Joel

You can see why I didn't want the dream to end. My best friend and I had just arrived in the city. Our CEO's son had picked us up and brought us here, personally. I couldn't believe my apartment! I was told it was a reward for what I had done for him.

"But I didn't do that much," I protested.

My best friend replied, "Neither did I, but our employer is very, very, generous. You do one small thing for him and he loads you down with rewards."

We were walking to a huge amphitheatre. As we entered through a gigantic round door, my friend said he had a wonderful surprise for me. "The guest speaker is named Joel," he said. "He was once a famous author."

"How many books did he write?" I asked.

"Just one, but it made him famous."

The hall was enormous. It was like a big shell, pink and pearlescent. The seats looked hard, but when we sat on them, they molded to our bodies, as if each one was custom made for us.

"I've never seen such a place," I told my friend.

"Wait until you see the rest of the place," he said. "Its over a thousand mile square, 1,500 actually, and just as high."

Then our speaker appeared on a stage flooded with light. He wore a white robe that sparkled like snow and was gathered with a golden sash. He wore sandals made of gold too.

After the thunderous applause had quieted and Joel begun to speak, I marveled at the sound of his voice. We could hear him as he was speaking directly in our ears, softly, yet powerfully. His address was brief but deeply touching. It was amazing how so few words could impress us so deeply.

Later, I asked my friend, "When did you learn about this wonderful writer?"

"Oh, years and years ago," he said. "I used to read him all the time, when we were on the Earth."