I smelled dirt. Dirt and... horse?

  And everything hurt.

  "Mi ne povas kredi ?in..." That was a woman's voice. She wasn't far.

  I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn't budge.

  "Mi trovis vin!" From the sound of her footsteps, she was rushing to my side.

  "Ugh..." I tried to speak, but all that came out was a gurgling groan.

  "Silentu nun, kara."

  I didn't know what she was saying. "I..." I coughed. It tasted like blood.

  "Mi protektos vin." Her arms wrapped around me, and the I was dangling in her arms.

  God, it hurt.

  "Restu, nun..." Her voice was soft. Loving.

  I could fall in love with a voice like that.

  Not able to do anything else, I settled into her arms and drifted into darkness.

  ***

  I awoke to a familiar voice.

  "Bonvolu, veki?u..." That was the woman from before.

  Where was I?

  A door opened, and there were footsteps.

  "?u li jam veki?is, filino?" That was another woman's voice, but it was deeper. Older. But filled with compassion, too.

  "Ne, patrino." The younger woman paused. "?u vi opinias, ke mi tro malfruis?"

  The footsteps got closer. Then, a warm hand pressed to my forehead. "Ne, filino. Vi estis kie vi devis esti, kiam vi devis esti tie. ?io okazos kiel ?i devus."

  Slender fingers found my hand and squeezed. "Mi havos fidon."

  The women were quiet for a time. Then, the elder woman asked, "?u via nimra?s plu progresis de kiam ni laste parolis?"

  "Jes, patrino." The younger didn't speak for a time. Finally, she said, "Mi ?an?i?as," then hesitated before adding, "Mi timas."

  "Ne timu, filino. ?io estos bone," the elder woman said with clear love in her voice.

  The younger woman was quiet for a time. "Mi provos."

  "Bone, filino." The elder woman whispered words I couldn't understand, and relief washed over me.

  Then, everything was hazy, and darkness found me again.

  ***

  I could hear crickets. Crickets and... humming?

  I tried to open my eyes, tried to do anything, but all I could do was groan.

  "Kara..." That same woman's voice was beside me. She sounded tired. "Vi estas veka."

  It took every ounce of willpower I had, but I slowly managed to open my eyes.

  It was dark. In the darkness, shining down at me, were the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. Sapphire, really.

  I tried to speak, but nothing would come out.

  "Restu, kara." The woman's voice drifted over me. It was so gentle. "Mi estas ?i tie"

  "Who..." My throat was tight. It felt like I hadn't spoken in months. "Who... are... you?"

  A cool hand found mine. "My naming is Tristan," she said in broken English, an unrecognizable, thick, melodic accent coloring her words.

  "I'm... Alex..." I managed back.

  Her hands squeezed mine. "Restu, nun, Alex." Her smile was visible in the darkness. "Sleep, now."

  Feeling safe, I closed my eyes and drifted off.

  ***

  I woke up with a start.

  The first thing I felt was something soft under my head.

  Was I in a bed?

  With a groan, I tried to turn my head, but a wave of pain and nausea stopped that plan real quick.

  Why did everything hurt?

  Slowly, I opened my eyes and found myself...

  Where the hell was I?

  The ceiling above me had thick wooden rafters. The walls were stone.

  Groaning like an old man, I tried to sit up... and nearly threw up. My head spun terribly. My stomach clenched. And the pain!

  I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and waited for the sensation to pass. As I did, I tried to tune into my other senses.

  I sniffed the air.

  The air smelled fresh, and it had a pleasant aroma lacing it. Wood smoke? Flowers?

  Huh.

  I tuned into my skin.

  I was covered in sheets. They were coarse, and the mattress was lumpy, but it was all mostly comfortable.

  Mostly.

  Listening closely, I could hear laughter in the distance. Laughter and some kind of animal's call.

  Weird.

  How did I get here?

  My brain felt like mush, but still, I dug deep and tried to remember. I remembered... something.

  Did I get hurt on the way home from work?

  Why?

  And did my car break down?

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  I was pretty sure it had. That was going to suck. I really didn't have enough money to deal with unexpected repairs right now. I just bought new tires for the thing.

  Where did I leave my car again?

  I tried to shift onto my side, but a sharp pain shot through my right leg, stopping me in my tracks.

  Damn, that hurt!

  I sucked in air, trying to manage until the pain subsided. Eventually, it did, but damn if it didn't take my breath away.

  Gathering my courage, I slowly tried again, moving whatever I could and assessing the damage.

  My knee?

  Fucked.

  My torso?

  Horrible.

  My back?

  Also fucked.

  My arm?

  I wiggled my fingers. The right one was fine. The left, though... completely numb. It wouldn't move, no matter how hard I tried to move it.

  Reaching over with my good hand, I found strips of cloth wrapped over every inch of the limb. Giving one a little tug, I found that they were fused to my skin.

  "Damn..." What the hell happened to me?

  Using my good arm to sit up a little more, I found myself in a small, unfamiliar room, one lit by the dim light filtering in from the small window set into the wall to my right. The walls were made from large blocks stacked one on another and held together by some kind of thick gray mortar. They were sparsely decorated, with only a few small paintings of people I didn't recognize and a large symbol carved into the wall opposite my bed. The carving was of an eight-pointed star with a golden circle in the center.

  I had no idea what that meant.

  Where the hell was I?

  Despite my sore neck, I turned and peered out the window. The light of dusk, or maybe dawn, made my eyes blur. However, the longer I watched, the more they adjusted. Outside the window, it looked like there was a field. In it, large brown blobs dotted the area.

  Were they... sheep?

  Farther out in the field, there was tall, swaying grass. No. Not grass. Corn? Little figures were popping in and out of the corn, giggling and shouting as they ran to and fro. I could have sworn they were children playing some game.

  Did some Amish people find me in the street and bring me here, or something?

  For a while, I enjoyed the simplicity of the fields outside. As I watched, the sheep munched, the grass swayed, and the laughter of the children filled the air. As they played, farmers, all of whom were wearing brown robes, worked the fields.

  Eventually, I shook my head and turned back to the room I was in. There, across the room and under the star symbol, was a small wooden table set with two chairs. A thin trail of smoke was rising from a small bowl resting in the center.

  So that was where the incense smell was coming from!

  I couldn’t help but smile.

  It was all so chill. I couldn't remember the last time I was somewhere this peaceful. But something was nagging at me.

  Was I forgetting something?

  "Oh shit!" I forgot to text Devon! I reached under the covers to pull out my phone, but there was no phone.

  Or pants.

  Or underwear.

  I was naked.

  Just then, everything I'd forgotten rushed back into my head.

  My Pathfinder fell into a sinkhole!

  And I got struck by lightning!

  Twice?!

  I should be dead.

  D. E. A. D.

  Charcoal in the street.

  So why was I sitting in some idyllic pastoral heaven filled with incense and sheep?

  Wait.

  Did I fucking die?!

  My heart skipped a beat.

  This was heaven.

  That had to be it.

  There were sheep outside.

  Sheep for the shepherd...

  God was a shepherd...

  Something, something lambs and the meek and all that!

  Lifting my eyes to the ceiling, I inwardly made a prayer: Oh God, I know we never talked before, but please let this be heaven and not the other place. I was good, I swear! I mean, mostly. I hadn’t been bad, but I wasn’t exactly a saint either. It was fifty-fifty. That had to be good enough, right?!

  Wait.

  Just then, a gentle knock sounded on the door.

  If I wasn't that good, could this be Purgatory? Was I about to be judged?

  I was screwed!

  I looked for any weapon I could find.

  The best I could do was a pillow.

  Holding the pillow between me and the door, I readied myself for divine judgment.

  A moment later, the heavy wooden door swung open. A large, matronly woman walked into the room with a wide, comforting smile on her face, her greying hair pulled back in a bun, and her ample body was covered in a blue and gold robe of some rough-looking material. Probably wool.

  From sheep.

  Shepherd.

  Fuck.

  She didn't look at me. Her motions seemed automatic, like she'd done this routine a thousand times. First, she walked to the incense burner, lit another stick, and dropped it into the silver bowl. Then, she turned and pulled the sheets down, tightening the corners as she did. After that, she walked to the right side of my bed and freshened up some flowers I hadn’t noticed were there. Finally, she shuffled to the left side of the bed and sat in a little stool set beside it.

  Only then did she realize I was awake.

  "Vi estas veka! Bone. Tre bone. Sankte!" Her eyes lifted to the ceiling, and she whispered what had to have been a soft prayer. As she did, she fingered a large amulet that was resting between her very large breasts. I mean, damn. No one could say she wasn’t gifted.

  Come on, Alex!

  Head out of the gutter, man!

  I shook the thoughts out of my head and focused on the amulet instead. The amulet was made of silver and had a large, clear stone set in the center. It was shaped into the same eight-pointed star as was on the wall of my room. For some reason, the stone looked like it was glowing with some kind of internal light, but that was obviously impossible. It was just the light... which didn't quite reach the part of the room she was seated in.

  Huh.

  When she finally lowered her hands, she said, "Kiel vi fartas?" As she spoke, a wide, loving smile spread across her face, and well-worn laugh lines appeared around her eyes.

  I couldn't help but smile back.

  She seemed so nice!

  Still, I didn't understand a word of what she was saying. "Um, ma'am, I don't know what you're saying. Does anyone in heaven speak English?" I tried to speak slowly so she could understand me. That never worked, but it would work this time, right?

  "Pardonu min, filo. Mi ne komprenas viajn vortojn." She patted my cheek. "Vi estis grave vundita kiam Tristan trovis vin. Tamen, per ?ia senlaca dedi?o, vi revenis al ni." Her voice was strong, but gentle. Confident, yet comforting.

  "Uh, yeah," I replied.

  Nodding, she reached out and plucked a glass off the end table, then handed it to me. "Trinku."

  I didn't realize how thirsty I was. Grabbing the glass with my good hand, I downed it in one gulp.

  So.

  Freaking.

  Good.

  It was the best water I'd ever had, actually. Better than that premium bottled stuff rich people drank that came in those fancy glass bottles.

  Handing the glass back to her, I wiped my lips and asked, "How long have I been here?"

  By the look in her eyes, she clearly didn't understand. "Mi ?ojas, ke vi estas veka." As she set the glass back on the end table, she added, "Tristan volos vidi vin balda?."

  "Yeah... totally." I didn't know what else to say.

  "Pardonu min, filo. ?i tio doloros," she said gravely, a shadow crossing over her face as she reached down and took my numb hand in both of hers. "Estu forta."

  Maybe she was a nurse up here in heaven or something?

  Slowly, she began inspecting my hand, moving my fingers, rotating my dead arm while murmuring to herself. Then, she traced her fingers up and down the bandages, where red lines that looked like lightning snaked up and down my arm.

  Wait.

  No.

  That was blood. It had to be. I’d seen pictures of lightning strikes before. My skin was probably all crispy and split under those bandages.

  She started rubbing her fingers up the lines.

  Not cool.

  "Um, could you maybe use gloves? Or some antiseptic?" When she didn't stop, I added, "Alcohol? Wet wipes?" I didn't know where her hands had been! "Could you at least wash your hands or something?" I didn't want to reject the gift horse or anything, but still!

  Ignoring me entirely, she pulled a vial of what looked like water or alcohol out of the belt pouch fastened around her hip, dripped the stuff onto her hands, and began rubbing my arm. As she did, she whispered some kind of chant. As the chant gained steam, she closed her eyes and began singing in a soft, melodic tone.

  It sounded like a prayer.

  "I really don't need to be saved today, thanks." Her voice was nice, but this was getting weird.

  That's when I noticed her hands were starting to glow white.

  "What the hell?" I hissed.

  Her chant got even louder as she pressed her hands into my left arm and slowly began working down my arm, massaging the light and water stuff into the bandages. When she reached my fingers, she opened her eyes and whispered, "Estu forta, filo," to me.

  Despite how hard she was pressing, I didn't feel anything... at first.

  She performed those motions several times, massaging more and more of the light and liquid into my flesh. With every pass, I started feeling more. At first, there was a slight tingling in my shoulder. Then, my wrist ached. My fingers burned. My skin itched.

  By the fifth pass, my heart skipped a beat.

  I could feel my arm! And, while it hurt, it hurt kind of good!

  "So good..." I groaned as my arm came back to life. I hadn't wanted to acknowledge it, but I was pretty sure my arm was never going to work again just minutes ago.

  “Silentu, filo.” Her voice was firm as she started another pass.

  By the seventh pass, it didn't feel good anymore.

  It hurt.

  A lot.

  "Um... that's okay. It feels great. Thank you." I tried to move away from her, but her hands were like vice grips. "Really. I think we're good now."

  She shook her head and started the eighth pass.

  This time, I gained much more sensation, and some of the burns on my arm began to feel like, well, burns. Actually, my arm felt like it was on fire. "Seriously. I'm good now! Thanks!" I squirmed in the bed, tried to shimmy out the other side, but she was as strong as an ox!

  "Estu forta!" she said as sweat began pouring from her skin.

  I reached out and grabbed the far bedpost. Pulling with all my strength, I tried to get away, but I wasn't budging at all. "How are you so strong?!"

  "Ne movi?u. Vi bezonas ?i tion," she said sternly, holding me in place.

  It was no use. This was my life now.

  By the tenth pass, I was screaming.

  By the fifteenth pass, I was an incoherent blob of flesh.

  By the twentieth pass of her infernal glowing demon-light hands, I realized I wasn't in heaven—I was in hell.