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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Drama / Human Interest
- Subject: Friends / Friendship
- Published: 09/04/2025
Heaven's Gate.
Born 1951, M, from Wilmington NC, United States.jpeg)
“ Well, well, well. Look who it is!”
I walked up the last few steps, a smile finding a way to stretch itself from ear to ear. My eyes, already wide from the beauty of the gate and stairway, started to shine over as tears of joy prepared to leap out onto my chin.
“Oh, don’t cry you idiot.”
I laughed. Only your best friend ever, with tears in his own eyes, could call you an idiot, and tell you not to cry. While he, himself, was letting the tears fall.
“It has been a long time.”
I still hadn’t spoken as I climbed the last few steps to the gate. But his words were smothered in memories he had, and I…did not. He had died more than twenty years ago. I died fourteen seconds ago. There were a lot of steps to that gate.
I spoke my first words as I hugged him.
“Man, oh man. I missed you buddy.”
“I know, I got your thoughts every day. And congratulations on finally learning Spanish. Even tho…you never spoke to anyone.”
We both laughed.
“Well, at least I didn’t die mono lingual.”
He laughed again. It was heavenly. Literally.
“So, are you supposed to take me to my Mansion? And where are my Family members?”
He laughed again. I swear that laugh had a timbre to it that made it…well …heavenly. He must have read my mind because he said it with a straight face.
“Not heavenly, angelic.”
“What?”
“Laughter, you were thinking it was heavenly, it is not. It is an angelic. You are, after all, now an Angel.”
“I am?”
I looked down at my body. It didn’t look like an Angel’s body to me. It looked like, well- me. Sure the skin was smooth again. I had all my red hair back. Come to think of it, nothing hurt…and what the heck, my belly was gone. I had abs. I never had abs, even as a teenager.
“WTF?”
My best friend in the whole world…or in Heaven, gave me a: “tsk tsk tsk” sound.
“Kevin, you are in Heaven, well, at least at the Gate. Please don’t use such rude acronyms. A simple : “What the heck?!” Is more appropriate. “
We both laughed again. And I repeated my question:
“So are you my guide? Are you going to take me to my Mansion?”
His eyelids fluttered. I remembered that little habit of his from back when we were kids. Whenever he was excited, he couldn’t help but flutter his eyelids. I narrowed my eyes.
“Come on, spill the beans. Do I get a Mansion…or not.”
I must admit, I was a bit anxious. Maybe I didn’t deserve to be at the Gate at all. We were standing on the step…and maybe I wasn’t allowed any further. A lump formed in my throat. Maybe he was sent to see me off and give me the bad news that I wasn’t getting past the gate. My smile faded like a toddler’s face when they broke a toy. Quickly.
He caught my look, and interrupted my thoughts.
“Oh, no. You are at the right place.”
He took my arm and guided me through the gates…and doggone if the pearls didn’t shine in a soft glow. With one hand he pushed the gate aside. In the other hand a basketball appeared. He started dribbling it with the same ease and confidence he used when we were teens.
Just like when we used to walk to the park, dribbling the ball between us, we headed past the second gate.
“This is Heaven. We shoot a few hoops to get you used to the place. Your Mom and Dad, a few of your sisters and your brothers will meet us later for a dinner. “
“But …but …don’t I get a Mansion?”
He laughed, bounced the ball off my chest; but I caught it before it could bounce back to him. I was stunned. I remembered being quick when I was young, but my hands never blurred like that before. He noticed that I noticed how fast my hands moved smiled and said:
“Pretty cool, isn't it?!”
I nodded.
“About that Mansion. You didn’t have one on Earth. So you don’t get one here either. Up here, Kevin, you only get what you want. And only things that make you happy.”
“You mean like shooting hoops with my best friend, as we go one on one, and I kick your…”
He put his hand over my mouth:
“Careful. Language …remember?”
I laughed through his hand. A hoop had appeared. He launched a beautiful arcing shot from more than forty feet from the rim. It swished. He turned and smiled.
Behind me, the Gate closed.
I walked up the last few steps, a smile finding a way to stretch itself from ear to ear. My eyes, already wide from the beauty of the gate and stairway, started to shine over as tears of joy prepared to leap out onto my chin.
“Oh, don’t cry you idiot.”
I laughed. Only your best friend ever, with tears in his own eyes, could call you an idiot, and tell you not to cry. While he, himself, was letting the tears fall.
“It has been a long time.”
I still hadn’t spoken as I climbed the last few steps to the gate. But his words were smothered in memories he had, and I…did not. He had died more than twenty years ago. I died fourteen seconds ago. There were a lot of steps to that gate.
I spoke my first words as I hugged him.
“Man, oh man. I missed you buddy.”
“I know, I got your thoughts every day. And congratulations on finally learning Spanish. Even tho…you never spoke to anyone.”
We both laughed.
“Well, at least I didn’t die mono lingual.”
He laughed again. It was heavenly. Literally.
“So, are you supposed to take me to my Mansion? And where are my Family members?”
He laughed again. I swear that laugh had a timbre to it that made it…well …heavenly. He must have read my mind because he said it with a straight face.
“Not heavenly, angelic.”
“What?”
“Laughter, you were thinking it was heavenly, it is not. It is an angelic. You are, after all, now an Angel.”
“I am?”
I looked down at my body. It didn’t look like an Angel’s body to me. It looked like, well- me. Sure the skin was smooth again. I had all my red hair back. Come to think of it, nothing hurt…and what the heck, my belly was gone. I had abs. I never had abs, even as a teenager.
“WTF?”
My best friend in the whole world…or in Heaven, gave me a: “tsk tsk tsk” sound.
“Kevin, you are in Heaven, well, at least at the Gate. Please don’t use such rude acronyms. A simple : “What the heck?!” Is more appropriate. “
We both laughed again. And I repeated my question:
“So are you my guide? Are you going to take me to my Mansion?”
His eyelids fluttered. I remembered that little habit of his from back when we were kids. Whenever he was excited, he couldn’t help but flutter his eyelids. I narrowed my eyes.
“Come on, spill the beans. Do I get a Mansion…or not.”
I must admit, I was a bit anxious. Maybe I didn’t deserve to be at the Gate at all. We were standing on the step…and maybe I wasn’t allowed any further. A lump formed in my throat. Maybe he was sent to see me off and give me the bad news that I wasn’t getting past the gate. My smile faded like a toddler’s face when they broke a toy. Quickly.
He caught my look, and interrupted my thoughts.
“Oh, no. You are at the right place.”
He took my arm and guided me through the gates…and doggone if the pearls didn’t shine in a soft glow. With one hand he pushed the gate aside. In the other hand a basketball appeared. He started dribbling it with the same ease and confidence he used when we were teens.
Just like when we used to walk to the park, dribbling the ball between us, we headed past the second gate.
“This is Heaven. We shoot a few hoops to get you used to the place. Your Mom and Dad, a few of your sisters and your brothers will meet us later for a dinner. “
“But …but …don’t I get a Mansion?”
He laughed, bounced the ball off my chest; but I caught it before it could bounce back to him. I was stunned. I remembered being quick when I was young, but my hands never blurred like that before. He noticed that I noticed how fast my hands moved smiled and said:
“Pretty cool, isn't it?!”
I nodded.
“About that Mansion. You didn’t have one on Earth. So you don’t get one here either. Up here, Kevin, you only get what you want. And only things that make you happy.”
“You mean like shooting hoops with my best friend, as we go one on one, and I kick your…”
He put his hand over my mouth:
“Careful. Language …remember?”
I laughed through his hand. A hoop had appeared. He launched a beautiful arcing shot from more than forty feet from the rim. It swished. He turned and smiled.
Behind me, the Gate closed.
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