Coming Forth by Light

Venita and Edward were a middle-aged couple in love who encountered pure evil in the form of a depraved canine and a house haunted by dark spirits. The house ultimately consumed their bond and threatened Venita's health and peace of mind. As they continued to fight the demons and despondency that permeated the dwelling, they were blindsided in 2014 — just 28 days after being married — by the tragic death of Venita's adult son Peter Isiah in a car crash. But his devastating passing would lead to a Shared Death Experience (SDE) in which Venita was able to communicate with Peter in the afterlife and, following a prolonged period of grief, find her way to a healed heart.


An excerpt from the story:


About a half hour after finally falling into slumber, I dreamt that I saw Peter dressed up in the kind of white gown you would wear in a hospital. The room was like a nice-sized box, and it was white as well. As I was looking straight at him, he was facing looking up at something, but I couldn't see who or what it was. But he was talking to it, or them.
"I'm dead? I'm dead? I'm dead?" He was saying this over and over, repeating it slowly, as if questioning it. Lifting both hands up in the air, he finally said in a very calm voice, “Okay, I accept that I'm dead.”
Then poof, he was gone. And that was the end of what I thought was a dream.
I woke up, greatly unsettled, turned to see the time, snuggled closer to my husband, and went back to sleep.
That morning, we awoke looking for Peter, but he never showed up at the house. Edward said that he heard Peter in the bedroom opening and shutting the dresser drawers in his room when he went to use the bathroom early in the morning, before 4:00. He was certain Peter was in his bedroom.
We got dressed and asked my mother if Peter had ever made it home, but she said no. So, we went to the IHOP as planned. Sometimes people make other plans, and that was okay by us.
We took two cars, because I was meeting with my girlfriend Tammy, to get our hair done afterward. I couldn't wait to see her so we could share about the wedding. I hadn't had time to talk to any of the bridesmaids since the big day. Too much was going on over at Cain Street.
Shortly after we were seated to order breakfast, I got a frantic call from my mom.
"Come home now,” she ordered, her voice heavy and cracking.
"Can it wait until we finish eating?” I asked.
"No,” she moaned, “come home now!”
"But why?”
"Just come home!” she groaned.
I could hear in her voice that something was terribly wrong. I bolted from the restaurant without even waiting for Edward to pay the check.