Robert Britt

            Author, Columnist

     I then walked down a path to the open field that is west of our house. (This is all mental journey, just so there is no confusion there.) I then entered into an elevator and went down to some floor and got off the elevator into another life of mine. maybe. I am still doubtful of this all, but not to the point that I am fighting memories.

      I got off into a darkness, and felt that I was on a rocking platform. This turned out to be a sailing ship, I would say of the 1700's maybe. multiple masts, and a merchant ship. I was standing lone watch at night by myself, but was unaware of what I looked like or what I was wearing. It seemed like nothing was happening, but maybe that was because a life like that was pretty repetitive. She moved me back to earlier in my life looking for a family scene, and I was at a small cottage seeing my parents. They were white and somwhat overweight. Father with curly light colored hair and mother wearing a white hat sort of like what a maid might wear. I was leaving to hire on at the ship. They weren't sad to see me go. I had the feeling there were a lot of kids and I would be one less mouth to feed.

     We fast forwarded to the end of my life. I was leaving the ship and 'retiring' to a room at an inn. I saw my gnarled hands looking beat up like after a life of hard labor and then I died of old age in my room, alone. I then got back on the elevator and returned to the present.

      Bonnie asked what lessons I might have learned from that life, and I thought that the loneliness of that made me appreciate family more. I still feel like maybe I was making up a story. The most real things were the rocking of the ship deck, seeing my parents and seeing my old hands. (my hands looked nothing like my current hands.)

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