 Scholastic Audio Presents. My name is not Friday by John Walter, read by Deon Graham. Civil War, Mississippi, Part 1. Heaven, Chapter 1. I know that I'm with God. He's with me in the darkness. He's close to me. Not real close, but close enough I know he's there. Somewhere. I can feel him. So I know he must be. It was him that brought me here. At least I think he did. Only it ain't what I was expecting. I never thought it'd be dark here, but it is. It's real dark. Pitch dark. And it can't be night time cause there's birds singing. There's a blackbird and a sparrow. There's all sorts. And them birds don't sing at night. Except maybe they do in heaven. Maybe they sing here all the time. If I shift my head, it hurts me inside and out. So I don't try to move. I stay as still as I can. It's kind of damp here in the darkness. I got it up inside my nose. A musky smell. Like fur. Like rabbit. Yeah, maybe it's like a rabbit. And there's another smell. A whiff of old shoes. Like when you're wearing for too long after they get wet. But I ain't wearing shoes. I left them in the Sunday box and they ain't no good to me there. Not anymore. I can feel the dust beneath my toes. And there's a bag on my head. A cloth against my cheek. That's the reason I can't see my feet. I got a bag on my head that's been used to carry rabbits. I still don't move a muscle. But in my skin. In my head. In my heart. I panic. I feel like a cornered rat. Scramming up against the wall of a deep dark cellar. Breathing fast enough I could've run a mile. So I say to slow down, Samuel. Slow down now and calm yourself. Take one step at a time. Give yourself the time to think this thing through. I know I'm lying down. I got a sense of me stretched out upon the ground and it feels like I'm lying on twigs and stuff. Yeah, I'm sure I am. I got one sticking at my side and- Sample complete. Ready to continue? Thank you for watching.