(Past)
A few days after Charity was born, Josiah set out to pick some wild mushrooms and medicinal herbs, typically found in nearby fields while resisting the admission to Sarah that he really wanted to check on the mound he built atop his failed Egyptian alchemy experiment. The spontaneous decision a few nights earlier was fraught with unspoken regret. He wished he would have gone at least another acre into the deep woods to bury it on that fateful night. Instead, only one acre of open land and a rich forest canopy separated the Adam’s family from the after effects of his blunder.

As Josiah approached the familiar section of tall cedar trees that camouflaged the burial site, he was instantly struck by their size. From his recollection, they appeared to be doubled, both in width and height. And the lush branches emitted a strong hypnotic essence of cedar that permeated the surrounding air, even though there was no sign of rain to activate the natural tree oils. The colors of nature were enhanced in every direction. The ground was awash in brilliant citron moss, and the tree canopy was thick enough to obscure the path of persistent sunlight. With each step, Josiah witnessed more extreme versions of nature unfold around him. His instincts and perceptions also became enhanced as he approached the magical mound. The vision was nothing like he had imagined. The area was consumed with exquisite floral and botanical growth that originated from the top of the hill. The hill itself had grown in size and extended in every direction toward an invisible perimeter, tittering on the mountainous category.

As if an invisible magnet were pulling him closer, Josiah climbed to the top, hoping to gain perspective; as he rose, so did his spirit. His essence was absorbed into the atmosphere to create an out of body event. The experience was immeasurable by time or space and revealed an ethereal perspective of the universe that Josiah could not have anticipated or imagined. The energy field around his essence was super charged with bright pulses that reached light speed quickly before dissolving into the ether. In that timeless moment, Josiah’s visions revealed the unknown universe with wormhole perspective. He traveled to outer galaxies and through countless solar systems at light speed, dodging space-borne objects with the maneuverability of a stealth fighter. Just as quickly, his body’s gravitational pull called him to return. As if a vacuum in space sucked his essence through a soda fountain drinking straw, so Josiah was returned to his body. He fell to the ground upon landing back at the top of the magnificent tiny mountain. Exhaustion claimed every facet of his existence, and he fell into a deep peaceful subconscious state that sustained and transformed his recent airborne travels into a dreamlike state.

In that lucid frame of mind, his body floated effortlessly back to the cottage and hovered to linger near a treetop. Through his perspective, manmade obstructions dissolved to reveal complete details. Josiah remotely viewed his beloved Sarah, as she gently rocked Charity to sleep with a soothing lullaby. After his life-altering tour of the universe, he felt compelled to return to his body as he instantly knew where he belonged. It was time to return home.