Celestial Kingdom

by Stan Mason

  At that moment, Brendan Moses entered the room to satisfy himself that everything was in order.

  ‘Are we still wearing the same shirt with ‘Hubba-Hubba!’ on it?’ he asked with an element of amusement in his voice.

  ‘Sure thing!’ replied the messenger. ‘I’m consistent if nothing else. Do you have a problem with that?’

  ‘What you’re telling me is that you haven’t taken it off to be washed since I last saw you.’ challenged the tracer in despair.

  ‘He still won’t let me touch his hair,’ bleated the make-up artist. ‘He prefers to be seen as a tramp!’

  ‘Just my luck!’ muttered the tracer with a smile. ‘I find the right man for the programme who portrays the wrong image. Absolutely the wrong image!’

  ‘Don’t worry about it,’ laughed Warrior easily. ‘I’ll still be the star of the show.’

  ‘You certainly will be,’ cut in Dobson, unable to hold his tongue. ‘Definitely!’

  All eyes moved towards him in surprise but he stubbornly looked straight ahead into the mirror without revealing any more.

  ‘What do you mean by that?’ asked Brendan Moses with concern. Fireworks in the programme were one thing but deviousness and underhandedness would not be tolerated. ‘You’re going to speak against him so why will he be the star of the programme?’

  Dobson remained obdurate, moving his shoulders slightly as though he didn’t care. ‘I’m not fool enough to tell you now, am I? Just you wait and see!’

  The tracer stared at Warrior in the mirror with a puzzled expression on his face. ‘Any idea what he’s talking about?’

  The messenger shook his head slowly, much to the annoyance of the make-up artist who was trying to apply a delicate black crayon around the edges of Warrior’s eyes. ‘No idea. He’s the one from the Christian Action Group.’

  ‘Perfectly correct,’ retorted Dobson curtly. ‘I’m from the Christian Action Group and we’ve got something to surprise you. Chum!’ He closed his mouth deciding not to say another word for fear of releasing the damning information in his possession.

  ‘You are not my chum!’ reproached Warrior sharply. ‘Don’t ever call me that again!’

  The tracer shrugged his shoulders aimlessly wondering what Dobson had up his sleeve. However it was clear that the man was going to keep his secret until later on so he turned his attention to the messenger. ‘Don’t forget what you were told last time. Look directly at the presenter and not to the camera lens. Ignore the audience and don’t respond to heckling!’

  ‘I know, I know,’ responded Warrior impatiently as though he had enjoyed years of experience in front of the camera. He had learned an awful lot from his previous performance such as hesitation, holding back in favour of the presenter, insufficiency of preparation of the message, and the personal feeling of inadequacy. He was well aware of these imperfections and had prepared himself properly this time. HE encouraged himself not to hesitate, had prepared his message much more carefully, and he no longer felt inadequate. The best thing about it was that television was a protected media. At meetings in village halls he had been pelted with objects by the audience but here, in the peace of the studio, no one could touch him. It was a safe haven and he revelled in it!

  After Warrior and Dobson had been made-up, they left the room together. Trevor-Edwards and the Professor were already on the set.

  ‘James,’ began the presenter informally for he knew the other man personally. ‘ I’d like you to shake up the programme today’ Last time we ran through the gamut of ‘One Heaven, Many Gods!’ I don’t want to tread over the same old ground today.’

  ‘In what way do you want me to shake it up?’ asked the Professor.

  ‘I’d like you to play Devil’s Advocate. Would you mind?’

  ‘I ask again, how do you want me to shake it up?’

  The presenter allowed some thoughts to pass through his mind. ‘I know you support a faith with a single God but I’d like you to work the show from the other side... just for today.’

  ‘That’s a rather tall order,’ muttered Parfitt extremely annoyed at being asked to reduce the value of his faith. ‘I’m not sure I can do it.’

  ‘Well maybe you can play both sides at once. I mean you have knowledge of the many Gods and Goddesses in ancient religions. You can pussy-foot around saying that it’s not such a bad thing to worship many Gods but, at the same time, tell the viewers that your regard it as a privilege to pray to the one single God. Something on those lines being on both sides at once.’

  ‘It’s not in my nature,’ complained the Professor becoming angry at the suggestion. ‘You know that!’

  A brief smile appeared on the face of Trevor-Edwards. ‘You owe me one for that day at Cheltenham,’ he pressed. ‘If you do this we’ll be even.’ The presenter was beginning to turn the screw for a past favour in order to create an imbalance in the programme in favour of the messenger. He already had his eye on a third programme with Warrior but it all depended on how it fared out on this particular evening. Since Warrior’s last appearance, the ratings of the studio had increased by over five per cent. It was important to keep it moving in that direction to ensure a return of the programme next year.

  The Professor huffed and puffed for a while trying to reconcile the situation in his mind. Then his resolve collapsed and he reluctant agreed. ‘Very well, ‘ he conceded. ‘Leave it to me. I’ll see what I can do.’ In truth, he had no idea how he was supposed to perform on the programme in a dual role but he was angry at having been asked. Swiftly, his attitude changed towards the presenter substantially for the imposition.

  Outside, in the hallway, Warrior took hold of Dobson’s arm and pulled the man towards him. ‘What did you mean by that comment in there?’ he demanded menacingly, his eyes piercing those of the elder man.

  ‘Wait and see!’ remarked Dobson tensely, quivering with fear at the thought of being struck by the other man.

  ‘How will I become a star of the programme?’ The messenger’s face became exceedingly intimidating. ‘Tell me now or I’ll punch your face in!’

  Dobson, however, realised that the programme was just about to start so there was no serious threat to him. ‘I’m not telling you,’ he went on bravely, pretending that he wasn’t scared although he was shaking in his shoes. ‘You’ll find out soon enough!’

  Warrior stared at the man’s face intently for a few moments and then released him. There was no point in entering into fisticuffs on something that eventually proved to be unimportant. Nonetheless, Dobson clearly had something up his sleeve which he felt might shatter the ambitions of the messenger. It was a kind of time-bomb with the minutes ticking away before it exploded. He warned himself to expect something unusual and he wouldn’t have to wait long... he would soon find out.

  Fifteen minutes later, a buzz ran through the studio and everyone took their places on the set. The present knew that it was going to be the biggest show of the week and he wanted to capitalise on it to its fullest extent. As the red light indicator flashed on the first camera he stared directly at it to start the programme. ‘Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to another edition of ‘Hot Shot!’ the programmed that brings you topics of a sensitive or delicate nature which affects all our lives in one way or another. It’s a show where people portray their emotions, their grief, their sorrow, their problems, a show where angels fear to tread. A few weeks ago, one of our guests was Stephen Warrior who tried to advise us to pray to many Gods and Goddesses in the celestial kingdom, We have him once again but this time there is Professor Parfitt of Grantham University who holds the chair in religious studies of the ancients. Welcome to the show, Professor. Can you give us some of your views on religion especially with regard to Mr. Warrior message?’

  Parfitt stared at the presenter directly and cleared his throat. ‘Everyone appears either to have th
eir own religion or none at all,’ he began. Millions of people in the West follow Christianity; many of those in the East follow Islam. There are a number of smaller religions in between such has Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism Judaism, and many tinier ones. People have a choice but they usual follow the religions of their parents. And we must also realise there are many agnostics and atheists especially in these days of technology and science where more information on how the world actually was formed comes to light.

  ‘How do people regard their faith?’ cut in the presenter.

  ‘Some are fervent, some moderate, others rather indifferent. All you need to do is to ask the man in the street when he last went to church, You may be surprised at the response. But I recall being on a bus in Cairo when at noon one day, everyone alighted and prayed on the pavement to the east before climbing back on the bus again.’ The Professor was annoyed to have been asked one question and then cut off to face a different one. This was not the kind of programme he was used to appearing on.

  ‘Would you say that people follow their religion with blind faith?’ The presenter intended to draw out the subject as quickly as possible.

  ‘All faith is blind. It has to be when you can’t see God or Allah. We know nothing about Heaven or the spiritual world. We’re completely ignorant and if we follow a religion it has to be blind faith.’

  ‘Can you assure us that the major religions in the world are actually bona fide?’

  ‘No one can say yay or nay to that one,’ ranted the Professor feeling that he was being inundated with difficult questions. Christ, Mohammed and the other philosophers had visions and they acted upon them. As time passed by, Holy Books appeared, stories of their wisdom was carried forth, and people follow their ideals because they want to do so., The question of whether they’re bona fide is irrelevant!’

  ‘How about the Hindu religion. Hindus pray to many Gods, don’t they?’

  ‘They pray to over a thousand Gods,’ related the Professor flatly. He realised that he was being led and it made him feel hot under the collar. ‘I mean there’s nothing wrong in praying to many Gods. It simply depends on what a person believes in. That’s what faith is all about. Believing!’

  The presenter started to become ruthless in his approach. He had his guest on a skewer and he was turning it slowly over the fire. ‘So Mr. Warrior is not incorrect in asking people to pray to many Gods. We may be wrong to pray to a single God.’.’

  ‘No! That’s not the case at all. As I said, it depends on what one wants to believes. People become comfortable in their religion. They become used to it and its familiar with them.’

  At that point, the presenter decided to invite the messenger to offer his contribution and he waved his hand towards him. ‘Let’s hear what Mr. Warrior had to say about that. Mr. Stephen Warrior!’

  The messenger followed in the footsteps of the Professor accompanied by hisses and boos from the audience.

  ‘He’s absolutely correct. There’s no harm in praying to the many Gods as the Hindus do. Each God represents one element of our lives whether it relates to the weather or love or work or crops or leisure. They feel neglected through our lack of prayer to them. And they can protect us from the ravages of nature, from the evil that currently exists in the world, and even more importantly from each other.’

  ‘That’s all very well,’ cut in the presenter, ‘but we have only your word for it. Where’s the proof?’

  ‘If you want proof here and now I can’t produce it,’ retorted Warrior flatly. ‘It was said that faith is blind. Is there any difference in believing in the Gods and Goddesses blindly that following a single one? Of course not! However by believing in one single God, the people lose the protection of all the other Gods. In my mind, that’s a terrible risk to take especially when you read about all the bad things happening in this world today. A terrible risk! You see blind faith in one single God isn’t working for the people. They need something more. I pointed out the tragedies occurring in today’s world in a newspaper in the last programme. Floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, drought, hunger, disease, poverty, crime, illness, the list goes on and on. Yet people still pray to one single God. It’s incredible really! Is that all your single God offers you. Well if you’re satisfied, go on believing blindly but its to your own disadvantage, that’s all I can say. A lot of these problems will be resolved if you pray to the many Gods and Goddesses in the celestial kingdom. We’re all alive. We’re all here this very day. Think on this, how was that possible before Jesus Christ was born? Yes there was war, because there’s a God of war and they say the Israelites were slaves... because they always believed in one God. They didn’t have the protection. When it all adds up, no one loses anything by praying to the Gods but they can benefit greatly.’ This was Warrior’s finest oration and he knew it. All the preparation had been worthwhile even though it was merely to expound a single theory to the watching public.

  ‘That sounded like an element of proof, Professor,’ taunted the presenter loosely, ‘but let’s introduce our third guest, Mr. Gordon Dobson of the Christian Action Group.’ He waved an arm towards the older man and turned to him with interest. ‘What’s the aim of this group, Mr. Dobson?’

  The older man ran the index finger of his right hand alone his white moustache nervously before speaking. ‘We’re a counter group resisting the nonsense spouted by Mr. Warrior. We intend to prevent him from exploiting his seditious views against Christianity,’ he uttered in a low voice.

  ‘Are you a new group formed simply to do that or do you have another purpose?’ asked Trevor-Edwards, widening the scope of the debate.

  ‘We’re against everything Mr. Warrior says. We follow Christian principles and the Christian faith. We refuse to have our religion denigrated by a man with a criminal record. A murderer!’

  There was a long pause as everyone tried to make sense of his comment. He was a member of a religious group making serious allegations against another individual on television.

  ‘Would you care to clarify that comment?’ enquired the presenter almost on the edge of his seat with excitement. This was a development he could have never hoped for and it would certainly increased the programme’s ratings with the public. Despite the sensitive and delicate topics handled in the programme, and the vitriolic remarks and fisticuffs that had occurred occasionally, no one had ever introduced slanderous comments or even held anyone else responsible for any evil act or deed. Suddenly, in one sentence, everything was placed in jeopardy!

  ‘Indeed I shall,’ continued Dobson with the bit between his teeth. At last he could bring the information he had discovered to the notice of the public and he did so with confidence. ‘The person here who you know as Stephen Warrior was arrested and charged by the police for arson and the murder of his parents.’ A hush fell over the audience as almost two hundred pairs of eyes stared at the elderly man who produced a photocopy of an old newspaper from his pocket. ‘It’s all here in a Sunday newspaper in black and white. He’s a murderer! Furthermore, a few days ago, the police found a charred body of a man by the name of Gabby Saunders on the altar at St. Michael’s church. There’s a possibility he was involved in that too.’

  The allegations bit through the atmosphere like a hot knife cutting through butter. Suddenly there was an uproar among the studio audience. It was the same throughout the nation with those people who were watching the programme. There was nothing more daunting than an accusation of that seriousness to incite horror and anger against an individual, especially one trying to influence the public with a message from the Gods. Warrior’s face went white with fury and he suddenly realised what Dobson had meant when he mentioned that he would be the star of the show!

  Brendan Moses was standing in the Control Room watching with interest when Dobson revealed his secret. He ran up and down excitedly commanding the Controller to switch to a close-up of Dobson’s face an
d then to Warrior, before panning the irate audience. This was fantastic television! Stupendous! Definitely one that would increase the ratings phenomenally! However his prime interest was to learn what Warrior had to say in response to the allegations.

  ‘May I see the article?’ asked the messenger furiously.

  Dobson passed it across to him with a smirk on his face. ‘I have more copies, you know,’ he murmured in a paranoid fashion as though the other man intended to tear it up into little pieces.

  The messenger ignored the comment and read the article quickly while Trevor-Edwards asked Dobson to outline the details.

  ‘Apparently,’ continued the older man, ‘Stephen Warrior was arrested on the charges of arson and the murder of both of his parents. He obviously burned them to death. It happened over eight years ago.’

  ‘But if he did that, how come he’s with us here today and not in prison serving a sentence?’ intervened the Professor bluntly.

  ’I couldn’t find a follow-up’ admitted Dobson somewhat sheepishly. ’But it’s there in black and white... in a public newspaper!’

  The presenter turned to the messenger who had just finished reading the article. ’Do you have anything to say about this article, Mr. Warrior?’ He despised the fact that he had to turn away from the topic of religion but, like Brendan Moses , he recognised the value of the increase in the television ratings. How wonderful it was to have a murderer on the programme who happened to be his star subject!

  ’Yes I have!’ countered the messenger reacting angrily. ’I certainly have! I don’t understand it. This article was published originally over twelve years ago.’