Keagan

17

The sun rose and everything fell as a young 17th year old boy in Los Angeles smiled and watched his vision go dark.

Alex was trembling while standing in line waiting for his turn to speak with the front desk; everything was new for him, (just like everyone’s first time, poor kid to have to have to experience that at such a young age, must have been worst then going to the DMV).
Alex did the most he could in this strangely curious world, which at the time was to clutch at the last remaining quarter he had, after giving his last one to a nice ferryman with an elegant white boat.
Finally, it was his turn, as he tried to hide his nervousness beneath a smile, which he was, honestly, able to do with some degree of success.
“Hello, Mr. Peter,” Alex said after reading the man’s name tag that pinned to his suit jacket. Mr. Peter looked a bit frail, with thin whispers of white hairs, though he still appeared to be quite stern and steady with a full beard of wispy white hairs.
“Good Morning, please state your first and last name,” Mr. Peter responded.
“Alex Ramsey.”
“Oh, how cool, a lot of our residents and employees in our downstairs department are a big fan of your father’s show.”
“Ya, a lot of people are,” though he quickly squelched the thought, “I have all my paperwork here.”
“Oh good, yes, well, umm okay all seems to be in order here, birth certificate, proof of residence, second chance application, three forms of ID. Okedoke, so if you don’t mind me asking how did it happen.”
“Ya, it was rope burn, who would have guessed. Am I right?”
“You’re not wrong,its funny how it always seems to be the strangest things. One guy I knew got trampled by a chariot at a Black Friday event. Well that’s what he got for trying to get his chariot pulled by an Elephant. What an idiot. Also you shouldn’t text and drive.’
“Anyways go ahead and take a sit inside and once your number is called just go ahead and open the door at the end of the hall, and the Big Guy will tell you where to go.”
And, it was at this moment that Alex was truly lost, “Wait, but I thought it was you who tell us where we go.”
“Well, not anymore, with the economy the way it is, we’ve had to limit our staff, and the Holy See interceptions of the new laws, it’s just easy for the Big Guy to make the final decision. You know how it is, bureaucracy and all that. Just go ahead and take a number and wait for it to be called.”
“Uhhh, okay.” Alex said taking a number and heading inside, though still not quite sure of the whole situation.
They he carried on regardless, and entered the building listed as Purgatory. While Alex thought that was a funny name for a building.
Upon entering the room, he could see hundreds of people, some standing around making conversation with the other “Residents-To-Be”, others were just simply sitting waiting in their nervous silence, for their numbers to be called.
Alex started to look for a seat, knowing he would have to wait a while, after seeing the number on the television screen; which honestly left him quite puzzled because the number on the screen was 320,786 but the number on his sheet was “L”, or maybe a capitol I, it wasn’t quite clear.
After a bit of time he finally found a seat next to a, quite frankly, weird man that had a funny mustache much like Charlie Chaplain.
“Guten Tag, Sprechen Sie Deutsch?” he asked after Alex took a seat. Alex’s face of confusion clearly showed that he did not “Sorry, mine name is Adolf. What is your name?”
“Alex. Alex Ramsey.”
“Ramsey from die Ramsey.”
“Yes, exactly him.”
“Ja,Ja , I absolutely love his show, sometimes they play it on the televisions here, I used to actually love cooking, ja, it was one of mine secrets.”
“Ohh, really want do you know about cooking.”
“Mine vater always told me, ‘Nothing lives at 400 degrees.”
“Oh were you a chief before.”
“No, no, not really, you could save a baker, but it was only a hobby, but that was a while ago, when the glorious PANZER, was just invented and we made glorious blitzkrieg across Europa. Tell me what do you think of Europa?”
Suddenly Alex, realized who he was actually speaking too, and found himself in a very sticky situation, much like his 9th birthday. Though then it was a very different kind of sticky. Though luckily he didn’t have to answer because just at that moment a number was called over the speakers.
“320,786”
What preceded that was a loud rucksack as people looked into their pockets seeing if the number called was theirs, followed by a loud murmur of voices trying to find out who did win. After a second a loud scream was heard, which was then followed by a long string of incomprehensible words, which sounded like German.
“JA, JA, aufweidersehen Herr. Ramsey, hopefully the Big Guy didn’t forget about his son.” After that he ran off to the door at the end of the hall to greet the fate that awaited him.
Alex felt a wave of relief leave him to watch him go and hoped that the man leaving would get what he would get his just dues.
After thinking that Alex wondered what justice awaits him beyond The-Door-At-The-End-Of-Hall. Knowing that buying the ticket here with your own hands is not supported by the church, and he could feel the nervous chill creeping up his back about his future, and what awaits him beyond this.
“Greeting my fellow man,” said a voice from behind him. It was a man, wearing a simple toga. The man before him appeared to look like one of those guys who just appeared trustworthy and wise.
“Who are you?”
“My name is not so important, but what is important is why you are here.”
“No reason”
He continued to look at me, as silence passed in between us.
“Don’t talk much do you, cat got your tongue?” as he said that a man two seats to the left of Alex got up crying and yelling.
“It wasn’t Ms. Fluffy’s fault. She was just pressured by that Mr. Grumpy meme on the internet.”
“Don’t worry about him, some have trouble dealing with their new ‘living’ situations. Now tell me how did you get here, you obviously do not seem phased this trauma.”
“Rope burns”
“It is often quite tragic how the youth of your day often seem to destroy themselves. It is quite a shame to see such great talent go to waste.”
“What do you know?”
At that he chuckled a bit before continuing on, “When I used to be able to walk the great halls people often said that I was the smartest of all men. And that statement held some great truth, because I of all men knew that I know nothing.”
“You’re Socrates, the great Greek philosopher of Athens.”
“Very inquisitive, come let us walk and enjoy our time together before it goes.” And with that we began to walk the great halls of Purgatory.
“So why are you here? In this room I mean, shouldn’t you be upstairs? Or down?”
“Always asking questions I see. I had a second chance, but nowadays I work somewhat like a messenger for the Big Guy. Making sure everyone is calm and everything goes smoothly. Though some people have to wait longer like the gentleman that was sitting next to you before. Some have to have to wait dozens of years, others 5 minutes, no one knows for sure.”
Alex began to open his mouth to ask Socrates for another question, but was quickly interrupted.
“And no Alex, I do not assist in the decision.” Abruptly, a noise came from Socrates’ toga. “Oh, sorry, can you give me a second please,” he said as he drew an iPhone6 from his pocket.
“Socrates, here! Oh, yes! Greeting Immanuel how are you today? Good, good… Ya me too. That is a good argument but, Mr. Kant, what if a man acts good with bad intention, for example he or she donates money to a school, but only because their child attends that school is that not a good act. Yes but then it is immoral because he was driven by the greed to help only his family. You see human actions and inactions are hard to understand and intercept, you see your theory sounds good, but on paper it would not stand. Yes, Yes, indeed some men do get a second chance and that is subjective, it hardly ever happens.” The argument came to end after 30 more minutes of this constant debate, until it seemed that Socrates came to a victory.
“Oh I wish I was born in your times. I absolutely love your youth’s instant communication.”
“Socrates with an iPhone6 who would have imagined?”
“It’s actually an iPhone7s, a gift from Steve Jobs, me and him are basically bros.”
They continue on walking as Socrates had Alex greet other people employee working as well as other residents-to-be.
Alex had never been so happy, for him this was the closest he would probably get to his eternal peace. Regardless, it brought him joy to be there with touching the shoulders’ of giants and meet the faces of great men that were gods of their time. They endured their hardships, and went forward in the face of all else, bringing another one of those thoughts that Alex always quickly squelches, but for once did not.
One such group they walked by were a group of Russian. And one of the men speaking looked suspiciously like Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin.
“Yes, Alex that is Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin. Him, Lenin, Stalin, and Gorbachev all meet every 5 years, for their annual 5 Year Work Plan.”
“But wait, how can Vladimir be here, he’s the President of the Russian Federation.”
“After Crimea no one dares to interfere with Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin. And technically he was assassinated last year, during his very legal and peaceful ‘rescue of Russian land’, but we are all too afraid to tell him, and some men are lucky enough for second chances.”
“Were would he go when he is finally told. I mean when he finally comes here.”
“That is always a hard question. For everyone, including you. The funny thing is, Alex, we may choose the path we walk and even how far we will walk. But we can not choose who we will meet, nor where our destination lies; and, no one, not even the big guy in all whites knows.” He said looking deep in the dark blues eyes of Alex. “Our fate is not in our hands. Because your fate does not affect only you, but everyone, those you have met today, and those you left behind in yesterday. Those are the choices we live with, and the fate we face.’
“Like I said before some end up wanting years, others weeks, most days, but you, your time is now.” He ended as the TV changed and the speakers sang, the number “L”.
“One last question.”
“Okay shoot.”
“Why L?”
“Why, because of Lazarus of course.” And before he had the chance to ask any other questions, they were already in front of THE-DOOR-AT-THE-END-OF-THE-HALL which so long ago, seemed so far away. “Hurry, it is very rude to keep the Big Guy waiting. He only gets one break a week you know.”
And then there Alex, unsure of his future, unknowing of what lay beyond, but he did not fear, breathing in one final breath. Alex stared at the door handle and slowly turned the knob.