Here's a quick SF story from the 50's that might interest you a bit today. I could not remember it perfectly so I "enhanced" it a little. I thought it was timeless. - RC

There was a rich man, and Lazarus. The rich man in my story had become rich by many underhanded actions. Sometimes he simply cheated people, other times he actually caused their convenient deaths. He was not a nice man.

But as is sometimes the case, there is justice in the world that lawyers and money can't protect you from. The rich man got cancer and was told he had only about a month to live. After he accepted the fact that he was going to die, he decided to try to find out what to expect "on the other side" but of course there is that pesky problem that those who go there never come back. He'd heard there was a witch doctor in Indonesia or some exotic place that could talk to the newly-dead, and at great expense (what was money to him, now?) he flew the doctor and his drugs to the US.

And Lazarus? He was the homeless man hired to "taste test" some things which in reality were poisons provided by the witch doctor. Which killed him quickly.

Yet it was true, the doctor had a way to talk to the dead and the rich man asked Lazarus a lot of questions. Where are you? What is happening? What are you doing? "I'm in a large white room" Lazarus said, "and no one is here. I am waiting." Waiting for what, the rich man wanted to know. "I don't know" replied Lazarus.

Soon Lazarus told him "Someone is coming! Someone large, and terrible; full of fire and violence! I am afraid!" then he said nothing for a while. The rich man said well what happened? "I'm not afraid anymore" said Lazarus, "he told me not to fear him. He is also waiting, for the same thing I am. Others are here too, now, all waiting." Waiting for what? The rich man demanded, "I don't know!" said Lazarus.

Not a lot more information was gained as more and more people showed up, all waiting for the same thing to happen. Eventually the witch doctor told the rich man the time was coming to an end, and if he wanted answers he'd better get them quickly. So the rich man asked again, what are you waiting for? And again, Lazarus told him "I don't know!". Fearing his time was about to run out for answers, the rich man grabbed Lazarus's dead body and shook him, demanding to know what they were all waiting for. Suddenly Lazarus cried out "Of course! I know what we are waiting for!" And the rich man got very close, anxious to have this secret revealed at last.

For the first time since he died, Lazarus's eyes opened. He looked directly into the rich man's face, almost nose to nose, and before his eyes went dim and he slid off into the final darkness, he said softly as his very last words:

"We are waiting... for you."

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You know, my wife and I joke about waiting for each other if one of us gets to heaven first. We sing songs about the saved waiting for us to join them. But if we are careless, there might be others waiting for us, and waiting for justice. How will we live our lives, today, and who will we find waiting for us in eternity?

Randy