FlOoD--Part Thirty-Four

Lovin' You

ThIrTy-FoUr

 Peterson stared intently ahead as the boat soared through the bright moonlight. He was bent over awkwardly at the waist as he didn't want to put any more pressure on his tortured knees. He was holding on to the sides, gripping them so tightly that his knuckles were white and the veins in the backs of his hands were straining against his skin. Without being aware of it, he was chanting over and over, in a voice so low it was almost a whisper, "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!..." He was ready at any moment to meet his Maker, to burst through into Paradise, to sail right out of the earthly realm into the heavenly, to march up to Saint Peter and point to his name in the Book of Everlasting Life, to soar twice around the moon before ricocheting towards the sun. His "Hallelujahs" were getting louder and louder. The moon above was growing brighter and brighter and the darkness around was deepening swiftly. Peterson stood up and began singing various parts of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, making up words to fit the tune. "For the Lord God is taking me somewhere! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! I'll have to wear a tie and cut my hair! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! I'll try not to fall down the stair! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Have I stayed too long at the fair! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Halle - " Suddenly the boat crashed through a barrier and skidded to a halt on solid ground. Peterson froze, trying to make sense of what he was seeing around him. It appeared that he had landed in the street of a small village. There were cottages, some nearly shacks, on either side of him and the road ahead looked to be paved with cobblestones. He looked behind him to see how his fellow travelers were taking this strange occurrence. Seven men were lying in the boat, asleep or unconscious. Two were stretched across the seats, four were scattered along the bottom and one was draped over the anvil in the stern. He raised his eyes to view the barrier he'd crashed through. He blinked, looked again and then vigorously rubbed his eyes. He brought his hands down from his face and then slowly re-opened his eyes. They were still there. They were somewhat battered and slightly damaged but they could only be described as pearly gates. They were a lustrous white. They were trimmed with a thin layer of gold. And they were surmounted with a row of small white orbs, with two larger ones at the center where they opened. As he stared at them in a mixture of ecstasy and terror, he was amazed to see them starting to repair themselves, seemingly of their own volition. Where they had been bent, they began to straighten. Anything broken, regrew or reshaped itself. Duller colors slowly brightened. While the gates renewed themselves, Peterson anxiously awaited the momentary appearance of St. Peter and hoped he wouldn't be too upset about the mishap. When no one arrived, he began to look around. The place was totally silent. It seemed deserted but he was sure that at any time a voice would boom out of the sky. He waited. The gates looked as though they'd never known the violation of Peterson's craft. And still no one. Nothing. Peterson decided it was time to explore a little. He jumped over the prow and landed on the cobblestones. He was quite disconcerted to discover a chain attached to a manacle on his ankle. The chain led to the boat and disappeared through an opening into the interior of the craft. He looked back inside to find that the chain twisted throughout the boat and each of the men wore a manacle that was linked to it. Peterson was flabbergasted. To find himself inside the pearly gates at last, but chained to seven unconscious humans, not to mention a boat. His mind raced. How to free himself? It struck him that each of the men must personify one of the seven deadly sins. And he was here to purge himself of them. What he needed was a key. With a key, he could unlock the manacles and be free. Suddenly, an invisible finger touched his forehead. The sensation struck and then he could feel it drifting away and he knew he must follow it. He began to walk down the street, dragging the boat behind him. Despite all expectations, the boat wasn't impossibly heavy to move. It felt as though he was pulling a wheeled cart. As he followed the invisible finger, he began to enumerate the sins he had to purge himself of. "Pride. Lust. Gluttony. Envy. Greed. Sloth. Anger." And then he began trying to puzzle out which evil would correspond with which of his companions.

Reviews

[TLK]

I think you forgot to press the enter key.