The Secret Door to Heaven

“There’s a place in this subway station that conceals a secret door to heaven,” said the person sitting on a waiting bench behind me. I turned to him. He had a gloomy face. “Yeah, you’ve heard that. Heaven.” He glanced at the track and then back at me. “I tell you, heaven is real,” he said.

It intrigued me to hear someone speak of heaven. I sat down beside him. “Is it, really?” I said.

He nodded.

I put down my attaché case. “How do you say so?”

“The train’s engine woke me,” he responded. “I was waiting here, in the same spot, for the 6 PM ride. Was yesterday. Couldn’t remember how I ended up in a dark place beside the railway around 7 PM, I guess? There.” He waved his hand to the other side of the railway. “There was a blinding light. It passed through a gap. It made me forget about going home. I went to it. Realized it was a door.”

“I got in,” he continued talking. “Brightness surrounded me. Dandelion flowers flew around me. I walked on a grassy pathway. Flowers of myriad types and colors encompassed me. They stretched across hills from a distance. Various trees were full of fruits scattered along that grassy path. I looked back at the door. There was a wooden post with a placard. The placard said will be closed on the 40th. I didn’t mind it because I was excited to roam around the enchanted place.”

His story fascinated me.

“I went ahead. There was a woman in a plain white gown and an old man in a glassy white suit. They were sitting on a bench. I think the woman was in the late ’30s and the old man was in the late ’60s. Who can tell? I approached them. The woman smiled. ‘How’s it going?’ I said. She just kept on smiling. ‘What is this place?’ Couldn’t really help but ask it. ‘Heaven.’ she answered me. The old man was smiling too. ‘I’m glad you’re here,’ he said. I nodded and smiled. They offered me a seat but didn’t take it. I was excited to roam around. I was never worried. Never thought of any problem. Happiness was in me. Really hard to explain. I spent the entire day wandering around. I met a lot of kind people. They are all smiling and happy.”

“That’s always the description of heaven, I suppose,” I remarked.

“It’s true,” he stressed. “Let me continue. I never got tired. I still like to wander. But then, I remembered Casey, my younger brother. Two days ago, he was sulking. I couldn’t afford to send him to college. I had asked him to get a part-time job and save money for his enrolment next semester.”

“Yeah, nowadays tuition fees in the universities are terribly expensive,” I said.

“That’s right. So, I looked at my watch. I thought the entire day had passed. You wouldn’t believe it was just 8 PM. Didn’t really understand. I hurried back to the door and got out, sidled alongside the railway, and sneaked up onto the platform. Luckily, I still got a magnetic ticket in my pocket. It was nine when I got home. The door was locked. I’m not used to it. Maybe Casey is still mad at me.” He heaved a sigh, as if regretting he’s not able to send his brother to college. “Good thing I have a duplicate key. Casey was not there when I got in. He might have spent the night at his friend’s house. He is now a big guy and I’ve always wanted him to be independent. I couched on the sofa and thought of heaven. And I dozed off. I was awakened. Someone opened the door. It was from Casey. I looked at my watch. It was two. I asked him how he was. He didn’t respond. Really thought he is still mad at me.”

“I also have a brother,” I said, I guess, to ease his regret. “We used to fight and became tired of it. I’m sure it shall pass too.”

We were silent for a moment. I looked up at the wall clock. 5:55 PM. I folded the sleeves of my polo shirt so I could easily hold the handrail inside the coach later. The sound of the approaching train filled the air. I stood up. “You not riding in?” I said.

He responded with a mere smile and remained seated.

The train arrived. Passengers moved out, spreading across the platform. I looked back. He was gone. I reckoned he got in the next coach.

I went home. I had been overworked these past few days because of a project I needed to complete by the weekend. No time for leisure, even to check my Facebook and read newspapers. I lounged in my bed, tired. He got into my mind. It always amazes me that someone sane would tell a story based on fantasy. I got the remote control from the table and switched on the TV.

VBC Evening News Live with Marlon B. I read the news caption below the screen. Metro Rail Transit hero dies after one day in St. Lukes Medical Center. They superimposed a photo of him beside Marlon B.

“…. Bienvenido had been in a coma since the terrible incident happened two days ago. He had saved a kid who fell to the train track.” CCTV footage showed how he jumped to the track to get the kid while the train was approaching. He tossed the kid to the platform, but it was too late for him to climb up. “Unfortunately, he didn’t make it.” An interview with a security officer swiped the screen. “We thought he would die on the spot. We called our medics right away to help us remove him from under the train. We then took him to St. Lukes Medical Center. He’s a hero. He didn’t wait for the security officers to save the kid.” The scene swiped back to Marlon B. “…. Prayers and thoughts to the family. In Sports News….”

I could feel the warm blood crawled through my spine. I thought I had been talking to a ghost. Maybe there’s a reason he showed up at me. Maybe the reason is to let us know that heaven is real and that we go there through a secret door we create.