[ WP ] You Talk to God

Moirae shifted uncomfortably in his rundown minivan. He glanced at his watch, `` Damnit, ten minutes late again'' he muttered to himself as he weaved, snakelike, through the congested traffic. He could not be late for this interview which his sister had set up for him. It was for the night shift at the UPS plant, a job that he was n't really interested in getting, but had to show some interest in pursuing to show that he cared. Moirae had been late to nearly everything in his life. From missed school concerts to late arrivals at weddings, he had to go to this job interview on time to reconcile the past. Up ahead a couple hundred feet, he saw the light shift down to yellow. Like a maddened race car driver, he sped up to make it on time. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a garbage truck coming in much faster then it should have. Moirae knew that this was it. He did n't have to do any Sherlock like calculations concerning initial velocity or anything. He could n't explain it; he just knew. 
 At the instant of the collision, Moirae felt an indescribable jolt, and then suddenly he awoke in an all white room. In the center of the room was a tall man, dressed in a clean white robe, clearly distraught, rummaging through a mess of paperwork. `` No this is n't right'' the man was mumbling to himself. 
 `` Excuse me'' Moirae murmured, `` But am I dead?'' 
 The man, clearly startled, yelped and jumped a little as he caught sight of Moirae. `` Oh, you're here already are you? I was n't expecting you for another couple of minutes. You're quite early you know. You are here for the UPS interview are n't you?'' 
 `` Wait, what?'' Moirae exclaimed. He was profusely confused. 
 The man let out a deep roar of laughter. `` No, no, no, I am only having a little fun. We do n't get to have much fun up here, you know. Everything I say is taken so literally, so I have to be very careful. You humans have quite the long memory. You're still dwelling on stuff I said thousands of years ago, after all. 
 It became clear to Moirae that this was God. `` That is all very nice'' Moraie said, `` but what am I doing here?'' `` Is this what all people go through when they die? Is this my final judgement?'' 
 `` Oh right, your situation. I'm afraid that you are actually not dead quite yet. There has been an error in administration, and heaven is not ready for you yet. This only happens once in a blue moon, but you will receive a letter with instructions on what we need you to do. You'll have to be heading home now.'' 
 Moirae still had a million questions, but before he was even able to speak, he was suddenly pulled back into reality. He heard the relentless honking of the garbage truck rush behind him. He had barely made it. 
 Driving in his car, Moirae sat there wondering if what he had just experienced was real or not. Had he just gone to the brink of insanity? Did he achieve the next level of road rage? Uncertain, he flipped on the radio to soothe his nerves. Minutes later he turned into the UPS parking lot and walked into the derelict building. Locating where he had to go, Moirae walked into room 18 to finally conduct his interview. 
 In the poorly lit room, the short manager was leaning back in his well worn chair, feet up upon the battered desk. He leered across the desk, donned in a food-stained black sweater. Papers were strewn about the room. He shuffled some of them around and then gruffly belted, `` You Moirae?'' 
 `` Yes, I believe I had an appointment at noon'' 
 `` Well your ten minutes late'' he exclaimed. 
 `` Yes, I'm very sorry'' Moraie replied meekly. `` There was some really congested traffic.'' 
 `` Whatever you say pal. Anyways, before we start, this letter here would n't happen to be for you would it?'' 
 `` Excuse me?'' Moirae questioned. 
 `` Well, it was sitting right on top of the pile of outgoing mail. After I saw you on the list of interviewees, I figured that your name was unique enough that I should hold on to it. Figured there was a pretty good chance it would be for you.'' 
 He handed Moirae a thin parchment filled with elegantly curved letters that had a stamp hemmed in a gold leafing. Sure enough it was for him. There was no return address. It simply read `` The Department of Heavenly Operations''. 
 `` This `` Department of Heavenly Operations'' is n't some queer little convention you belong to is it?'' the manager began to say, half smirking to himself, but Moirae had already left the office. 
 Curious, he immediately ripped open the letter. It read: 
 Dearest child Moirae, 
 Due to a logistical error, heaven was unprepared for your proper demise. We recommend that you please end your life within the next thirty days. God looks forward to your arrival. 
 P.S. Please note that should you disobey God and live longer than the next thirty days, it is predestined that you will commit crimes against humanity. 
 With great love, 
 God and the Department of Heavenly Operations. 
 Moirae was horrified. Suicide? Crimes against humanity? These were two things that were simply not him. He knew he was a good person. He loved his family, he always tried to keep his promises. Especially to his sister. Oh how he loved his sister. What would she think if he was to commit suicide? How many of the people he loved would be so hurt if he were to end his life so abruptly. But on the other hand, he could not allow himself to commit crimes against humanity. He knew deep down that this was the greater of the two evils. 
 Moirae also felt a great deal of anger. Anger at himself for what he had recently learned he would do in the future, but also towards God and the world. It all felt so pointless. Had God controlled everything from day one? Did his life have any meaning at all? These questions gnawed at Moirae as he pondered what his next move would be. Moirae wondered where God's influence had been for people like Adolf Hitler and Genghis Khan. Were they the product of administration errors gone past thirty days? 
 Deep down Moirae was tempted to live past the thirty days. He knew that he was a good person; it was impossible that he was capable of committing such atrocious acts. These thoughts were but a glimpse of a shooting star in the infinity of the cosmos. His brief moment of selfishness ultimately led to his final act of selflessness. 
 He committed suicide only one day after receiving the letter. 
 God sighed as another one of his children passed. How many more would fail the test? he wondered. God knew that Moirae would not have committed crimes against humanity. What he needed was for Moirae to believe it too. 
 Every human has the potential for good and evil. Every human can control their own fate. In those moments, choosing between good and evil, God has no influence over our own free will. It is those decisions which gives us our humanity. At the moment Moirae doubted his own humanity, God knew that he could not yet relinquish his control over the world. We still needed God, and until we do n't need him, he will forever be with us.
