“Relief pitcher Jack Thorne has a single focus—get this batter out and win the World Series. The Universe has a different plan for this priest-turned-ballplayer. There’s More . . . is a creative imagining of the ultimate human mysteries—death and Afterlife. Drawing on traditional faith images, this story challenges readers to expand existing concepts and consider broader cosmic possibilities in answer to the universal question, ‘What’s next?’ ”

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A bat. A ball. A swing. A bullet. A death. A guide. Life.

A bat — varnished, rays of setting sun splintering north, south, east, west, until tension-stilled, it is ready.

A ball — virgin white, never pitched, nor struck, rocketing from hurler’s hand.

A swing — fluid, potent contact, propelling the ball moundward.

A bullet — fired in revenge, racing ball to target.

A death — accident? murder? Ball and bullet share the stage as dual protagonists in this unplotted drama. The pitcher falls, forehead concaved, a blackening hole deep at the crater’s base.

A guide — a most unusual companion, heaven-sent to assist at this unexpected crossing-over.

A life  — “There’s more . . .”