“Well, Pointdexter, since you don't really know if you belong up here, you should be careful, especially if you get to see the Big G.”
As they neared the top of the staircase, Dex’s eyes continued following the cloudy mist to where it touched the front of the beautiful Pearly Gates.
He followed St. Thomas to the gates. They were more beautiful than he had ever imagined. They towered so high above him; they made him feel like an ant in someone’s backyard.
St. Thomas opened the gates with a diamond encrusted key so they could enter. Dex was amazed to see the fabled streets of gold.
“Hey, Dexie,” whispered his old friend Brew.
“Shh! Someone might hear you.”
“But Dex, that Thomas guy left us standing here all alone.”
“Hey, you’re right,” Dex cried after looking around and seeing that St. Thomas was nowhere to be found. “Just great,” he shrugged. “Looks like we're alone again. What do you think we should do?”
“Well, Dex, I don't see any harm in taking a look around. Let’s see if we can find some fun here, since we missed our chance downstairs in Hell.”
“No, I don't like that idea. What’ll we do if we turn some corner and bump into God?”
“Don't be stupid, Dex. God doesn't walk around like some ordinary angel,” Brew replied. “Come on already, let’s just get going.”
“Alright, I mean, we are in Heaven and nothing could hurt us, right?” Dex said worriedly.
“Of course not. Besides what’s the worst that could happen? They’d just kick us back down to Hell,” Brew said sarcastically.
So off they went to discover the wonders of Heaven. They saw houses and buildings, all of which strangely resembled his own hometown. Although they had covered many blocks, not once had they seen anyone else walking around. So they continued looking.
Giving up on the idea of finding anyone, they rounded the next corner and Dex slammed right into a man wearing a long white robe with no golden sashes.
“I told you you'd bump into God, you fool!” Brew cried out.
Shocked, Dex looked at Brew and said, “No, you didn’t. You said we wouldn’t!”
“Oh no, my son! I'm not God. My name is St. Hood. But you can call me Skip,” said the man in white, who laughed at the idea of being mistaken for God. “You must be new around here. You look a little lost. Why don't you tell me what you’re looking for, and I'll help you if I can.”
“I really don't know what I'm looking for. I've been to Purgatory and Hell, and no one knows where I belong. So St. Thomas brought me up here and I haven't seen anyone since. Maybe you could tell me if this is where I belong?” Dex asked. He was getting somewhat desperate to find out if he had finally found a home.
“Gee, nothing like this has ever happened before. I think you'll have to go directly to the Big Guy himself. He's the only one who'll really know where you belong,” Skip replied as he wondered what to do with this strange situation.
Skip and Dex started off towards the place where Skip said they could find God. They walked down long white hallways and as they got closer to their destination, Dex started to see angels floating around. They all were the most stunningly beautiful beings he had ever seen. They were dressed in the brightest of whites and had enormous white feathery wings coming from the middle of their backs.
Interrupting Dex’s daydreaming, Brew whispered, “Hey, Dex, are we going to stand here all day? Here’s your opportunity to finally find out where we are going. And one more thing…FORGET MINDING YOUR MANNERS IN FRONT OF THE BIG GUY! I say you give him a piece of your mind for making us run all over the place.”
“Ugh, just be quiet, Brew. I’ve had about enough of you for one day,” Dex said with frustration.
Finally reaching their desired destination, Skip said his goodbyes and left. Dex then turned around, entered a large room, and found himself standing before a colossal sized bench, very much like the kind a judge uses.
“What do you want?” a voice said. It seemed to fill the entire room with its booming loudness.
“Well, your Honor, sir, umm, my Lord, uh, I’m not really sure what I should call you,” Dex began shakily. “I was wondering if perhaps, umm, maybe if you could tell me where I belong. No one seems to be able to find my name on any of their lists.”
“Let me check the master plans,” said the voice, again filling the room.
God opened an enormous dark brown leather bound book that was lying in front of him on the bench. As he began to flip through the pages, a buzzer rang. He pulled his attention away from the book and looked down at Dex. Quickly, the Lord said, “First time offender. Do over. Try again and come back next Tuesday.”
Poof!
A cloud of smoke enveloped Dex, and he was in yet another place of confinement. He shook the dazed feeling from his head and looked around. Before him everything appeared to be a haze of mixed hues. It was a collection of all the colors in a box of crayons. The haze enveloped him as he walked forward. Tinted streaks of light passed him by. Squinting, he realized flashes of color were everywhere, moving at a fast speed.
What is this place?
What am I doing here?
I feel so alone now.
Am I stuck here forever?
What am I going to do?
The thoughts flooded his mind, one after the other. Everything started to spin around him. Was he losing his mind?
Slamming his fists to his temples and squeezing his eyes shut, he screamed, “STOOOOOP!”
He stood there for a moment. All was quiet. Slowly, he peeked one eye open and then the other. Everything still looked the same but slower now. He was now able to see that the streaks of color were really people walking by. Their bodies left trails in the haze just like a boat leaves its trail in the water as it moves along.
Now that he was able to focus on what was going on around him, he saw there were hundreds of little children, middle-aged adults and old people, some so old they seemed to have been around since the beginning of time. As a red blur approached, he caught sight of a familiar face. He called out, “Miss Mason, what on earth are you doing here?”
A smile tried to peep through her face but soon disappeared. “What in Limbo are you doing here?” she corrected.
“What?”
“We are in Limbo, not on earth.”
“Well, what in Limbo are you doing here, then?”
“Some tall, dark fellow in a red suit said he was getting complaints that I was freezing Hell. Not sure what they meant, but they sent me here. And you?”
“I don't know where I belong and the 'Man Upstairs' said to come back next Tuesday. So now I’m more confused than ever.”
A haggard old man, the epitome of antediluvian culture, overheard the conversation and interjected, “It has always been thus. I was told the same thing and I'm still waiting. For the sake of King Solomon, I was only eleven years of age when I was struck down by a camel and sent here. Now look at me. We still age while stuck in Limbo.”
“Are you saying I’m stuck here in the in-between?” Dex said fearfully.
Suddenly a sharp pain coursed through Dex’s body. He looked down and saw a small child whose teeth were wrapped around his ankle. “Ouch! You stop that!” cried Dex. The child looked up at him and giggled. Detaching her mouth from his ankle she stood up and ran away laughing with a few comrades who were doing likewise.
“This place is so muddled, nothing is making sense here,” Dex cried. “I really need to get out of here before I go crazy.” He began to look around frantically for an exit. “Where's the out?” Dex wondered out loud.
“Please calm down. If you are in search of an exit, I believe there is one in the northern vicinity. But it's no good. You'll never get out,” said Miss Mason.
“Huh? Why not?” Dex asked.
“They keep it locked. I’ve never seen them open it,” Miss Mason replied.
Sounding desperate Dex cried, “I have to try! I have to get out of here an
d find out where I belong.”
“You don’t want to go there, you dufus! It’s much better if we stay here,” interjected Brew, who had just crept out of Dex's pocket.
Looking down at his pocket, Dex told him, “Shut up, you don’t know what you are talking about. I’m not staying here.”
He said his goodbyes before leaving Miss Mason and the decrepit man, and started running as fast as he could to the north.
He felt as though he was running weightlessly through space with stars and planets complete. Dex continued on until he practically collided with a huge iron door. This must be the exit Miss Mason was talking about. It stood eighteen feet tall and was rusted shut. It looked like it hadn't been opened in ages. There was neither a keyhole nor a knob, but they wouldn't be much help, considering he wouldn't be able to reach either.
Frantically, Dex pounded on the door and began to complain. “Listen, I don't belong here, and I will not be treated like this. I want to speak to the manager of this establishment,” he yelled.
“Fat chance, whiney butt!” remarked sarcastic old Brew. Dex didn’t acknowledge the insult and kept up his clamoring. He continued for what seemed like forever. His hands hurt, his throat became scratchy, but still he refused to stop. His fists turned red, his voice became almost nonexistent; and finally, overcome with fatigue, he slumped over.
***
As the rays of the morning sun shone through the window, a weary body shook itself to life. Dex yawned and suddenly realized where he was. “That was the weirdest dream I've ever had in my entire life,” he mumbled as he fell out of bed with a thump.
He stood up and noticed a stabbing pain in his ankle. He looked down and saw a tiny set of teeth marks. He furrowed his brow in confusion, trying to remember how they got there.
Honk! Honk! A car pulled up into the driveway. He walked over to his bedroom window to see who had arrived.
It was his best friends, Dave, Todd, and Brad. Looking up at his bedroom window they called out, “Hey! You coming or what? Party tonight! Let's go!”
“I'm comin'! I'm comin'!” Dex yelled as he laced up his shoes.
As he was making his way to the door, his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of the back pocket of his jeans. He looked at the screen. It said Unknown Caller. “Hello,” he said as he answered the phone.
“Don't forget about next Tuesday,” an ominous voice said and then the line went dead.
As he put the phone back in his jeans pocket, he looked around the room and noticed a beer can sitting on his desk. He walked over to the desk then picked it up to look at it. Confused, he placed it back down on the desk, shook his head and ran outside to meet his friends.
THE END ?
LIST OF WORKS CITED
Alighieri, Dante. Paradiso (The Divine Comedy #3). Trans. Dorothy L. Sayers. London:
Penguin, 1962
A Place To Go (In-Between Series #1) Page 2
