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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Waiting In Line at the Pearly Gates
Jonathan plucked at his glowing ivory robes as he peered down the line. “Is this the line to get into heaven?” he asked.
“Yep,” said the old man in front of him. “Been waiting here a while. The angels said there’s a bit of a backlog, but if we just wait our turn, we’ll be through before we know it.”
“Ah.” Jonathan rose up onto his tip-toes. “I don’t see the Pearly Gates.”
“Oh, they’re up there somewhere,” the old man said, waving his hand vaguely towards the fluffy white clouds which stretched off into the distance.
“Well, it sure looks nice up here,” Jonathan said, glancing down at his sandalled feet. “Just like what I imagined. White robes, halos…” He reached up to tap at the glowing ring hovering over his head. “Just, you know, figured that Saint Peter would be calling my name pretty quick.” He laughed nervously.
“Yup. Well, we’ll get there sooner or later.”
“Sooner or later,” Jonathan agreed, shuffling his feet.
He glanced around. The sky was blue as far as he could see, but there was no sign of any sun anywhere. No grass, no trees…
“So, is there any way to look down on Earth from up here?”
The old man ahead of him shrugged. “You know as much as I do. I guess you can ask when you get to the front of the line.”
“Ah.” Jonathan glanced behind him, then ahead again. “So uh, how long does it take for the line to move?”
The old man scratched the side of his nose. “I don’t really know. I haven’t seen it move since I got here.”
“Oh, right. Heh. You’ve probably not been waiting very long either.”
The old man shrugged.
“Right. I’ll just wait here.” Jonathan clasped his hands behind his back and began to whistle off-key as he rocked back and forth on his heels.
“Right this way,” said an angel as he walked along ahead of a family of four, a small child holding onto each of his hands while two women, one older, one younger, followed behind.
“So, uh, what happened to you folks?” Jonathan asked.
“Car crash,” the angel said hurriedly. “Their grandfather had a heart attack at the wheel. I’m just taking them ahead to join him.”
“Oh, uh, right.”
“This way, please.”
The line began to shift backwards as the people in front made space for the newcomers, Jonathan taking a few steps back across the wispy clouds as people in front of him started to mutter amongst themselves.
“Hey, Mister Angel?” Jonathan called. “Do you know how long it will be?”
The angel shook his head. “I just work here. I’m really busy. I’d offer to check, but, well, what’s a few hours waiting for eternity?”
Jonathan coughed. “Right.”
The angel waved his hand. “Good day.”
“Ugh, how long is this going to take?” Jonathan moaned.
“The angel said it wouldn’t be too long,” the old man said. “I think I can see the line moving ahead.”
“Finally. It feels like it has taken forever.”
Murmurs rippled down the line as the people in front began shifting backwards again.
“Ugh, what now?”
“It sounds like another big group. Some sort of terrorist attack in the Middle East.” He sighed. “Well, at least they made it here.”
“Yeah, I guess it doesn’t really matter now.” Jonathan said, even as he shuffled backwards a few more steps.
“Finally!” Jonathan said as the great golden gates of Heaven grew closer. “Only three more to go!”
“Told you we’d make it,” the old man said, chuckling.
Jonathan laughed and nodded his head, glancing back at the fluffy clouds stretched out interminably behind him. “Man, it feels like we’ve been waiting for weeks.”
The old man smiled briefly before turning forward and stepping up to the angel behind the book. After a brief, quiet conversation, the angel nodded and gestured towards the gates.
Jonathan let out a breath as the angel beckoned him forward.
“Name?”
“Jonathan Blovart.”
The angel checked his book. “Fifth line, straight through on the left.”
“Fifth line? I thought…”
“Common mistake. The pearly gates are pearls. This is just processing.”
Jonathan whimpered as he stepped through the gates, staring down at miles of people clustered in winding rows between red velvet ropes.
Behind him, the angel quickly stuffed his spiked tail back into his glowing robe.
“Yep,” said the old man in front of him. “Been waiting here a while. The angels said there’s a bit of a backlog, but if we just wait our turn, we’ll be through before we know it.”
“Ah.” Jonathan rose up onto his tip-toes. “I don’t see the Pearly Gates.”
“Oh, they’re up there somewhere,” the old man said, waving his hand vaguely towards the fluffy white clouds which stretched off into the distance.
“Well, it sure looks nice up here,” Jonathan said, glancing down at his sandalled feet. “Just like what I imagined. White robes, halos…” He reached up to tap at the glowing ring hovering over his head. “Just, you know, figured that Saint Peter would be calling my name pretty quick.” He laughed nervously.
“Yup. Well, we’ll get there sooner or later.”
“Sooner or later,” Jonathan agreed, shuffling his feet.
He glanced around. The sky was blue as far as he could see, but there was no sign of any sun anywhere. No grass, no trees…
“So, is there any way to look down on Earth from up here?”
The old man ahead of him shrugged. “You know as much as I do. I guess you can ask when you get to the front of the line.”
“Ah.” Jonathan glanced behind him, then ahead again. “So uh, how long does it take for the line to move?”
The old man scratched the side of his nose. “I don’t really know. I haven’t seen it move since I got here.”
“Oh, right. Heh. You’ve probably not been waiting very long either.”
The old man shrugged.
“Right. I’ll just wait here.” Jonathan clasped his hands behind his back and began to whistle off-key as he rocked back and forth on his heels.
“Right this way,” said an angel as he walked along ahead of a family of four, a small child holding onto each of his hands while two women, one older, one younger, followed behind.
“So, uh, what happened to you folks?” Jonathan asked.
“Car crash,” the angel said hurriedly. “Their grandfather had a heart attack at the wheel. I’m just taking them ahead to join him.”
“Oh, uh, right.”
“This way, please.”
The line began to shift backwards as the people in front made space for the newcomers, Jonathan taking a few steps back across the wispy clouds as people in front of him started to mutter amongst themselves.
“Hey, Mister Angel?” Jonathan called. “Do you know how long it will be?”
The angel shook his head. “I just work here. I’m really busy. I’d offer to check, but, well, what’s a few hours waiting for eternity?”
Jonathan coughed. “Right.”
The angel waved his hand. “Good day.”
“Ugh, how long is this going to take?” Jonathan moaned.
“The angel said it wouldn’t be too long,” the old man said. “I think I can see the line moving ahead.”
“Finally. It feels like it has taken forever.”
Murmurs rippled down the line as the people in front began shifting backwards again.
“Ugh, what now?”
“It sounds like another big group. Some sort of terrorist attack in the Middle East.” He sighed. “Well, at least they made it here.”
“Yeah, I guess it doesn’t really matter now.” Jonathan said, even as he shuffled backwards a few more steps.
“Finally!” Jonathan said as the great golden gates of Heaven grew closer. “Only three more to go!”
“Told you we’d make it,” the old man said, chuckling.
Jonathan laughed and nodded his head, glancing back at the fluffy clouds stretched out interminably behind him. “Man, it feels like we’ve been waiting for weeks.”
The old man smiled briefly before turning forward and stepping up to the angel behind the book. After a brief, quiet conversation, the angel nodded and gestured towards the gates.
Jonathan let out a breath as the angel beckoned him forward.
“Name?”
“Jonathan Blovart.”
The angel checked his book. “Fifth line, straight through on the left.”
“Fifth line? I thought…”
“Common mistake. The pearly gates are pearls. This is just processing.”
Jonathan whimpered as he stepped through the gates, staring down at miles of people clustered in winding rows between red velvet ropes.
Behind him, the angel quickly stuffed his spiked tail back into his glowing robe.