From Hell

by Seth Barder

There had to be a way to get a message through. Josh thought about this as they walked back down the same sidewalk they came from. But if no one could hear or see him, simply showing up and talking to his daughter was out of the question. How do angels get through, and demons for that matter? From what Josh could see they just walked up and whispered. But Josh couldn’t even yell to get anyone to hear him, how was he supposed to whisper? What else was there? Cats can see them, or sense them, or something like that, Josh still wasn’t too clear. But how was Josh to get a cat to let someone know about Nikki? He’d need to find someone who could talk to cats.

  “A cat whisperer,” Josh amusingly thought to himself.

  He started to realize how outlandish his thinking was taking him so he pushed the cat idea aside. Still, he believed there had to be a way. What about people who can speak to the dead? He'd heard of mediums, palm readers, and the like who claimed to speak to the dead but he was never really sure whether they were legit or not. Now he was beginning to believe there was more to them than he’d realized. If regular people couldn’t hear him, maybe one of those types of people could because they’re more in tune with the “other side”, just like cats were. Maybe since Josh was in-between heaven and hell right now he might be able to get a message to his daughter. It was worth a try at least.

  “Hey, Driton.” Josh wanted to be careful with his question, “Can we stop somewhere first before you take me to heaven?”

  Driton turned around, a little puzzled why anyone would want to go anywhere else than heaven, “Where would you rather go?”

  “I wanna stop by one of those mediums or palm readers or whatever they're called so I can try to get a message to my daughter Nikki.” Inwardly Josh cringed in anticipation of Driton’s answer.

  “What are you hoping they’ll do for you?”

  Josh was careful in how he explained it, trying to use Driton’s compassion for others as a tool to help him. “Well, I was gonna ask them to search for my daughter and tell her to find a church, read her Bible, and accept Jesus as her Savior.” It was a reasonable request. One Josh hoped Driton couldn't refuse.

  “Uh...,” Driton had a look on his face as though wondering whether Josh knew what he was asking, “You can't do that.”

  “Why not? Other people do it.”

  “Yeah, but those are different people.”

  “What, like they’ve changed somehow? What those who swear the person they see is the one they called? I mean, not everyone is in heaven or hell right? Look at me. You can’t be the only angel guiding a lost soul around, protecting them. Thanks by the way.” he said as an afterthought, “Those angels have to have had compassion on the one they brought out of hell, allowing them to get in contact with, at the very least, their family, not to mention their own child.” He hoped mentioning a child would be the thing that tipped the scale in his favor, it’s partially why he used it.

  Driton knew Josh wouldn't believe any reason he gave as to why this wouldn’t work so, he looked to the ground, and sighed. Josh took it to mean he was finally giving in. He’d convinced Driton to do something he wouldn’t normally do.

  “Follow me,” Driton said.

  Josh followed but was painfully aware he’d disappointed Driton. Josh felt a little guilty but, as an angel, how could Driton know what it was like to have a child and worry whether they’d grow up knowing the wonderful life God has planned for them? Josh knew it couldn’t be easy for Driton to grasp this, how could it? He could only hope Driton would be able to see what Josh means when Nikki hears from him, then he’d be able to empathize better with the next person. He kept telling himself this, and other things like it, until he’d convinced himself what he did was okay. Any other thought he pushed to the side so he wouldn’t dwell on it.

  Back in the city Josh was better able to keep his mind occupied on other things. The city had so much going on he didn’t have time to think about what he’d said or how it affected Driton. There was a new movie playing at the Cineplex. The poster advertising the movie was pretty vague on what it was about. Josh stared at it as he walked past. Nope, he still wasn’t sure if he’d want to see it. There was some actor he’d never seen before so wasn’t sure if he’d like it or not.

  People walked by talking into their sleek cell phones, loud enough no one could be accused of eavesdropping. Josh smiled as he heard a woman giving what he assumed to be her husband a piece of her mind. He looked across the street. The restaurant, Taj Majal, had branched out, opening a new chain here in the downtown area. Josh was amazed they were able to do it so fast. He was glad, it was good food, from what he could remember, he just didn’t know it had gotten so popular that quickly.

  Josh casually glanced to his right at a man sitting on a bench reading his newspaper. Time looked as though it slowed. A demon stood behind the man, calmly placing his hands on his shoulders. It leaned in towards his ear. Josh slowed down some. He faintly but distinctly overheard the demon telling the man there was a woman coming his way and wondered if she was good-looking. Josh looked in front of himself, then to his left. All around him time almost stood still, but it didn't. Everyone and everything crept at almost a snails pace. Only Josh, Driton, and every other spiritual beings moved normally.

  A few feet behind him Josh saw the woman but time had returned to normal and she walked past. The man on the bench watched her as she casually strolled by talking on her cell phone. Josh couldn’t read his mind but he could read the look on his face. He'd had that same look when an attractive woman walked by him. He remembered what he'd heard in his head as well. He remembered wondering what they looked like, what were they wearing, and would they think he was attractive. Then there were the feelings that came with all of it: the excitement of something new, the sudden surge of testosterone, and the other impulsive feelings that came with it. Josh felt like an idiot now though, allowing himself to be duped like that. Because Josh could also remember how, after he allowed it to control him so many times, he wouldn’t need to be coaxed into a “harmless glance”. He’d done it for so long it became second nature for him. He felt horrible for the man. Even if he were able to fight off the attacks Josh knew it wouldn’t be his only battle. The demon would probably try to wear the man out. If it was unsuccessful it may go out and get other demons to help it. But the man didn’t even put up a fight. The woman continued on, walking by him without even a glance, either failing to notice or simply ignoring him. Josh thought back to the preacher and wondered if this man had been a faithful Christian too. He might have even been married to a wonderful woman, but with a little nudge he was already doing something he’d never thought he’d do. He had looked at a woman and lusted after her.

  “This is…,” Josh almost cussed but caught himself. Driton, who’d gone on a little further, heard Josh and turned, “How can you go on your daily lives knowing most of these, if not all these, people are going to hell?” Josh was angrier at his past sins than he was at Driton.

  “We can’t force people Josh, everyone’s got…”

  “…free will.” Josh nodded almost disgustingly, “Yeah I know. God wants us to choose Him instead of Him making us believe, I get it. That would mean there are literally billions of people who think they’re going to heaven, or some kind of eternal peace…place, but’re really going to hell.”

  “Billions upon billions, Josh. All because they refuse to be faithful to Jesus’ teachings. And they don’t all think they’re going to, ‘some eternal peace…place’. Many will be sent to hell simply because they think God, the church, and reading the Bible are too boring. They’ll put it all aside so they can have a little fun. For a little bit of happiness for themselves here on earth they’re willing to sacrifice their eternity.”

  “‘Billions upon billions’!?” Josh could hardly believe the number, “Is that true?” He thought he’d heard there were three hundred million people in America alone, if billions were going to hell the odds of Nikki going to heaven were looking slim.

  “The
exact number varies. No one knows but God, and free will keeps the rest of us guessing. One day there might be six billion the next six billion and one.”

  “That’s a lot of people.” Josh said to himself, thinking of the small number of different religions he knew off the top of his head. Then he looked at the people around city.

  The man on the bench was gone, so was the woman. Time had slipped away from Josh. It might be the next day and he wouldn’t even know it. “People pass away every day,” Josh remembered his mother telling him. He wondered who might have died already. Maybe that man on the park bench, maybe the woman who walked by, or possibly the woman in the apartment building. He imagined the look on their faces the moment they pass away and enter into that expansive darkness with only an ominous light above them as though showcasing the next event in some kind of wicked slaughterhouse game. How many of them will even consider calling out to God? How many others will remain angry with Him, believing it was God who sent them there? Maybe over the decades as they’re tortured they’ll finally come to understand it was them all along who sealed their own fate. Josh’s heart went out to these people. He thought he was beginning to understand why Driton had so much compassion for everyone. Josh hadn’t been doing this as long as he had, but he was already becoming concerned for every human on earth.

  By the time Josh snapped out of his daze the sun was well beyond the horizon of the western sky. He stared at the colorful markings it left on the clouds above it. He thought of God and imagined Him placing everything: the clouds, the sun, even placing Josh right there where he’d be able to see it, all there just for Josh to have an example of how beautiful God must be and that He loves him so much He’s willing to orchestrate the heavens to show it. It made Josh want to cry. He followed Driton in silence as they left the tall modern buildings of the city. Through the older, shorter, ones until those were gone as well. By the time they reached the outskirts of the city the sky was a purplish-blue mingled with some red streaks. Above that the stars were beginning their twinkling delight. Driton led Josh through a neighborhood where the houses weren’t necessarily old, probably built sometime in the late fifties early sixties, but were still well maintained. Driton stopped at one of the houses and looked at it for a moment.

  The sky was dark now. The porch light in the front only shined out a few feet from the house but served its purpose. Another light could be seen from one of the two windows behind white curtains that had been pulled closed. A rather nice car was parked by the curb, a long model probably belonging to someone in the middle to upper-middle class. Josh stared at the house and then the car trying to deduce who lived here and why Driton brought him.

  “Come on. Let's go,” Driton urged again and they started towards the house.

  Chapter 8