To Hell and Back: Chapter 1

And when he gets to heaven1

To St. Peter he will tell-2

one more soldier reporting Sir3

I've served my time in hell.4

I was there that fateful day; June 6, 1944. I was actually the first one off of the ship. Sadly enough, I was also the first one killed. Yes, I'm dead, and peacefully in heaven now, but it wasn't always like that. You know that old Irish proverb 'Get to heaven half an hour before the devil knows your dead.'? Well, I didn't, and I ended up starting the biggest war between heaven and hell since Lucifer's fall. Heh, I died to get out of a war and ended up in a much bigger one. It all started in the waiting room in the sky...5

'Mr. Peterson, your clear to go to heaven, Mrs Robinson, your destination will be hell...' Said a voice behind a window in front of me.6

'Where am I?' I asked the guy next to me.7

'Your in the waiting room in the sky kid. The angels over there have the Lambs book of life sitting there and they read the names of the people going to heaven and those that must go to hell. I'm heaven bound myself, you?'8

'I've been a christian all my life. You know what its like in heaven?'9

'All I know soldier is that its going to be the best place I ever been, though I feel sorry for the ones going to hell.'10

And that ended the talk. I sat there in silence for a little while , watching the angels motion the people called up there to the left (through a large pearled gateway) or to the right. The ones who went to the right seemed to wait there scared out of their wits. Finally over the intercom, I heard the angel say, 'Lucifer is now arriving. Passengers going to hell, be ready.'11

Then, out of a dark corridor, blacker than night, emerged a shining figure. He looked like the most beautiful angel in the world, but he also looked like the most evil. He came up to the window and said in a calm voice 'Is this all of them?'12

'For this trip it is.' The angel replied.13

'Really? I have a shortage of labor in hell and I need some more workers. I think I'll take a few more.'14

'That violates the pact with God. You can't do that!' I shouted as I stood up from my chair.15

'Since when have I ever kept my pacts? And thank you for volunteering yourself soldier.'16

'What! You cant do that!!!' I yelled.17

'Don't worry' the angel behind the counter said, 'hes tried this before, and every time, Jesus has gone down there and gotten them back, it will be the same this time. Just wait it out a little while.'18

'THAT'S IMPOSS....' As I was silenced by an icy glare by the prince of light.19

'You will come with me, and so will everyone else in this room. You are all integral to my plan.' And with that, he led us off into the dark abyss that he called home...20