Servants of Heaven

Located within a small and dingy set of sleeping quarters onboard Heaven, two men, Grant and Ridley, lay in bed together.  As Ridley stirred from his slumber, Grant did not.

Not concerned with waking the still asleep Grant, Ridley slid his arm out of the way and stepped onto the cold floor, which stuck to his bare feet wherever he moved around.

Ridley proceeded to undergo his daily exercises.  This consisted of pull-ups, sit-ups and a few press-ups if he felt like it.  However, this was not to keep his body in a good condition (though it did that also), he considered this an aid to waking him up so he had an active mind before he began his day.

Once completed, Ridley showered, dressed in his jumpsuit and began to eat a bowl of instant porridge while looking out of his window at the ring rotating above the one in which his quarters were situated.

As he finished his humble meal, Grant rolled over, yawning as he joined Ridley in reality.

“God you’re up early,” he groaned.

“Maybe for you science boy, but I’ve gotta get to work,” Ridley remarked, resting his bowl on the table and kissing Grant before leaving for work.  As Ridley exited, Grant just lay back down and returned to sleep, unhindered by any trace of guilt.

Outside his quarters, Ridley travelled through the busy hallway.  The crowds of workers were walking back and forth over the floor, which had large transparent sections that allowed outer space to be seen underneath.  It always unnerved Ridley to look down and see that nothing was apparently separating him from the Void below.

With many other people, Ridley travelled down from B-Deck to C-Deck on one of the many trams.  The tunnels that connected the rings had mostly transparent ceilings so every time he had to use one of these open-topped trams, Ridley had to will himself not to look up, to avoid staring into the infinite.

***

Ridley entered the Maintenance office that he reported to everyday to see many people dressed identically to him, sitting round a large table in the centre of the quite dirty room, somewhat ironic for the place where the janitors of Heaven congregated.

A dog named Simon slept in the corner and a human named Robert O’Donnell sat while playing with his small daughter, Mariella.  He had long hair, a beard, tinted glasses and a pink and purple bandanna.  It was this obvious appearance that made Ridley smile every time he saw him.

“Mornin’ Ridley,” Rob said.

“Hey Rob,” Ridley said, taking a seat beside him before waving at Mariella.  “Hello Mariella.”

“Hi Ridley,” she said.

“How’s Grant?” Rob inquired.

“Same as always,” Ridley said.  “How about Linda?”

“Oh good, good,” Rob assured.  “You guys still coming over to ours tonight for dinner?”

“Sure, we’ll be there.”

“Alright,” Rob said, standing up to address his workers.  “Come on people, time to work.  Grab the gear and let’s go.”

The janitorial team collected their equipment from the storage lockers and rushed outside, soon followed by Ridley and Rob, but not Mariella.  Instead, she chose to run over to Simon and start to pet him, who seemed undisturbed by the commotion.

“Mariella,” Rob called.  “Come on.”

“Can’t I just stay here with Simon?” Mariella said.

“No way, you’re coming with us,” Rob said.  “Your mother’s already pissed at me for letting you wander about Heaven too much.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Mariella argued.  “ It’s more interesting than just following you around all day.”

“This station can be dangerous,” Rob said.  “Now come on.”  Once more Rob called for his daughter to come and she did so, begrudgingly following behind them.

***

While Rob and Ridley were busy mending a malfunctioning door, Mariella sat by a wall, looking bored.

“You should pay attention Mariella,” Rob told his daughter.

“Why?” she said.  “I’m not going to do this when I’m older.”

“What are you going to do?” Ridley asked.

“I’m going to be a zoologist,” she said.

“Is that so?” Ridley said.

“Yep,” Mariella said.  “I’m gonna go live in Antarctica and study penguins.”

“Sounds fun,” Ridley said.  “Won’t you be lonely though?”

“No,” she said.  “I’ll have my penguin friends.”

“What about a husband?” Ridley said.

“No thanks,” she said.

“Don’t encourage her,” Rob said.  “Being good with your hands is a vital skill, no matter what you do.”

Rob finished patching together two wires and the sliding doors stopped sparking and began to function normally, before Rob replaced the panel and stood up triumphantly.

“Like magic,” he remarked.  “Come on, let’s go.”