Excerpts

The Book | Order | Reviews | Excerpts

Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 1 - Book 2

CHAPTER NINE

Gods and Guns, Goddesses and Cobras

I was encircled by a swirling mass of darkness. Very aware that I was alone, I walked down a long, narrow corridor feeling like I was entering the bowels of the earth. There was no light, no sound, no sense of time, only the feeling of fear riding the waves of my breath. The ground opened up beneath me and I fell, spiraling downward into an open abyss.

Falling and falling for an eternity, I approached the orange glow at the bottom of the inky blackness at an alarming rate. Its molten lava, churning and swirling, eagerly waited to consume me. As I plunged into its fiery grasp, it exploded with tremendous force. My body disintegrated into vapor, and the only thing that remained was emptiness and void.

The darkness retreated to reveal that I was standing in front of a huge black cobra. As the serpent pulled itself gracefully to its full height, its enormous size terrified me. Towering well over my head, it was only six feet away.

I shut my eyes and began mentally whispering my mantra, “Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah Shivaya.” Over and over I repeated it as quickly as my mind would let me pass over the words, hoping they would protect me.

Opening my eyes, I saw that the deadly snake had moved closer. “Why won’t it go away?” I thought to myself, panicking. As I snapped my lids shut, the mantra repeated itself without my conscious effort, “Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah Shivaya.” I wanted to run from the spot screaming, but I was frozen in the concrete of my fears.

With great trepidation, I opened my eyes again. This time the black serpent was at my feet and starting to coil itself around my ankles. Shaking with terror, I squeezed my eyes, my mind now repeating hysterically, “Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah Shivaya” within my brain. The dread was so overwhelming, my breath lodged in my lungs, my brain completely shut down, and I was no longer in control of anything inside myself or in my surroundings.

Suddenly, I felt the smooth scales spiral upward over my body as the snake worked its way toward my head. Just as I became completely engulfed in its massive grasp, it spread its giant hood above me. Experiencing the rippling of its muscles while simultaneously watching from a distance, I saw it open its mouth wide and swallow me whole, plunging me into absolute darkness and death.

Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 1 - Book 2