Walking On Snow-Covered Fields in Australia

A fictional short story of angel-numbers and near-death experiences

Why am I not freezing? I’m walking on snow-covered fields in my summer pajamas, and on top of that, I’m barefoot. Yet, I don’t feel the cold. But why in the world am I wearing summer pajamas when it’s snowing outside and why aren’t I freezing?

„Hi Lina! Are you ready for your trip? You’re so freakin’ lucky that you can go to Australia and enjoy the heat, while we freeze to death here!“ Amy was smiling as she spoke, so I didn’t raise the point that she was sounding jealous. „Did you remember to pack your summer pajamas?“ she asked with her eyes fixated on my suitcase. „Of course, I did,” I replied with a big grin on my face, „in fact, I took the sexy ones.“

Of course. I’m probably wearing summer pajamas because I was supposed to be in Australia. So how did I end up here in Winter Wonderland? And where in God’s name am I? I wish I could ask someone, but there’s nobody around. It’s just me and the snow. There are no mountains, woods, or streets. So I keep walking, hoping to run into someone. Did I ever make it to Australia? Think harder, Lina! Try to remember!

Amy drove me to the airport and helped with my luggage. „Who’s gonna help you with all of this in Australia? Seriously, did you have to pack so much stuff for a two-week trip? I could have done with half of it,“ she complained while putting one of the bags down. After checking in I invited Amy to a cup of coffee, which was a welcome treat considering the blazing wind outside. „Would you look at this,“ Amy exclaimed and pointed at my boarding pass. „You have been assigned seat 42 and the gate is also 42. Do you believe in angel numbers? They say that if you keep seeing a certain number over and over again, it’s a signal from your guardian angels. If I’m not mistaken, 42 means that a big change is coming.“ „Nope, I don’t believe in that kind of stuff,“ I said and ordered two cups of coffee and two chocolate cakes. „That’s 42 Dollars, ma’am,“ said the lady behind the counter. „See! There it is again. This can’t be a coincidence,“ proclaimed Amy. „I don’t know whether it’s a coincidence or a sign from my guardian angel but it sure is a rip-off”, I said.

Oh yes. 42! Now I remember again. I was at the airport with Amy. So, I must have boarded the plane. Did the plane crash? Unlikely. I wouldn’t have put on my pajamas on the plane. Besides, I don’t see the debris of a crashed plane and no footprints. What the heck, there are no footprints at all! Not even my own. Is this a dream? It must be a dream. That’s the only explanation for why I can’t remember how I got here. I’m probably in that beautiful hotel in Australia and just having a strange dream. I did check into a hotel, didn’t I? Why can’t I remember that? What’s wrong with my memory today?

„Welcome to Starhotels! Being a preferred guest, we’re happy to offer you a free upgrade to a suite. We hope you’ll like it,“ said the good-looking guy at the reception. „Could I have your passport, please? Lina. That’s a beautiful name. Quite fitting for a beautiful woman,“ he added. „Do you flirt with all of your guests?“ I asked. „No. Only with the beautiful ones that are called Lina,“ he said and offered me a warm smile. „Here is your room key. It’s room 42 in the 4th floor.“ „42? This number sure is following me,“ I murmured to myself on the way to the elevator. It was shortly after midnight when I entered the room. I was dead tired and just wanted to rest a few minutes before putting on my pajamas. Well, I woke up two hours later drenched in sweat due to the heat. I had forgotten to turn on the AC. So I opened a suitcase and grabbed the very first pajama I could find. My sexy summer pajamas.

Ahh, of course! The good-looking guy at the reception. So I checked in and even managed to put on my pajamas. But what happened next? Am I still sleeping? I’m pretty convinced that all of this is nothing but a strange dream. Most probably a side effect of the jet lag. All right, Lina, it’s time to wake up now. OK, here we go. I’m going to pinch myself as hard as I can. That’ll wake me up. Holy smokes, that didn’t even hurt. When I wake up I’m going to bust this myth about pinching yourself while dreaming. Wait a second. This is the first time I’m aware that I’m dreaming while in a dream. Is this what they call lucid dreaming? Must be. What else could it be, right? Unless… No, that’s not possible. That wouldn’t make any sense. I couldn’t possibly be dead, could I? Is this the afterlife that I’ve heard so much about? I remember someone telling me about his near-death experience. But he was talking about a bright light and a guardian angel. All I see is snow-covered fields and no other soul around. I think I’m losing my mind. I’m sure, I’ll soon wake up and laugh about these thoughts. Holy smokes! Is that a person on the horizon? Yes! It’s a human being! “Hello! Can you hear me? Wait! Don’t go away, I’m coming as fast as I can. Hey! Turn around. I’m behind you! Hello!“ Isn’t that great, I finally find someone and he or she seems to be deaf. “Hey!!” Thank God, he’s slowing down, which means he finally heard me. “Hi there, I’m glad you stopped, I thought you didn’t hear m…” “Dad? Dad! What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you since…well since you died in that accident. It’s so great to see you again! I missed you so much! There’s tons of stuff I want to tell you. Finally, we’re united again. But that means I’m dead, right? What do you mean it’s not my time yet? Don’t walk away, please! Let me come with you. Dad! I’m so tired, I just want to rest. I don’t want to go back. I want to stay with you! Dad? Dad! Dad!!”

„This is what I call a Christmas miracle,“ said the reporter and continued „A young lady was found unconscious in her room, while the entire hotel was in flames. A raging bushfire had turned direction due to the changing wind and went towards the hotel. Even though the alarm was sounded on time so that all guests were able to escape, the receptionist, James Blue, mentioned that a young lady was missing. Despite all the odds, the firefighters were able to get her out of the burning hotel and resuscitate her. She’s now in the ICU in a nearby hospital. If it wasn’t for this young receptionist, she would probably be dead.“ The reporter turned to James and asked how he remembered that there was a lady in room 42. „It’s the strangest thing, you know. Today is my 42nd birthday and this very day also marks my 42nd day as a receptionist in this hotel. So this beautiful lady walks in at 11:42 pm to check in and is assigned to room 42. That was too strange. Everyone would have remembered that!“