Divina Comedia-My version

I arrived at a glass barrier of great heights, and stared up seemingly mesmerized, and puzzled as to what this was and where I could have ended up, after having laid down for what was looking like a promising night of sleep. While studying this great gateway I noticed a metal bar about halfway up, and I could vaguely make out the word push. As I thought about how in the world I could get this door to open, because of its great magnitude and surely its immense weight, I decided to give it a try. Surprisingly after I threw myself up against it, the door fell open leaving me on the ground, and in great danger of being squished by the rapidly approaching door. I threw my arms around my head bracing for the impact, when I was suddenly pulled away just in the nick of time.1

“Be careful or you may end up in here before your time.” 2

I glanced up and found myself looking at a rather large man sporting a sharp uniform complete with radio, and patch on his arm with the words Inferno Community Security on it. Instincts told me that this was who I was supposed to be meeting, but I still shuddered as his dark sunglasses glinted in the fluorescent lights shining from far above us. 3

“Bruce Peterson”, holding out his hand while bending down to reach me, making me realize that he must have been over six feet tall if not six and a half. 4

I took it, “A-Amb…”, but my name came out in nothing but a stutter.5

“I know, you’re Amber Heath, we’ve been expecting you for a few hours. Do you make habits of going to sleep late?” 6

“No-no, I just couldn’t sleep very well tonight, I was just falling into a deep sleep when I ended up here. Which is where by the way?” 7

“Inferno Community of course, on your journey through your own personal hell, and I am your guide.”8

This caught me off guard. After having just read about the Inferno in class, this was much too strange. Why would a security guard be leading me through my own personal hell? I couldn’t even begin to think of where my hell would be let alone why I was there. Bruce motioned me over to what appeared to be a pay phone, which I was pretty sure had just appeared out of no where. He handed me the phone, and I pressed it to my ear. 9

A nasally voice, much like the robotic recording you get from telemarketers came through on a line marred by static. “State your sin please.” 10

With no chance to think about it, and absolutely no control whatsoever, I blurted out everything that I had ever done wrong, from my lies, all the way to my extreme obsessions. Once I was finished, the number three was punched into the pay phone, and all the sudden there was an earthshaking whoosh from behind me, accompanied with some extremely forceful suction. I was then pulled back into an elevator with my face once again level to the ground. The number three button was lit up once again, and the security guard was looking down at me with an amused look on his face. 11

“How many times am I going to have to do this?” he asked offering his hand to me for the second time that day—night?12

I grinned, reached up for his hand, and stood up just as the doors to the elevator were opening. I knew immediately where I was, we had stepped into the food court of a mall. 13

“This is the third circle of your Inferno; your major sin is your love of food.” Bruce explained as he stepped out of the elevator. 14

We were right away greeted by the rank smell of body odor coming from the large people milling about. Rows and rows of restaurants lined the room that looked to be quadruple the size of the Richmond Coliseum. Sporting colorful neon signs, all of the restaurants had rather thin, identical people working there. All of them had pasted on smiles, and the evil Joker face from the newest batman movie. In front of them stood lines that looked to be many miles long of humongous people waiting to place their order. 15

Bruce and I walked father down the lines of restaurants, and the lights grew dimmer the father we went. The tables and chairs in the center of the room that were once clean and looked new started looking grimy and old. They had cracks in them, the tops were peeling, and they were slanted towards the floor clearly broken. The smell also got worse, seemingly coming from the people, and the slimy greenish brown filth that was all over the floor and walls. I stepped quickly to my right at this point trying to avoid a wet floor sign and the shining black oil-like substance surrounding it. The people were also considerably larger, and looked as if they had been there for quite some time.
Of the people that were there, I recognized some from the media. I looked around and saw Ronald McDonald and his gang, the cow from Chic-Fil-A, the lips from Dairy Queen, Bobby Flay, Rachel Ray, and various other chefs. However, who came up to me in all his kingly greatness astonished me; it was the king from Burger King. 16

“I ate one Whopper too many, and led others to do the same thing.” the king said. “Congratulations, you have journeyed into the farthest reaches of Gluttony; this is for those of us who have been here the longest, and for the mascots who have promoted this eating behavior.” He then proceeded to explain what everyone who was there was expected to do for eternity. “Those of us who were mascots in life are destined to walk around these hot suits forever, and those who were gluttonous without being a mascot, are fated to eat fast food in this food court for all time. They are expected to keep increasing in weight and carry that immense obesity around forever.” 17

I was shocked at what Bruce had shown me, and what The King had said. I looked around at all the sweaty, obese people who were there. They looked enormously unhappy with how they looked, how much weight they were carrying, and their environment. 18

I was terrified of ending up this way and shouted without meaning to, “I promise I’ll lay off the chocolate!” 19

Much to my surprise I woke up and found myself in my bed in my own room. I grinned and realized that this was a message through Dante himself, and vowed to do my part in repenting my sins.20