Afterlife

(Another piece on the subject of heaven, although this time it has nothing to do with Islamic State) :-

     Characters leave our world of life in the hope that the next life may be better. Some believe in a next life, but many do not expect one.

     One character who does not believe wakes up in heaven after his transference up through the clouds. He actually walks towards the gates of heaven realizing that he will now be getting a second chance, the chance to live again. Nigel, who resented work and the office life, hopes, as he nears heaven, that he will be able finally to put aside all the petty frustrations of life and find a better more uplifting world than the one he came from.

     The cloud became whiter, brighter, purer. He could see the pearly gates or what looked like them ahead. Apostles welcomed him with their beards, and hurried him through.

    “Welcome, welcome brother! We are glad you have made the journey. We are sure you will be very happy here. This region of existence called heaven is only for the righteous and deserving, the hardworking and the caring. It is a place of perfection. There is a place for everyone who comes here.” Nigel went inside. “Here is your new suit!” Nigel was surprised. “We have a place for you, in a warm and tranquil office. It looked much like his old office in London, but the people manning the telephones were largely older looking. He began to suspect that heaven was not a place of relaxation, but of work, eternal work, much like the place he came from, but without the hope of retirement, because no one retires from heaven.

     There are no wages because as they are all passed through life they do not need money for food and they do not even need to sleep. They do not need holidays. Because he is with the righteous they work hard and he feels obliged to do the same. But his days seem never ending and full of dull drudgery. The people around him are of little interest. As they are no longer alive they have few hopes and dreams.