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I looked around and had to et used to all this," I said "It’s awfully hard to believe though"

"I can’t describe how long it took me to accept it," Albert told me "Mostly, I couldn’t understand hoas possible for me to be admitted to a place I’d always been positive didn’t exist"

"You didn’t believe in it either," I said It made me feel better to hear that

"Very few people do," he replied "They ive lip service to the notion They may even want to believe it But they rarely do"

I stopped and leaned over to re therass felt warm and soft beneath my feet

"You don’t have to carry them," Albert said

"I wouldn’t want to litter a place as beautiful as this"

He laughed "You won’t," he said "They’ll vanish presently" "Into the ht"

I stopped to put down the shoes and socks, then strolled on with Albert; Katie was beside us now, lance and smiled "It takes a while," he said

Mo, looked across the countryside The closest sight I can coland -- in the early sureen meadows, thick woods, colorful patches of flowers and sparkling brooks--all domed by a deep blue sky with snowy clouds No place on earth could co there, I drew in deep breaths of the air I felt completely sound, Robert Not only were the pains fro in my neck and lower back; you know the probleood," I said

"You’ve accepted where you are then," Albert told me

I didn’t understand that and asked what he meant

"Many people arrive with the physical convictions they possessed at death," he said "They believe they’re sick and continue to be so until they realize they’re in a place where sickness can’t exist on its own Only then are they whole Theof which," I told him, "I seem to be able to think better too"

"Because you’re not encu around, I’d caught sight of an orchard of what looked like plum trees I decided that they couldn’t be but they aroused a question in my mind "You said it isn’t necessary, here, to eat," I said "Does that et our nourishment directly froht, the air, the colors, the plants" "We have no stoans"

"No need for the froinally iy directly"

"What about reproductive organs?"

"You still have them because you expect to have them In time, when you understand their lack of purpose, they’ll disappear"

"That’s weird," I said

He shook his head, a sad smile on his lips "Consider those whose lives depended on those organs," he said "Who, even after death, retain the need and use of them because they can’t conceive of existence without them They’re never satisfied, of course, never fulfilled; it’s only an illusion But they can’t break free of it and it iress endlessly That’s weird, Chris"

"I can understand that," I conceded "Still, part of my relationship with Ann was physical"

"And there are people here, who love each other, who have sexual relations," he said, startling , always remember that In time, of course, these people usually realize that physical contact isn’t as integral here as it was in life

"For that matter," he continued, "we don’t have to use our bodies at all; we only possess them because they’re familiar to us If we chose, we could perforer," I said "No thirst No fatigue No pain" I made a sound of bemusement "No problems," I concluded

"I wouldn’t say that," Albert told me "Except for the lack of need for what you’ve --everything is still the saed You still have to solve the to believe that, after all the hardships she’d suffered in life, there’d be no respite for her here That seemed unjust

"There’s help, here, as well, reood deal more perceptive too"

"I just wish I could let her know all this," I told hiet rid of this sense of apprehension about her"

"You’re still picking up her distress," he replied "You should let go"

"Then I’d lose contact completely," I said

"It isn’t contact," he told me "Ann isn’t aware of it-- and it only holds you back You’re here now, Chris Your problems lie herein"