I studied the group of eight keys. “Antiques?”
Darien shook his head. “Nope.”
I picked up one of the keys. “What are these for?”
Darien smiled, “Those are the keys to souls.” He could tell by the way I fell silent and stared at the keys, I didn’t know what that meant. “You’re not in the physical world now. Stop thinking like you are.”
I put the key back, carefully. “The keys to souls?”
“Surprised?”
All I could do was nod.
“We all have them.” He reached in his pocket. “Here’s mine.” He pulled out a silver key. It looked like it belonged to the same set as the eight on the table. “Eventually, you’ll find yours.”
“There’s a key to my soul?”
Darien nodded. “There’s only one who doesn’t have a key.” I had a good idea who that could be. Darien could tell. He only smiled, and nodded.
“I have to ask, you know.”
“Go ahead. Ask. It’s the same question I asked millennia ago.” He nodded again.
“Why do we all have keys?”
Darien rested his hand on my shoulder. “Well. Now. There are some questions, it seems. For which there are no answers.”
He pulled me away from the table, and we continued walking through the garden. He’d called it, “The Garden of Eden.” I remembered his words, “It’s all true. All of it. Heaven. Hell. God, Satan. Jesus. The Resurrection.”
“So, the Christians had it right?”
I thought he’d been going to fall over from laughter when I said that. “I said it’s ALL true. ALL of it. That includes Mohamed, The Pope. The Imams.”
I’d kind of stood there, confused. “See. He,” Darien waved his arm in a big sweeping arch, “made it all. So, it’s all true.”
“So the Christians, and the Muslims?” I was still stuck on that concept.
“And the Pagans, and the Atheists, and the Jews…” Darien had listed more religions than I’d ever heard of. “… And all the others. All true.”
“But… “ I had been exceedingly confused.
“I know. Some of them are opposites. That’s because He changed His mind.”
As I thought of the words Darien had said that day, I found myself thinking out loud, “Perhaps He made the keys so he could turn off mistakes? You know. If He changes His mind.”
Darien paused. “You never really know, with Him.”
“Is that why Him and Satan went to war? Fighting over who controls the keys?”
Darien laughed again, “See? You’re still thinking like you’re in the physical world. Throw out the entire concept of good and evil, just and unjust, right and wrong. All of it.”
“How can I do that? There’s always good and evil, darkness and light.”
“If that’s true, tell me how many days and nights you’ve been here.”
I couldn’t.
“Tell me how long a day is.”
I couldn’t.
“Tell me which way is up, and which way is down.” Just for emphasis, he started walking upward, and instinctively, so did I. “And what is hot, and what is cold.”
“I get it, I get it.”
“No. You don’t get it. You understand the words, but it doesn’t make sense to you yet.” He grinned. “Give it time, and it will.”
“How long?”
“You ask me that here?”
Since then, I’ve learned more about the keys to souls. And while I haven’t found my key yet, I have encountered a few who have found theirs. And twice, I’ve seen a key used.
Have you ever seen an unlocked soul?
Until you have, you will never understand anything.
My Soul's Tears 
Wow, loved that. I want to know more now! Fabulous concept. Thanks for joining in.