Beyond Sheltered- A Journey Through The Unknown

Always Fight Your Fears Away

  I was floating in a dark space. " This....is this the afterlife?" I pondered. Something didn't feel right though. I felt a pull, a magical tug. I looked everywhere, and yet I could not find the source of this tug. Then suddenly, as I floated in oblivion confused, a light appeared in front of me. A woman....An angel....My....Mom?! Tears built up in my eyes, blurring my sight a bit as I stared up into the eyes I only ever see in my dreams anymore. " Mom...?" I questioned.

The angelic, beautiful woman smiled and nodded. I smiled, hot tears burned my cheeks as they ran down my face. I couldn't keep it in. I 'flew' towards her, hugging her. She embraced me, petting my hair. " How are you here? How am I here? What's wrong?" I rapidly questioned, my voice has a mind of its own as it spilled with such questions I thought I'd never been able to ask my mother.

She put her hand up, stopping me in my tracks. " You," Her smooth voice said, " seem to be drowning. Your body is unconscious at the moment. Your soul has shot up into oblivion, where you shall be tested on whether or not you ascend to heaven or not. It seems to me though, that you are not yet ready. There is still life force in your body. You have either a choice to live again, or to die. What's your choice?" My mother awaited my answer, yet it never came. " I love my life...I'm only 18...I can't die yet! My crew needs me, Sora needs me....The captain needs me....But, my mother, who I lived without for a long time, is right in front of me. She's offering me a chance to basically come home, but is heaven really home for me yet? No, I'm not ready. Not yet." I looked up at my mom and spoke. " I....I'm not ready. I've grown accustomed to my crew members, and they are like a second family to me. You know I love you, and I have so many questions to ask you. But I'm not ready yet." I said. She nodded, and as fate would thankfully have it, she had sights on a man who jumped into the ocean to grab me.

" Never forget I love you daughter. You always have a place in my heart. I can't wait to spend some time with you once you have finally finished your life down on Earth." She floated towards me and took both of my hands in hers. She squeezed it tightly, tears pricking her eyes. My tears had already come, falling down like a waterfall. She wiped them away and smiled. " I can't wait to see you again, Orion. I love you, never forget." She leaned over to me, kissing me lightly on my forehead. My vision was then blinded by the light. Then, I was no longer in oblivion. I stood in a blue room, black flooring, blue walls. There was a big screen centered in the middle of the room. It showed me, being pulled onto the deck of the Storm Survivor. I watched everyone worry about me. I saw people come and try to help me breathe again. They did everything they thought of, and then Jake came in. He felt my faint pulse.

From there, it just played on. "I guess I sit here until my body is fully recovered. This is gonna be a long while." I thought, sighing.

Back With The Crew

The members of the Storm Survivor merrily celebrated, after all, it was a beautiful night. Why waste it? The crew enjoyed each other's company more than ever now, as a result of them witnessing a near-death encounter of a fellow crew member. They all danced through the night, enjoying the beautiful breeze every now and then as they sipped apple cider and danced around. Jake and Will danced together, spinning each other around and around like a tornado of two goofballs. Sora laughed, smiling widely as Jake fell due to his dizzy state. Will laughed as well, as he picked Jake up from the ground.

They both went their separate ways, but only for a split second, After Jake and Will took a big gulp of cider, they returned to the middle of the deck. As fast as they had stopped, they started again. Sora went over towards Artemis, begging Artemis to let him have a try on the guitar. After a bit of friendly arguing, he defeatedly agreed. Sora strummed the guitar, sounding as bad as a toddler on piano. Sora had little to no experience on any instrument, but he still enjoyed the sound it made and the laughs he got from the crew.