Coin toss

I chose to go. Live or die. People bugged me. I should have given my fortune to the poor blah blah blah. Hey, I gave ten percent, as expected, required, demanded. Leave me alone. I just wish to get out of here, hopefully for a better world one hundred years down the road. Maybe by then the earth shall be done with all this petrol, plastic trash and general pollution. Geeees someday you can't even see see the sky over the city. Ok, it happened once when they had COVID-19, people for most part stayed inside....except for a few idiots here and there who cried ''liberty or death'' and then a few go their wish and died. Wonderful days where you could see the skies of cities all over the world like you had never seen them before. ''Never seen'' being key words. I imagine people of the cities going around and gaping in awe. ''Blue skies' What is this? A joke? Skies are always dark grey'', chimneys constantly spewing out tons and tons tons of black smoke while a few kids dare go on strike for climate change and get spit at by some of the biggest world ''leaders''. Ok, some agree with these bright youngsters, but then a lot of them walk around with these top-of-the-line phone gizmos, not even asking themselves from what they are made or where or by whom and under what conditions.

I'm placing my bets. Either it will be a wonderful world....or oblivion, as I would really wish in a way because, really, once around this globe is enough. Or, actually, with science you never know, maybe somebody will press on the wrong button when the time comes and I will wake up on some quite distant planet, some sort of Utopia. Hey, we are allowed to dream and I will have one hundred years to do it once they start the process. I can just imagine a lovely world where peace is given a chance, where people are treated fairly, where medical treatments are allowed to all and freely - not like now where I have to hope for a cure somewhere one hundred years down the line - and where all people can live with dignity. Oblivion on the other hand, yes, having had enough of bad times and bad news, why would I want to bring memories to a world of my choosing?

True, this experiment could be a sort of failure. Just imagine if there was a sort of cataclysm predicted and the scientists in charge of this project decided to put this in tube in some rocket and send it on its way and, as happened to Challenger, I end up in Heaven...or hell. The choice given I might prefer hell. Ok, given my previous lifestyle and , shall we say, a bit of decadence hell would indeed be more proper, but I can't even stand going to Florida because of the intolerable heat, so imagine hell.

Heaven might be more interesting but, from what I hear, it would be more boring. All these angels with their crazy wings (why wings? They need to fly from one huge cloud to another?)

Actually, I am to end there I have a nicer vision. Given my past history of sins it would have first to be the purgatory I imagine arriving there on a pleasant and sunny Saturday afternoon. Mild weather, light north easterly wind. Nice field. They built it and people came.

There was a softball game going on, I could see. Pale blue and white sports attire versus the dark red and black ones. A game between Good and Evil, as you would have guest. God quite visible, handsome guy with a rather whitish beard, showing his age and, talking to the guy next to me, I see Him talking the other team's manager, a lady cally called Lucy Fair, God's nemesis. I was told that theywere quite close at one time. I had no doubt, considering her beauty but something quite nasty happened and He dispatched her to hell. But it seemed that it did not stop the bit of electricity between them. Iy turned to be a funny game as my new friend, a big guy in a white robe called Gabriel explained that this game offered last chances at a few who had tehir tickets to hell unless they made amends on that field. Stakes were high. Indeed, there was even a tombola where one also found gaming tables managed by the demon Amadée, in charge of luxury and casinos. Lots of people in robes. Most in purple, a few in whites. Former bishops, and popes, I was told. Some of the Medici fame. Exchanging their indulgences to red chips so they could go to the roulette and place their bets in the hope of a better future and avoiding the ''charms'' of hell where a number of their former wives, mistresses and cocubines resided in permanence. They were not keen to go there, despite all the commandments they could still break.

Fascinating game where, at one point God got to first base on four balls. he would have preferred a double, because then He had to stand ther, Lady Fair at his back - she was not supposed to be there, not even as the opposite team first base coach, but she could never resist getting close, nudging Him a bit at the back, giving him cause to sweat while anxiously waited for the next pitch. It was Mephistopheles, the obnoxious and pompous devil and minister of culture who threw the pitch. Peter read God's mind and hit it way out there, where the fat demon Belphégor, demon of laziness would never be able to catch it as Bélial, the coleric demon of rage screamed in vain at the fat idiot. So the ball flew out of the ball parc, God made it safely home, not even having to slide at home plate and all was well. Lady Fair, good loser that she was came over wishing to give Him a kiss on the cheeks. He politely demurred, they settled for a handsake (still allowed in that part of the universe) and they parted best enemies, as always.

Yes, a lot of musing. In the end I think I will settle for a brief stop at purgatory, edge my bets and hope for a nice white cloud in a deep blue sky.