The Celestial Gate by Avital Dicker (red white royal blue txt) 📗

ten bananas is willing to give someone else a banana only in exchange for something else. Money, for example. But the other person doesn’t have the money to pay for the banana and therefore remains hungry.”

“That’s not fair,” Mor protested.

“Exactly,” God smiled, “the bananas don’t belong to the person who picked them. Not at all. I made sure there would be twenty bananas for twenty people.”

Absentmindedly, Mor twirled planet Earth, which was right next to them, and thought about what God had just said. “So, what You’re saying is that if everyone would only take their own banana, there wouldn’t be any hunger at all.”

The globe stopped spinning for a second, and Mor’s attention was caught by a tiny spot covered with smoke. “That’s Jerusalem,” God said sadly.

“I get it!” Mor jumped up excitedly. God caught him at the last second before he fell on top of Brazil.

“Look,” He said, “you found the gate thanks to two factors. The first is that you believed in its existence. The second is that your heart is pure.” He rose from His chair. “You visited the lost city and understood that the Mayans did not disappear; they simply found the gate. The moment people stop fighting, stop trying to control one another… the moment people understand that I don’t threaten or frighten, but only love, they too will be able to find the gate, just like the Mayans did.”

God changed shape again, this time to a woman with short white hair. “I need to mix it up, you know. I don’t like being bored,” He half-apologized, half-laughed, then grew serious again.

“You found the gate because your heart is pure and you’re not afraid to ask questions or get mad at me,” He said. “That’s the meaning of love.”

Mor drummed his fingers on his knees, an old nervous habit. “So why doesn’t my dad love me? And why did You send me there?” he asked the question that bothered him most.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t send you there,” God answered, “you made the choice.”

“Oh, sure,” said Mor bitterly. “The two of them looked so loving and everything was perfect. And then you just killed my mom and, ever since, my father doesn’t love me because I remind him of her.” He made no attempt to stop the tears rolling freely down his cheeks.

God spent a few thoughtful moments in silence and then said, “I admit that the system is a little disorganized. We are working to fix it. But there are problems here, too. And you’ve run into some of them, I know.” Anise, remembering the Orphils, shuddered. “Mor, try to see things in a somewhat different way.”

God continued speaking to Mor. “Your father does love you, but he doesn’t know how to show his love because he’s in so much pain. You, actually, can help him. You can teach him. Maybe that’s your job,” He stroked Mor’s hair with love. “Remember, the choice is always yours.”

Anise thought that this was an evasive answer. “And maybe You just built everything wrong. Everyone hates everyone else. Everyone’s jealous of everyone else. And nobody’s happy,” she said.

“Look!” God called out. Now, all blue, He hopped onto a passing cloud.

Mor, amused, observed His antics. “Tell me, are You sure You’re God? I mean, aren’t You behaving a little childishly?”

“That’s precisely the point! People think I’m scary,” God answered, “but it’s only because they’ve chosen to believe that. Do I really seem scary?” He asked, amused. All three laughed. “Even if you don’t agree with me, Anise, you’re welcome to come and help me. I’d be very happy. As you can see, there’s a lot of work here, and there’s only one God. Every time I fix something, something else breaks. I don’t have time for everything; I’m kept busy just putting out fires. I haven’t had a vacation for… oh, an eternity.”

“All right, then. How can we help?” Anise asked.

“As I said, the choice is yours,” God answered and started fading away. “Now, excuse me. I have to get back to work,” He said and turned His attention to the line of impatient angels waiting for Him. “I didn’t choose you for nothing.”

“But how are we going to remember?” Anise called out. God turned back around and looked at her one last time. “You can always find Me in your heart,” He said and then everything fogged over.

Chapter 33

Sual was the first to see them. “Anise, Mor,” she shouted, and started toward them, forgetting the bullets shrieking in the air. Theo and Amalia hurried after her.

Mor looked at the gate and the gray rocks blocking it, then turned his gaze to Yam and Anise. “We’re back again,” he whispered, not sure how he felt about it.

“But this time I remember,” said Anise, squeezing his hand hard.

“I remember too,” said Yam just before Amalia’s arms looped around him, threatening to squeeze all the air out of his lungs. Mor looked at Theo, unsure of what to do. But Theo pulled his son close and covered his face with kisses.

“Dad, you’re kind of squishing me,” Mor finally managed to say.

Theo burst into merry laughter. “Making up for all the years I didn’t,” Theo answered, giving him one last sloppy kiss before letting him go into Sual’s waiting arms. Thank you, God, he thought, looking upwards.

Yam looked at Amalia, taking in her dusty hair and the rifle slung over her shoulder. She looks like an Amazon, he thought. He then looked at his father with some concern. Yoav’s long side-locks were gone as was his beard, and his arm was resting on Amalia’s shoulders. Yam smiled with relief.

Anise’s head burrowed deep into her mother’s soft chest. “I love you, Mom,” she whispered. Sual stroked her head, tears dripping down her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, my child,” she said, but Anise put a finger to her lips.

“I know, Mom, I know.” She looked deep into Sual’s eyes. “And I’m sorry too.”

“All right. Time to move. It’s not safe,” Ido urged them