Prologue
It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. Ecclesiastes 6:4
It should have been dark when my life ended, but it wasn't. It ended in a flash of blinding light, and then the darkness. I didn't know how it happened until later, not until I had walked through the valley of the shadow of Death and feared no evil.
I was dead for approximately 22 minutes. I cannot say what it is like beyond the veil of light; only that you have to discover it for yourself. I won't spoil the surprise for you. Oh no, don't look at me like that; I'm doing you a favor.
You do not know who I am, but I consider that fair as I don't know who you are, whoever is reading this. I only write to tell you what happened to me, and how I came to be dead and then alive again, and to share with you the fates of my comrades, the collapse of an empire built on lies and deception and the warning that I must tell the world, must tell you. You hold the key to saving life itself. They way to do this is to read this, understand it, and, above all, don't make the same mistakes we did.
Listen now, as we tell you a story…
