three years. The only daylight he'd seen was the small opening at the top of the far wall. He'd thought about picking his way out a few times until he realised the guards' quarters lay on the other side.

They stepped over the guard and checking the main tunnel was clear re-joined Katrina, Charlotte, and Mr. McPherson, who was beginning to stir but not yet awake.

“We’ve got about 30 minutes until the guard wakes up,” said Tracy. “what now?”

Dad McPherson

Dad McPherson was six feet and 4 inches tall, with dark wavy hair cut to a long crop and a smile that lit up a room.

He loved adventure, “life is built upon adventure,” he’d say.

He was a modest man, not particularly interested in popularity. Instead, he focused his attention on his family and the time they spent together. His days were filled with the next big thing they could do together. As a family, they'd explored deserts, skied mountains, swam within underwater caves, and jumped from planes at sunset. Anything they could do to experience the world in its optimum state.

A stark opposite to his son. He spent his days terrorising anyone who stood in the way of himself and his self-idolisation.

“I need you to step through to the after-world Tracy and find our dad. His name is Bill. Bill McPherson. My brother has blocked him from his dreams, forgotten everything. The only way he will access it is to trigger a vision of something special. A special moment they had together. Only my dad will know what that is. Unless my brother chooses to connect with his emotions, he’ll never step through to the after-world.”

And so, once again, Tracy stepped through to the after-world.

“I need to find Bill McPherson; Tracy told her grandparents. I don't have time to get into all the details now, but can you help me find him? He's Mr McPherson's dad.”

“You see that button on the wall over there? Press it. And speak. He’ll hear you.” said her grandparents.

“Bill McPherson, I need to speak with Bill McPherson.” Silence filled the room. It felt as if a tumbleweed had time to pass before a man stepped forward.

“I’m Bill McPherson, he said in a raspy but kind voice.” Tracy's eyes lit up; she smiled a big toothy smile, ran toward him, and gave him a big hug. Before remembering, he was a stranger and stepping back to a socially acceptable distance. He looked puzzled. It had been a long time since a 40 woman had hugged him like that!

“I’m sorry, Miss, forgive me, but how do I know you?” asked Bill politely.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Sir, I forgot myself for a moment. My name is Tracy. Let me begin by asking you a question if I may?”

“Sure, go on....” replied Bill.

“How long have you been here?”

“Thirty-two years exactly,” he responded. “It's a good place, but a bit boring. Serenity is what we're all looking forward to. That's where we go once our unfinished business is finished.”

“What’s your unfinished business?” questioned Tracy.

“The same as it is for all of us here, Miss. To spend one more day with our loved ones. You see that escalator over there?” he pointed to some moving stairs that seemed to have no end. There was a bottom, but the top was bright; Tracy couldn't see past it. “That leads to Serenity,” he said. “Walk with me, would you, Miss?”

Tracy walked with him to the bottom of the escalator. “Step on, go on, there's nothing to be frightened of,” But Tracy did feel frightened. What if she suddenly ended up in Serenity? I mean, it sounded beautiful, but she wasn't ready for that just yet. She looked back at her grandparents, who waved her forward as if to say it was all ok, trust him.

She stepped forward to the bottom of the escalator. But the oddest thing happened. Her foot hit a wall, not visibly; it was as if it were made of glass. She moved her entire body forward now, and the same thing happened, her body pressed up against some sort of invisible wall.

“It’s because you are alive, Miss,” he said. “No living human can access it. Now watch.”

Bill stepped forward onto the escalator. Once on the bottom step, it ground to a halt. Stepping off the escalator, he beckoned another person forward. He ushered another and another until he was sure Tracy understood.

“We can’t go anywhere until we are reunited with our loved ones.”

“But what if you never find each other?” Tracy asked.

“Then we remain here until they pass on themselves, and we meet here. All these people in the living world who sever their family relationships don't have a clue. They don't realise that once they get here, if not reunited in the living world, they'll be waiting a very long time between worlds to reunite here instead. You see, Serenity doesn't believe in fractured relationships. In Serenity, it's serene. It is life at its optimum. Therefore, no person has access to it until they learn this lesson. One way or another, people have to find a way to heal their conflict before they enter Serenity."

“Gosh,” said Tracy. “You won’t like what I have to tell you next. Your son Sir, after you died, he became very angry, depressed, and power-hungry. He disposed of all other leaders to become one global leader. He refuses to acknowledge your death and has fractured relationships with many. He's cut ties with anyone and everyone he perceives as a threat. He had a man locked up for three years for believing in the after-world.

And your daughter... your daughter.” Tracy stopped; she found this part hard to say.

“What about my daughter Tracy?” Bill asked nervously.

Tracy swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Your daughter... she died, Bill.”

Bill’s eyes filled with tears. He wiped his hand across his eyes and composed himself.

“But where is she? I haven’t seen her here?”

Tracy continued. “Well, that’s the problem; she didn’t pass through.”

“Didn’t pass through? Why not?”

“Because,” said Tracy, “ she was asked to remain in the living world with your son. To look over him. Until he believes in the after-world, nothing will change. Your son is the only person who can convince the mass population it exists. And that is why we need your help. If we don't persuade him to do this before the end of today, the gateway to the after-world closes forever. And I fear you'll all be stuck here.”

“Tell me how I can help,” commanded Bill.

“Can you think of a memory you and your son shared, something exceptionally memorable?”

“That one's easy he said. Climbing an active volcano together, molten Lava trickling down the sides. Unforgettable!”

“I want you to think of that moment as intensely and strongly as you can. Picture yourself in the living world with your son. Tell me what you see, what you hear, what you feel.”

“It's October, and the leaves are turning. The floor crunches with every step as our feet sink into the leaves. Just ahead is the base of the volcano. As we approach, it glows an intense orange-red. We can smell the heat wafting through the air. As we begin to scramble up the rock, my son yelps with delight. Molten Lava is trickling past him! Most parents would curse the thought of it, but instead, I told him how lucky he was to have one of the rare experiences in life that most will never experience.”

“Visualise being with your son now, right at this moment, and when you're ready, I want you to step toward the wall.” Guided Tracy. Tracy wasn’t sure how she knew what to tell him to do, but she did. After all, she was the key.

As Bill stepped toward the wall, he disappeared. There wasn’t a magnetic force, but he was able to step through it. Mr McPherson was stirring from his sleep...

“I had the craziest dream. I was climbing the volcano with my dad, the one we climbed when I was a kid.” He’d entirely forgotten he’d been kidnapped.

“Hello, son,” Bill said.

Mr McPherson showed no fear. His eyes welled with tears for the first time since age twelve. “How would you like to spend one more day together, son?” He asked.

Mr Mcpherson looked as if thirty-two years of pain had dissipated in a short moment. He got up and flung his arms around his dad. There was no hesitation.

“I’ve missed you so much, I can’t even describe it. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you, dad. I failed.”

“No, son, you didn't fail me. No man can beat the force of nature. Nature does what nature does. No one can control that. The real problem is how you think you can use control to make others feel your pain.”

“I feel no pain,” he replied.

“Oh, but that's not true, is it, son? You feel it every day. And you think that if you can control everything around you, bad things won't happen. In return, all you've done is make other people feel the way you felt when I died. That's not the boy I raised. Have you forgotten who you are?”

Mr McPherson lowered his head with shame for the first time in thirty-two years.

“There’s time to fix it, son. I’m not sure you knew, but I’ve been waiting for this moment for thirty-two years.”

“What do you mean, dad?”

“Stuck in that boring middle place, the after-world. You know, the one you refused to believe in? The one you locked some poor soul up for three years for? Oh yeah, while I’m on the subject – you really should let him home to his family and tell them the real reason he left.”

Mr McPherson knew he was right.

“What can I do to make this right?”

“Spread the word, son. As quickly as you can. Use the power you have for good.”

“My sister can let you into the newsroom, Mr McPherson, so you can broadcast the news?” Offered Tracy.

Making It Right

“Going live in five, four, three, two, one....”

Mr McPherson broadcast his statement to the world. A message of apology, hope, and love. One by one, people began to arrive at the quarantine station. It was working.

Quinn was reunited with his family and gifted one million dollars in reimbursement payment.

Maggy was reunited with Albert, and the gateway to the after-world stayed open permanently.

And Tracy received an extra one more day with her grandparents for her courage.

The Countdown

Tracy looked at a keypad on the wall containing numbers. A small screen prompted her to enter the current time, and the countdown began.

To the right of her, there were a set of transparent glass escalators. She grasped the hands of her grandparents and proceeded to walk toward them. Hanging just above them was a small sign indicating they'd take them to any destination they desired.

They stepped off the top step into a tranquil, beautiful, English country garden. It was home. The home they’d grown up in. There were several gardens full of different coloured rose beds – pink, yellow, white, and green lawns as far as the eye could see.

They walked the lavender-lined pathways and came upon a picnic waiting for them on the lush green grass. Cucumber sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, chocolate biscuits, ginger ale for Grandpa, a pot of tea for Granny and Tracy’s favourite sparkling red grape drink.

“Ah, Bat’s Blood,” Grandpa would joke. Tracy giggled. They spoke for hours of all the things they wished to share.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t with you when you died, Granny, and I’m even more sorry I didn’t stay and spend time with you at the chapel of rest.”

“A person's time to go is a person's time to go, Tracy. You do not get to choose when or how that happens. Therefore, you cannot plan to be there in every eventuality. Your memory of me was alive and well. It is no surprise that seeing me other than that would be a frightening experience. Let go of the guilt. Be free of it, free to love our memories together. I love you.”

Serenity

Early the following day, Granny was busy painting the horizon of the golden cornfields as the sun rose. Grandpa read the paper in the garden.

He glanced at his watch... “It’s time, Tracy,” he said.

They walked to the old Ewe tree at the very end of the garden, past the orchard with all of the yummy apple trees.

“One for the road?” Grandpa joked.

They re-entered the after-world on the ground floor, and Tracy threw her arms around her grandparents.

“Why don’t entire families spend one more day together?” Questioned Tracy.

“Tracy darling. Every person's experience of the living world is a different one. Therefore, every person's experience with someone is different. You desired to be with both of us and to spend that time in the way you wished you could.

Only one living soul can enter the after-world at a time. Your mother, your sisters, and your father will all share different ideas of what 'one more day would be like for them.”

“But once you go to Serenity, how will you see them?” asked Tracy.

“Ahh, that's the secret;” Granny and Grandpa looked at each other and smiled knowingly. “Once accepted into Serenity, we are free to enter the after-world as many times as is needed to spend one more day with each individual who so desires it.”

“And if one person refuses to heal a fractured relationship, do you still get to go?” asked Tracy. “Yes, my darling, it only takes one healed relationship to enter Serenity. Once the others reach the after-world, we'll see them there. There's no escaping what needs to be healed. What can't be faced in the living world, will be met in the after-world.”

“But our relationship wasn’t fractured. I don’t understand,” said Tracy.

“No, but you fostered deep guilt and regret that meant that you could not move through to the phase of acceptance of our death. That needed to be healed before we could enter Serenity. The others will heal with us when they are ready. This was your time.”

Tracy's eyes sparkled. Their eyes sparkled back. And with that, they turned and stepped hand in hand onto the bottom step of the escalator to Serenity. At the very top, they disappeared into the light.

Tracy sighed a relaxed sigh. Walked toward the wall she'd entered initially, imagined her world, and awoke back in her bed.

That was the most incredible dream, she thought.

The End.