And when I finally got there, arriving at my townhouse in the late afternoon. I just did the usual stuff that I do at the end of a backpacking trip. I unloaded, organized, and hung up some of my camping items to dry. Then, I got a bite to eat. Showered. Which felt absolutely amazing. And so forth. And so on.
No, you can’t get it all done after a big multiday backpacking trip. But you can get to a point where you can finally call it quits for the evening. Then, you just snuggle underneath the sheets on your bed. And relish the softness, coolness, and plushness of a real bed and down pillow, after having camped for several days in more spartan accommodations. Then, you just close your eyes and drift off into a deep sleep. A deep magical sleep…
During which, I dreamed the good dream. Of KD. Standing, in the golden fog again. In the same clearing, where we’d once camped on Hazel Creek all those years ago.
So there she was. In my dream. Looking pure and natural in her summer dress, smiling, and staring up at the drizzle, which was falling all around her.
So I walked up to her. And she spoke. Telling me how happy she was now. And that, she was living with her dog, Bailey, in a cozy cabin in the misty mountains. And that, she and Bailey really missed me. But that, we’d all see each other again, someday, when the time was right.
So I told her how much I missed her, too. Moving closer. So that I might reach out and hold her. Just one more time.
But when our hands touched. That’s when she brightened, blossomed, and ignited into an exquisite body of pure light rays, all of which just pulsed forward right at me, like an enormous bolt of lightening, striking me in my eyes.
Blinding me in an overwhelming radiance, which I felt in my soul as a boundless unending love for all things in this universe, which were all a part of the same single infinite consciousness. And that’s when I slowly opened my eyes. And awoke to the light of a brand new day.
Thus, my trip to Hazel Creek and dream about KD were both finally over. So I went about my day as usual still doing the things that needed to be done in the wake of my big fly fishing trip. Still putting away, organizing, and fully drying out all of the rest of my ultralight camping gear. Then, eating a big hardy breakfast. And finally, catching up with all of my affairs. Emails. Bills. Mail. Finances. You name it.
And then, the call eventually came a few hours later, which I’d been expecting all along somewhere in the back of mind ever since those two men had saved me on Hazel Creek. Which was the call from KD’s sister. So, we spoke, for awhile.
And she was telling me, at first, that she’d been trying to reach me for the last couple of days, but hadn’t got an answer. But now, she had sad news to tell me. That KD had died unexpectedly three days ago from taking a certain medication, which the “authorities” had all claimed was “safe and effective”.
But after taking it, KD’s arm had swelled up, like a balloon, from a blood clot. And, by the time, they’d got her to the hospital, it was too late. Because, the clot had moved deep into her heart. So she died suddenly from a massive heart attack. Just like that. And that was that.
I’m so sorry, Gary, she told me all of this in her palpable grief and anguish. Because, I know how much she meant to you at one time. But, no, I wasn’t nearly as sad, shocked. Or, even overly grief-stricken. Since, I already knew where KD was now.
So I told KD’s sister not to worry, or grieve, because I knew for sure that her sister was okay and in a better place. Then, I told her everything that had just happened to me over the last few days on my fly fishing trip. How I’d drowned after getting foot entrapped on Hazel Creek. And how I’d had a dream about KD after I’d died, which was even more real than this world where we live now. And how KD and I had gone into the light in my dream.
Then I told her how KD must’ve also somehow materialized as a ghost in this reality a little while later. So that she could tell two guys where I was and to pull me out of the creek. Saving my life. And so forth, and so on…
And I told her all of this with the utmost of sincerity, without reservation. As best as I could recollect. But I wasn’t so sure that KD’s sister really believed me, since I really hadn’t had enough time to fully process everything. And to put all the pieces together in my mind. Plus, for all I knew, KD’s sister might’ve thought that I’d finally lost my mind for good somewhere in the backcountry of Hazel Creek. And was now just off my rocker. And totally insane.
Still, I promised KD’s sister, and myself, that when everything finally settled and made the most sense to me that I’d write the story of KD’s and my own near death experiences at Hazel Creek. And that would hopefully give her family some peace, in time. Then, KD’s sister, and I, just said our goodbyes. And we both hung up.
And, as the years went by, following the “great sickness”, in the aftermath of the great lie about the “safe and effective” medication, I was eventually able to put together all my thoughts and feelings just right. As one cohesive whole, just like a fully assembled puzzle of one big beautiful stunning sunrise over the Smoky Mountains. And so, I finally completed writing my incredible story about what it was really like all those years ago to embark on an otherworldly journey along Hazel Creek.
So that folks would really understand what happens when you finally get baptized for good in the deepest waters of this life. After which, you might just find yourself walking along the glorious path, the magical road, beside those same mysterious, golden, and haunted waters, until you inevitably arrive on the other side.
On the other side…
Where you can reunite with those you once loved in this world. And then, you’ll come to see the light and source of all things. Like I did, when I once lived and died in the haunted waters of Hazel Creek.
The story above is based on true events. And it’s dedicated to the memory of Gerald.
And to KD, who came to me, like an angel from the other side, and saved me in my time of darkness. Also, to Bailey, too. The best dog ever! May you all rest in peace.
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Gary Alan
After a long career in the publishing industry, Gary Alan left his corporate job to pursue his next adventures in life as a blogger, writer, investor, fly fisherman, hiker, and traveler. He is the author of the adventure fiction book, 'Big Thunder-Hearted River'.