Blurred Lines of Deception
This path that I have chosen is the path of the Lord, no evil shall walk this path, nor see it, for the Lord has guarded it with the Golden Gates of Heaven. Beyond these golden gates of Heaven lies a world, a world filled with love, peace, and happiness, a world in which no evil shall enter for the Lord has guarded it with the Golden Gates of Heaven. Or so I thought, that is until last night when I dreamed I died and went to Heaven.
Standing on elegant tiles of marble, I stood outside those pearly gates and awaited an angel to arrive. But, when one did not come, I pushed open the gates, and the terror that befell my eyes was ghastly beyond sight.
The sulfuric smell that erupted from the volcanoes that encircled the landscape permeated the air. The mournful pleas and cries of the condemned from centuries past until now were nearly piercing to the ears. The sight of tormented souls and the damned as they faced off in their greatest punishments littered the landscape.
What I had assumed to be the gates to heaven turned out to appear more like the writings of the late Dante and his tale of eternal infernos and damnation. This was not heaven, it couldn’t be! What I was witnessing right before my eyes didn’t look anything like the lands of milk and honey that were promised to me in church by prophets of the late and ancient Abraham. Where were the Lord’s plentiful bounties? Where were the streets of gold? Where were the angels that served at the hands of the Lord?
This path that I now walk leads me to what I can only assume to be hell. There is nothing that I could see that would indicate that this was the land that the Lord called his domain. There were such hellish creatures all around me. But, what I found strange was how what I originally thought were the angels of heaven seemed to be down here, along with horrific beings. Human-like creatures with wings all across their bodies were commanding that these creatures do the bidding of the Lord. Other creatures with the head of felines and oxen would lash out at those who were slacking. And above all of this landscape were what appeared to be two rotating golden hoops with eyes all across them, emanating a dark cloud and lights that were pitch black, almost as if they were darker than darkness itself. Fear itself would feed upon the damned and condemned as the Earth drove out the wicked en masse and in malice. Upon a pitch-black throne, I witnessed a being in a cloak holding up a blood-red chalice. From here, I heard a thunderous voice yell with such a delightful glee. He would say “Hehe, my fellow friends! Upon Earth, you had laughed at me as I sat here as you would commit your acts of degeneracy. Here from me as I sip with glee and partake from the blood that I take from thee.” The creatures all let out a sick set of laughs, some of them clapping with delight.
My soul began to race. At every turn was another one of these accursed beings. They were all around me, in every direction, at every corner, posted above every structure. They stared down at me, like a lion readying itself for a meal. Feeling helpless and in despair, I looked for a way to escape, my heart pounding faster than I had ever experienced. With one last glance, I saw my chance, and I took it. I ran back towards the gates and thrust myself through before the beings were able to close them. I had no choice but to run and evade a fate worse than those who were condemned. As I ran to the steps, I fell through the clouds and began a descent towards a dark bottom. And when I felt my mind hit the bottom, my body rose out of the bed awake.
This path that I have chosen is the path of the Devil. No good shall walk this path, nor see it, for the Devil has guarded it with the gates of Hell. Beyond these gates of Hell lies a world, a world filled with darkness, hatred, and despair, a world in which no good may enter it, for the Devil has guarded it with the gates of Hell. Or so I thought, that is until last night when I dreamed I died and went to Hell.
Standing on cobblestones covered in burnt ash, I awaited the arrival of a fallen angel. But, when one did not come, I pushed open the gates and was met with sights of wondrous beauty and elegance. Standing there, I thought to myself, “This is not Hell, but where am I and where have I arrived?” I cautiously made my way past Eden’s gate towards Heaven, where I was greeted with sights of flowing honey streams, trees with golden apples, and angels flying with white satin gowns carrying and playing instruments of which I had never heard the likes of before. My mind was almost entranced by the beauty that I was paying witness to. My life up until this point was not worthy of such grandeur, nor should I partake of such great treasures. And yet, my soul compelled me to do so. I reached for a golden apple from one of the trees and heard a thunderous laugh that almost warmed my heart and filled me with immense amounts of joy. From above a beautiful castle waved the arms of a figure from Earthly religion that I could only describe as God. I heard his voice travel to my ears and fill me with a sense of happiness that only my true family could provide. “Hehe, my fellow friends! Upon Earth, you worshiped me and paid respect to that who created blessings that filled your soul with glee. Here, a golden chalice shall you partake a sip with me.”
I did not consider myself worthy. “My lord, I do not consider myself worthy of thee. While I am truly blessed for your offer, am I truly free?”
“My child, please rise from your knees and come and sit with me. I have a story to be told unto you if your ears shall listen.”
With silence, I stand and move to sit beside the lord, and in silent prayer, he begins to speak.
“My child, you say to me that you are not worthy to be here. Yet, for every sin that you committed, I witnessed you shed a tear. You knew of where you belonged and with me is where you no longer need to be strong. So if you must shed your tears upon my floor, for there is no judgment here, let them pour.”
I felt a wave of relief and tears wash over me as I sat in the grace of God. No longer did I fear my sins and burdens. “My child, consider yourself free. You will now awake, your life anew. Now go forth and live your life as you should.”
The lord clapped his hands and from his grace, I was awake. In my bed, I found several white feathers that looked like they came from an angel’s wings. With a life anew, I started my path as the lord intended for me to do.
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