floating and snakes in hole

I was in a lecture that was presented by a space scientist. He was visiting from the most progressive and prestigious space centre in the world, most likely NASA. I sat in the banked seating with B, but, while she was extremely attentive and interested, I fell asleep. I woke toward the end of the lecture, somewhat embarrassed that I had been sleeping, just at the point where the lecturer was asking for volunteers to try out the new 'floating' technology. B raised her hand, along with several other people, and we left our seats and walked down into a laboratory of sorts. There, the lecturer equipped each of the volunteers with a foam covered bar, which they were to hold in front of them in a horizontal position, like gripping a steering wheel rod. The volunteers were then asked to focus their thoughts on floating, 'believe' that they could float, and then sound the word 'hep' every so often, which seemed to boost them up. They each made various progress. Some volunteers slowly lifted a few feet in the air, others barely made it off the ground. I realised that I already knew how to do this, without the bar, and, through a kind of faith and lightness, lifted myself off the ground and floated up toward the ceiling. The lecturer was both impressed and angry, feeling outdone by my performance. I floated and flew around the room. The lecturer wanted to see if I could control the flight, so he yelled out 'Stop!'. I came to a gradual halt, unable to stop on cue, but able to slowly ease to a hovering position and then wheel around. I realised that this was something I could do naturally, but that, with practice, I would be able to master and control.
Later, I had uncovered a hole in the ground and was pulling out some items that I needed. The lecturer appeared and, alarmed, told me to stop, to wait. He said that there may be snakes inside and that, after uncovering such a hole, I should allow time for the snakes to emerge before prodding about, removing my things. If I was too hasty, the snakes may become angered and attack. Sure enough, as we waited, a black snake came out of the hole, as though it had been awoken from a long sleep. It noticed us but, as though it yearned to be outside, it slithered past us, out into the open. I thought that may be all, but a second snake, this one a huge brown, came into view. It initially slid out of the hole and past the lecturer who was waiting with me, but then turned and glided to where I stood. I did not know if it was going to strike or not, so, without waiting, I snatched at it, grabbing the snake around its throat. It was a precarious hold and I could not tell if I had managed to grip it just under its head where I knew it would be safe, so I threw it as far as I could away. It immediately came back, rearing up at me. I grabbed it a second time, this time definitely under its head, but I could feel a second mouth opening in the snake's neck, lined with sharp teeth. The lecturer yelled at me to throw the snake away, and so, again, I threw the snake as far away as I could. It did not come back. We both peered into the hole. I was very tentative now, but knew that I needed to extract what was mine.

heaven

I was with two old friends and we had been looking for something for a long time. We had searched the flat plains of the landscape, and now we were climbing a seemingly immeasurable ladder, stretching up into the sky. The ladder was of an unusual structure in that it had three sides, much like the legs of a stool, so that the three of us could climb the ladder, roughly on the same height rung, at the same time. We had been climbing for such a long time - I cannot say how long ... days, weeks, even years. We were determinedly climbing, working as hard as we could, trying to reach the top. At the top, we imagined heaven. A wonderful place. Suddenly, one of us - I cannot recall who - stopped and asked just when we were going to reach the top. Hadn't we been climbing and searching forever? The knowledge came to us - perhaps one, perhaps all - that all we needed to do was to let go of the ladder. To be, not do. To have faith. We could see an endless drop below and the top seemed not so far away, and, yet, we let go. Immediately we rose quickly through the air - effortlessly. We reached the top without struggle and we climbed through the hole into the space beyond. We seemed to be in a vast office block of some sort. Old walls, filing cabinets and heavy metal doors. I ventured into a room where two people were working, dusting the furniture, their faces lined and mapped by their lives. Where is it, I asked them. Where is heaven? We thought it was here. Heaven is all around you, they answered, and at that moment, I saw the view from the window. A magnificent blue sky day. Sweeping green fields surrounded by voluptuous, undulating darker green hills. A body of water - perhaps a river, perhaps a sea - bright blue and shining. An orange tree bearing giant oranges bent over the water, its fruit ripe and ready to be eaten. Flowers blooming in pockets of the surrounds and animals playing. Some people were already out there and we went outside to join them and to explore. Upon stepping outside, the beauty of the landscape was magnified. The air buzzed with life, the gentle warmth of the summer sun kissed my skin, and the scents of earth, water, flowers and animals filled my nostrils. I wanted to go to the orange tree, so I headed out to the water. I stepped into the water, washing off the past, immersing myself in the wonderful cool. I looked around and could see the tree further down, around the bend. I climbed out of the water and walked along the damp sand. Thousands of ants crawled along one part of the sand and into the water making hundreds of tiny tracks. A fleeting thought crossed my mind: were there imperfections in heaven? But I brushed it away, walked carefully around the ants, and found the orange tree. There it was, an ancient tree, its trunk and limbs gnarled, reaching over the water. Huge, bright orange oranges hung heavy on the tree above the clear blue shallows of the water. I imagined how juicy, how delectable the fruit would be. I wanted to stay here forever. A big, happy dog bounded over, splashing in the water, tongue hanging out and hair flying, rushing to greet me.