The Fat Lady Sings pt.I

"No one knows,however,when that day or hour will come-
neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, the Father alone knows.
The coming of the Son of man will be like what happened
in the time of Noah. In the days before the flood people
ate and drank ,men and women married up to the very day
Noah went into the boat; yet they did not realise what was happening
until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be
when the Son of man comes .At that time two men will be working in a field:
one will be taken and the other left behind. Two women will be grinding meal:
one will be taken, the other left behind...." MATHEW:36-41

I went through the same regular routine just like every other night. Television had gotten boring and its waves had induced that sleepy feeling once again. Besides,I wasn't about to watch another ignorant episode of 'Yo mama' on MTV. So I dragged my feet through the corridor to my room after switching off the lights in the living room and kitchen, thinking about nothing in particular. The bedroom was dark and I could see nothing but silhouettes and shadows, but I knew my way around.My hands reached out for the ladder andIi climbed up to my bed on the top bunk. One of my cousins muttered something about spider-man in his sleep. I wonder what he was dreaming about. I knelt on my bed and said a prayer. Deep in my thoughts I asked God to forgive me for my sins; to give me the strength and courage I need to run through life; to protect us all from evil and to help me find Jesus. In Jesus' mighty name I prayed, amen. And with that I hit my pillow. The pillow was as cool as I liked it and I snuggled in my duvet trying to find the perfect sleeping position. The bed sheets were also cool and I unknowingly curled my toes. A couple of thoughts drifted through my sleepy head, constructive at first then swirling into randomness. The events of the day; What I would do the next day; how I need to make positive changes in my life; dirty thoughts of my girlfriend; why mosquitoes are so annoying; what mosquitoes did during the day; if mosquitoes also had thoughts of their own....
I was well into my sleep having one of those dreams where I was back in high school and everyone I knew (including those I met after high school) was in my class; when something woke me. I wasn't drunk with sleep, I was wide awake and I knew the whole world was too. The time had come. And I had been caught sleeping. Like a thief in the night he said. It was time to meet my maker.
Most of the stuff I had read or heard about did not happen. No armageddon (what a relief!), no horsemen, no bleeding moons, no rapture, no tyranny by true evil; just the sounding of a trumpet. It wasn't necessarily that rude awakening sound of a trumpet synonymous with military boot camps  no. It was an announcement through a global P.A system. Every colour, race and creed heard it .It pierced through every barrier and floated across every ocean and into all of mankind's ears. The sound echoed through every temple ,every shrine and every holy city. God had lent us life and he was here to collect the debt.

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Fat Lady Sings pt.II

"Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sits on it.Earth and heaven fled from his presence and were seen no more. And I saw the dead, great and small alike ,standing before the throne. Books were opened, and then another book was opened, the book of the living. The dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.
Then the sea gave up its dead. Death and the world of the dead also gave up the dead they held.And all were judged according to what they had done.Then death and the world of the dead were thrown into the lake of fire. (This lake of fire was the second death.)Whoever did not have their names written in the book of the living were thrown into the lake of fire." REVELATION 20:11-15

The world as we know it melted away seamlessly. It reminded me of how Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne switched between programs in The Matrix. The background simply poured out and was replaced by a new one.It was a little like what I had seen in the cartoons, especially the Tom and Jerry ones where Tom would be amongst the woolly clouds in heaven. The earth had become like what the sky looked like on a cloudless sunny day. It was all vibrant but faded, something like a thin fabric of faded blue silk covering bright lights in the background. And it was everywhere. The sky;The floor; The distance. The roof of the world did not meet the ground, there was no horizon. I looked at myself and expected that I would be draped in some heavenly robe or bed sheet-like garment. I was still wearing my pyjamas ,the same Adidas track pants and my black WWF t-shirt of The Rock. Looking around from where I stood I could see a queue that stretched continents into the distance. I hated queues. At least it would be the last one I'd ever be in.
I guessed that this queue would lead to the saint that would lead the righteous into the pearly gates and the wicked into the rusted, flame charred gates of hades. I knew where I was going.But I had hope.I mean, I was a good guy...,wasn't I? I never hurt anyone, at least not intentionally .I gave my change to the poor beggars sometimes, well, when I felt like.But still, I felt actual sadness for them,I felt their plight Wouldn't that count for something? I could probably talk to the man at the gate, maybe he would understand. After all,they were all angels and angels where good guys.Weren't they?

The Fat Lady Sings Pt.III

"When The Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you visited me…"-MATT 25:31-36

As we moved further on I could see us approaching an alter. An angel stood behind it but I could not see his face. It shined a brilliant light. Probably one of the saints. But which one? Of course I wouldn't know that now, would I? How much of the bible did I even know? John 3:16-For God so loved the world that He gave—everyone knows that one genius! The line branched off into two at the alter. You didn't need a super imagination or a degree in religious filing to know why. To the right went the righteous. Those who had served God and loved Jesus. Those who would frolic in the streets of gold and rub shoulders with the disciples and even Jesus Himself. To the left went the….Lefteous.Those who had served others and loved themselves. Those who were destined to belly flop in the lake of fire and drown in it. The lake where the lifeguard on duty would probably be bat-winged and if he gave you C.P.R, he would leave with your tongue.

The closer we got, the more nervous I got. If I still had my heart it would have been racing. Far away, to the left of the altar I saw a familiar head. Was it him? Yes! Yes it was! That little bastard! [Sorry God]. That little holier than thou bastar---guy! Everyone knew someone like him. The type to never miss a Sunday of church, knew his bible well and always frowned upon the activities of others. Some dark part of me felt good about it though, some part of me exalted his failure. But that malevolent satisfaction quickly turned into fear. If he was going there, where would I go?

The guy in front of me was let through. The angel gestured his arm pointing to the right, ushering the new guy into paradise. It was now my turn.
"Step forward my son. What is your name?"
"Bwanga. Bwanga Kapumpa…your holiness." That was corny! Why would you say something like that? You sounded like a boot-licking defendant in a Zambian court!
"Bwanga. Bwanga…..Hmmmm…., as he scrolled through the large book of life I wondered what order we were all arranged in. Alphabetically? By date of creation? By degree or extent of sin? The number of good deeds done in your previous life?...
"Ahh, yes! Bwanga Kapumpa! 'Benny Blow' ha-ha!"
"Haha, yes that's me," I replied embarrassed.
"Yes. To the left if you please," the angel said raising his left hand, pointing to the dark left.
"What, that's it?" I asked genuinely surprised.
"How do you mean?"
"I mean…that's all? I don't get to hear anything? No questions?"
"What, you would like me to read you your rights? Or perhaps a list of your sins? I don't think so my brother. Your time has come." He said.
"Listen," I began, "I can explain."
"Oh yes, go ahead. We do have all of eternity after all." the angel replied sarcastically.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"I am Saint Peter!" he bellowed, "Charged with the keys of The Kingdom of Heaven. Upon this rock the Lord built His church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it!"
"Yes, yes. I understand .Good for you . But listen, I'm a good guy. I shouldn't be going that way. I always put others before myself. I was there for people when they needed me. I lent a helping hand when I could and my shoulders are still wet from all the crying people did on them. I listened to my mother and shared what I could. I may have not gone to church every Sunday, but I tried. And I listened. I said a prayer every morning and almost every night…"
"For God so loved the world that he gave his—"
"Yes, I understand all that, but PLEASE—"
"I cannot let you in son. You cannot enter The Kingdom of God without accepting Jesus Christ our Lord as your savior," he told me.
"Wait…maybe I could talk to Jesus. Where is He? I'm sure He'll understand."
"Listen, this is not some exclusive club you can negotiate your way into. Jesus cannot save you now .Its too late. You chose your fate when you chose to ignore him."
"But wait..Wait…I…buh--," tears were beginning to fill my eyes. Saint Peter simply lowered his head, raised his left arm and pointed to the gates of the abyss. I looked at him long and hard hoping for some sympathy but he was unmoving. I dragged my feet away from the queue to the altar towards the queue to the fiery pits.

There was no one to usher us in. I could feel the heat from a distance as the flames licked the entrance. I could smell the toxic fumes and sulphur as I approached. And then, I heard singing…Sorrowful yet melodious singing. Falsettos and high pitched tones echoed through the inferno. I looked up to the side as I walked in, and there she was, high up on a ledge; the fat lady….

                                                               THE END