novel excerpt

He sensed a presence, the Presence, a great spirit, an almost tangible presence cover him like a cloak. It warmed his spirit. His heart burned within him. He felt lighter than air, then, as sometimes happens in dreams, Maurice saw himself gliding in the air. He knew. He felt. The knowing was larger than his mind could handle and yet he felt at ease. Largeness. Power. He caught a momentary glimpse of a mountain lake surrounded by spires of black granite. Wreaths of smoke, or fog, seemed to dance around the stones and a strange light flashed back and forth over the water. Was it lightning? The vision passed and he jerked awake. The vision haunted him. It left him thirsty for more. He felt a deep melancholy, a longing, a certain nostalgia for something more...a unknown thing that lived in a higher reality calling to him. A tear. He felt his cheeks moisten. The Presence still lingered as an exotic perfume, then dissipated. He felt it before during his younger days-always between sleeping and waking. He fell into a trance. In the darkness before dawn, a dread and dark heaviness covered him and he heard a voice say...