3. [WP] You die and enter the realm between heaven and hell. You come to learn that...

[WP] You die and enter the realm between heaven and hell. You come to learn that this space is 'owned' by your own inner monologue, a separate entity from yourself. You begin trying to convince the sentient apparition, who sounds and thinks like you, to let you enter heaven.

How do you convince yourself of something you don't believe? We had both been pondering the question for hours before we began to have the slightest clue what we were doing. Why I deserved to go to heaven wasn't exactly in the forefront of my thoughts during life, somehow now in death it was all I thought about. The world was like a dream, alien, but somehow recognized as familiar. Time and conversation streched out before us.

Charles was smart, I'll give him that (he was me after all, however pretentious that may sound). We had taken to referring to me as Charlie and him and Charles, not that it was difficult to mistake who the other was talking to. Charles was identical to me in every respect, except he was forced to tell the truth. No tired rationalizations for my sins on earth seemed to work on Charles. When I first got there, we actually broke things down relatively quickly. Once he spoke that I was worthy of heaven's gates, I could waltz right in. But we both knew that wasn't true. I would be forced into hell. He seemed at ease with this information, but couldn't offer any explanation as to how he knew it. If there was some god behind this game, surely he was clever. At least Charles was on my side. He didn't particularly want to go to hell either.

"It's not like we can just sit here forever and debate the facts of our life, can we?" I remember Charles asking. Frankly, I wasn't sure how long we had been talking in the first place. Minutes, hours? It didn't seem to matter. I'll credit him with the idea.

"Why don't you just try to convince me?"

It must have been years. Years of thought, years of breaking down every belief I had about morality and meaning. Painstakingly, I changed the way I viewed myself. I changed the way I thought about life in general. I began to see my actions on earth in a different way, in their proper context. I wasn't that person anymore. But I understood them, I felt their pain. I saw why they did the things they did and I forgave them.

I must have realized, at some point, the true purpose of this place. There is no judgement like your own. Near the end, Charles started to crack a smile. "So, you think you deserve to go to heaven buddy?" he asked. I kind of laughed as I always did when he asked me. "Of course" "Of course what?" " Of course I deserve to go to heaven".

"Look up" he told me. It was my long dead father, offering me a handshake and a glass of champagne.

/r/WritingPrompts Thread
Previous
Next

Recently removed from /r/WritingPrompts

[SP] No matter how much you drink you can't forget [WP] An adventuring party is hired to collect back taxes of a local dragon [WP] You wake up in the middle of the night with your paralysis demon cowering in the corner of your room, scared to death of whatever stands at the end of your bed. [WP] In a dingy, cyberpunk city, civility is a word missing from almost every gang's vocabulary, except for one. With the trappings of the romanticised mobsters of the 30s, they're equal parts loved and lauded for their strict code of conduct. You play by The Family's rules, or you're outta here. [WP] Turns out everyone's religion is "true," and they go to the afterlife they believe in most. You, an atheist, have just died. And the universe took you at your word when you joked about worshiping the Flying Spaghetti Monster. [WP] "Hey man, seeing ya after 5 years. How's life been?", "Just the same old, pal. Nothing much happened.", "Bro... I see you missing a hand and a leg.. your left eye is glowing green.. and your dog is constantly covered in BLUE flames... How in the world you feel nothing much happened?" [WP] An over-thinking scientist continually devises plans to get the main hero to notice them, though all of their attempts end up misinterpreted as desperate attempts to take over the world [WP] A creature beyond comprehension watches you, your every move is narrated in a calming voice all around you that you can’t pinpoint, and you believe you see cameras right outside your field of vision. [WP] While checking out an abandoned island with your new friends, you decide to look at the local pictures online. The only one nearby is a photo of you and your friends posted a month ago, before any of you even met. [WP] a witch is hired by some troubled parents, to frighten children into getting fit. [WP] "Attention, denizens of the Underworld. One among you tried to blackmail me, stating that unless I did as you wish, you would make public photos of me having a 'fairy princess' tea party with my human goddaughter in the Mortal Realm. I released those pictures for viewing myself this morning." [WP] As a little kid, you liked to pull harmless pranks on the local cryptids. As you grew older you realized the danger of going out into the woods and stopped visiting them. Turns out, the cryptids had fond memories of your antics and want to come and see you again. [WP] You are a supervillain who went undercover as a superhero for jokes, only to discover how corrupt the system is in the hero society. The system is so corrupt that you agree to lead a small group of superheroes to rebel against the unjust hero society. [WP] Everyone in the galactic community had heard the tales of Human endurance, it had been the stuff of story or nightmare in the decades since first contact. But nothing had prepared the Galactic Council for the first time a human representative broke out the Filibuster. [WP] You appear in an infinite white void of a room with nothing more than yourself, and a white piece of paper which reads, “You have been banned from existence.”

More Random Comments

[Megathread] Subreddit shutdown Help with commuting over summer Gynecomastia (man boobs) surgery? Can I get it under insurance? Scientology: Ask Me Anything Why the hate for the handheld games? [Megathread] Subreddit shutdown The rapist in /r/magicTCG has been banned until 2049. The community is outraged. What about the drug dealers? Me [19F] with my boyfriend [21M] of 3 months, can't explain why I find his drug use uncomfortable. Almost One Year Later, EA Access is Still Incredible WHAT IS THIS [OFFER] A game you want Shoto (E.Ryu) VS Bison, Yun and Yang Matchups Is it christ like to be homophobic? Vanguard of Renaissance - Factions of Freedom Ep. 114 What to do to step my game up?