The boat (a short story)

As I look across the water, I feel a deep sense of peace and tranquility. The mountains tell an old proud story. The gentle breeze whispers magical secrets. The sun glistens on the waves. Every sparkle dances in joyous harmony with the leaves in the trees. A delicious fragrance sweeps past me. A small flock of birds fly over the mountain peaks. A boat sails by. Nobody is on the boat. A warm glow surrounds it.
In the distance, I hear a choir singing a beautiful song. The glow around the boat grows brighter. It is as bright as the sun. I turn my head away from the blinding light and shut my eyes. I open my eyes and I am on the boat. A book is in my hand. It is bound in dark brown leather. I open it to the first page and there is a picture of a baby. It is a picture of me from the day I was born. I flip through the pages and see many great moments from my past. I turn to the last page and see a picture of me on a red boat holding a dark brown book. I shut the book and look toward the shore. There are people waving at me. They are calling out many things that I can't make out. I am sailing away from the shore, for the wind is northwesterly, blowing over the mountains.
I keep my eyes on the shore and the people soon fade away. Smoke rises from the shore. I wonder what the celebration is for. I wonder where I will sail to. The sun is setting and the sky is a canvas of orange, red, and violet. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I am swept by a swirling drowsiness. I drift into dreamland and find myself on the shore with all my family and friends. We are celebrating life. I see a red boat sailing off in the distance and I wave goodbye along with everyone. I don't know who is sailing away on the boat. I feel like I should be on the boat. I wake up and realize I am on the boat again. The sky is vast and I see a wonderful moon. The ocean waves rock me gently back to sleep again. As I drift off, I wonder if tomorrow will be there. I wonder if my journey will cast me into Heaven.