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Two angels with opposing objectives determine the fate of a recently deceased man. |
This piece placed third in the "Twisted Tales Contest" ![]() Deliberating Eternity by Chris24 âDo you think he knows whatâs in store for him?â âDo they ever?â Plenerus and Kel stood at the back of the room watching the goings on. Each wore a finely pressed suit and fedora, though no one else around them even knew they were there. It was a busy night in the trauma center, the emergency room in central Chicago, a byproduct of a typical holiday weekend. From gunshot wounds to motorcycle accidents, doctors, nurses and all sorts of other medical staff hurried this way and that, trying to keep pace with the incoming flow. Even so, they both waited patiently aside from the organized chaos, an unnoticed shadow on the wall. âTheyâre like ants,â Kel remarked, marveling at the flow. âIs it like this every time?â Plenerus chuckled. âYouâll get used to it. Iâve been doing thisâŚwell, it seems like forever and a day. And while the scenery may change, the theme remains the same.â Trauma physicians hovered over their mark, working frantically and barking orders. All the while the steady beep, beep, beep, of their curious machines doled along, an electronic pulse in the face of inevitability. âItâs hard to believe with all these injuries that heâs our only sure thing here.â âTime marches on. Theyâve made marvelous advancements in their technology, enough to even bring them back from death, in a way.â âReally?â Kel doubted. âHmph. You really are new to the division, arenât you?â âWell, Iâve gone through the training, if thatâs what youâre getting at. Spent the last fifty years in sub-Saharan Africa, but it was nothing like this. That place was more primitive, for sure. More primal.â A gurney rushed past with a moaning patient which temporarily distracted Kel before he returned to their target. âMostly diseases, infections, predator maulings, that sort of thing.â âI see,â his counterpart said. âSo this is your first time in a North American hospital, then?â Kel nodded. âSo, what do you know about him?â âThis guy? Whatâs there to know? Listen, you donât want to take this job to personally and never, ever get too attached.â âIâm just curious, thatâs all.â Plenerus sighed. âJacob Carter, age 37. Divorced with two kids. Sells insurance.â âAnd his record?â Plenerus turned suspiciously to Kel. âYouâve got the same run-down I did. Youâve read the dossier, Iâm sure.â âJust want to make sure weâre on the same page is all.â Awkward silence fell between the pair as the beep, beep, beep, dolled on. Finally, Plenerus relented, opening his little notebook and reading from the pages. âThis oneâs kind of a mixed bag. Heâs a decent enough father, spends all the time he can with his kids, but he had a mistress in Kansas City that cost him his marriage. Likes to donate to charity, butâs a little liberal with the numbers when filing his taxes. Hasnât been to church in years. A while back, he had a falling out with his siblings and hasnât talked to them since. Letâs see.â He thumbed through the pages. âOh, heâs stepped on a few toes on his way up the ladder, and not in the kindest of ways. And heâs shattered more than a few dreams. Seems perfect for downstairs. Wait, you should already know all this.â Kel chuckled this time, grinning at the floor as a pair of nurses rushed past. âI do. This is just my first full assignment and I want to make sure I get it right.â âUh-huh,â Plenerus doubted. âSounds more to me like you think we might be keeping information from you.â âItâs happened before.â âListen rookie, the treatise clearly explains that weâre required to share any and all informationâŚcomplete transparency between operatives. Thatâs why weâre both here, after all.â âIs that what happened two thousand years ago?â âThat was different, and you know it.â âAnyways,â Kel noted, trying to return to their subject at hand, âthis one seems to have some redeeming qualities â charitable family man, provider. He paid a heavy price with his divorce. Maybe downstairs isnât the place for him.â âHeâs coding!â one of the doctors shouted and the beeping of their machines turned to a flat-lined chime. All activity ramped up and Kel leaned in, straining to see what all the new activity is all about. Plenerus just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, leaning back into the wall and waiting for the end. âJust a matter of time,â he commented. âClear!â Electricity shot into the patient and his body jerked, doctors trying to jumpstart the manâs heart. Nothing. âRecharging! Clear!â Another jolt and he shuddered again. âWhatâs happening?â a confused voice suddenly observed from next to them. âYou're dying, Mr. Carter,â Plenerus whispered, leaning in as they watched the show. âDying? What do you mean?â âAt 8:36 tonight, your car was sideswiped and then rolled into a ditch. Emergency crews barely extracted you and brought you here,â he explained plainly. âWhat? Impossible!â the man rejected. âClear!â the doctor called again and Jacob Carterâs body spasmed once more. Nothing. âOkay Iâm calling it. Time of death, 9:42pm.â Plenerus closed his tiny notebook and tucked it into his jacket pocket. âAnd thatâs it,â he explained. âIt? What do you mean, 'it?'â Jacob asked. âYou are now officially dead, Mr. Carter,â he explained like an automaton. The man didnât respond, couldnât respond, too deeply stunned. Kelâs gaze met Jacobâs and he comforted, âItâs normal to be confused at first.â âOf course,â Plenerus agreed simply. âNow, letâs get to business.â âBoy, youâre right to it, arenât you?â Kel marveled. âThis is just another stop and I do have other appointmentâs tonight.â âWhat about my family, my kids?â Jacob stared blankly and disbelievingly ahead. âOh, theyâll manage on their own until their time comes. They generally do just fine after a while. Sure, thereâll be tears and sadness and regret, but it usually works out with time.â Plenerusâs statement was almost too cool, years and years of assignments making this just another in a long litany. Jacobâs mind raced, pondering their life alone without him. Had he prepared enough? What would they do without him? Their hearts would be broken. Finally, he asked, âWho are you?â âAngels, of course. My name is Mr. Plenerus and my associate here, for lack of a better descriptor, is Mr. Kel. Weâre your assigned intermediaries for your transition.â âTransition?â âWell you donât expect to hang around this hospital as a ghost for the rest of time, do you?â Jacob just stared blankly back. âAnd we canât have you returning to haunt your family. That would be a disaster! Thereâs the whole Amityville incident and don't even get me started on how weâre still rounding up unaccounted confederate and union soldiers a century and a half later.â Kel jumped in, trying to sooth Jacobâs concerns. âMr. Carter, this is a process thatâs occurred for tens of thousands of years. Everyone on Earth is born and everyone dies. Surely you had to expect some sort of transition to an afterlife.â Plenerus rolled his eyes and shook his head. âSorry, heâs new,â he explained, then turned to Kel. âMost people donât have a clue. All they know about life and death is what they read in books. And the people teaching them about those things are reading from the same books too.â He chuckled. âWorse, people are reading less and less now and hardly anybody ever goes to church anymore. So, thereâs a lot of bad information out there.â âSo thereâs a heaven?â Jacob was suddenly desperate to know. âAnd a hell,â Plenerus was sure to include. âAnd where do I belong?â âYou see, thatâs what we need to get figured out,â Kel explained. âMy colleague here would like to snatch you away; no due process. âPlenty of room for more,â theyâll tell you. Iâm here to make sure that doesnât happen. There are procedures, quality standards for reason.â âYou mean you guys arenât here together?â They looked to each other and snickered. âNo, Iâm happy to say,â Kel answered with an amused grin. âBut didnât you say youâre both angels?â âYes.â âAnd arenât angels supposed to help people.â âMore or less.â âOkay, what am I missing?â Jacob wondered. It took them both a moment. âAh, I see your confusion,â Plenerus realized. âYou see, people just donât know anymore, though I suppose the whole bureaucracy would be too confusing, even if they did.â Jacob still wasnât following. âMr. Carter, there are two types of angels, you know, fallen and holy. Both heaven and hell have an intake department, ready to receive new arrivals.â âSheesh. You make it sound so mechanical,â Kel said. âMr. Carter, weâre here to determine your placement.â âPlacement?â âOf course,â Kel continued. âYou know, body by God, and that sort of thing. Iâm sure youâve seen the billboards. Anyways, life is a test. Your soul is placed inside that vessel over there, your body, and your assigned task was to live your lifeâŚto learn something from your time on Earth. You must understand, you were dropped into a hostile environment designed to shape you and help you grow. Certain challenges were placed before you, tasks to help you mature and ready you for eternity. The decisions youâve made in life determine your placement. Surely you have to know some of that.â Jacob suddenly felt cold and with shameful eyes, nodded. He recalled his regrets, every mistake, the time lost on bad decisions, the lies he told, and the times he cheated. He relived the choices he wish he could have made over, and the hard lessons heâd learned along the way. âYouâre remembering the evil youâve done,â Plenerus knew, reading the remorse clearly on the manâs face. âAll humans have a yearning for mischief inside them,â he explained. âSince the garden, the hearts of men have carried that burden.â Kel shot Plenerus a scolding glance before adding, âBut what determines your placement are the scales of time. Have you led a good life?â âIâŚI donât know,â Jacob answered, then added, âMaybe not,â and Plenerus smiled broadly. âThis is a crossroads for you, Mr. Carter,â Kel acknowledged. âOf course, quite a few are fairly straightforward. Some live nobly and their place in heaven is reserved. Others are absolutely consumed by their evil nature and spend eternity burning in darkness, no matter how redeeming a few of their acts may have been. Again, your fate is matched by your deeds on Earth.â âSo where do I belong.â âWell, thatâs what weâre here to determine.â Mr. Kel produced his own notebook and began flipping through the pages, finally turning it to Jacob. âYou have quite a list of infractions here, Iâm sorry to say.â âWhat does that mean?â âWell, with the exception of murder,â Plenerus said, âyouâve broken pretty much every commandment, at least 6 of the deadly sins and whatnot. Sure most of them are minor infractions but these types of things taken alone pretty much get you a one way ticket to the pit.â âThe pit? You mean hell?â Jacob suddenly became frantic. âThere must be something I can do.â âYouâve had an entire lifetime, Mr. Carter.â âPlease!â he begged. âI tried! It was so hardâŚlife was so hard!â The man sank to his knees and began to sob. âIâmâŚsorry. Iâm so, so sorry! Please forgive me!â He began to weep uncontrollably. Plenerus and Kel looked to each other in unison. âWell, Mr. Plenerus, I suppose heâs all yours, then.â âLooks that way. Anyways, Iâve got a schedule to keep. Are you ready, Mr. Carter?â he asked simply. He didnât answer, continuing to weep. âHuh, I guess there really wasnât much too it. Does it generally go this fast?â Kel wondered. âPretty much. Honestly, most people end up begging for forgiveness in the end.â "I guess my job will be pretty easy then, from here on out." Kel closed his notebook and tucked it away. âWell, good luck to you, Mr. Carter. Mr. Plenerus, you certainly live up to your reputation - definitely by the book. And Mr. Carter, if youâre ever looking for a warm place to get away from eternity, we have just the spot.â With that, he turned and strolled away, disappearing as if blown away on a gentle breeze. âShall we?â Plenerus motion Jacob to his side and with a heavy sigh the man obliged. âWhat did he mean?â Jacob asked, wiping the tears away. His guide only smirked with a raised eyebrow. âNothing for you to worry about now.â âSo, this is it?â âYes it is,â his escort acknowledge. A subtle glow suddenly began in his fingertips and toes, not a scalding or burning sensation as he expected, but soothing, almost like the warm waves of a gentle current easing his burdens. It steadily crept along his arms before suddenly surging into his chest. All at once, he was filled with such joy he could hardly imagine, and eternity was revealed to him, glistening like stardust in his eyes. Bathed in a love he never expected and didnât feel he earned, the man turned back to Plenerus. âI donât understand.â "I'm sorry?â There was a pause. âOh!â he realized. âYou thought you were going to the other place.â The wonders of heaven were overwhelming and he began to sob, not with tears of sadness but joy. âI donâtâŚI donât deserve this.â âAnd thatâs exactly why youâre here, Mr. Carter â humility and remorse. A truly remorseful man will always have a place in heaven and you were saved by your modesty and regret. âThe meek shall inherit the Earth,â and whatnot. You see, your Creator loves you more than you can imagine, enough to forgive what youâve done, when youâre sincere and ready to ask for it. Unfortunately, hell is full of selfish, unrepentant devils.â âMy kids,â Jacob suddenly remembered again. âYou see? A truly evil man, only thinks of himself.â Plenerus smiled and pushed the gates wide. âYouâll be happy to know their plan shows them to live a full and happy life. Youâve done well in your time with them, and theyâll be along eventually. After that, youâll have all the time in eternity. Welcome home.â 2360 words |