The Ascent
Virgil lives in a small town. He is a writer that has not yet gained fame. He is young, and he dies on 3rd October.
Feathers wake him. They fall from the angel’s broad wings, which clap the air loudly. The angel is emotionless, but it holds out a hand.
He grips the honey-like glue. When he touches it, they go on a thunderous ride. He knows it not, but they will cross three biomes.
The angel looks at the boy. No sooner do Virgil’s eyes close than he does that. Virgil sleeps, for the angels love the righteous dead.
The Devil’s Playhouse
A sign discourages hope at the gate of the Devil’s playhouse. The angel drops Virgil, causing mortal hurt. Virgil unwinds, and he proceeds–with hope.
The greeters find Virgil odd. He has a shadow, which none of them do. These people live in the beast’s playhouse, but they stay cheery.
To some, mail comes every Monday. They keep the pictures, which come inside, of their living relatives. They control nothing, so sinless relatives fade away.
Virgil walks away in weak steps. Though he himself is weak, that will change. The sinners are close, for you can smell them from here.
Virgil’s eyes straighten his spine. What he sees next makes him want to storm out. The sinners hurt, but they have brought it unto themselves.
Their vices have come back to bite them. They reap what they sowed. They cry without tears but never die, and suffering goes on forever.
Aparajitas hit around the lustful. Cold rain curses the gluttons as a raging elephant overlooks. Greedy chests roll about rice bags, but they never rest.
Angry, calm people infest the Meghna. Acid burns the heretics where nail rain destroys the foul. The false rip the sky, and the treacherous drown.
Back to Hope
Now Virgil is making strides with his quick footwork. The angel meets him where the long ladder vanishes. They reunite, and they walk into Purgatory.
The people are more interesting here. Who pass here share Virgil’s hope, which helped him ascend. The angel rushes him, but Virgil wants to talk.
These lucky lacked the conscience to better. Though they have sinned, it was not in excess. Their actions say otherwise; yet inside, they are content.
Love happens in this black-and-white kingdom. While some get it first-try, others must fail the hair-wide bridge countlessly. Dante belongs not; still, he must cross.
Here, Virgil finds a startling rose. It is bright red where all the other flowers are grey. “Shame!” the guardian angel shouts, and Dante understands.
That kind of love is for down below. Whence they have come, people ran after roses all their life. Desire filled them; now, they suffer.
The angel walks beside Virgil. He stops when he stops. God gave man and angel their own tasks, but the angel feels humbled by man.
After learning, the pair reach the bridge. It looks sharper than it is for them. It opens up wide, and Virgil and the angel cross.
Angel, Man, and Nature
There is no Heaven. The circle that leads to the three is all in man’s head. Virgil wakes up, and he picks up his pen.
He draws over and over. He writes what he throws away. He puts his thoughts on paper; and at last, the figures and scribbles click.
It is an off-white ruled page in a 2015 diary. Though Virgil is young, he has unlocked secrets. He will not tell; Heaven is his.
What does he do? He sits on a park bench while he holds it. The pigeons rush to food, and birds nests; and he smiles.
He throws pigeon food to the pigeons. The ones that eat in excess cannot fly after lunch. Some feel the urge, yet win it over.
Virgil looks at one of the better pigeons. He looks at the animals around him like these pigeons. He finds few, but he is content.
He keeps these people in his subconscious. He must follow those who are righteous. Man cannot perfect, but the indomitable power of sight blesses man.
Virgil’s sins disappear every night since that dream. The angel that saved him smiles down from fate’s altar. Work remains, for it saves thousands more.
