God's Clock

Walking down the last lap of life practically finished me off; death was meant to be an easy journey to partake, but mine was far from a breeze. These fantasy-filled stories spun by holy books describing a cloud-filled Heaven or the pit-less fires of Hell are a real take compared with the reality. What happens when you become stuck? Lost in a world where confusion overrides every emotion published on paper? They don’t explain that one, do they?

As I entered the building, disinfectant choked the air like invisible hands, throttling anybody who dared venture into this place. It was not enough to have my physical state – they felt the need to torture my senses too. Confusion controlled my body – there were no directions towards death’s door.

Blindly strolling up two flights of stairs a large wooden door abruptly stood in front of me with large letters engraved in it, boldly spelling out ‘ADMINISTRATION’. I rapped on the door and patiently waited for a response. Moments later, it flung open to reveal a prim-looking woman who had authority written across her beige suit.
‘Ah, you must be Mr…’
‘Eskin’ I politely interjected.
‘Yes, that’s right! Now then, if you’d like to follow me through here, please. I’ll be with you in one moment, sir.’
The woman directed me into what appeared to be an office and gestured for me to take a seat in front of a small desk before briefly exiting the room. She reappeared a few moments later, grasping something small and insignificant between her fingers.
‘Here you go, sir. If you’d like to take a seat in our waiting room and listen out for the calling of your number. It shouldn’t be too long!’ she stated rather cheerfully while handing me the flap of paper she had been holding in her right hand. Several numbers were printed across it – that’s all I was now, a few digits in this system of life.

Before I had the chance to object she politely forced me out of there and into a poorly-lit room to be warmly welcomed by the icy cold stares of several others who were in the same position as I was. Silently treading across the floor, I took my seat in the corner next to the only decent bit of light; the pale glow of a lamp illuminated the bleak reality, bringing a brief flicker of warmth and comfort in a place where it once ceased to exist.

My eyes flitted nervously about the room, landing upon the disinterested faces of the deceased. A vibrant poster sharply contrasted against the pale walls; an image of Jesus greeted my unsteady gaze. He appeared to be pointing straight at me while underneath it promptly read ‘Heaven needs you’, closely resembling the old war. Brochures of different origins were clumsily scattered about a circular side table like wedding confetti, unnecessary and a waste of precious paper. I hastily grabbed one and began to flick through, grateful for the distraction. Two words jumped off the paper – ‘Life Insurance’. Pure genius.

No-one regarded my being there until a large man with a personality as bland as bread and a pot belly the size of Jupiter flopped down beside me. I managed a smile, barely able to ignore that he had practically sat on top of me. It took the moron several moments to acknowledge my presence.
‘Didn’t see you there, mate’ he grinned while playfully thumping my arm.
I began to laugh uneasily, the awkwardness surrounding my body like quicksand. The man took a deep breath, inhaling every last particle of oxygen from the room. It wasn’t long before he broke the serenity of the silence.
‘So…You alright?’
‘Yeah … You?’
‘Seen better days. Feel like death if I’m honest with you, mate’
He broke into hysterics at the hilarity of his own joke – it’s a pity nobody else did the same. I hoped it wouldn’t be long before they would call my number.
As the tears slowly ceased, we continued with the small talk.
‘What you ‘ere for, then?’ My voice couldn’t have sounded more sincere.
‘Jumped in front of a train. Just couldn’t hack it no more. Worst thing I’ve done – it bloody hurt!’
I winced, allowing the silence to settle between us once again. After several minutes, a sudden crackling noise exploded over the intercom before a shrill voice violently pierced the air.
‘Number 6298475 – will you please make your way to checkpoint A?’
I glanced down at my number, disappointment clouding my face. The man re-enacted my movements before beginning the long haul up from his seat.
‘That’s me off then, mate. I’ll be seeing you on the other side!’
He reached out, squeezed my shoulder and then hurriedly exited the room like an excitable child, barely able to control himself. Thank God he had gone – was it possible to kill somebody after they had died?

One by one, numbers were announced, bodies exited and I was left alone. I continued to wait, unconscious of the hours slowly trickling away in this dismal place. Footsteps echoed down a distant corridor like the constant hands on a clock, persisting to drone on. After a while, the lights began to die out, doors were firmly closed and the sound of loneliness silently crept towards me like a pickpocket, unnoticed and unwanted.

After what seemed like an eternity, the woman I had previously spoken to casually strolled into the room with a startled look on her face when she realised I was still there, waiting.
‘Oh!’ she exclaimed rather taken aback by my presence. ‘I didn’t see you there’
Feeling slightly embarrassed, I laughed sheepishly.
‘I’m terribly sorry for your wait,’ she said apologetically while taking the flap of paper once more. ‘Ah, number 6289781 - let me just check if we’ve reached a decision.’
Again, she disappeared before reappearing several seconds later with a disturbed look gnawing at her features.
‘Follow me through here please, sir.’
The woman briskly exited the room with me hot on her trail. At the end of a rather narrow corridor lay a downward staircase. She stepped aside, smiling in a sort of sadistic manner.
‘Thank you for your cooperation. We hope you enjoy your stay. Mind the gap!’
Relief flooded by body – the endless waiting had finally ended. Slowly, I descended into the darkness and away from life.