She took a large swallow, then a second one—and sighed. "Jim, that was an experience I find difficult to describe. There were three of us and we joined Father Marablis—or Father Slakey—I'm beginning to be unsure of a lot of things. There were no machines that I could see. He talked to us for a bit then touched his hand to my forehead. Something happened. I can't tell you what. I didn't black out or anything like that. I can only repeat what Viviia VonBrun said—it was indescribable. But I can clearly remember what happened next. We were walking through a field of very short grass, following Marablis. He stopped and pointed upwards and at the same moment I heard the sound of chimes, most distinctly. He was pointing to a white cloud that drifted towards us. The chimes, the music, was coming from the cloud and when I heard it I felt, well, an elation of some kind. Some sort of spiritual upwelling. Then—and don't laugh—I swear I saw a little flying creature behind the cloud. Just a glimpse."

"A bird?"

"No… a tiny pink baby with little wings on its shoulders. Then it was gone and it was over."

"Just like that?"

"I—I just don't know. I remember that Marablis touched my arm, turning me, and! was back in that room in the church again along with the other women. I felt, well just sad, as though I had lost something very previous."

There was little I could say. She had a distant look in her eyes, looking at something I could not see. A tear ran down her cheek and she sniffed, wiped at it and smiled. "Sorry. I'm not being much help. I know it has to be a con of some kind. I don't believe in day trips to Heaven. But something did happen to me. My emotions, they are real."

"I believe you. But there are, well, drugs that can affect the emotions directly."

"I know that. But still She stood and smoothed down her dress, touched a finger to the brooch. "Instead of listening to me blathering on let's take a look at this recording."