Free Purgatorium by J.H. Carnathan Page B

a tube. We have one week from today to get you back together again. Meaning your mind, body, and soul.”
    I deliberately don’t react, not knowing what he would do if I decide to make a run for it. I hear Gabriel scream from behind me, “You have eight days!”
    I stop.
    “Eight days! Eight hours to be exact till your life plug gets officially pulled. In the final minutes leading up to that eighth hour it can either be your rapture or your despair, depending on what you do at this very moment.”
    I turn to look at him, worried at the thought. I take a couple steps towards him, letting him know to continue talking.
    “As I was trying to say before you rudely made a scene. We’ll get to how you got here at a later date. Let me try and explain what this place is, though.”
    Gabriel takes out an already unwrapped candy bar from his coat pocket and bites into it.
    “My personal attempt of describing said place would be stating that it’s a soul made reality inside the mental workplace of the mind. Its purpose and functionality is to give a soul the opportunity to earn a second chance at life by testing their willingness to survive. So in short, everything you have experienced, encountered, or witnessed in these last couple of days…well it’s all in your mind.”
    Hearing those words again send a tremble down my spine. I continue to listen, just to find a way to get back to the elevator. Gabriel goes over to the rooftop ledge, reaches his fingers out, and curves them back towards him, as if holding on to something. Something I cannot see.
    “Though now you’re wondering who I might be. Let me oblige you then. Let me reintroduce myself. ‘And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord,” he recites. “And the angel said unto him, I am Gabriel , that stands in the presence of God, and I am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings.’”
    Gabriel grins, licking his lips, moving his tongue around his mouth to check for any pieces of food and then swallowing. He takes his used gum out of the Tredstones wrapper and puts it back into his mouth.”
    I just keep looking at him confused, not understanding what he is talking about. I look back to the elevator waiting for it to come back up.
    Frustrated Gabriel yells. “I am Gabriel! THE Gabriel, God’s holy messenger. Ring any bells?! Why did the reapers have to go and erase ALL your memories? They could have at least left the ones from this soul-made reality world so we wouldn’t have to re-teach you everything again for the billionth time!”
    This can’t be true , I think. Angels aren’t real.
    Gabriel calms down and says, “That’s right, my boy, you are standing, or I guess sitting, in front of a pure blooded Archangel. We are super fast, super smart, and we know a few things about karate. So don’t try anything foolish.” Gabriel does a few karate hand motions.
    He is just as nuts as all the other people I met today. Gabriel immediately stops what he’s doing after he sees the confused look on my face.
    “I know the clothes and the no-wings kind of throws you off. We would have told you the truth about us from the get-go but all the times, before this day, when we did tell you, it never turned out well. We have been trying this new approach of easing you in to all of this one day at a time. Each day we break you, layer by layer, till you can think straight again. We have almost got it down to a science. It has been working much better, considering. Still needs some kinks to adjust, ergo why you are still here right now. But, it’s true. You already met the other Archangels today. They’ll each visit you again in the eight days you have remaining. I even made you a calendar!”
    Gabriel reaches into his jacket and takes out a calendar. He opens it and places it on the table in front of me.
    “ Michael will give you a lesson on emotional therapy on Sunday, Gabriel —that’s me—will be breaking the barrier to your mind in human