Why Nadia Came Back

I am 74 years old. I have glimpsed the afterlife three times in my life. First at age seven. Then at 17. And again at 54. For many years, I’ve wondered why I was allowed to live. Read my story and then you decide: Why did I come back?

Auvergne, France, 1952

I was at my grandparents’ estate outside Vichy. Their house was at the top of a hill, surrounded by wheat fields and stone walls dating back to the fourth century. My favorite pastime was picking wildflowers. I could wander for hours, lost in my own little world, the stalks so tall that they’d brush my shoulders.

One summer day, I was collecting sweet pea blossoms for my grandmother. I scaled a small wall, touched down on the other side… and found myself face-to-face with a coiled viper. I froze. The snake watched me, as if curious,