The first three months, in the hospital, I lived in another reality. Though it existed only in my mind, it never the less contained all the elements of real life. I sought and found explanations, solved problems, and even took time for recreation. All in my head. All of this was so real, that today, more than 20 years later, I can still see it clearly, and what was happenning to my body is only a foggy dream-like memory. For those three months my dreams became reality, and my reality became dreams.

          In this "Dream Reality" there was no real sense of time, but there were two "Worlds". I call the first my Decline, and the second my Renewal, and the environment, charactors, and events in each were very different. I will tell more about all of this in future stories. There was a dividing line. An event which separated the two Worlds, and turned Decline into Renewal.

          It was time to Die! Matter-of-factly, without any fear, it was time to Die. No one announced it, I just knew it. I walked into the woods, which was more like a park. It had large trees, and a mowed lawn. There were many others there ( No one that I knew ), and we were all to lie down and die. I lay down, and closed my eyes. The next thing I knew, I woke up, and was alone. I remember realizing, without any special emotion, that they had died, and I had lived. I believe at that moment I began my recovery. My body had reached the Edge, turned around, and began it's Renewal.

          I believe this "World" was a result of my mind creating a place for me to function in while my body was recovering. How much resulted from my mind attempting to deal with the trauma, and how much was influenced by the medications I was receiving, I can't determin. The tales have some things in common with others who have had near death experiences, yet others are inique to my own life's experience.

          Throughout the first world, the Decline, there was an ever present figure. It was an amorphous figure, that had no identity, no features, vaguely resembling what we generally think of as a 'Ghost'. Always off on the side, and never getting involved, it issued a calming influence. Whatever was happening around me, he (It had no gender, but 'felt' like a male.) was standing somewhere off to the side.

          Up to that time I had never done any reading of near death stories, but have since found out that this is a common experience. I suppose there can be limitless interpretations of this presence, but I have none......The figure was just there.