As the final match progressed, my three opponents pushed me to my limits, challenging me both physically and mentally, a battle of wills competing for glory.
On top of that, I could feel the weight of expectations from the media and sponsors and the crowd. It all converged and fell heavily on my shoulders as I was the reigning champion. But I was determined not to let it overwhelm me. I knew that I had earned my place in the final round of this championship, and I was going to win.
I caught a colossal wave, large enough to fit a two-story house inside it. I dropped down into perfect trim position. The wave surged over me, enveloping my entire stallion muscular Caucasian torso within the rushing hollow tube. The crashing white water attacked my ears with a deafening sound. My surfboard raced across the face of the wave, like a discharged bullet propelled from a rifle. Deep inside the barrel, I saw a swirling mass of water began churning and revolving around the rotating wave action, like a gigantic beach ball building into a colossal energy vortex. The immense power of the vortex reached its zenith and exploded out of the mouth of the wave. In an exhilarating display, I shot out of its jaws in a dazzling misty spray as if I was coming out of a portal from another dimension.
Enormous waves measuring 18-20 feet high rolled through, crashing on the shore with incredible force, forming flawless hollow cylindrical tubes. Slight off-shore wind. A blue, cloudless, sunny sky. Perfect conditions for a famous event that had grown to become a major surfing competition at the Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu. I drew upon my experience as last year's world champion, using it as fuel to drive me forward. For every wave I finished, for every point I scored, it felt like a triumph, a testament to my hard work and dedication. All I needed was one more high scoring wave to clinch the finals and regain my title.
I seized a huge monster at 20 feet high. I knew this was the wave of the day and my surefire ticket to win the championship and retain my title. I dropped straight down its steep face and executed a deep left bottom turn that put me in excellent trim position. As I raced across the wave, a slight off-shore wind hollowed out the wave as it rolled over my tropical tanned torso. The massive watery energy vortex exploded with the raging force of a hurricane and blew me off my surfboard.
I hit the wave unceremoniously, catching its churning power. It lifted me up and threw me over the falls along with the crashing wave, blasting me underwater, and smashing my head against the sharp shallow coral reef. Blood gushed from my head as I struggled to reach the surface. My life jacket inflated, but I was losing strength and felt myself losing consciousness.
Then I heard a voice, “Let go. Relax.” I stopped struggling against the churning current and went spread eagle with my arms and legs outstretched in the surf. Suddenly, I shot out of my body through the top of my head, and was incredibly surprised yet delighted to discover that I was still alive. From a distance about ten feet above the ocean, I calmly observed my body floating on the water’s surface, face up, and lifeguards busy rescuing it with jet skis.
Time appeared to freeze and come to a halt as I witnessed two luminous figures approaching me, gracefully gliding on waves of radiance. A surge of astonishment consumed me as I recognized one of the beings as my mother, who had tragically passed away in a car accident when I was fifteen. A warm smile adorned her face, and I could sense her love enveloping me, as if to reassure me that she was alive and thriving. With a gentle gesture, she raises the palm of her hand, directing me towards the other radiant entity escorting her.
His face, full of youth, illuminated with a soft smile. I couldn't identify this celestial being, but I sensed the affectionate embrace of his love enveloping me. As our gazes met, it was as if the being’s eyes held the brilliance of countless stars in the vast universe. And, I glimpsed the image of my father. It suddenly became clear to me that this radiant presence was none other than my father’s father, my beloved grandfather, that died prior to my birth.
Then, a pair of towering celestial beings positioned themselves on either side of me, adorned with enormous iridescent wings that radiated a brilliance surpassing that of ten thousand suns. They presented me with holographic images depicting every significant event of my existence, culminating in my profound accident at Pipeline. These visuals conveyed a revelation that these experiences held profound significance and purpose, unbeknownst to me in physical life.
Then, perhaps the greatest blessing bestowed upon me during this extraordinary journey was the incredible merging with a benevolent limitless infinite circle of radiant light that consumed me. I experienced a bliss I had never known before in my earthly life. Within this bliss, I felt totally accepted, eternally loved, forever at home. It felt incredibly familiar, like I had been away for a long time and now this was my reunion. I didn’t want to leave. And the familiar voice that urged me to “Let go. Relax” continued its laughing hilariously.
As the illumination faded gently away like the ending of a motion picture, I felt myself return to my physical body. My eyes fluttered and blinked, adjusting to the brightness of the room. Emerging into conscious awareness, yet feeling a bit disoriented, I began to recognize the presence around my hospital bed of my father, my girlfriend, and a medical doctor.
And still, in that serene mystical place within, I continued to faintly hear the familiar voice that echoed with a triumphant laughter, brimming with boundless joy, that never stopped laughing.
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