Narrative 29
1. In the summer, I had a breathing problem because of the heat.
I wanted to visit Mattheus, childhood friend, in Austria. I had planned this trip. I didn’t want to go without first having some tests, to make sure I was healthy enough to travel and have a good trip without any problems. It was summer and very, very hot.
Since I was a child, I often had problems with my health, especially in the summer. I would have problem with my breathing when it was hot and the air circulation in the house was not good. My mother often brought me to the doctor, but mainly to keep herself informed of my health so that she could monitor me for breathing problems. I didn’t play with my friends who came to get me when it was too hot. My breathing became difficult when I was in a place with poor air circulation.
I also had a problem with fans. I couldn’t expose myself to them too much, otherwise I would get chest pains. I had to stay away from them or avoid them, to breathe properly.
My brother, who liked to stand near the fan, had trouble with my mother: it bothered my mother because she wanted me to stay healthy. When I was still young, sometimes I didn’t follow my mother’s advice about the fan, I would stand too close, catch a cold, and have difficulty breathing as if I had bronchitis.
2. I always wore clothes that covered my whole body, even in summer.
II didn’t want to expose my body, so I wore noble clothes that covered my whole body. I didn’t like wearing short-sleeved shirts or knitwear, I preferred long-sleeved shirts. My friends often asked me if I was too hot in these clothes when the temperature was high. I had my principles and even if it was hot, for me it was not a reason to expose my body.
I enjoyed the seasons, but not the summer because I always had respiratory problems. What I liked in summer were the flowers with their beautiful colours. There were also plants and shrubs with abundant green leaves that I observed from my window. I could stand at the window for a long time and admire nature, and not forgetting the birds.
I took the train to visit my friend Mattheus. It was a Thursday; it was very hot that day and I was wearing my usual noble clothes. It was an express train I took. The windows of the train were not big enough for a good air circulation, so the passengers stood outside their compartments in order to take in the air that circulated well in the train corridor. I did not like being outside my compartment when there were so many people. I preferred to stay inside and read or look out the window. The heat started to become so intense that I started to suffocate with the clothes I was wearing. It was getting hotter and hotter, but I still wanted to keep on what I was wearing.
My whole body was sweating, but I wanted to keep my jacket on. In my compartment, everyone had gone outside to breathe easier.
I was left alone, looking out of the window at nature. A lady came and asked me if I was warm, as everyone had got out of their compartment. The train did not have good ventilation; I had to open the windows to get some air. My clothes were completely soaked and I was also starting to have difficulty breathing.
3. Having fallen asleep, I found myself in one of my houses in the Beyond.
When I tried to get up to get something from my bag, I felt dizzy and decided to stay seated. After two hours of travelling, I started to feel sick, a sickness I didn’t understand, and I felt that soon I would faint. I decided to call on my Guides to tell me what to do in this situation, but they were silent; there was no answer from them. As I waited patiently for their answer, I became tired and fell asleep sitting alone, as everyone else was in the hallway or at the bar having refreshments.
I was asleep when I saw myself in a room, sitting on an armchair with green trimming. The house was well decorated with flowers and paintings of animals and birds that I liked. In front of the armchair that I was sitting on was a table, and on it was a jar with water and a glass. I was so thirsty that I got up to help myself. I felt a relief as I drank the water. The house was air-conditioned and I had no idea where the coolness came from. I was alone in this house, enjoying its beauty and feeling comfortable. After some time, a lady dressed in a white maid’s dress came in. She asked me if I needed anything. I asked her what she had to offer me. She said she had plenty of fruit. She went away and returned with a plate full of fresh fruit. She asked me if I wanted anything else; I asked her exactly where I was. She replied that I was in one of my houses where I often came to rest.
There was some kind of pen on the table. I asked the lady what the pen was for and where was the paper for writing. She answered that whatever I wanted to do or have in this house which was mine, I only had to express it in my thoughts and I would receive it on the table. I wanted a book to read in the cool of my house. I did not see a book, but only the text that appeared as if on a screen on the glass table in front of me. I moved the text with my fingers to read.
On the table there was always the plate of fruit and the jug of water. I do not know how long I stayed in my house but, at some point, I got tired and fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes, I was on the train, still alone in my compartment. People were chatting outside in the corridor. When I woke up, I felt good, whereas before I couldn’t stand the heat that was suffocating me. My clothes that had been wet with sweat from the intense heat were now dry and I felt comfortable.
After a few minutes, the driver announced that the train was entering the station where I was to get off. A few minutes later I arrived at my destination. I was happy to finally leave the train and meet my friend Mattheus who was waiting for me at the station. We set off for his house. I smiled at him and he asked me if I was warm in my clothes. I was well dressed regardless of how hot it was on that summer day.
I kept thinking about that comfortable house in the Beyond. The coolness of that house was different from the coolness of the fans in our house. It didn’t bother me much and my breathing didn’t get obstructed. I felt comfortable in my home Beyond, I had everything I wanted and I read the writings that appeared on the table as if on a television screen.
My Guide told me that I had several such houses in the Beyond. Whenever I wanted to retire, I would go to one of them to be quiet or to do certain things quietly. I learned something from this experience. As for the lady who came to serve me, she was my servant in that house in the Beyond and she knew what I wanted when I went there; however, I could not stay long.
I wondered: if I hadn’t been in my cool house, how would I have coped with all the heat that was beginning to choke me on the train. My Guide told me that I would have fainted, which would have caused a problem in treating me. The Light had intervened quickly to save me from this and from being treated by people who did not know my medical records.
Mattheus had a large house with large windows that allowed good air circulation, as well as a garden. I had a good time with him for a few days and I didn’t tell him about my experience on the train, especially not about the house I had gone to in the Beyond.
Mattheus had never married; he had no time to care for a wife or children. He travelled often for his work.