The Scale

The line of waiting souls goes down pretty fast. It went by so fast that only three people were in front of me. The scale was beautiful; gold rimming, bronze bodily color.

“Delilah Montgomery, fifteen years old.”

The first girl of the three before me stood on the scale with her arms outstretched to its sides, palms down. A sudden light appeared, like a halo around her body. All of a sudden, on the left side black diamonds falls to rest on the plate of the scale. On the right side, pearls as white as purity took over. Sweet chimes appear out of nowhere, in the air, and a smile blossoms on her beautiful tanned face. A white hooded man takes hold of her outstretched hand and guides her to the right side of the room, where light permeates from its density.  She walks through, confident, until the light consumes her and the next one in line is up for judgment.

This one doesn’t go that well for more black diamonds fell on the plate of the scale than pearls. A screeching wail rebate’ through the walls, everyone including me covers their ears. He tries to run away from the black hooded men, but they take a hold of him anyway. All of a sudden there was no light on the left side of the room, only flames of eternal burning fire.

The eternal burning fires from hell.

“God.”

“Tell me about it. I’m pissing my pants right now.” The lady in front of me turns around and shakes my hand in greeting. “Paula McGraw.” I shake her hand, the name sounding familiar but ringing no bells. When I was about to say my name, she nods and says “Liliana McGraw. You are quite the celebrity down here.” Without further saying she steps on the scale and with arms outstretched, she says “Paula Linn McGraw, Fifty four years old.” More pearls than black diamonds fall on its plates and the sweet chimes sings their victory. Before Paula entered the room, she hugged me, and whispered “You’ll do good.”

Being my turn to step up to the scale, I outstretch my arms and close my eyes. I can hear the pearls and diamonds fall to their judgment. All of a sudden screeching wails, and gasps from other souls is the only music to my ears. I open my eyes to see a black hooded man guide himself towards me, hand outstretch. A white hooded man takes hold of his greedy hand, “A word.” While they all confer in the back, I take a look at the burning flames and squirm back.

Then I notice the problem.

My index finger is touching the left side of the scale.

Why was I feeling guilty?

I take a deep breath and lift my finger off of the scale.

Sweet chimes sounds at my ears, the looks of amazement and impossibility written on the faces of the hooded men.

I see the light, and with the help of a very powerful hand, I walk towards it. But before I enter, the hooded man reveals its face to me.

“Grandma?”

She nods down at me, a beautiful smile tugging at the corners of her uplifted mouth.

“I’m so happy to see you, I...”

The look on her face shut me off, a painful tug at the corners of her eyes.

“You need to go back, child.”

“Why?”

I didn’t have a chance to get a response, for all I knew nothing really happened.

My body was lying on the floor before me, and my soul was being pulled to it.

I took a deep breath, searching for air.

“Erick!”