Plot:
The beginning of the story is actually the end. It starts out 1 hour before Eddie's death. Eddie was at an amusement park named Ruby Pier, where he worked. Eddie's job was to make sure that all the rides worked correctly. He looked for broken boards, loose bolts and worn-out steel. Eddie got to the last ride and he noticed that it had malfunctioned. It was called Freddy's Free Fall. It was suppose to drop two carts and then suddenly stop them before they hit the ground. One cart was barely hanging on, so Eddie sent Dominguez to get the people down. When Dominguez got up there he noticed that a key had caused a pulley to lock. The locked pulley was scraping against a cable which caused it to tear. A little girl was standing directly where the cart was about to fall. Eddie grabbed her hands and got her out of the way, but the cart fell on him and killed him. Eddie got to heaven and met the Blue Man. The Blue Man was a circus freak at Ruby Pier when Eddie was a little kid. Eddie learned that he was the cause of the Blue Man's death. He chased a baseball into the street in front of the Blue Man's car, causing him to swerve. When he swerved, his adrenaline started to rush, causing him to have a heart attack and die. He taught Eddie that all things are connected in some way.
Eddie felt his feet touch the ground. He looked around and saw lifeless things. He saw a busted wagon and rotting animal bones. He fell and brushed his head up against a rifle, which had a helmet on top of it and dog tags around the grips. Eddie realized that the dog tags had his name on them. He started thinking about before he went off to the war. He practiced shooting in the arcade at Ruby Pier. He heard a voice asking him about different sicknesses. The person talking was his former war captain. Eddie learned many things while he was in the war. For example, he learned to smoke, shave with cold water, and many more things. One night Eddie, his captain, and other soldiers were taken prisoner. Eddie came up with a plan to get them out. His plan was successful. Once they were free, they set the fort on fire as revenge. Eddie went back in to get somebody he thought he saw. They called his name repeatedly, but he wouldn't come out on his own. The captain shot him in the leg and they dragged him out to save his life. The captain kept his promise, no man left behind. Later the captain was killed by a roadside bomb. He taught Eddie, when a person loses something, they gain something else.
Eddie was standing outside in the snow in front of a diner. He looked through the windows at all of the people. He realized that all of the people were from different time periods. He was able to tell by the way they were dressed. There was a woman wearing a 1930's high collared dress and a man wearing a 1960's peace signed tattoo on his arm. When Eddie tapped on the window, nobody looked. He saw his dad through the window and called his name. His dad didn't answer. Eddie started thinking about his relationship with his dad as a kid. He didn't really have a good relationship with him. He would come home drunk and make his sons lie face down. Then he hit them repeatedly with his belt. One night after the war after Eddie was released from the hospital and he'd moved back in with his parents, his dad came home drunk. He yelled at Eddie and tried to hit him. Eddie blocked his hand and then grabbed it. Eddie's father began telling everyone that Eddie raised a hand to him. That was the final straw for Eddie. For the rest of his dads life, they didn't talk anymore. Eddie met Ruby in heaven. He learned that her husband built Ruby Pier and that he named it after her. Ruby taught Eddie about forgiveness. She told him that he should forgive his dad for all the years of abuse. She said that it was only hurting him in the end.
Eddie was standing in a brown room that had a stool and an oval mirror. He stepped in front of the mirror, but he couldn't see himself. Eddie turned around and saw a row of doors. He went through one door and he was outside in a yard that he had never seen. He was at a wedding reception. He went back through the door and ended up in the middle of another wedding. It was inside this time and the people looked Spanish. He backed through the door he entered and he was at an African wedding. He passed through another door and went to a Chinese reception. At this wedding they lit firecrackers. Then he ended up at a French wedding where the couple drank from a two handled cup. He went through one more door and ended up in an Italian Village. At this wedding, one of the bridesmaids was handing out covered almonds. Eddie recognized this woman. It was his wife, Marguerite. She said, "for the bitter and the sweet." She taught Eddie that love isn't lost with death.
White was all that Eddie saw. All he heard was his own breathing. His wife was gone and he wanted her so bad. Eddie heard a noise and then he began to wonder what it was. He looked around and he saw a bunch of bodies doing numerous things. Some were jumping, some were wading, some rolling around and some were carrying buckets. Eddie looked at a boulder and he noticed a little girl standing on it. She motioned for him to come over. He hesitated and then he went. The little girl was an Asian about 5 or 6. She told him that her name was Tala. Tala told Eddie that he burned her. This happened when he set the fort on fire when he was in the war. He found out that she was in the Phillipines in the hut that he set on fire. The fire burned her alive. Eddie began to cry. He finished crying, looked up at Tala and she asked him to wash her. When he started washing her the burns began to disappear. Tala taught Eddie that he was supposed to work at the pier and keep the children safe. That was his purpose in life.
Eddie felt his feet touch the ground. He looked around and saw lifeless things. He saw a busted wagon and rotting animal bones. He fell and brushed his head up against a rifle, which had a helmet on top of it and dog tags around the grips. Eddie realized that the dog tags had his name on them. He started thinking about before he went off to the war. He practiced shooting in the arcade at Ruby Pier. He heard a voice asking him about different sicknesses. The person talking was his former war captain. Eddie learned many things while he was in the war. For example, he learned to smoke, shave with cold water, and many more things. One night Eddie, his captain, and other soldiers were taken prisoner. Eddie came up with a plan to get them out. His plan was successful. Once they were free, they set the fort on fire as revenge. Eddie went back in to get somebody he thought he saw. They called his name repeatedly, but he wouldn't come out on his own. The captain shot him in the leg and they dragged him out to save his life. The captain kept his promise, no man left behind. Later the captain was killed by a roadside bomb. He taught Eddie, when a person loses something, they gain something else.
Eddie was standing outside in the snow in front of a diner. He looked through the windows at all of the people. He realized that all of the people were from different time periods. He was able to tell by the way they were dressed. There was a woman wearing a 1930's high collared dress and a man wearing a 1960's peace signed tattoo on his arm. When Eddie tapped on the window, nobody looked. He saw his dad through the window and called his name. His dad didn't answer. Eddie started thinking about his relationship with his dad as a kid. He didn't really have a good relationship with him. He would come home drunk and make his sons lie face down. Then he hit them repeatedly with his belt. One night after the war after Eddie was released from the hospital and he'd moved back in with his parents, his dad came home drunk. He yelled at Eddie and tried to hit him. Eddie blocked his hand and then grabbed it. Eddie's father began telling everyone that Eddie raised a hand to him. That was the final straw for Eddie. For the rest of his dads life, they didn't talk anymore. Eddie met Ruby in heaven. He learned that her husband built Ruby Pier and that he named it after her. Ruby taught Eddie about forgiveness. She told him that he should forgive his dad for all the years of abuse. She said that it was only hurting him in the end.
Eddie was standing in a brown room that had a stool and an oval mirror. He stepped in front of the mirror, but he couldn't see himself. Eddie turned around and saw a row of doors. He went through one door and he was outside in a yard that he had never seen. He was at a wedding reception. He went back through the door and ended up in the middle of another wedding. It was inside this time and the people looked Spanish. He backed through the door he entered and he was at an African wedding. He passed through another door and went to a Chinese reception. At this wedding they lit firecrackers. Then he ended up at a French wedding where the couple drank from a two handled cup. He went through one more door and ended up in an Italian Village. At this wedding, one of the bridesmaids was handing out covered almonds. Eddie recognized this woman. It was his wife, Marguerite. She said, "for the bitter and the sweet." She taught Eddie that love isn't lost with death.
White was all that Eddie saw. All he heard was his own breathing. His wife was gone and he wanted her so bad. Eddie heard a noise and then he began to wonder what it was. He looked around and he saw a bunch of bodies doing numerous things. Some were jumping, some were wading, some rolling around and some were carrying buckets. Eddie looked at a boulder and he noticed a little girl standing on it. She motioned for him to come over. He hesitated and then he went. The little girl was an Asian about 5 or 6. She told him that her name was Tala. Tala told Eddie that he burned her. This happened when he set the fort on fire when he was in the war. He found out that she was in the Phillipines in the hut that he set on fire. The fire burned her alive. Eddie began to cry. He finished crying, looked up at Tala and she asked him to wash her. When he started washing her the burns began to disappear. Tala taught Eddie that he was supposed to work at the pier and keep the children safe. That was his purpose in life.