Death's Death

    Every since my childhood I cursed death. I never comprehended how God could be so loving and yet allow such a dreadful thing to plague humans for centuries.
   
    When I became a teenager, I wished for an end to death. I wished for eternal life, eternal joy and eternal freedom from the horrible plague. It was a private thought that I did not share with anyone.
   
    I never knew that I would have the opportunity to make my wish become a reality. I never knew that I had a guardian angel either but both became a reality to me during the spring of 1997.
   
    It was the second Monday of April, and the bright afternoon sun shone over Corpus Christi, Texas. I was in my old, unkempt rent house on Osage street lying on my living room couch. My hands were folded under my head as I lay on the bed.
   
    I was grieving over the death of my mother. I thought about how the formidable beast took her from me and left me with a lonely, empty heart.
   
    I knew that if I had the opportunity to kill death, I would certainly do so. I knew that such an opportunity was impossible. That only deepened the anger that I felt for death. so instead of accepting the existence of death, I chose to drown in my tears of sorrow and rage.
   
    Oh, God, I thought, Why won't you allow me the opportunity to kill death?
   
    I covered my face and cursed death loudly!
   
    "Damn you!" I cried out! "Damn you to the very hell that you came from!"
   
    I continued to cry and curse death for what seemed to be many long and painful hours, but it was only for ten minutes.
   
    Suddenly, I heard the voice of a distinguished sounding man saying my name.
   
    "Mister Ortega."
   
    I uncovered my eyes and moved the around slowly.
   
      "Mister Abel Ortega."
   
    The voice was coming from my right. I looked in that direction to see an older, distinguished man looking at me with a stern face. He looked to be in his early sixties and had white hair and was wearing a light blue suit, tie and pants. He also wore a white shirt, black socks and black shoes.
   
    "Who are you?" I asked.
   
      I was frightened and puzzled at the same time.
   
    His hands were at his side, and his eyebrows were slightly raised. He spoke to me sternly.
   
      "My name is Thorton Dupont. I am your guardian
angel."
   
    "I--I don't understand." I said.
   
    "I realize that this is sudden and unexpected, but the time was right for me to appear to you."
   
    "So have you been with me since my childhood?"
   
    "Yes, I was even there when your little fat body fell out of the six foot tree. You were blessed enough only to receive a bump on the back of your head and a
horrible headache." he replied.
   
    I was stunned!
   
      "That's right." I said. "I was eight years old then. You did not even catch me. Why didn't you catch me?"
   
    "It was not life threatening. You learned your lesson. You never climbed another tree again."
   
      "Why didn't you appear to me?"
   
    "No need to. You did what children have done throughout the centuries and lived to tell about it."
   
    "Is there a rule about guardian angels appearing?"
   
    "No. It is a choice a guardian angel makes on his own. I appeared to tell you that your mother is fine and not to be angry at God or death. Death cannot be stopped and God allows death to happen for a reason."
   
    "What reason can that be, Thorton?" I asked agressively.
   
    "I don't know. I can only guess just like you."
   
    "Why can't my mother return to me? Jesus returned."
   
    Thorton shook his head.
   
      "Mister Ortega, you know that she cannot come back. You know that Jesus returned to show us all that there is an afterlife."
   
    "I want her back!"
   
    "Mister Ortega, you know that is impossible! Do you need to see why? Is that it?" Thorton asked.
   
      I looked at him as I thought about what he said.
   
      "Can you do that?" I asked.
   
    Thorton rolled his eyes and sighed.
   
      "Yes. Yes, I can Abel. If you wish for it." he replied.
   
      "Wish for it?" I asked.
   
    "Yes. Some guardian angels grant wishes." he said. "There are only a few of us around the world, but we do exist. I happen to be one of them."
   
      "For what reason would a guardian angel do that?"
   
    "It is done so that the person can see why something should or should not be or to give them a slight push into the right direction."
   
    "Have you done that?"
   
    "Yes. There have been people who wanted to commit suicide. I showed them what life would be like without them."
   
    "Now if I what to wish for death to be no more you can grant me the wish?"
   
      "Yes, but you must know--"
   
      I interrupted him.
   
    "Grant me the wish!"
   
      "You need to know the consequences."
   
    "No! Grant me my wish!"
   
      "Please reconsider."
   
    "I will not reconsider."
   
      Thorton sighed and decided to grant me my wish.
   
      "We have to connect in a formal handshake, Mister Ortega."
   
    We did that and he continued to speak.
   
    "Now close your eyes because when you make your wish, there will be a bright, hot light that will shine. It can blind a human. You will be in a pool of sweat. You may or may not see your wish right away. It could take days, weeks and even years. Your wish will appear when God feels that it is necessary for it to appear, but your wish will be granted. There is no doubt about that."
   
    I nodded and then closed my eyes. I then said my wish aloud.
   
    "Dear God, I wish to rid the world of death. I wish to see eternal life and eternal joy live and breath on this planet."   

      Silence filled the house and then I heard a loud, thunderous, stereo sound that surrounded me! I then felt immense heat fill the room! Then suddenly I felt a large pool of sweat drown my entire body! It felt as if I were entering into an ocean and quickly sinking into the deep, mysterious world.
   
    When all was calm, I opened my eyes and pulled my hands away from Thorton's hand. I looked around and listened carefully. It was peaceful.
   
    I looked at Thorton with a bright smile on my face only to see his stern face looking back at me. He was shaking his head.
   
    I paid no attention to it. Instead, I inquired about my wish.
   
    "So it could be years?" I asked.
   
    "Yes." he responded in a disappointed tone.
   
      "Well, okay. I understand that God is always testing the patience of mankind."
   
    Thorton gently nodded.
   
    "Yes indeed, Abel. Yes, indeed."
   
      He then walked away from me. He exited out of the kitchen door. When he was halfway out of the door, he looked at me and spoke.
   
      "Be prepared for anything, Abel," he said. "Be prepared for anything."
   
      I did not think about his statement at that moment. Little that I knew that I would be thinking about his statement in the very near future.



   
      I slept well that night. When I awakened the next morning, I heard lourd, repetitive knocks on the kitchen door! It sounded like a countless number of people knocking simultaneously!
   

    It was a mob of people attempting to enter into my house! As I attempted to close the door, they tried their best to push it open! I had difficulty trying to close it and almost lost my strength when I felt the door move away from me!
   
    I nearly fell but my feet caught my balance. I then felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked around to see that it was Thorton.
   
    "Hello, Abel." he said.
   
    "What is going on Thorton?" I asked.
   
    "It is your wish sir." he responded. "You wanted death to end and it has."
   
    I was very suprised and very happy too. I looked over my left shoulder and then looked at him. I thought about what happened at the front door and looked upset.
 
      "I--I don't understand why people have gone insane."
   
      Thorton pointed at the countertop adjacent to me. I turned to see a newspaper setting on the countertop next to the sink. I approached the small area and read the headline.
   
      I was shocked at what I was reading.
   
    "Two Billion Dying Worldwide!"
   
      I then read the article.
   
    "My God," I said, "There are 1,000,000,070 dying in China and 90,000,000 in the United States!"
   
      I turned to Thorton only to see him look at me the way an angry parent looks at his child.
   
    "Congratulations, Mister Ortega." he said.
   
      "How do I stop it?" I immediately asked.
   
    "You have 24 hours to see the damage that you have done." he said, "Hopefully you will learn from what you see."
   
      "What will happen if I do not learn anything?"     
   
    "If you do not learn anything then you will be responsible for a world of eternal life. Of course again---that is what you wanted."
   
      I read the headline again and felt more hopelessness than I had ever felt in my entire life. I went to my bedroom to get my keys off of my bedsidestand. I walked out of the bedroom and toward the kitchen door and slowly opened the door. As I did, a mass of people rushed into the house, curshing me between the door and the wall!
   
    Soon the rush stopped and I was able to free myself as I slowly walked through the crowd and out of my house.
   
    I stood at the top of the steps and looked at the mass of people in my driveway. The neighborhood was full of crime and gangs. It was ironic to walk out of my house at 7:45  in the morning and see those who were spreading death beg for it to take them away from their own suffering. More of their arms were reaching out to God than anyone else out there!
   
    I attempted to walk toward my car as the dying tried to pull me to the ground. I didn't know if they were trying to kill me or get help from me, but I was not going to stay and find out.
   
    After walking a few more inches to the door, I was close enough to enter it and close it quickly.
   
    The dying banged on the car! They were crawling all over my vehicle as I started it. As I attempted to drive in reverse, they shook the car!
   
    "Out of my way!" I screamed.
   
      I didn't want to run over them, but the gave me no choice. I slowly eased reverse and crept backwards. Some moved away from the car and others tried to push it forward. I began driving over some of those who were attempting to push the car forward.
   
    I could hear people underneath my car screaming for their lives as their insides were crushed and oozing out of their bodies.
   
    "Oh, no!" I cried out. "What am I doing! I didn't have to wish for this!"
   
    The path cleared when people saw that I seemed not to have any empathy for them. It took a total of twelve minutes for me to back out of my driveway and into the street.
   
    In the street there were numerous police officers attempting to direct traffic. There was a build up that New York City could not compare to on its' worst day!
   
    I was amazed that this was the beginning of my journey to see how horrible the world became because of one wish that I thought was going to be for the betterment of mankind!



    At 8:16 a.m. I was ready to turn left on a nearby street named Baldwin. I was on Navaho looking at how heavier the traffic was on Baldwin. I began feeling hopeless after waiting for forty minutes.
   
      I wished for the madness to end. I pleaded with God to bring an end to the insanity! But I knew taht the world would be without death for another twenty-three hours.



    As the day grew older, the traffic grew thicker. At noon, I was on a crowded expressway. There was a traffic jam that existed for hours.
   
      My car was sitting on the Crosstown overpass. I was driving toward the southside of town.
   
    Suddenly I heard hard, constant knocking on the driver's door. I looked out of my
drivers to see a man with his hands pressed against my window! He looked to be in great desparation!
   
      "What do you want?" I asked.
 
      Without hesitation, he waved a handgun in my face! I saw him place it on his temple, and I screamed at him to stop doing what he was about to do!
   
    "Stop! You will only make it worse on yourself! It is impossihble for you to die!"
   
    Before I could speak another word, he pulled the trigger!
   
    "NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" I screamed!
   
    My God! What flew out of his head is too distasteful and too disasterous to write! The man fell to the ground and screamed insanely! People nearby exited their vehicles to save him!
   
    When I was the people try to save him, I looked up into heaven with tears in my eyes.
   
    "God, I have learned my lesson!" I cried out! "Please! I wish for death to return! Please!"
   
    Of course everything was the same. There was still 19 hours of damage left for me to see.
   
    At six p.m. I was finally on the southside of town. I was on a street named South Staples. The traffic between the two malls on that street was enourmous! I was in the right lane going south and was going to turn into the mall parking lot on my right.
   
      I was listening to the raidio and heard about several plane crashes that were occurring internationally! One pilot was experiencing an endless heart attack as the plane crashed! When it exploded, he was burning alive while still having a heart attack!
   
      I shook my head feeling angry at myself! I then heard Thorton's voice.
   
    "Too late for that now sir." he said.
   
      "I looked at the passenger's side and saw him sitting there looking at me with his stern face.
   
    "Where have you been?" I asked.
   
    "Calm yourself, Mister Ortega. You could have a heart attack."
   
    "Calm myself? Thorton, I just saw a man shoot himself in the head! His brains splattered everywhere on my car! He is on the expressway screaming for his life to end if he still has the ability to speak!"
   
    "You should see what is on television. See what the radio can only tell you sir."
   
      I shook my head.
   
    "I--I don't wish to."
   
    "Oh, now. See how normal the world tries to be in such a horrific crises."
   
    I looked away from Thorton.
   
    "Simply turn in there, Abel. go into the building and take the escalator. You have done it numerous times in the past." Thorton said.
   
    The traffic began to inch forward, and I eventually turned into the mall parking lot after waiting ten more minutes. It took fifteen minutes to find a parking space, and I felt Thorton in the car knowing that he was going to disappear and return to heaven or be near me without being visible.
   
    I walked inside the major department store directly in front of me and found myself engulfed in a mountain of  people wanting to die. I looked around and saw that the manequins were toppled, new clothes were being used for medical needs, sales clerks had become doctors and nurses! Some of the doctors were patients!
   
    As I slowly moved on, I saw pools of blood, the insides of people were exposed, some were lying in the regurgitation of others!
   
    Soon I was at the escalators. They were not operating, but they were covered with the ill. I walked over and through them to get to the second floor and see the televisions.
   
    When I reached the second floor, I turned and headed for the electronics section. While appraoching the section, I saw a doctor kneeling over her patient. Behind her was a fifty-two inch television set.
   
      I immediately walked over to her and asked if I could help.
   
      She looked at me, and when she did, I saw the face of a tired, young doctor that looked to be in her early thrities.
   
      "I--I don't know what to do." she said.
   
    I looked at the patient. He looked to be in his early forties. He was heavily sedaded.
   
    "I raised the dosage." she said. "He needs to die."
   
    She looked at me and then began to laugh insanely. She shook her head and then told me what was wrong with him as she laughed.
   
    "He has the common cold."
   
      I was shocked.
   
    She did not respond. She was going deeper into madness!
   
    I walked around her and looked at the television. I saw scenes of madness from around the world!
   
    I saw Times Square on television. It was overly crowded. In the crowd, there was
a small circle, and inside the circle, there were two men fighting. A reporter was reporting on their fighting and during the report, one of the men stabbed the other with a knife!
   
    The reporter was talking as the photographer focused on the womb in the victim's stomach! The camera showed how bad the victim was bleeding and followed him as he fell to the ground!
   
    Dear God, I have learned my lesson, I thought, Please bring an end to the hell that I have brought to this earth. Please God! Pleeaseee!
   
      I prayed until I was too sleepy to pray anymore and then fell asleep!



    I heard my name and knew who it was. I sat up and read my watch. It was seven a.m. I looked at the young doctor. She was sleeping next to her patient.I move to the patient to see if he was beathing. He was dead.
   
    I heard Thorton say my name again and I smiled.
   
    "It is over Thorton." I said.
   
    "Yes. Yes, it is over, Mister Ortega." he said. "You have made it you have learned your lesson."
   
      "Last night when I was watching television, I saw people all over the world wishing for death. It never occurred to me that there is a deeper reason for death than what humans understand about it. God has a plan. It is a plan that is too deep for humans to comprehend. It is a plan that will be revealed when it is time to do so."
   
    "You finally have it right, Mister Ortega.Congratulations. You have learned your lesson."
   
      I went home that day with a different view on life and death. Never again did I challenge the acts of God. Never again did I doubt him.
   
    Now I feel more at peace than I have felt in my life. I think about my mother everyday, and I am comfortable knowing that all things happen for a reason. I feel comfotable knowing that even the things that seem unreasonable---may have the
greatest reason for existing.


                                  Copyright 2006 Bernard Glass