Chapter 1

 

God forsakes and redeems people every single minute of every single day, but for some the lord considers what they’d prefer, often giving them what they’ve requested, much to their chagrin, and perhaps right in line with God’s master plan.

 

Stars, planets, and galaxies filled a murky sky like the ceiling of a planetarium cracked wide-open to reveal the true expanse of space beyond its magnificent, techno-science confines. In the beat of a single heart, alone and lost in the cosmic fold, the vast universe containing the tiny speck of dust called Earth spread out. Lying on his couch, prone and stiff, Edwin balked at the vision.

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After another beat or two of his heart, Edwin floated through space and time in a sea of off-white. His body vanished, and his essence became part of the eggshell-colored abyss: an immense mass of limitless knowledge and awareness unlike anything else in the vast solar systems. For a moment, the immersion into unsurpassed wisdom revealed—everything.

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After the milliseconds or minutes or hours of infinite verisimilitude passed, the textured, solid white surface of his ceiling returned with a resounding bang. He was unsure if the thunderclap echoed in his brain, ears, or soul, but it rocked him and would’ve knocked him off his feet if he were standing. He blinked and questioned if it was real.

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His breath continued to slow down yet he remained on his lumpy couch trying to comprehend what in the hell happened, let alone what it meant. How could he know if it was real or some delusion? As that thought became overwhelming, his crazy plan reformed in his head. The belief his plan could be done—nay, must be done—raged like mass conflagration in a submarine at the bottom the Mariana Trench. 

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to be continued....