Part 71 (1/2)

Again Katie rushed in, out again fast. 'Here!'

In that brief time Jerry had grown twelve feet tall - and changed. He was still Jerry, but I now knew why Lucifer was known as the most beautiful of all the angels. 'So long!' he said. 'Rahab, I'll call you if I can.' He started to pick me up.

'Wait! Egret and I must kiss him good-bye!'

'Oh. Make it snappy!'

They did, ritual pecks only, given simultaneously. Jerry grabbed me, held me like a child, and we went straight up. I had a quick glimpse of Sans Souci, the Palace, and the Plaza, then smoke and flame from the Pit covered them. We went on out of this world.

How we traveled, how long we traveled, where we traveled I do not know. It was like that endless fall to h.e.l.l, but made much more agreeable by Jerry's arms. It reminded me of times when I was very young, two or three years old, when my father would sometimes pick me up after supper and hold me until I fell asleep.

I suppose I did sleep. After a long time I became alert by feeling Jerry sweeping in for a landing. He put me down, set me on my feet.

There was gravity here; I felt weight and 'down' again had meaning. But I do not think we were on a planet. We seemed to be on a platform or a porch of some immensely large building. I could not see it because we were right up against it. Elsewhere there was nothing to see, just an amorphous twilight.

Jerry said, 'Are you all right?'

'Yes. Yes, I think so.'

'Good. Listen carefully. I am about to take you in to see - no, for you to be seen by - an Ent.i.ty who is to me, and to my brother your G.o.d Yahweh, as Yahweh is to you. Understand me?'

'Uh... maybe. I'm not sure.'

'A is to B as B is to C. To this Ent.i.ty your lord G.o.d jehoyah is equivalent to a child building sand castles at a beach, then destroying them in childish tantrums. To Him, I am a child, too. I look up to Him as you look up to your triple deity - father, son, and holy ghost. I don't wors.h.i.+pe this Ent.i.ty as G.o.d; He does not demand, does not expect, does not want, that sort of bootlicking. Yahweh may be the, only G.o.d who ever thought up that curious vice - at least I do not know of another planet or place in any universe where G.o.d-wors.h.i.+p is practiced. But I am young and not much traveled.'

Jerry was watching me closely. He appeared to be troubled. 'Alec, maybe this a.n.a.logy will explain it. When you were growing up, did you ever have to take a pet to a veterinarian?'

'Yes. I didn't like it because they always hated it so.'

'I don't like it, either. Very well, you know what it is to take a sick or damaged animal to the vet. Then you had lo wait while the doctor decided whether or not your pet could be made well. Or whether the kind and gentle thing to do was to put the little creature out of its misery. Is this not true?'

'Yes. Jerry, you're telling me that things are dicey. Uncertain.'

'Utterly uncertain. No precedent. A human being has never been taken to this level before. I don't know what He will do.'

'Okay. You told me before that there would be a risk.'

'Yes. You are in great danger. And so am I, although I think your danger is much greater than mine. But, Alec, I can a.s.sure you of this: If It. decided to extinguish you, you will never know it. It is not a s.a.d.i.s.tic G.o.d.'

'”It” - is it ”It” or ”He”?'

'Uh... use ”he”. If It embodies, It will probably use a human appearance. If so, you can address Him as ”Mr Chairman” or ”Mr Koshchei”. Treat Him as you would a man much older than you are and one you respect highly. Don't bow down or offer wors.h.i.+p. Just stand your ground and tell the truth. If you die, die with dignity.'

The guard who stopped us at the door was not human, - until I looked again and then he was human. And that Characterizes the uncertainty of everything I saw at the place Jerry referred to as 'The Branch Office'.

The guard said to me, 'Strip down, please. Leave your clothes with me; you can pick them up later, What is that metal object?'

I explained that it was just a safety razor.

'And what is it for?'