As >>111 wakes up, he finds he is in a room fillend with a beautiful transcendent light. The room is large and >>111 seems to be inside some sort of alcove. At any rate, the wise old men that sit around the table in the middle of the room do not react to her. >>111 carefully looks from the edge of the alcove to grasp the scenery. An imam, a catholic priest, a humanist, a buddhist monk, a taoist scholar, a rabbi... these are the people seated. Their conversation, if there had been one, has ceased for a while.
"umm, excuse me, but would you mind telling me where this place is?" the timid question, although softly spoken, seems to boom through the chamber. The congregation looks around and now finally notices >>111.
"Certainly, my child," says the man.
"You see, us six have arrived one after another in this place, and since then we have debated all there is to know about the world. Whereas we haven't arrived at any conclusions we can mutually agree to, we did gain the understanding that there is only one relevant question that we need to know."
"Indeed," chips in the catholic priest, "To all of us, the question whether there is life after death has become of paramount importance to us." This question is followed by a silence. >>111 wonders what on earth is going on but maintains a respectful silence, because it seems not his time to speak yet.
"We have debated this for a long time," the humanist finally resumes. "A little before you arrived, we arrived at a severe impasse in our discussion. My name is >>112, by the way. And, excuse for our tardiness, but welcome!"
"Ah yes," the taoist monk says ashamed. "Wellcome! and my name is >>113."
At this point in time, the sages all stand up to shake >>111's hand as a welcome. It seems they have not had a visitor for a long time. However, as excited they are from >>111s surprising arrival.
"Yes, girl, you must understand," starts the rabbi, "Every now and then, visitors come here. However, everytime the number of people in this room becomes 7, this room is targeted by a tactical nuke from Iran. At this point the imam looks down at the floor, ashamed.
"You had better not be grinning, you bastard!" shouts the rabbi. Apparently their history of talking has not helped them settle religious, cultural and or historical differences. The rabbi and the imam begin a foulmouthed fight of words, then degrade into a bitchfight. Their white long beards fly this then that way, continuously in a flurry. Smiling, the priest contributes to the dispute with some well aimed kicks.
>>111 first looks amazed. Then she says: "Umm, but i just died. so why am i here?"
The rabbi and imam cease their fight and stare at her.
"Certainly you are not dead, why else would you be here? you are quite alive!" they shout in near unison. The taoist takes >>111s hand and leads her to the window.
"You know, the humanist, he always hides in the basement whenever the nuke comes. He is afraid of death. We on the other hand, are not, because we believe in our respective afterlives. That humanist has always argued against life after death, so he tries not to get cought up in it. Oh, that >>112, he will find the way one day or another."
"Now look," he says, and the other men gather at the window as well. >>111 has nowhere to go.
"Do you see that projectile rushing to us from far?" the buddhist proclaims. "That is the tactical nuke. If you look close you can see the ugly picture of Ahmedinejad's ugly mug on its nose."
And indeed. As the deadly device shoots ever closer, >>111 wonders how she could possibly die twice, and if she should not have joined the wise >>112 in the safe basement. Meanwhile, the taoist monk >>113 awaits the atomic deathbringer with open arms.
Rest in peace, all you fools. In death, after life, at any rate >>111 and >>113 are to die, and >>112 survives!
Amen.