NOELLE'S ARK

Audrey Levy
Pacific Style, September 2008
Genre: Motivation / Self Help

Jimmy Splendor was an atheist. When he woke up in Heaven, he didn't believe he was dead, and he certainly didn't believe he was in Heaven. Greeted by his father, whom he hated on Earth, Jimmy took off running for seven years Earth time (only a few minutes in Heaven). He finally met an angel named Oleo, who encouraged him to help his former wife, Noelle, who was still having severe nightmares years after Jimmy's passing. Jimmy and Oleo visit Noelle in her dreams, and stimulate her to write a book about her life in order to purge her emotional baggage. Through the innovative method of written conversations with the angels of her loved ones, including her parents, this compelling work is deeply felt and personal. It is also particularly inspirational, in that it describes how one can use the process of writing as a means of examining and dealing with the most painful episodes of one's life.

Excerpt From NOELLE'S ARK

Chapter 1

In the murkiness of dirty water, a drowning man’s subconscious mind flooded out its contents in a few seconds. He relived all the events of his life almost simultaneously, and then James Splendor, only 56 years old, just under six feet tall, with sandy hair and hazel eyes came to in the afterlife. He was confronted by a man’s bloated body, face down in the dirty water.

A soft voice said to Jimmy, “You’re dead, son.”

Jimmy said, “I always knew I was living hard and would die young. It was me and Jimmy Dean, man. Me and Elvis. Me and Bogart. Bogey said the rest of the world was three drinks behind. I couldn’t have agreed with him more.”

A white light began to glow next to Jimmy. It became larger in its brilliance and took on the shape of a man – Jimmy’s father. Jimmy recoiled. “You’re dead!”

“Yes, son, and so are you.”

“But I hate you! We can’t be dead in the same place!”

“There’s only one place to be dead, son. Welcome home!”

“No. I don’t believe you! This is a bad dream. A nightmare. I’m not really dead. I’ll just wake myself up.”

Jimmy stomped around, shook his head, waved his arms frantically, and yelled, “Wake up, Splendor, wake up!”

His father stared at him sympathetically. “It’s not a dream, son. You drank yourself to death, just like I did, and you left that pretty little princess all alone.”

“Noelle! She’ll wake me up. I just need to yell loud enough. Noelle, help me. Hear me. Hellllllppppppppp meeeee! You have to wake me up!!”

“She can’t hear you, son.”

“I don’t believe you. I’ll make her hear me. I can’t be dead. There is no afterlife and there is no God!”

Jimmy took off running as fast as he could, because he thought his life depended on it, and he ran, and he ran, and he ran for seven long Earth years before he stopped to ask for help from an angel named Oleo.

* * *

As Jimmy ran he found himself in a forest as a handsome, unblemished young man. No longer part of the bloated, drowned body in the muddy water, he was surrounded by the unbelievable sight of giant pine trees located in a valley between purple majestic mountains.

Jimmy breathed deeply, taking in the powerful scent. He reached out to touch the incredibly detailed bark of one of the trees.

As Jimmy studied it, the bark moved ever so slightly. In awe, Jimmy whispered, “I can see the tree breathing.” His eyes opened wide in wonderment, as he took in his surroundings. Where the hell am I, he thought.

From the safety of the towering pine trees, Jimmy watched as a stunningly groomed bald eagle soared through a striking blue sky, the white head blending with puffy white clouds. The eagle effortlessly scaled the mountains, and landed on one of the tall trees.

Jimmy realized the eagle had spied him, and was now staring at him. Jimmy stood perfectly still so as not to scare the bird away, and see what it would do. To Jimmy’s surprise, the bird whooshed into the clearing, instantly transforming into an eight foot growling, swiping bear.

Scared out of his wits, Jimmy prepared to bound off in the opposite direction to make his break for freedom, when the bear lowered her front paws to the ground, studying Jimmy, and suddenly transformed into a beautiful young woman with long auburn hair, sparkling brown eyes, and a delicious mouth.

The woman wore a flowing white dress and was barefoot. She tilted her head to one side, thinking, and abruptly a pair of sandals appeared in her right hand. She laughed out loud as she slipped on her shoes.

“Hi there. I’m Oleo.”

Jimmy was dumbfounded, and burst out laughing, “Well, I’d rather deal with a good looking woman than mess with that bear! How’d you do that… Oleo, is it?”

Oleo smiled. “Yup, I’m Oleo, as in oleomargarine, an angel who likes to slip in and out of all kinds of things.”

Jimmy laughed. “Ah, an angel! Where are your wings, Oleo?”

Oleo glanced over her shoulder. “I found them a bit cumbersome, so I ditched them a few lifetimes ago.”

Jimmy did a double take. “A few lifetimes ago!

Oleo was nonplussed. “Everything is possible here, James.”

“How do you know my name? What’s going on?”

“James, listen to me. My name is Oleo. I really am an angel. You are what humans call ‘dead,’ and you’re in the afterlife. In reality, you’ve simply left your human body just like a butterfly leaves its cocoon. We are spirits having a human experience, not humans having a spiritual experience.”

Jimmy shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”

Oleo put her arms on his shoulders. “James, you’ve been running for seven years Earth time. It’s time for you to stop.”

Jimmy’s eyes indicated his fear. “Seven years? That can’t be! It didn’t feel anywhere near that long!”

Oleo laughed. “That’s God’s time for you. Some say one second for God is one thousand years for us, so if he says, ‘Be back in a minute,’ don’t hold your breath!” Jimmy tried to clear his head by rubbing his forehead. “The last thing I remember is standing on the dock next to my sailboat and fishing. Suddenly, I felt like an elephant sat on my chest. I started pounding on my heart, when I lost my balance and fell into the water. I wondered if I was dying… Is this heaven or hell?”

Oleo put a gentle hand on Jimmy’s cheek. “You make your own heaven, dear. All your choices lie within your mind.”

Jimmy furrowed his brow, and cautiously backed away. “Ah, of course. . . why didn’t I think of that? Of course, I’d choose to have my father, the man I hate more than anyone on the planet, greet me at the pearly gates!”

Oleo laughed. “Hate is a strong word, James. You shouldn’t use it against your father, whatever he is, whatever he’s done. Come. He’s been waiting for you to slow down.”

Oleo headed off through the forest. With no place else to go, Jimmy followed her.

Audrey Levy Bio

Audrey Levy, M.A., is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She is the author of a dozen screenplays, two of which advanced to the finals in Steven Spielberg's Chesterfield Competition, and one of which advanced to the finals in Robert Redford's Sundance Competition. Audrey has also been published in the Los Angeles Times and New West Magazine. She lives in Marina Del Rey, CA on a houseboat with Kelly, a very happy dog, who smiles.

View our OnceWritten.com Audrey Levy Profile now.

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Noelle's Ark, Audrey Levy
Pacific Style, September 2008

The preceding excerpt was taken from the book Noelle's Ark with complete approval by the author Audrey Levy and/or the publisher Pacific Style. This information may not be re-used or redistributed in any manner.

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