Just Like Heaven Read Online Free PDF Page A

only to find himself on the Other Side, he most likely felt f rightened. She’d endured that displaced, bewildered frame of mind before , and she wanted to check on him to help assuage his discomfort. But seeing her so soon after the accident might trigger more questions than she could answer. Because in t his case, he needed to discover some of those answers for himself.
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER THREE
     
     
    “ So this is a case of dead man talking, huh?” Nick asked, circling Roland . “I’m a zombie . Is that what you’re saying?” Nick shook his head. “Oh, don’t worry, Colonel. I’m n ot a big fan of legs, even the kind from KFC. So I don’t think I’ll be craving human flesh any time soon.” He stroked his chin with feigned concentration. “ A walking, talking dead man stands before you. So where does that get us?”
    Roland sighed as though suffering a tedious ailment.
    “ Unless we ’re ghosts.” He recalled f lirting with Nina on that very subject. It almost m ade him want to smile. But the confusion wracking his brain made that difficult. “We’re not ghosts, are we?”
    “No, we’re not ghosts,” said Roland . “We’re spirits.”
    “But that’s the same thing. Ghosts, spirits…look it up in the thesaurus. You’ll find it next to apparitions, specters, and—”
    “I’ ve always enjoy ed that diverti ng mind of yours, but it’s probably best to show you.”
    “ Sure thing, Colonel. And why do they call you Colonel anyway? I thought you were a bu sinessman. Were you in the A rmy? Did you storm the beach at Normandy? F ight in Vietnam? Or did you die more recently? What about Iraq or Afghanistan? ”
    Far from amused, Roland shook his head in exasperation. “Follow me.” He started towards the Greco-Roman building straight ahead.
    Nick didn’t believe for one second that he was in heaven. This place, with all of its idealistic atmosphere and shiny happy people, obviously didn’ t quite reflect the imagery of the b liss depicted i n television shows and in movies, so this had to be an illusion. Better yet, a trick of the mind. In reality, he was still unconscious on a hospital bed .
    And while he visited this imaginary place , he planned to enjoy himself…even live it up. Why not? His mind was a safe place. He had nothing to fear. With a bounce in his step, Nick caught up to Roland and trudged up the wide staircase. “If this is heaven, where are the pearly gates? Or is that only symbolism?”
    “No, they’re quite real – for people who want or expect to see them.”
    “What does that mean? That people can create their own impression of heaven?”
    “In a way, yes. It is heaven, after all.”
    “Okay, how come I didn’t go through a tunnel? Isn’t that supposed to happen?”
    “To some people, yes.”
    “How about giving me a straight answer? What’s with all of these ‘yes, but’ type explanations? It’s not turning me into a believer.”
    “Much of heaven is based on your perspective.” Roland stopped and turned to Nick. “ Y ou do not believe, so how can you see what truly is ? You’ll only see a distortion of your own suspicions. ” He shook his head in pity. “ And for that, I feel pity for you.”
    “Okay, so where’s God?”
    Roland snickered. “We don’t see the Lord.”
    “Why not? Is he too busy wrecking people’s lives on e arth ?”
    “I give you truth, yet you aren’t willing to believe. Therefore, I won’t indulge your jaded comments.”
    Although Nick didn’t regard this fantasy world as heaven, Roland obviously placed complete faith in his perception s, and Nick would not insult him ju st because they disagreed on that point. “S o why do I have to walk …anywhere ? There were even people riding bikes around here . A kid was skateboarding. In heaven? Really? What about flying? Why aren’t we soaring through the clouds like birds? Which reminds me: what about angels? Where are they? ” Upon receiving a blank expression