The 16:03 to Purgatory (Part Two of Two)

Part One at: https://www.abctales.com/story/marandina/1603-purgatory-part-one-two

 

The 16:03 to Purgatory (Part Two of Two)

With that the monk-like character gently tossed his hood back and sat up, crossing his legs in the process. The man recoiled at the sight. What he had thought were crimson gloves were actually the colour of hands that went with the rest of their owner. Pinned-back pointed ears flanked two small horns on the forehead of what could only be described as a demon. Yellow eyes with blinking reptilian slits, a mouth full of needle-sharp teeth and a chin that jutted out all came together to form an image of something disturbing. Its body was blood-red, a tail with a small flash of triangular flesh at the end swished from beneath its garment.

“There is no need to be alarmed.”

A forked-tongue flicked in and out.

“I may appear somewhat….unusual….but, I can assure you that I am merely a tourist here.”

The unnamed man stared at the aberration sitting inches away. He wasn’t sure what to make of it or any of the events of the last few hours. It was like being in a dream or, more accurately, a creeping nightmare where something bad was about to happen but he didn’t know what.

“Can I ask who you are?”

The red devil stared at outstretched fingers as though considering a manicure.

“You may. I am known to some as Lucifer. There are those that think of me…well…as a fallen angel although I prefer to imagine myself as wholly flexible and an opportunist. I visit here from time to time in the hope of riding the train to Heaven. It’s somewhat complicated in terms of making that happen. You may be of some…assistance in that regard.”

The statement was digested and processed. As one question was answered, more were thrown up as a result.

“Those people that crossed over to the other platform, what happened to them? That fog didn’t look like an ordinary weather phenomenon. It looked…..otherworldly. Strange.”

“All I know is that, in this place, one must atone for one’s sins. Work out those things that should have been done differently on the earth-bound plane. Only when the visitor has reconciled their past can they move on to self-actualisation then, ultimately, Heaven.”

The demon stood, theatrically removing its cowl to reveal two magnificent folded wings on its back. With chest puffed out, it had the torso and legs of a goat, wiry fur scales running from neck to feet. The man did his best to avoid looking at its genitalia now exposed.

“You said I might be able to help you somehow. I would introduce myself but I really can’t remember who I am or how I got here before finding myself on the train.” The declaration felt flaccid and belated compared to the creature’s self-revelation.

“Ah…you will remember in time, I’m sure. Of course, you may be interested in circumventing centuries of soul-searching. I need…um…a very special kind of human to assist me. It’s been a while since someone suitable came forward, By virtue of you not crossing with the others, you may well be suitable.”

“What makes you say that? In what way might I be suitable?

The demon shifted shooting a sideways glance at the man sat inches away.

“I need someone free from mortal sin. Well…more or less. Someone who hasn’t committed murder or something equally heinous.”

“I wish I could know that…but I don’t. How could I know?”

“The Door Test.”

The man realised his pipe was stashed in a pocket and fetched it out along with his box of matches. Unthinkingly flicking the brim of his hat with fingers, he lit the pipe and inhaled.

“I think we should submit you to the test. Then we will know.”

The devil’s stare fixed on the stationary steam train that had brought human cargo. Once more the Tannoy sparked up with a further announcement.

“Passengers travelling on the 17:41 to Heaven calling at Self-Actualisation due to arrive at Heaven at 18:33 are now able to board this train at platform One. Please make you way to the train”

The man grasped that this must be the same engine that had brought him here, emphasised by the fact that since arriving, the train had remained unmoved.

“What is the Door Test? Is it connected to the train leaving shortly?”

“You are a clever man as you were in life. Indeed, only specific individuals can open doors to trains bound for Heaven. If your life-ledger remains in credit then we may be in business. Please…follow me.”

Lucifer clumsily re-dressed and strode towards an exit from the seating area, waiting for the man to do likewise. Standing warily, he shuffled towards the creature still wondering when he was going to wake from this never-ending dream. Bending at the legs, he stooped to pass underneath the creature’s outstretched arm like a bride at a wedding dance.

Carriages decked in racing green livery stretched along the track. The station itself was surrounded by more bucolic countryside with no sign of urban conurbation. Pastel shades contrasted sharply with the limpid black and white colours of the current location. Rolling fog on the other side of the tracks continued to blanket buildings along with the entirety of the people that had made their way across the linking overhead bridge from before.

Both were now standing next to a train door. A metal handle seemed to beckon, a pull downwards would open the ingress. He lifted a liver-spotted hand and tugged. The door opened outwards much to the devil’s delight, its face lighting up in a wide grin. The creature gestured to the man to board in an after you roll of its arm.

The train appeared to be as empty as it was to begin with; there was no sign of conductors, drivers and other passengers. Wandering through the central corridor, a room was chosen at random and both Lucifer and his new companion sat down facing each other on dusty seats.

“If the radiance of a thousand suns…”

The man jolted at the words murmured.

“Why did you say that?”

“Ah...the splendour of the mighty one. Do you recall your Bhagavad Gita?”

With tobacco pipe clutched in his right hand and smoke rising from its bowl, memories were stirring again. Vague images flickering like an old movie reel on celluloid. He could see a desert stretching into the distance, cacti dotted across undulating sand dunes. Mountains. The word Trinity was registering but he couldn’t make the connection. The platform looked deserted through the window as the train started to move once more.

“You are quite the enigma. A life lived without mortal sin yet an ocean of remorse to be crossed in redemption. I am surprised we made it onto the train.”

“If you know who I am, why don’t you tell me?”

“Maybe not remembering is your contrition. You are in Purgatory, after all. You will realise in time.”

Once more, hills and valleys, fields and hedgerows formed the panorama as the steam train barrelled along, chugging clouds of steam into the air.

“What will you do in Heaven when you get there?”

The man knew that the creature would not or could not tell him what he wanted to know in terms of his own identity. It seemed easier to stray onto another topic.

“It has been so long since I was last there. It depends on whether I am recognised. There are those who cannot forgive and forget. Irony is not lost on any of us.”

For a while, nothing else was said. Both man and beast hunkered down to sit and reflect on their own agendas. The events since finding himself on an obscure train bound for a mythical destination had caught up with the lonely grey-suited figure and his eyes drifted as sleep summoned him.

When he awoke, a glance at his pocket-watch indicated the time as 18:20. Just twenty-one minutes until arriving in Heaven, whatever that entailed. He coughed, pulling himself up from the foetal position he had slumped into. The scenery had changed. There was no longer a sea of green but, instead, desert wastelands dominated the vista. Bleached bones of a ribcage protruded from the sand, buzzards gliding on eddies presumably the beneficiaries of the dead animal. A gentle breeze was blowing, whipping gilded particles into the air.

“Where are we?” The man rubbed tired eyes, re-focusing on the seat opposite.

“Our zenith or nadir approaches. This is self-actualisation through which one either ascends, descends or remains in Purgatory.” Lucifer had a nail file and was attending to his claws.

The nameless man jerked again, involuntary thoughts cascading through his mind. He was now standing alongside other men, dark protective lenses at his eyes. They were all looking out at something. From the corners of his vision he could see that they were in military uniform.

“Are you free from mortal sin, my friend? The tone was devious, a leading question to which the devil thought he knew the answer.

“I don’t recall causing anyone harm. Does that answer your question?”

“Ah….but were it as easy as that.”

There were noises coming from the other carriages. A glance towards the corridor revealed passengers on the other side of the aisle. He could see shadows; silhouettes belonging to tortured souls. The moans were pitiful, sounds of pain and agony. The train felt overloaded with spent spirits, rented from the world by the application of quantum physics; by the darkness of destructive science.

The scene outside had changed once more. Instead of endless dunes there were flatlands, large vast expanses of ground with cracks running through them, earth baked under a relentless sun like a solar clay oven.

“It’s at this point you might want to consider repentance. I don’t think I will make it back to Heaven after all.”

The creature looked resigned, a disappointed expression radiating across its features.

“Repent? Why?”

Before he could do anything about it, the man felt a vice like grip on his face. He was staring into the eyes of the fallen angel who had reached out and place both of its hands on his head. Maybe this was a way to force realisation. It worked. More memories: He was still staring out into a wilderness. The sky lit up with a massive bedazzling flash – a white phosphorous light glowing like a trillion candles simultaneously. Seconds later it was followed by a column of fire then a huge mushroom cloud throwing debris and detritus miles into the skies. The images trailed off like a cine-reel tapering away through flame and destruction. Another scene, this time of destroyed buildings and vast swathes of city desolation. Piles upon piles of dead bodies, scorched and incinerated. The images made his heart sink, a sadness to end all sadness.

The man opened his eyes wide in comprehension; the same understanding reached countless times before. They had called him father….father of the bomb.

A blinding white light flashed across the waste lands outside. Then silence.

Air shimmered in iridescent layers, desert heat smouldering under a cloudless Arizona sky. A diamondback rattlesnake slithered wraith-like amongst rocks and boulders, another silent deception to inflict on prey yet stalked itself by circling eagles above. His head ached, a dull pounding that beat out a timpani in time with the sound of the train. As hard as he tried, there was no recollection of anything at all before sitting in this carriage.

A journey repeated many times. This was the nature of eternal atonement.

 

Image free to use via WikiCommons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trinity_test_(LANL).jpg