An Extension of Time to Die For

"Mayleeeeee?  Mayleeeee?  Hey!  Maylee?  Don't fight me Maylee because you will lose.  I will decide when it is time for you to go.  Shhh, don't fight Maylee to struggle is futile."

"Who are you and what do you want with me?"

"Maylee?  I want your very soul and I will have it soon.  Beware of the company you keep; for it will be my opportunity to snatch the breath straight from your lungs as it has been commanded of me.  Awaken from your sleep and be thankful that your time with me is not yet."

I turned to see my wife gasping in her sleep holding her throat as if she were choking.  "Maylee, wake up, you are dreaming."

"Whew!  I had that awful dream again about that pale faced man.  He kept holding onto me and would not let go."  That was the dream my wife had on the night of our honeymoon.  She said that she had been having the dream for as long as she could remember.  It was not an every night thing but more like a once a year or so type dream.  I was in my early twenties and my wife Maylee was around nineteen.  We got married four years ago out of shear love.  Her parents were all for it praising the fact that she was not pregnant because of our want for marriage.  She was pretty as ever and all I ever wanted to do was to make her happy.  She used to dream of going on a vacation to some far off exotic place.

She worked in a sewing factory and longed for something different to do, and I worked in a paper mill and didn't make much more than eight dollars an hour but we always seemed to manage.  I could not complain because we owned our own house, which her father had given to us.  He owned around 40 acres of land and we lived across the field from her parent’s house.  I always felt bad about not being able to get us our own house but in time I was sure we will.  I want to build a four-bedroom house from the ground up.  It will have an upstairs and a downstairs.  I have not told Maylee about my dream house for us because I want it to be a surprise.

Now, because I knew she always wanted to take an exotic trip somewhere I had saved up a few pennies just for the occasion, but I knew I would have to save up a lot more than I had in order for it to be enjoyable.  One night I was working late at the paper mill and on the long walk home a strange man approached me.  He had on a blue suit with a yellow polka dot tie.  His shoes were a shiny black with a slight curve at the tip.  His skin was like ivory, brownish in color and he had large features.  His smile spread from ear to ear.  He almost looked like a clown but without all of the make-up.  His hat was topped, which he tilted at me with a big wide grin and said, "How would you like to go on a vacation that will change your life?  No strings attached.  It's a place where the birds come in all different colors, and the trees are plentiful.  You’ll see rivers and streams with falls and tropical rain forests there.  The little lady can lie out in the sun and enjoy the cool breeze that blows off of the ocean waters.  I could go on about this fantasy place--but excuse me, are you interested?"

Now this was too good to be true.  I had been thinking about it all day, and all of a sudden this clown out of nowhere offers me the trip I've been pondering all day.  I suppose it was the power of thought or suggestion.  "Sure I'm interested, but where is it and how much will it cost me?"  I was so excited to hear his offer I forgot about the fact that he was a stranger, a strange stranger at that.

"My friend, walk with me.  I am sure you have been saving up for a trip just like this one that I am describing and believe me all that you have planned to spend is all you will need.  Money for food, hotel stays souvenirs, etc.  It is located just outside of the mountain range where Washington and Canada meet each other.  Not many people know it is there, so you won’t be troubled by a lot of people if that is your wish.  I call it Shamballah, the city of peace."  I was excited until he said Washington.  Washington was a long