Twenty Bodies

Chapter Eight: The Gates.

Ace, for a second, thought he was again falling among the clouds like he had a few days ago. Strangely though, he wasn't actually falling. He was standing still. As clouds passed through him, the air was so light and refreshing. There was no scent, just clean air.
He walked forward though the clouds and as he looked down, he saw that once again, he was naked.
"Christ alive! Why am I always naked?" he said to himself, shaking his head.

Ace carried on walking through when he heard some laughing. The clouds were beginning to break and he could see in front of him now. A small podium of polished light brown wood stood among the clouds. Due to its similar height, the podium looked like the one Willy had at the front of his chapel but other than thr height, the resemblance ended. This was polished and neat, with a book spread open across the top of it. Behind stood huge golden gates that were closed. He once again heard laughing a little distance away.

"I guess I'm out! Damn you guys are too good" spoke a rich toned voice.
He saw a small man in a white suit and tie getting up from a poker table. Four other men were sat around the game, all dressed in very strange clothing.
"Sorry there fella, I just can't quit the game and those guys make it really fun - especially that Elton" he chuckled.
"Why are they dressed like that?" Ace asked, looking around confused.
"I don't know kid, the 70's were a strange time" he chuckled again and walked towards the podium.
"The 70's? What do you mean" Ace said.
"C'mon, you've heard of the 70's before! Like nineteen-seventy. You know... great music, pointless war"
Ace looked at the man in the white suit as if he were speaking an alien language.
"Ahh never mind. What's your name?"
"It's Ace"
"Ahhh Ace... Ace" he flicked through the book on the podium.
"I still think you know about the 70's... C'mon you mus-" the man looked down and saw that Ace was from 1901.
''Oh sorry pal, I didn't realise" he chuckled "you can't tell when everyone gets here naked" he didn't chuckle this time but cackled a harsh smoker's laugh.
"How do you know about the future?" Ace quizzed.
"Well that's just it. Here there is no future, no past, no middle. Just end."
Ace, again, had a dumb expression of confusion dawning across his face.
"I'll explain this in the simplest way I can. Do you..." he looked back at the book to remind himself of the right name "Ace, miss your family or friends back on earth?"
"I guess I do, yeah?"
"And where do you think you are"
"Well here's hoping, if the devil aint trickin me, I'd have to say I was in heaven." Ace smiled, filled with hope.
"Okay, so, let's say for argument's sake that you are in heaven, what kind of heaven would it be without your family and friends?"
"It wouldn't be much of one I guess"
"Exactly! And that's why we are outside of time... we're at The End"
"So you're telling me through those big gates are my friends?"
The small man shrugged his shoulders.
"Why not go see for yourself"

The huge gates opened and naked as the day he fell to earth, Ace walked in.

"You shake before you dance..."