I hated driving down winding country lanes in winter; the potholed road has coated in ice so I was driving slowly, the driver behind would just have to wait. His rapid horn-punching and silent cursing would have to continue without resolution. Why do people have to be so impatient?

The volume of the impatient driver's horn grew louder and suddenly he was overtaking me. I slowed down a little and punched the horn. The other driver, now in front of me, looked around as if to laugh. In that split second my wheels slipped on the ice and I lost control of the vehicle. Panic struck like a whip and all I could do was scream.

The claustrophobic hands of fear grabbed my body and flung me through the windscreen, shards of glass punctured my clothing splitting my skin. With a muted thud I landed, numb with the cold and paralysed.

Soaked through to the skin, I couldn't move. Laying on a bank painted with snow; all I could see was cold black night acned with stars. The unrelenting walls of darkness pushed against me, squeezing the breath from my lungs until I knew death was upon me.

Night entered my body through any orifice it could find, choking me from the inside until every cell was starved of oxygen. Then it was over. I could feel my body's presence but it had no feeling. Each nerve ending had been severed, my heart had ceased beating its once reliable rhythm and my blood lay still in my veins. The cold snow had ceased gnawing at my flesh, and the endless dark had crept away.

Bright white light pierced my out-of-body eyes, filling me with warmth and telling me not fear the light lulling me into an endless sleep. I drifted through comfort and shame, horror and pain, dreaming of rage and ruin, love and devotion. Images of my life flashed through my dreams. All the beautiful things I had experienced danced; twisting and twirling into one long ribbon of memory. All the tears I had ever cried spilled out of my eyes and saturated me in their salty sadness.

Choking on sleep I woke to find myself drifting through a dense violet atmosphere. I could feel my body once again, heavy and filled with a dull ache throbbing through my veins. I could see nothing but infinite violet, neither close nor far.

I must have drifted that way for hours, but time was stagnant and didn't seem to matter. Nothing appeared to change or move in this place, nothing other than dense violet seemed to exist. What was I doing here? Had I died and entered an unimagined afterlife of infinite nothingness, some twisted purgatory? I wondered if I could move but found that I had no control over my corporeal form; my body wasn't a body. What is this place?

Questions rattled through my mind, unanswerable questions. Searching through my knowledge I couldn't find any explanations for this tragic location. I suddenly became aware of the dense violet beginning to fade and I found solid ground beneath me. My earthly body was back and I was in control. I felt less lethargic but open to the serpentine talons of panic and fear.

Standing, I felt chaos rush me. An ethereal screaming echoed in the distance, growing closer and closer. The screams circled in the once violet air, moving in on me. I felt like a hunted animal, alone and paralysed by fear. Something was coming for me.

I must have fainted from fright as when my eyelids pealed open I was laying on a solid surface. Nothingness had turned into twinkling blackness tinged with swirling greens and blues. Before me stood a creature  Swathed in a light similar to the bright white light that had filled me earlier. I couldn't tell whether this creature of grace was male or female, human or something otherworldly, something supernatural. It's face was hidden by a veil of mist but I could see that it's skin was as pure white, silken and smooth. It was thin but not scrawny. It's bare feet were so delicate they looked ornamental, and it's fingers were dressed in beautiful rings made of gems and metals I had never imagined to exist.

I didn't know what to do and was grateful when the figure standing before me moved closer and reached out an elegant arm. I touched it's hand and felt warmth and wonder seep into my pores and tint my skin with a golden glow. The sadness I was feeling was replaced with enchantment. I stood, staring in amazement at this glorious creature, my mouth gaping in awe. How did I come to be here?

In the next moment; the human-shaped creature parted it's lips and let out an unholy wail; chilling me to the bone, shaking my soul to life. I was shocked that I was not afraid, the raw-throat scream rattled my being but I remained calm and unafraid. This creature was too beautiful to be frightening. It pulled me through the atmosphere at such a speed that I thought my eyes would explode from the intense pressure.

We passed what looked like galaxies, and thousands of bright, burning stars. The greens and blues changed into golds and silvers, twinkling against the endless darkness. The scream stopped and gave way to comforting silence. The creature let go of my hand. My heart was pumping so fast and adrenaline pulsed through my veins. I looked ahead and saw a shimmering lake. Pure white water lilies floated on the rich blue water; tall trees stood proud and strong at the waters edge, bending to touch the shimmering liquid. Huge glowing dragonflies buzzed around in the damp, humid air. The continuous buzz of their wings only added to the opaque atmosphere which dripped like honey from every atom.

Grateful tears dribbled down my cheeks. I felt blessed. Why should I have the privilege of beholding this place?