The Resurrection Of the Body

Very late that night, after the brandy had run low and the fire was down to coals, the professor of Ancient Languages held his pipe in one hand.

“Very few men have come back from the dead,” he observed softly. “The fact that some have done so requires us to hold open the possibility that death is not a one-way door. We know not the mechanism by which a man may return from the dead; indeed, we do not know whether he can return simply by willing it.”

I did not know what to say. The dinner had made me sluggish, and the warmth and smoke and brandy had not helped. I had the impression this was not the first time he had spoken these words.

As though to himself, the professor continued. “What if it is the easiest thing in the world for the dead to return to life? What if the resurrection is rare not because it is difficult but because it holds no attraction? Perhaps the world beyond is so wonderful that they cannot help but forget this one. Perhaps they do not wish to come back to us.”

His eyes had settled on the portrait of Eleanore which sat above the fire. He said not another word.

gauche
10 Dec 09