Strange Saver - Apr. 4, 2015

      The pain of my head was intense but somehow right. I was being pulled up by my hair. The clinging, slimy filth was shedding from my body as I was pulled up and I had on a beautiful, luminescent white robe. The time lapse was like those action movies where everything was so slow and then moved at a speed beyond comprehension.

      I was on shore - a beautiful green pasture with magnificent trees perfectly spaced. The pasture cleanly edged the trees without bare spots and was soft to the touch. The trees would provide everything needed – warmth, shade, comfort, food – and most of those like me were lying around under the trees.

      Hey – who pulled me out? I quickly turned around and saw a giant striding quickly away. I ran after him and cried - “Sir, sir, thanks for pulling me out.” He turned and I stopped in my tracks. His smile told me everything; understanding came instantaneously. “Yes sir, I will help the others.” He strode away.

      A boy named Greg came up to me. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”  There were ones just like me all around. We all looked like nine year olds – lithe with the great coordination and boundless energy. Many were running along the filthy river with red ropes; yelling and pointing and tossing in their ropes. “Those are the helpers”, Greg said.

      “What about those guys under the trees” I asked. “Oh, you mean the rollers. They just hang around under the trees and eat and roll around every now and then. They’re holy but just not much good to anyone but themselves. Sometimes they get up and help but mostly they just talk about how filthy the river is.”

      “Hey, thanks for tossing me a rope.” “No problem,” Greg said, “we just toss in the ropes and if somebody grabs one we call the Strange Saver and he pulls them out.” “Is that what you call him?” I asked. “Yeah, he’s got lots of other names, but he seems to like that one”.

      Greg gave me a rope. “Come on, he said, it’s lots of fun – kinda like fishing.” “What if I fall in?”, I asked. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that” Greg said, “if you do you just kinda bounce over to the other side and clean off your feet. You can’t go in again. Sometimes guys will lay on the river awhile, but the smell gets to them and they get off in a hurry.”

      We walked up to the river. “Hey, there’s my buddy Jim.” I tossed in my rope.