God's Gone AWOL

[8] Bentley's Waltz of Mayhem

Heaven

Two armoured, angelic guards stood on either side of the pearly white gates. Both were expressionless, staring into the foggy white clouds that made up Heaven's entranceway. Behind each of their shoulders, the swirling portal to Earth remained as it had been for thousands of years. Froths of white steam occasionally spurred off the pearly mists, but there was little movement otherwise.

Historically, decades would pass between the two guards and neither would say anything or move for the entire time. An occasional choir or singular angel on a business trip would pass by unacknowledged, but other than that, there was hardly any activity before the great gates of Heaven. All seven were the same, although some had heavier foot-traffic than others. Like the rest of the entire realm, it was suffocatingly silent, obnoxiously prim, and so orderly that it was almost boring. Absolutely nothing ever happened at the gates.

But on that particular day in the warm month of May, of course something had to happen.

First, there came a whish! in the air. Then, a light tap as something landed on the clouded floor. It was so light and harmless, that it hardly seemed to have any meaning at all. But after standing in unbroken silence for so long, of course both angels were suddenly alerted to the sound. In unison, the guards turned their puzzled heads to look at whatever had flown through the gates. However, when they saw what had sailed through, they became even more puzzled.

Resting on the floor, looking as cute and as innocent as any object could be, was a singular dried fig. After flying through the gates and making a soft landing, it remained as still as a stone. There was nothing threatening about it. And yet both of the guards were still keen to investigate it. They each stood over it and examined the golden surface. But before either could determine anything about the fruity invader, another whish! drew their attention back to the gate.

Another golden fig came sailing through, landing at one of the angels' feet. For a second time, both guards glanced down. Then, forming a silent agreement sealed with a nod, the pair moved back towards the gate. One stepped through the misty veil separating the realms, while the other remained to keep watch over the entrance. Not a singular word was spoken between them for the entire time.

The Philippines

The moist air was alive with the buzz of a billion insects, reverberating between the trees and stone ruins. Under the warmth of mid-day, the dense rainforest was bursting with life. From the lush green plants, to the rainbow of different butterflies flitting to and fro, the refreshing scent of a thriving ecosystem radiated from the earth itself.

There was only one sign of destruction throughout the entire forest. Amidst the haze of greenery, the disintegrating ruins of an old, grey settlement was in the process of becoming dust. Soft, squishy moss had taken over, shading the bricks of the walls and lingering between the remains of the floor. Larger plants, such as ferns and flower bushes, had long since reclaimed any exposed patch of soil they could find. It had been hundreds of years since such a place was seen by human eyes.

It was forgotten. Like everything else, humanity had thrown the structure away the moment it was bored of playing with it. Forever cursed by the temporary mindset of mortality, where creation was only important if something existed right precisely when someone needed it to.

One of the angelic guards stepped out into the ruins. Behind them was a crumbling stone archway. White froths of mist framed the edges of the stone, but otherwise there were no signs that this was gateway to Heaven. Looking directly through, one could see the rest of the ruined building, crumbling and fading behind it. So when the angel appeared through it, it looked as though they had just materialized out of thin air.