It was coming from the other side of a stage.
"Only here, at the World's Most Curious Citizens, can you draw this
near... ."
Eddie pulled aside the curtain.
"Feast your eyes upon the most unus— "
The barker's voice vanished. And Eddie stepped back in disbelief.
There, sitting in a chair, alone on the stage, was a middle-aged man
with narrow, stooped shoulders, naked from the waist up. His belly
sagged over his belt. His hair was closely cropped. His lips were thin and
his face was long and drawn. Eddie would have long since forgotten
him, were it not for one distinctive feature.
His skin was blue.
"Hello, Edward," he said. "I have been waiting for you."The First Person Eddie Meets in Heaven
DON'T BE AFRAID... ." THE BLUE MAN said, rising slowly from his
chair. "Don't be afraid... ."
His voice was soothing, but Eddie could only stare. He had barely
known this man. Why was he seeing him now? He was like one of those
faces that pops into your dreams and the next morning you say, "You'll
never guess who I dreamed about last night."
"Your body feels like a child's, right?"
Eddie nodded.
"You were a child when you knew me, that's why. You start with the
same feelings you had."
Start what? Eddie thought.
The Blue Man lifted his chin. His skin was a grotesque shade, a
graying blueberry. His fingers were wrinkled. He walked outside. Eddie
followed. The pier was empty. The beach was empty. Was the entire
planet empty?