by Stan Mason
‘Tell me about the false accusation you made which ruined another teacher’s career.’
I hesitated to think for a moment. ‘Yes,’ I ranted miserably. That was Morgan Jones, the Welsh teacher who taught maths and history. He was miserable in nature and tried to take geography away from me. We had many disagreements and we disliked each other very much. Some money was stolen from the Secretary’s office and I told the Headmaster that Jones had admitted to me that he had taken it.’
‘But he didn’t, did he,’ came the accusation. ‘You lied and lost him his job.’
I felt sudden regret for the misdeed but it was far too late to repair the situation. ‘I’m sorry I did that,’ I uttered sadly. ‘It was unfair and wrong. I can only blame myself for his dismissal.
‘What about your driving offence? Have you forgotten that too?’
I paused to think about her comment. What was the point of me relating my sins to her? She seemed to know everything about my life in advance. In that case, why was I here having to relate all the bad things I had done in the past. ‘Yes,’ I admitted although I realised that my admission was also far too late. ‘I knocked down a man one night while driving home. I was having an affair with a woman, a fellow teacher at the time. I had just left her and was driving home when, without warning, a man stepped off the pavement into the road right in front of me and I hit him. In my panic, I failed to stop, driving on without finding out whether or not he was injured and I didn’t advise the police of the accident or call for an ambulance. It was a desperate and cowardly thing to do.’
‘Can I take it that it’s something you’re not proud of,’ continued the angel.
‘Proud of!’ I declared truthfully. ‘That incident haunted me for the rest of my life.’
‘Therefore, in a nutshell,’ summarised the angel swiftly, ‘it appears that you ruined the life of another teacher maliciously with a false accusation, which had the effect of destroying his life and that of his wife and children. You broke your marriage vows by having an illicit affair with another woman which caused her marriage to break up. I think you’re well aware that she and her husband divorced each other some time later because of it. You alienated your wife when she learned about the affair. And you drove away from the scene of a motor vehicle accident on that fateful evening when you injured a man badly by knocking him down with your vehicle. You see, if you had called an ambulance, he would have recovered and led a normal life, As it happened, both he and his family suffered from that incident for the rest of their lives. I have to say, with respect, that your actions weigh very heavily against you.’
I suddenly realised why this place was nominated as the Dome of Despair. Every person who came here left filled with guilt on all the evil things they had done during their past life. It was the time when all the skeletons were raked out of the cupboard and presented to the individual. ‘I would love to say that I saved the life of someone who fell in a river,’ I went on weakly, ‘or that I helped someone trapped in a car crash, or that I was responsible for assisting many needy people during my lifetime, but clearly that’s not the case. I was a merely a pawn in a giant game of chess of life... an ordinary modest teacher with no evil or maliciousness in mind.’
‘Except when you caused such serious problems for the teacher who was eventually dismissed. You see, he committed suicide as a result of your actions causing his wife and children a great deal of suffering for many years to come while you carried on gaily enjoying your career.’
‘I didn’t realise that... ’ I began slowly.
‘Human beings often fail to realise,’ she cut in abruptly. ‘That’s where the problem lies. They don’t think or they follow a cause blindly in their own minds much to their detriment.’
‘What happens to me now?’ I enquired, fearful of hearing the answer. As far as I was concerned, three bad deeds in a life spanning eighty-eight years wasn’t such a bad thing. There were people carrying guns and knives killing others at random. No doubt they would all be reincarnated which was something abhorrent to me.
The angel hesitated before replying. ‘I’m going to advance you to a state of meditation to allow you to see your life as it really happened. Your remorse is duly noted which goes very much in your favour. I shall report your case to the Archangel of Justice to determine whether it’s necessary for you to be reincarnated... to repair the damage done in your life by forcing you to repeat the exercise as another person in a different time.’
‘No!’ I pleaded. ‘Don’t send me back whatever you do! I don’t want to have to go through all that disappointment, unhappiness, pain and anguish again. Just let me stay here... please! I’ll do whatever you say!’
The angel seemed surprised at my reaction and then took to the air, her wings spreading out beautifully until I could see her no more.
I wondered whether my humility would be sufficient to influence the Angel of Justice to forgive me. The last thing I wanted was to be sent back to Earth to relive my life all over again ... at whatever time, or location or environment. Once life on Earth had been enough for me!
I waited under the Dome of Despair for a while and meditated on the evil actions I had carried out in my life, feeling the mantle of guilt on my spiritual shoulders as each evil incident came before me. Eventually, an angel appeared out of the mist to move the chair opposite me in order to stand in front of the lectern. It was clearly the Archangel of Justice. He opened a great book that rested on top of it and stared at me coldly. He wore a long red cloak that could only be designated as immaculate covered in gold thread and he wore a mitre of a similar pattern on his head.
‘We are aware that human beings commit deeds against the nature of mankind through their ambition, fearfulness, fallibility, and jealousy,’ he began solemnly. For the first time I felt the sense of fear coursing through me. ‘Your evil actions were bad but no worse than many others. You were malicious to your teacher colleague, you broke the vows of your marriage, and you badly injured a man when you struck him that fateful night with your motor vehicle.’
‘Is all that recorded in the book?’ I asked with horror, realising that every evil action taken by me in life had been entered there.
‘Of course,’ he replied. ‘Do you admit to having carried out those evil actions?’
‘Of course I admit them,’ I responded sadly. ‘It’s impossible for me to deny them. Yes... I did those things and I’m truly sorry for them... although it’s pretty pointless regretting them after they’ve been done.’
The Archangel stared at me hard for a few moments, his lips tightly pressed together. Then he seemed to come to a decision and nodded. ‘Very well,’ he said bluntly, closing the great tome on the lectern. ‘Follow me.’
We departed from the Dome of Despair and I was delighted it had been left behind me. The experience of examining the bad things in my past life was most humiliating. I was forced to face the evil actions taken by me on Earth which made me feel less than impressed with myself. How was anyone able to fathom out the far-reaching consequences of their actions in life? The teacher who had been dismissed as a result of my false accusation had committed suicide. If only I had known he would kill himself if he was sacked as a result of my false disclosure. In hindsight, had I known the ultimate outcome, I would never have reported him. If I had stopped my car when knocking down that pedestrian, even though I considered it to be his fault, I might have been able to ensure that he recovered properly and his family didn’t have to suffer. If I hadn’t had an affair with my teacher colleague, both her life and mine would have ended quite differently. It all hung on the single word ‘If’! I suddenly realised how foolish people were to allow their feelings to overcome reason... to panic at a time when they should be using use logic... to be fearful or jealous or over-ambitious... or to hate others in envy, or for a cause or belief. So many people wasted their lives through the weakness of bel
ieving one false reason or another. Now that I was here in Heaven to reflect on my own life, I recognised how futile it had really been. I could only conclude that it was shameful to have wasted all those years granted to me in life for absolutely nothing. There were so many people who were neither heroes nor villains completely oblivious to the means by which to use their days on Earth for good and honest purposes and happiness. I was simply one of them.
I rose from the chair and followed the Archangel. My legs seemed to have developed, enabling me to walk normally again instead of floating in the air which meant that the power of feeling began to return to my body. It wasn’t long before we came to an area depicting a giant wall of light streaming downwards like liquid flowing from a great wide waterfall. It was extremely bright but, strangely enough, I didn’t need to shield my eyes in order to look at it.
‘You may cross the Waterfall of Light,’ urged the Archangel of Justice pointing in the direction of the wall.
‘You mean you want me to go through it?’ I enquired, becoming fearful that my soul would not survive if I did.
‘Of course,’ he replied. ‘That’s where your destiny lies.’ I hesitated for a few moments, scared at the thought of my soul being burned to ashes, However, the delay was much to the discomfort of the Archangel. ‘Go ahead!’ he urged. ‘It’s your entry into Heaven.’
I paused to reflect the alternative if I failed to do his bidding. The idea went very much awaking from a hypnotic trance.
The sight that I beheld was absolutely astonishing. A citadel stretched out before me in great magnificent splendour reaching far out into the distance. The buildings identified a dreamline landscape carved brilliantly in stone in many beautiful colours that had to be seen to be believed. The main square ahead of me was graced by many enormous buildings, which seemed to be cathedrals with large bells hanging within their spires. They reflected the rich religious and artistic feature of Heaven backed by, what seemed to be, hundreds of large buildings each of which had crenellated walls all around them. Some of them had very broad entrances with a series of very wide steps, reminiscent of the style of famous Roman buildings, each of which led to a portico emblazoned in gold. A large square was set neatly in the centre of the city embellished with a group of eight pillar-like structures surrounding a great central one, each of which had bulging domes that capped them. It was a marvellous sight to behold and had I possessed any breath I am certain it would have taken it away in awe. The different shapes and many colours created a myriad of beauty which was indeed a sight to be gazed at in wonderment.
I found myself alone in the citadel, noticing once again that complete silence prevailed. There seemed to be no one else around... no cars, no buses, no trams, no motorcycles, no spirits. It appeared that the only means of movement was by means of one’s own power or, if an angel had climbed the ladder of success, those beautiful white wings. In the silence, I became concerned less I had been demoted or relegated to a point below the lowest level of the angel hierarchy because of the admissions I had made about the evil things I had carried out in my past life. However the fact that I had gone through the Waterfall of Light to enter this citadel led me to understand that I had made the grade to Seraphim at least and had managed to gain entry into Heaven despite the sins I had committed whilst experiencing life on Earth.
I began to venture forward as one of the bells began to ring ... then another... and another... until the place rang out with their tonal peals in all their glory. It was almost deafening but to my relief they stopped very shortly. Then suddenly, a whole host of angels emerged from the buildings and began to amble towards me. I recognised in that instant that only the high-level angels had wings; they were not afforded to those on lower levels. All those who were advancing were clearly angels at the bottom end of the scale. I trembled for my safety as they approached but I soon realised that I had nothing to fear. Within a few moments, they had surrounded me, welcoming me to their city, taking me to one of the buildings and urging me to go inside. They accompanied me as I entered and I found myself inside a large building that appeared to be a church, although I knew that it wasn’t really a religious building.
‘What happens now?’ I called out, wondering what the next step would be. It could be an initiation ceremony or perhaps a lecture on the rules to be obeyed. However, it turned out to be neither.
A high-level angel, sporting large white wings, appeared before us and I was more than delighted to note that he had a smile on his face. However, it was most uncomfortable to feel as though I was a child of four years of age, in complete ignorance, not knowing what was to come or what to expect.
‘Welcome to Heaven,’ greeted the angel warmly. ‘The Angel of Justice has given a good account of you... despite your failings on Earth... and she has recommended that, except for some tests where you will be sent back to Earth temporarily, you stay in Heaven for the duration of eternity unless of course you fail to observe the rules. In that case it would be a different matter.’
The duration of eternity! That sounded to me like a very long-term sentence but it was not for me to countermand anything I was told. I had no option but to go with the flow, to listen and obey whatever order was given to me.
‘I thank the Angel of Justice for her ruling but what’s going to happen now?’ I asked tentatively, hoping to find some satisfaction in the answer.
‘There are many kinds of activities here with which you’ll soon become acquainted,’ he told me. ‘First we must make certain you understand all the rules and regulations. You’ve left your body and your mind behind on Earth, although presently you’re unable to remember all of your past. Before you can proceed, you must undertake a complete revision.’
‘What do you mean ‘revision’,’ I asked point-blank.
‘Have patience and you’ll soon learn,’ came the answer.
‘How long will it be before I get my wings?’ I asked with hope in mind.
He stared at me for a moment and then laughed out loudly. ‘I don’t think you need to consider such matters for a while,’ came the reply. ‘Concentrate on a revision.’
‘I ask again,’ I persisted. ‘What happens in a revision?’ My questions were becoming too annoying for him to accept. According to him, I was a novice spirit with far too much curiosity and too little humility.
‘I’m going to take you to the Centurion Angel who will deal with you,’ he went on with a slight degree of irritation in his voice. ‘Come with me!’
He led me out of the building to a much smaller one. It was then that I remembered a joke about three men who were killed in a car crash and ended up at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter warned them of a serious problem on entering Heaven. ‘It’s full of ducks here,’ he stated. ‘If you tread on any of them you’ll be severely punished.’ The three men entered to find thousands of ducks all over the place and the first man trod on one of them immediately. A bell rang and St. Peter came with a pair of handcuffs and a very wrinkled old hag. He handcuffed the man and the hag together saying: ‘Your punishment is to remain together for the whole of eternity.’ The second man trod on a duck the following day and the same thing happened with another awful-looking wrinkled old hag. A month went by but the third man was very careful. One day the bell rang and a beautiful slim young fair-haired women was brought to him and they were handcuffed together for eternity. ‘What did I do to deserve you?’ asked the third man. ‘I don’t know,’ returned the gorgeous young lady, ‘I trod on a duck!’
Perhaps I had told the joke too many times to find it amusing any more but maybe the shift from Earth to Heaven, and the change into spirit form, had caused me to lose my humour.
We entered the smaller building and I stood in a room which was bare of furniture but had a rostrum at one end. The Centurion Angel climbed on to it looking down at me.
‘You’ve been told the rules you have to follow,’ he stated sharply,
causing me to focus my mind. ‘Tell me what they are!’
I paused to recollect the words spoken to me earlier trying to remember what the host angel who had greeted us had said. ‘I will gain power in due course but I’m not permitted to contact anyone on Earth,’ I began hesitantly. ‘I must obey all orders from an angel of a higher rank.’ I stopped to think further although my brain appeared to be extremely woolly and filled with forgetfulness. ‘I must never refer to any place other than Heaven.’ I stopped to try to think of the last of the four prime directive rules. ‘Ah, yes, I must never seek to approach a higher authority for any reason whatsoever.’
He seemed very impressed at my response. ‘Well done!’ he commended with an element of surprise showing on his face. ‘Few people ever remember all four major rules but you’ve done well.’ He paused for a moment to reflect. ‘I think you’re going to progress very well here,’ he continued warmly. ‘I’m going to recommend you to start your apprenticeship by becoming an Accompanying Angel. In that way, you’ll soon discover at least one element of what we do here. Are there any questions you’d like to ask at this point?’ enquired the Centurion Angel smartly.
‘Am I allowed to do so?’ I ventured warily not wishing to break any rules.
‘As long as they’re pertinent to yourself and nothing to do with Heaven or the order of angels,’ he retorted.
‘There are a few,’ I went on cautiously. ‘Firstly, I don’t feel hungry yet. What happens about food? Where do we eat?’’
The Centurion Angel smiled warmly. ‘You’re a spirit now,’ he replied. ‘You don’t need food. Nourishment is not required. Your power comes from within yourself. It will grow as you progress.’
‘And what about money? I haven’t any to spend. Do I get paid for the work I do?’
The Angel burst into laughter at the question. ‘We don’t have money in Heaven,’ he told me point-blank with amusement. ‘There’s no need for it. There is nothing to buy here.’