Part1
Chap5
Second Journey to the Beyond
Change of Scenery.
Simon was in the city, standing before the massive carriage door of an old Parisian building. He pushed the heavy door open. Under the archway, to the left, was the concierge’s lodge, and to the right, the elegant entrance to the building, leading to a beautiful stone staircase. He knew this place well. He’d come here many times during his childhood. This was where his great-grandmother Jeanne lived, along with her daughter Amandine and her son Georges with his wife, his aunt Sélène. They each had their own apartments, but all in this same building. They were all gone now.
Revisiting this place stirred deep emotions. He hadn’t been back in decades. He remembered, as a kid, loving to turn the odd little wheel that rang the doorbell at the entrance. His mother would lift him up to reach it. Aunt Sélène would open the door, and they were always greeted with such warmth in the grand Parisian apartment. She’d pull out a cardboard box full of small toys that had belonged to her daughter, who’d outgrown them. While the adults chatted in the living room, he’d sip hot chocolate, rummaging through the little dolls and toy kitchen set, hoping against hope to find a toy car or a pistol. No such luck, ever! The afternoon would pass in a relaxed, if slightly boring, atmosphere. After endless hugs, he and his mother would leave early, since the bus ride home took at least an hour and a half.
Without taking a step, Simon found himself watching a new scene. Four people were seated around a table, joined by two or three others he didn’t recognize but whose kindness he could sense. An overwhelming feeling of love radiated from them all. They looked at him gently, and he felt completely at ease, relaxed. It was his family. No words came from their mouths, or his, yet a conversation began. It flowed from mind to mind, without words, but with perfect understanding. He told them he wanted to help the young women from his previous journey. They smiled at each other. What were they doing here? It looked like they were talking, but the discussion wasn’t lively. They seemed to exchange ideas calmly, without conflict, each listening to the others. He could sense it, but couldn’t quite grasp what they were talking about. So, he tried to guess.
He realized they were all thrilled to see him again and that his quest touched them deeply. The two young women were part of their family—he was certain of it now—and their rescue mattered as much to them as it did to him. Probably more, since they must have been waiting for them for a long time, even if time didn’t exist here. They knew the women were trapped in their denial of death. They also knew they weren’t happy, stuck in thoughts that kept them tethered to Earth, in low vibrations. His arrival was seen as an opportunity. He understood he was meant to be part of their rescue.
After a moment, Jeanne, his great-grandmother, approached him, holding out a small blue paper envelope folded in four: “This should help you see things more clearly.” Everything was so calm and soothing that he wished he could stay longer. But now, his movements grew sluggish, the atmosphere denser, like it was filled with thick fluids that held him back. The telepathic communication faded gradually, then stopped entirely. The surroundings blurred, like a dream dissolving at dawn. He could still see Jeanne faintly, reached out for the paper, but couldn’t grasp it before being pulled back into his body once again.
Simon’s return to his physical body was jarring, jolting him awake with a start. He had a strange, electric taste in his mouth. Still a bit groggy, he jotted down the dream—or whatever it was—in his notebook. Was it a dream? It felt so real, so detailed, he wasn’t sure.
Feeling a bit discouraged, he decided to go see Véronique, the medium, for advice. She’d know how to help.
The street was as deserted as ever, the morning sun already warm, and skipping breakfast saved him precious time. He pushed open the door to the psychic’s office, walked down the hallway, and entered the empty waiting room. There she was.
“Good morning, Mr. L., come in, please. So, any news? How’d your little trip go?”
He was glad; she seemed genuinely interested in his story. He told her everything in detail, from the start: both journeys, his impressions, and his frustration at not reading the paper before waking.
“It must’ve had a message that would’ve helped me get the girls to realize their state and guide them to the light. They’re not where they belong, you understand?”
She looked at him with a sympathetic expression.
“I get it. But why are you so set on helping them?”
“Oh, I was moved by their distress, and I feel like they’re connected to me somehow. Like a family tie, or maybe a soul bond. It’s hard to explain. It’s a feeling, an intuition. It’s not rational.”
“And you haven’t, by any chance, taken a shine to one of them?” she asked with a little laugh.
“Well, Eugénie was pretty cute… But no, I don’t think so,” he replied, blushing.
She burst out laughing before exclaiming, “Come on! You’ve fallen for a departed soul in the Astral! That’s not gonna be easy to make work, let me tell you!”
“Please, let’s be serious,” he shot back, a bit annoyed that she’d seen right through him. “Besides, even if you were right, she seems to be in love with some Armand whoever. I’m the least of her worries. So, can you help me or not?”
“Yes! I can give you a clue.”
She opened her desk drawer and pulled out a small piece of paper he recognized instantly. It was the one Jeanne had offered him, the one he hadn’t had the strength to take!
“But how did you get that…?”
She didn’t answer, just handed him the paper.
He took it and unfolded it eagerly. In elegant, old-fashioned calligraphy, he read the words:
“Our two worlds are not so far apart.”
