The hallway was so long he thought as he followed the man into the light. Finally Carson slowed and turned to the left, where a large set of double doors was visible. This is as far as I go he said, opening the doors for Sal. Thanks, I guess Sal said as he shook hands with the man and walked into the large cavernous room that lay beyond. After the door behind him was shut, the brightness was gone and a large courtroom lay before him and it was like something out of a movie.
Large panels of dark mahogany made up the walls all around with ornately carved crown molding around the top. The ceiling was covered in a mural like the Sistine chapel, with God’s hand reaching down out of the clouds and David’s hand reaching up. There was a full audience of people seated in pews on both sides of the entry, and they were all looking at him. A wooden fence separated them from two carved tables, prosecution and defense he assumed. The two teams of fine suited lawyers were also staring at him too. Behind a huge wooden desk up on a platform was a man wearing a black cloak, and Sal assumed correctly that he was the judge that would be presiding over the trial. One thing that struck Sal was how everyone was dressed. They were all wearing very formal clothing, and atop each person’s head was a silver wig, like the courts in days of old used to wear. It didn’t stop there, they were all wearing white pleated gloves too, including everyone in the audience; it was all very strange.
The judge motioned him forward as he felt someone take his arm and move him forward. Looking to his right, he saw that there was a bailiff in uniform holding him at the bicep. He was ushered through the gate and into the gallery at which point the judge looked up over his readers and said, “Salvatore Tomei, You have been remanded into the custody of the court of heaven by the prosecutor of earth until such a time as you can prove your innocence of the charges that have been leveled against you. You have been formally charged with “adultery, debauchery, lust, lying, cheating, stealing and the list goes on. Because of the complex nature of your charges, the prosecutor has agreed to reduce your charges to one all-encompassing charge. That charge is “conduct unbecoming a Christian” which carries a life sentence, an eternal life sentence that is, in the lake of fire if you fail to prove your innocence and are found guilty. How do you plead?
Sal stammered, terrified and convicted all at once, but before he could say anything the lawyer to his right shot up and said “your honor, my client pleads not guilty to all charges” and then as quickly as he spoke, he was silent once more. Okay, based on your not guilty plea you will have the right to due process, and your innocence will proven or disproven in this court, so please be seated. Sal was ushered to the defense table where he sat next to the fine dressed lawyer who would apparently be defending him. He leaned over and said hi, are we going to have some time to confer with one another first, before the trial begins, he asked? No, I don’t need any time to prepare, I have everything I need right here in my briefcase, he said. The man opened the battered leather case, but the inside looked nothing like he expected. The top portion was all screen, and the bottom was all keyboard, but there were thumbwheels and other things Sal didn’t recognize. The man leaned over and said “this will take a minute to boot up, so please be patient”. The screen came to life, and immediately he found himself looking into his mother’s eyes. She was younger than he ever remembered her being, she looked tired and she was swaying back and forth. The lawyer leaned over and said, “This is the first thing you ever saw in the book of your life, you were just born, and this is the memory of your mother holding you for the first time”.
This is the memory of your life the attorney said, patting the briefcase; your brain was downloaded into this case the moment your life ended on earth. The prosecution has an identical copy that they have used to build a case against you. Sal was fascinated looking into his mother’s eyes; she was so young and pretty. While he watched the lawyer swiped the mouse pad and the screen scrolled, landing on another face, a pretty girl he recognized right away, although he hadn’t thought about her in years. She was the first girl he had ever kissed, and he now recognized her face in the dark cab of his dad’s truck. He felt a cold chill run up his spine as he realized where he had been and what came next. The lawyer looked over and smiled, then swiped the scene to a different place; a beautiful snowcapped mountain took the place of the girl and Sal relaxed a bit as he recognized a ski trip he had been on as a youth. “Relax son, I’ve got this” said the lawyer, patting Sal’s shoulder, “This ain’t my first rodeo”.
To be continued.
Yay! A new story! Can’t wait to see where this one goes. Peace, Linda
Thanks Linda,
has been so long since I have written, i am downright rusty. Hope you enjoy it!
Jim
Wonderful reading! Thanks for the story, Mr. Jim! God bless you!