55 “Carlos, do you really think that somebody can disappear forever? Don’t be afraid! You can go back to sleep. Don’t worry - I will look after you.” She then placed her hands on his sore throat and caressed his sweaty face. “Go to sleep Carlos, you are tired.” He heard his mother crying loudly, but then sensed how a higher power hoisted him out of his bed. “Let’s go” he heard his aunt Eunice say very friendly. She then took him like a little baby and carried him towards the entrance door. The Moon shone and the air was wonderfully refreshing. He was now able to breathe without pain and effort. He was happy and he now thought that he was healthy again and would be taken right back. He then finally went to sleep. (Dear reader, I recounted the beginning of the letter by Carlos in a very abridged form. You might now get an impression of how this part of the described dying process could feel like.) When Carlos woke up, he didn’t know how long he had been asleep. He found himself in a beautiful room flooded with light. He thought: Is this a hospital? He no longer felt any pain and he felt a lot better. But he was weak, very weak. But where was his mother? Why didn’t she come? He suddenly felt homesick. Did he have his voice back? He called out for his mother as loud as he could. The door opened and aunt Eunice entered. She looked at him in a good mood and said: “Don’t be afraid Carlos, you are now with us.” What did she mean by that? Carlos thought about it. Aunt Eunice had been dead for a long time. But he himself, he actually felt quite normal. What was wrong with him? His aunt could read his thoughts. “Yes, Carlos, you are now with us who have already died.” When he heard this, he got goose bumps with fright. But his aunt remained quite unperturbed and with a happy voice said: “Why are you afraid? You have nothing to fear.”
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