Angels of Hope Part 5

[The Way of the Eternal Dove]

Angels of Hope



Life Goes On





Chapter One



Mikey Robinson had lived in Joniquay, luckily, for the past 7 million years. When he had arrived in heaven, Joniquay was about full – there were very few houses any more which came up for sale, and it was simply used a greeting point for new arrivals from earth to the heavenly domain. But Mikey had taken an instant liking to Joniquay and, despite having seen thousands of other cities throughout the heavenlies in his first few hundred years living in heaven, he always had an unction to settle, if at all possible, in Joniquay. So that had necessitated saving, working extremely bloody hard to rise in the heavenly hierarchy of status and wealth, and ensuring enough notoriety when he went to purchase one of the occasional homes which came up for sale in the city. He was lucky. A little after his millionth year in heaven, a home came up, in the suburb of Brentingford, right next to ‘Campbelltown’, which was a very sought after suburb. He spoke to the bank, shared his credentials, including a guarantee of his firm for a transfer to Joniquay should he prove successful in obtaining a home there, alongside his substantial deposit and earning power. The loan was approved, but would take about 7 million years to pay off. It was a hell of a wait, but Mikey could not say no. He wanted the centre – the capital.



Mikey Robinson’s grandfather and father and brother, John, Paul & Danny, all lived in the city of ‘Huntington’, which was an Australian like section of heaven, were Mikey had also lived initially with his wife Sheila Jane Davies and their offspring. But Sheila had left him in the end, or he had left her – he never quite remembered how the separation had come to be and, inevitably, when an appropriate place came up in Joniquay, he took his opportunity, pounced on it, and never looked back.



In 7 million years you get to know a lot of people, and Mikey did that from time to time. He had married a dozen times or so, usually for quite lengthy periods, but they inevitably ended and his women went their separate ways. He never went for kids, though. He couldn’t afford to living in Joniquay. His property size afforded him a 3 storey house at the maximum, which only meant so much living space. And he needed that living space.



But things were different this Saturday. Things had changed.



For so long he had just focused primarily on work – after all he had a hell of a debt to work through. But yesterday, Friday, the final and absolute last instalment of his payments for his loan had been made and his property, finally, completely and resolutely, was his. Absolutely his.



He had sought his employers with the news, asked for a period of a hundred years off work, which they had not problem with due to his long service and, with the other monies he had saved during his long sojourn, he was sitting at home, with a great holiday in front of him, wondering what to do next. What to do next.



He was leafing through the Saturday paper, noted that the markets over at Campbelltown were on again, and decided, just for the heck of it, he might wander over. Why not. Something to do with his free time.



* * * * *



Daniel and Gloryel had been together, now, for quite a while. Since she came to him, showed him her heart that really, there was no point in her trying to find anyone else, and that they were, in the end, suitable to each other, Daniel had rested on his sister Gloryel as the one to rule his heart. That had been a long time ago now – a very long time.



They had grown used to each other, to each others company and presence, and had established protocols for how they related to each other. Those protocols were quite important – they established the basis for their relationship in what they could normally expect from each other. For example, in the bedroom, Daniel had sworn to her that he would hardly ever bed another lady, and that such a thing might potentially happen in the eternal future before them, but he would keep it to an absolute minimum, and keep it private. She knew and trusted him on this issue because of it. There were other things – he promised to keep a relatively tidy abode, to clean up after himself, to not rely on her to cook all the time, to be responsible with the upkeep of the home, mainly the outdoors in a traditional manly sense, and be responsible for practical concerns. Further, she needed loving when she needed it, as he did, but they could have private times when they needed to which were, usually, to be worked out in advance. They were to be responsible to each other and accountable to each other. They would, if a person was slipping too greatly on spiritual ethic, to watch over the other and pray for them when and if necessary. Essentially, they were to be a partnership which showed love and genuine concern for the other, as well as ensuring practical every day realities were addressed.



For Daniel, for a life which simply ‘Went on Forever’, which could be full of all sorts of wonderful dramas, exciting happenings, and adventurous escapades, it was still of fundamental importance that that practical realities of life were addressed as the foundation stone. And, in the end, with Gloryel it worked. ‘Life goes on, Gloryel,’ he would often say to her and, because he had found a faithful and caring wife, one in which the working of eternity simply just did that – worked – Daniel had found a happy and content life in which to realize his eternal dreams. And for that much he was quite well and truly grateful.



* * * * *



‘Come on, Danny. Buy it for me. It’s not too expensive.’

‘4 million credits? They must think I am made of money.’

‘But you are, aren’t you?’

‘Very funny Gloryel. Look if you must absolutely have it?’

She nodded eagerly, and he handed her his debit card, which she eagerly took, and turned to the vendor to purchase the desired trinket.’



A little later, they were sitting at the market outdoor café, sipping their lattes, when a familiar face sat down near them. But that was life living in the same place for millions of years – everyone was a familiar face. It was Mikey. Mikey Robinson. Daniel used to play indoor cricket with him for a few thousand years. It had been a while.



‘Yo Mikey. Go the gladiators of glory.’

Gloryel smiled at her team named in her honour.

‘Fuck. Danno. Good to see you. What you up to?’

‘Paying too much for junk,’ responded Daniel.

‘Hey,’ said Gloryel, lightly punching Daniel in the arm.



‘So, what’s new, Mikey.’

‘Freedom.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘My home loan. It finished yesterday. 7 million years, and its gone. All paid up.’

‘Oh, well done my man. We will have to celebrate. Come over for a party.’

‘Well, sure. I guess so. I have a lot of time off at the moment and have been thinking about doing something with it.’

Daniel looked at him, and sensed an uneasy spirit. A spirit which needed to know how to spend his eternal time which God had given him to enjoy.

‘I think we can help you on that, Mikey. We’ll be over at 7. I’ll bring a lass I know.’

‘Sure, Daniel. Sure.’



* * * * *



‘It bothers a lot of people, especially in early years. I would have thought you would have a fair idea by now, which you probably do, but it’s like this. In the end, after we have made God happy enough with the kind of lifestyle which is not going to harm anyone, one which gets along, which is lawful and loving, there is nothing particularly much he asks from us. Mainly, he wants us to be happy and find our meaning in whatever activities we feel we can dedicate ourselves to. My brother, Callodyn, uses this list.’ Daniel handed Mikey a list which he read through:



TIME IS THE QUESTION – ETERNAL TIME ON YOUR HANDS



A GENERAL RANDOM LIST

THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR TIME

Work (lots and lots of work available)

Read comics

Read books

Read magazines

Listen to music

Play an instrument

Sing in bands

Play board games / assorted games

Monopoly

Squatter

Connect 4

Chess

Backgammon

Scrabble

Risk

Checkers

Guess Who

Ludo

Kingmaker

Snakes and Ladders

Connect the dots

Play card games

Play role playing games

Play computer games

Play arcade games

Play video games

Knit

Weave

Craftwork

Play marbles

Do Jigsaws

Surf the internet

Talk on the phone

Watch television

Movies

Serials

Cartoons

Documentaries

Sports, etc etc etc

Play sports

Cricket

Rugby League

Rugby Union

Softball

Baseball

Grid Iron

Basketball

Golf

Tennis,

Australian Rules Football

Soccer

Badminton

Darts

Netball

Hockey

Ice Hockey

Curling

Skiing

Sailing

Volleyball,

Handball

Gymnastics etc, etc, etc

Travel

Go on cruises

Ballet

Sight seeing

Eat food

Have sex

Watch and read pornography

Study – religion, nature, philosophy, science, architecture, you name it

Get involved and dedicated to a spiritual community – A Church, A Mosque, A Temple, A Synagogue

Go to mall

Try on new clothes

Go to dances

Irish Dancing

Latin Dancing

Go to clubs

Go to pubs

Paint

Sculpt

Carpentry

Make models

Teach children

Nature walks

Go swimming – beaches, rivers, pools

Go to concerts

Go to plays

Act in plays

Do puzzles

Do Crosswords

Do rubiks cubes

Do rubiks clocks

Do cooking competitions

Sit on a beach and do nothing

Surf

Ride Bikes

Athletics for fun

Go to shows

Go to fairs

Rollerskate

Rollerblade

Ice Skate

Cooking for fun

Collect things

Paintball

Go Karting

Magic Mountain – big waterslides

Mazes

Playgrounds

Raise Family – Teach Family Values

Do nothing but mope around the house

And a whole host of assorted pastimes

Write stories

Email friends

Tell Jokes

Start Websites

Build universal business empire franchises

Play the stockmarket

Spend a moderate amount at the casino

Act in movies

Scuba diving

Dating

Go fishing

Go camping

Mountain Climbing



And, essentially, whatever you can think of to pass the time







Mikey finished looking at the list, and nodded. ‘I guess that is it then. That is it. Just fill in the time.’

‘Look,’ responded Daniel. ‘A keen focus on God and spirituality relieves a lot of the tension on this issue. When you strongly connect to the eternal, and really get the hell over all the baggage you have built up in your life, joy comes along with all of this stuff as well. You find yourself enjoying more and more all the aspects of what you are involving yourself with, as you continue to learn and, really, JUST BE – JUST EXIST. It doesn’t have to be complicated, Mikey. Life is what you make it. But, when you can find the right spiritual balance, then life becomes a joy, not a chore. You never have enough time at times to do all the things you might want to do and it just goes on forever, never ending, peaceful and beautiful. Sometimes it just takes time to work these things out. Sometimes it just takes time.’



‘Right,’ said Mikey, taking another look at the list.







Later on that night, Mikey was happier. He had some new ideas, well not new exactly, but a bit more of a focus on what life could offer and what you could do with it. In the end it was a simple philosophy – LIFE GOES ON – After all the great heartbreaks, triumphs and accomplishments, the simple truth remained – Life Goes on.



So he went through the list, circled a few things which looked interesting, including some visits to an Irish Dancing Club to find a suitable girlfriend, later that night, picking up the bible again after quite some time, looking to reconnect with the spiritual in the way Daniel spoke of, Mikey was a little bit happier with everything and, suddenly, very grateful he had bothered to put in the 7 million years to earn his home. Perhaps this is where he was meant to be. Perhaps this is where he needed to be.



He took a sip from his can of beer, turned over to page 2 of his NIV, and smiled as the temptation of the devil again approached Adam and Eve. Some things never change, he thought to himself. Some things never change.





Chapter Two



Gloryel was sipping on a can of Coca Cola, listening to the ‘Spicies’ Greatest Hits, off in a little world of her own. Gloryel had been a member of the ‘Spicies’ on earth in her human incarnation – a successful 5 piece girl band which had had a string of number ones in Britain and had become a phenomenon for a time period. One of their songs was called ‘Live Forever’ which was currently playing on the CD Stereo player in her living room. Daniel liked CD’s. He liked them a lot, and bought them often. Of course, with the technology they were made of, they only had a limited life span before the data corrupted, but that didn’t matter to him. Vinyl could last longer, but didn’t sound as good, and would wear out just as quickly anyway if you played it a lot. The various online song databases would only offer you contracts for their music – you could never afford a permanent download as somebody had to maintain the database and that cost money. So, instead, Daniel simply bought CDs and used them up in their natural lifetime. Gloryel decided that she may as well follow suit, and had a huge list of CDs she bought on a regular basis, going through the list from time to time as she saw fit. They did have a collection of vinyl, also, stored in the garage, which could last millions of years if they left it untouched, but inevitably they would want to listen to the music, so it still only had a limited lifespan. ‘You can find everything online in the end,’ were Daniel’s words to her, which was still true.



In a life which simply ‘Went on forever’ there were things which had to be worked out. Naturally, these things were usually worked out for the most part in the youth of your eternal life, but over the longer haul adjustments were naturally made. You tended to gravitate to things – things which suited you a bit more than other things – and you made lists, of things like favourite books to be on your ongoing permanent reading list, movies, TV programs as well as favourite music albums. Daniel had a list of about 20,000 CD Albums which he called his ‘Favourites’, which he knew mostly from memory, which he would purchase whenever he wanted a new CD.



Usually, they had about 300 to 400 CDs on hand at any particular time. They would listen to them quite a lot, have them in the player regularly and, if they wore out before the natural lifespan of the data rotted, they would replace them with perhaps the same CD, or some other one they fancied at the music store. The same went for DVDs which they collected – they had about 2000 regular DVDs on hand to watch at any particular time yet, like CDs, the data rotted, and they inevitably had to be replaced.



Of course, in the end, that wasn’t a problem. It gave them something to do when they went shopping, always a decision to make when purchasing a new CD or DVD, like the other options of maintaining an eternal home. They had particular styles of decorating their home they liked to stick to, Gloryel mainly handling those duties, which she undertook with quite particular and individual flair and skill. Of course, the home was rebuilt every 1000 years or so, depending on how they built it each time and the materials they used. They had built in stone a number of times, which lasted for a great many ages, but that too, with rainfall, inevitably had to be replaced. It was a great long-life option, but regular housing being replaced more often gave them something to do and livened up their lives. They would stay with friends or some family when they house was being rebuilt, and sometimes in hotels and other places.



In terms of how they filled in their time, Daniel worked a regular job in administration in the Public Service, at a level just below Executive. He didn’t really want the Exec position in the end. Oh, he had done the work before, many times in fact, but it usually made great demands upon your life – with the commitments you had to make in such a position. His usual work position was an Administrative Officer level 5 position, which he stuck with most of the time. He worked in a Quarantine department usually, which watched over imports and exports to the continent of heaven on which Joniquay was situated – a very large one, but there were now millions of such island continents over heaven, and quarantine was quite an important issue for several reasons.



They also had shares in companies, which was legally allowed to amount to a maximum of 30% of a regular full-time wage – which was set at the Public Service ASO2 working wage as the standardised measure used by the Government. That was the law on the issue. Nobody, under Gabriel’s judgement, could be allowed to be excused from work – that would never be tolerated by those who had to bear the brunt of the workload. Sure, if you wanted to survive on the income of the shares alone, do that. But it was set at such a maximum that it never made it that an attractive an option to live on alone. Not in the end. Work, inevitably, beckoned.



Daniel invested in Antiques and collectables a lot. He would store them out in half of the back garage for about 100,000 years at a time and, when the item was looking scarce, bring it out and try and sell it at the markets for a good profit, or online. He was usually quite successful at this, as in eternity a lot of people didn’t save certain items for a great deal of time, which Daniel had skill at doing and, furthermore, most people always appreciated a good vintage to a collectable item. It gave them a good extra income from time to time, which Gloryel usually spent for him, but Daniel didn’t complain. It was something to do and he often got a kick out of going into the garage, carefully opening a drawer or a box, checking an item was still alright, and maybe even taking it out to gawk over it. He did this for things like coins and comics quite a bit, as well as limited edition vinyl’s, which often went for a pretty penny. It was enjoyable, fun and Daniel got a kick out of doing it.



They went on a standard 2 week holiday every year, often to the coast or the snow, sometimes to the country or another city. They were the standard sorts of holidays they both enjoyed. Once a decade they would use Daniel’s long service leave and go for a 6 week holiday somewhere. And then, once a century they would embark on a one year long sojourn. Once a millennia a two year break. And, finally, they took the massive one century off at the end of every million years, Daniel budgeting for this with his standard long service leave agreements. He had talked, occasionally, with his employers about the possibility of a ‘Millennia’ off every Billion years, but that was still a long way off. Theoretically that would probably not be a problem, and Daniel often wondered how, and if, he would need to spend such time. He’d find something to do, he told himself. Of course, theoretically, as long as he budgeted for it, he could end up doing such things at every big ‘ZERO’ year reached. Maybe every Trillion years he would take 10,000 years of work – he would have likely earned enough in his budget if he was carefully. But 10,000 years, he personally anticipated, would probably be about the maximum he would ever need. He needed to work – to get back into a routine – to show himself useful.



Gloryel worked occasionally. From time to time she toured with the Spicies, but only about once a century to bring in some revenue. Daniel didn’t object to being the main source of income, which didn’t bother Gloryel at all. She also did some live shows at a local nightclub occasionally for a bit of extra cash, and they went to a RSL club often for dinner and she would sing there as well.



Finally, they both had certain Angelic responsibilities to undertake when Gabriel called upon them, as they were both quite elderly in this respect in the Realm, but that was not often. It did, though, give them bonuses, depending on the responsibilities he asked of them, which were often quite varied and diverse.



They had a number of family members in Joniquay, as well as on the continent they lived on which was traditionally called ‘Heaven’ for want of a better name. It had been the quite large land mass, surrounded by water, which God had started with for the home of the first angelic inhabitants of heaven, as it was called, but inevitably more such land masses had come forth with the expanding population which took on new names. But ‘Heaven’ was still the standard name for their home first continent, and it was where all new arrivals from earth first came when they died.



Around the Heavenly world were a huge number of close relatives, but there were millions of continents now, and Daniel had lost touch with many of them. Email – the online world – was where many relationships now lived. That was inevitable, though. Simply reality. You couldn’t do it any other way in the end. The Web-Net had a zoning system. Ultimately, when the population became simply too much, your unique identifiers would only work in specific zones, simply because of running out of identifiers to connect to people. This was quite large, though. Gabriel had made the ruling in the end that 100 characters would be the maximum tolerated for a standard Web Net for both email addresses and URLs. There were ways of identifying the difference between the same identifiers if, by chance, they inhabited the same Ultra-Zone as the full body of Zones which made up a standard Web Net were called. But, usually, it was anticipated that people would usually stick to their own area of the heavenlies. In the end, you would end up connected only to your own Web World. It became too problematic to allow any real communication beyond a certain point. There were protocols you could go through to contact children and family who had to move to a new Ultra-Zone because of housing problem – not being able to live in a Ultra-Zone which was essentially complete in its population – but these things were set on a million year allowance. After that, you would simply have to go off and visit them, or have them visit you – if you could remember were they were in the end. It was simply because big numbers made big problems, and you would inevitably lose touch with people off in a distant Ultra-Zone. That was still the future to a large degree, but the theory of it had all been discussed and generally well enough accepted by now.



Most of the time they had an active enough schedule. They worked, did their shopping, enjoyed their weekends, had some family close by and an enormous number of contacts and friendships and so on throughout Joniquay. In most respects it was quite a full and active life.



And, finally, Daniel had his religions – which kept him occupied on Saturday for the main part, when he would occasionally preach at either Haven Noahide Fellowship or Assembly of the Divine Creator, depending on which one they attended that particular weekend. They went about 50% of the Saturdays of the year to the spiritual fellowships, the other weekends being filled with their own time and activities. Daniel mainly needed a focus on the spiritual things about 20 to 30 times a year, mainly on the Sabbath which he did not completely adhere to, but didn’t really need to under his Noahide faith anyway. Gloryel did not go quite as much as Daniel – usually about 10 times a year – but that is all she felt compelled to anyway. She mainly did it to hear what Daniel had on his mind at any particular time, and to catch up with her friends in the two assemblies. It was something of a focus, but not the main thing with her. Life was the main thing, in that sense. Simply doing the stuff of life. Religion had its place, a bit of it for Gloryel, but not too much in the end. And that is what worked for her.



It was a full and complete life for the both of them in many ways. They were happy with each other – realized that there was really little point in looking for anyone else, as they worked well as a team – and more importantly there was genuine love and respect between them. There lives were full enough, they were happy with things, and it was good to be alive in the words of Gloryel.



‘Life Goes On,’ Daniel would say at his sermons in recent times, and all Gloryel would say was ‘Amen to that.’



Chapter Three



Mikey Robinson was, all things considered, somewhat content with his life. For the most part anyway. Recently he had been through something of a malaise – trying to sort out the major purposes in life, to get priorities right, and to set things the best way they were supposed to function. For him, in the list Daniel had given him, it made sense in general. But there also needed to be a prioritisation of activities, perhaps even according to general talent and interest. According to what Mikey Robinson was like as a person.



His first priority was God, when all was said and done. The big fellow came first. But the priority was not based on the time spent in religious duty, but an attitude of the heart. Mikey had been relieved when he had gotten to heaven and confirmed his faith in God had been true and, because of that, he had always been grateful to God for granting him the gift of eternity, which he likewise gave to Mikey’s family. He had stuck with God as number one for his heart then, which had never really changed and, despite fluctuations in his romance life, the stability of his faith brought just that – stability – and his life had been all the better for it.



So God came first in priorities, which meant attending Torah assembly as usual. Christianity didn’t exist in heaven – he found that out as soon as he got there. Jesus had never been the messiah, Christianity was considered somewhat cultic and idolatrous by the heavenly community, but having said that Christians were included in salvation for faith in Jehovah God and their works of righteousness. They may have gotten the Christ issue wrong, but they got the God issue correct. Jesus himself was a part time Torah preacher out on a certain continent in heaven, ministering to a large community which had followers here and there throughout heaven. They weren’t Christians, exactly, and it was an incredibly small percentage of the overall population, but they were what Gabriel had called the ‘Natural’ fans of Jesus of Nazareth. And that was that.



Now, after religious concerns had been looked at, Mikey had some new prioritising to do. He had decided, in the end, he did in fact want a permanent family as well to live with him in Joniquay, and had decided on one wife with two children. He would eventually get around to that, so that priority was established and set. He would commit to working 40 weeks a year in the end, and after that concentrate further on getting those very expensive shares he was still after to supplement his income to the maximum 30% threshold. That could take some time, and he would likely have to go for shares in companies which were newer in their foundation, but looked as if they were established and growing throughout the heavenlies. He knew they would be worth money in time, so that is were he would concentrate. Indoor cricket had become a priority as well – he competed regularly – and had taken Daniel’s ideas into consideration and had covenanted with himself that he would be eternally devoted to Cricket – primarily the indoor type. It would be a focus, a relaxation, and a place for mixing. He was satisfied with that as his primary sport. After that, beach volleyball occasionally over the years, as well as a mixture of other sports on rare occasions throughout any particular millennia when he took a fancy to them. But mainly Indoor Cricket and a bit of beach volleyball. He liked playing poker for money, which was legal enough, so would include that on his permanent activities list. Finally, role-playing in the traditional big games, like Dungeons and Dragons and the various Warhammer's, seemed quite ideal. He would get involved with the miniatures, and make that a permanent hobby. He already had organized a standard Aussie Rock collection of about 1000 traditional CDs which he bought regularly. Years ago, after talking with Daniel of all people, he had learned to organize his consumption habits of such things. He wasn’t a big listener of music, but did have it on from time to time, and had a primary list now which he didn’t really see any need in wavering from. He didn’t particularly bother with a DVD collection, apart from a few dozen on hand at any time, and mainly just watched the old fashioned TV and utilized his Pay TV basic service. He was online, used it to purchase stuff from time to time, and was happy enough reading eBooks online and getting the sports scores. He had a few bibles which he read on hand, a number of sporting magazines which floated around the house, and that was about it in terms of physical reading material. The online eBook suited him well enough for those purposes. His groceries came from Woolworths, which were well established in Joniquay at certain places, and he had a list which never changed which was delivered automatically and charged to his Debit Card. He ordered takeaway pizza and chinese a lot, didn’t really bother with the Indian or Mexican stuff very much but only occasionally, and disregarded the rest of the international cuisines totally – an extremely rare delicacy in that sense. He mowed the lawns when they needed it, but only had a basic back yard most of the time. Rarely he got a green thumb, and might push it for a little while, but it never lasted much. So he kept a sparse back yard, just the grass, with an apple tree usually in the corner.



He drank beer regularly, took an interest in the HRL – Heavenly Rugby League – competition, but didn’t actively play the sport. He didn’t touch the harder alcohol very much at all, and now only smoked about one cigarette a week. His new body was much tougher than the older one, even though more spiritual as well, and he never had to worry about cancer or anything related to the nicotine stuffing him up. But it WOULD cause tar build-up in his lungs, which God had foreordained for this activity, and the smoker’s breath and the smokers cough would inevitably be there. The same principle worked on alcohol, drugs and other addictive stuff. It wouldn’t kill you, but there would be side effects which had to be dealt with in time. So he had gotten over smoking more than one cigarette a week, and had left it at that. It usually gave him a bit of a rush, though, and Friday mornings when he usually lit up he was in a good mood.



He played darts in the kitchen, was excellent at it now, and occasionally competed in a darts competition, but you had to be flawless to win it – literally 98% perfect or higher, or you simply would not compete in the gruelling grind to sort out the great from the elite.



Now, having written down all the things he got up to with his time, he was looking at Daniel’s list, looking at his own, and thinking on things. Was there something missing? Was there some grand quest which was calling him onwards? Probably not, in the end, but he sensed there were titles of glory before him which he would have to earn the hard way. And, in his thinking, they were things like World Records, Number One Statuses at certain things and other achievements of excellence. Ultimately, glory seemed to be on the heart of Mikey Robinson – glory at certain pursuits of excellence. He was not really sure, just yet, what those pursuits were, but reading the list of Daniel’s that was the idea that had gotten into his head. To set a standard – to set a mark – to be listed on the Walls of Champions and place his own name down in the history books. That much seemed to be the hidden part of the malaise of his heart that was driving him.



He was good at indoor cricket – mainly all round skills. He could bat well, bowl ok, and wicket keep quite well as well. His fielding was now quite tight, and he was the kind of player in demand for good indoor cricket teams. Perhaps that could be focus.



Volleyball or Darts also seemed like a potential idea, but in the end he concluded that his glory did not lie with these things either. It was something else – something he wasn’t presently concentrating on – which beckoned him. Some grand epic effort which had the name of ‘Mikey Robinson’ written on it and wouldn’t let go until that glory had been achieved. But, what that glory was, well at the present he hadn’t the foggiest idea.



* * * * *



Gloryel was in a good mood today. She had finished the weekly washing that morning, the clothes were out on the washing line, and there was not much else to do around the house. Daniel had asked for takeaway pizza for the evening meal, so she didn’t have any fussing around in the kitchen to look into. Mostly, her day was for herself – another fine Sunday.



She had been listening to music that morning, and drawing pictures of flowers in one of her endless supply of art notepads which she used to draw such things and other little arty pieces, as well as notes and doodles and things. She had fed the goldfish just a short time ago and, picking up the Sunday paper Daniel had purchased the morning, as he preferred to go out to the newsagent to buy a paper instead of subscribing, and usually had a chicken pie at the Bakers at the shopping centre he usually visited, with a soft drink. It was a long held routine of his and he went for his paper every few weeks.



She was looking through public notices when she came to something which looked interesting. ‘Daniel’, she yelled out. Shortly Daniel appeared, a calculator in his hand, staring at her.

‘Yes?’

‘Look at this.’

Daniel came over, looked at the article, and started reading it out.



‘Heaven’s Ultimate Challenge – Going the Distance’ was the heading.

Daniel continued reading.

‘Attention long distance runners. Are you ready for the ultimate challenge? Extreme Power Sports has set the very first ever competitive long distance race around the entire continent of heaven. Estimated time of the run is a number of years on completion, and we are looking for 5000 Entrants throughout Heaven to compete in this activity. If you are interested, send resume with fitness details to inqu...@extremepowersports.com It is anticipated that there will be around2 to 3 decades of preliminary training for the elite chosen to compete, so if this sounds like you, email us now. Prizes will be awarded for the first 500 places.’



Gloryel looked at her husband. ‘Is this for you?’

Daniel smiled, took the paper and said, ‘No. No, its not. But I do know someone who just might be interested in such a thing at this time.’

‘Who?’ she responded.

‘Mikey. Mikey Robinson. It might just be what he is looking for.’

Gloryel nodded.



* * * * *



Mikey looked at the article again. Daniel had left about half an hour ago after a bit of a chat, and had shown the article about the challenge. Initially Mikey had dismissed the idea. Sure, at the moment he had a lot of free time, but dedicating himself to such an enormous challenge, how could he even hope to finish the course in the end. And then, sitting there at his PC, the article on his table, a little voice spoke to his heart and said, ‘Well, what where you looking for anyway?’

And then, having another think, he got to his feet, walked back to the table, and looked at the article. And then, in a split moment in time, he walked over to his PC, connected to his email, typed in the address, added a file with a sporting resume he had completed about a century ago just luckily enough, and hit send. You never knew in the end. You never knew.





Chapter Four



Samantha Jones was a patient girl – you had to be when paying off a home loan for a house in Joniquay with a loan life still with 3 million more years to pay off. She’d already paid5 million years on the loan, but there was still a substantial amount remaining, which meant work, work and more work.



She didn’t know why – somehow she ultimately felt led to living in Joniquay, of all the places under the heavens, to establish her permanent abode. She did know something – Mikey lived here. Mikey Robinson. She had been something of a girlfriend to Mikey a very long time ago, living in a town in New South Wales in Australia on earth, were they had been friends. And while she never quite landed him, Sheila Davies claiming that prize, she had always wanted him, perhaps more than any other boy, in the end. Perhaps she would meet him here. Sure, it was an enormous city but, in time, you never knew. Of course, if she had to, she supposed she could do the most obvious thing of looking him up in the various directories, but in some way of thinking to her mind, that sort of took all the challenge out of life. She did want to meet him eventually again, if only to catch up, but not yet. Not immediately, anyway.



Samantha had married only 3 times in her long sojourn in the heavenlies, and the last one was over 2 million years ago. Since then she had been mastering the single life. Getting used to the long haul of eternity with herself, her cat and a good bottle of wine. She would find her permanent mate eventually.



She worked in a supermarket, of all places, in the delicatessen. It was quite basic work, but paid well enough, and it was a grind in life which worked well enough for her now. She was used to it, comfortable with it, and didn’t really look for anything more. Every few hundred years a man would talk to her seriously, and they may even date for a while, but she would never take a permanent interest – not yet anyway. She would give them a few weeks, maybe a month or two, and break it off lightly and say it was fun, but not meant to be. For now that is all she wanted out of life.



At the moment she had a lot of long service leave which her supermarket had contracted with her a long time ago to allow her. It was the kind of thing you could request if you wanted it with most established businesses. In front of her were another 48 of her 50 years, pleasant, quiet, gentle times. Times to do nothing much, but go for her weekly swim at the local pool, eat her meals, listen to a lot of Mozart, stroke her cat, and sleep. A little bit of TV, not much, and then just lying around the house, thinking for the most part.



A lot of people developed religion in heaven, which was not that surprising. That was not for Samantha Jones. She knew God existed now. She didn’t really care though. Either way, it just wasn’t an issue. Not that she had any grudge against religion – sure she had read the bible a few times to learn what it taught – but it just was not her scene. She was an ordinary girl, with ordinary values, and did not like to complicate things any more than that. Let the Rabbi pray for her soul if he felt compelled to was her main philosophy on such things.



Life was mostly simple for Samantha – she tried not to overly complicate things very much. Her romances were the kind of brief flings you read about in some trashy romance novels and never dear to her heart. Her work was extremely basic, often boring and repetitive, but she could do it. In the end she could do the work, which was the important thing. And she was fully qualified, worked according to regulations, and never really had any problems to speak of with her employer.



In the big business world, well…. Well, she supposed if she really pushed herself hard she could make some sort of empire for herself, some great and grand career, but really it looked like terribly so much work and so much effort that the rewards, in the end, just did not seem worth it. It was only cash in the end, and she didn’t really need much more than what she had already anyway. In fact, she had enough all things considered.



Yes, it was a simple life, quite basic, not difficult to maintain, and that was the way she liked it. That was, until, sitting at the table in her living room, looking at an add in the Sunday paper for ‘The Ultimate Challenge’ and, strangely, finding herself sitting down at the PC a few minutes later and applying just for the heck of it, a new adventure it seemed was waiting for the life of Samantha Jones.



* * * * *



He hadn’t expected it so soon. 3 days later, Wednesday afternoon, an invitation for a practice session with a group of hopefuls in his local area to assess prospective competitors. He replied ‘Sure’ and waited for the day.



When he got there, 5 O Clock one Sunday afternoon, the gray clouds of winter hovering overhead, threatening to burst upon the gathered assembly, he was still in a happy enough mood. The organizers put the troop through there paces. 5 laps of an oval, jumps, squats and other assorted tests, all to assess them. As he was going through it all, keeping good pace because of his indoor cricket training, he couldn’t help but swear he had seen a girl before, one who was nearby him a lot of the time, doing her thing.



When they finally called it quits for the day, as she walked towards the carpark Mikey worked his way up innocently beside her and introduced himself. ‘Uh, hi. I’m Mikey Robinson.’

Samantha Jones turned to look at him, seemed momentarily stunned and said ‘For fuck’s sake. Is that you Mikey?’

Mikey looked straight at her. ‘I DO know you, don’t I?’

‘You better,’ she responded. ‘Sammy. Sammy Jones. Childhood best buddy.’

Mikey’s jaw dropped, and all he would say was ‘Fuck a Duck.’



* * * * *



She lit a cigarette, sitting out the front of a McDonalds, in the heart of Joniquay, looking incredibly cool to Mikey Jones, the sweat from their just finished session still glistening on her skin. Really, she looked good.



‘So, what have you been up to for the last Trillion years?’

‘Oh, you know. The shit,’ she said, smiling at him.

‘I could imagine.’ He took a sip from his Coke, and stared at her. ‘Fuck, you look good, Sammy. You must have been taking good care of yourself.’

‘It’s these fuckers,’ she said, indicating the cigarette. ‘I only smoke one a century now, but I figured, meeting you, what the hell.’

‘What the hell, hey. You married? Kids?’

‘I have married. In the past. Kids out there. But for a long time now it has been my and my pussy.’

Mikey almost grinned. ‘It’s good that you have held on to your pussy.’

Sammy raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh, I am glad THAT pleases you.’

He took another sip of Coke, still staring at her. ‘The Challenge! What gives? Are you out to steal my glory?’

‘Hey, buddy. It’s my name their getting ready to engrave on the trophy.’

‘Oh, really,’ he responded.

‘Better believe it,’ she said, taking another puff, then putting it out on the ash tray.



He smiled again. ‘Well. What the hell. I’m not far from here. You?’

‘No. Not really.’

‘Want to come over? We can shoot the shit. Drink beer, get pissed. Have a hell of a time.’

She nodded. ‘I think, dear Mikey Jones, that you have a partner.’

He looked at her, very happy. That was good to hear. That much was really good to hear.



* * * * *



They rolled on top of each other, Mikey grunting heavily until, finally, he grunted no more. Rolling over he lit the rare second cigarette for that week, puffed and said ‘Your fucking amazing, Sammy.’

‘I always have been,’ she responded, taking the cigarette from him and puffing on it.

‘Are we going to do this for a while? Or is this just a fling?’ he said honestly.

‘Whatever,’ she responded, not wanting to go any deeper than that.

‘Yeah, whatever,’ he said.



Typically, he fell asleep shortly after that, and Samantha stared up at the ceiling. She had done it. She had found her man, fucked him, and perhaps even landed him. He was available and, from what he had said, seemingly looking for a permanent mate. Could she be that lucky, really? All the pieces had now fallen into place. All the pieces.



All that was left was to kick his arse at the challenge to permanently remind him who the boss was. And thinking that over she laughed to herself. Sammy the boss of Mikey. What would Danny Robinson say?’



* * * * *



Gloryel looked seriously at Daniel, despite the wide grin on his face. ‘I am SERIOUS Daniel. Don’t bloody laugh.’

‘You? The Challenge? You will struggle to finish last, sweetie.’

She kicked him under the table. ‘Jerk,’ she said. ‘Remember, I am a fitness expert dearest. This is exactly what I am looking for.’

‘Well, if you are serious,’ he said, with a more sober look on his face, ‘then you had best show up at the next session with Mikey and bring some sort of resume with your experience. They will probably want to look at that.’

She nodded. ‘Yes. They probably will. You never know. It could be me as first place, with a magnificent trophy to show off to our grand-children.’ But the continued grin on Daniel’s face summed it up. ‘I’ll show you,’ she said, under her breath.



* * * * *



Gloryel was lucky. They accepted her application and added her to the team. And then there were a serious of cuts over progressive weeks. At the first cut half of the 500 entrants from the local area were told to try again next time. And then, 1 month later, another 150 were cut, leaving them with the best 100. ‘Now it is going to get challenging,’ the organisers said to them. And it was.



Yet, no matter how hard the challenges put in front of them, the little team of Mikey, Sammy and Gloryel, seemed to persevere together as a group and, when the final cut down to 10 members from the local area was to be submitted, they were ranked as Mikey number one choice, Sammy number two choice and Gloryel number three. They were in.



Gloryel never stopped bragging about her qualification to Daniel all that year yet Daniel would continually remind her that, when the big day came, she would still probably finish last. ‘I’ll show you,’ was all she said.



Of course, she had a long wait. And a long grind. Now that she had been chosen, they were going to put her through her paces for 25 years, as the start date had finally been set, and they deemed that the entrants would need at least that much prior training and mind strengthening to finish the amazingly long course. ‘Remember,’ they always said. ‘It will probably take around a decade to run the entire distance around the continent. It is big after all. We need fit, committed people. People who have been properly trained and strengthened for this challenge. There will be no excuses once it starts, so you have to be ready for the day.’



Gloryel was ultimately seeded 3912th out of the 5000 entrants, which was not too bad as she saw it. Mikey was in the top 500, and Sammy was just outside of the top 1000 in seedings. Whatever else, although he wouldn’t say anything, Daniel was proud of her effort so far anyway. He took delight when she came home from practice sessions, talking about the things they put her through, and about how her attitude was changing. And he noticed that. A strength, a toughness, a willingness to do just that – take on lifes challenges. Really, if she ever did complete the long grind, he would never hear the end of it. That much he knew for sure.





Chapter Five



After 15 years of a regular routine, Daniel had started attending the session with Gloryel as something of a personal coach. In the contract she had signed, it was her own responsibility to maintain her clothing and shoes throughout the long trek around heaven, which would mean that she would ideally have a car running alongside her to look to her needs. She would be constantly monitored by satellite, with extreme close-up technology. In fact, there were 4 special satellites to be focused just on her from different angles and, all up, 72 satellites for the whole running team had been launched, each satellite filled with multiple lenses to focus on several of the athletes at once.



Daniel, really having nothing better to do, was the natural choice for her coach on the long trek and, having purchased a special state of the art van, with ample sleeping space and enough room to pack all the necessary particulars they would need on the trek, all seemed about ready for when the day arrived.



Danny Robinson arrived in town with a few years to go before the start off, and he and Mikey looked around the motoring places for the perfect vehicle. Danny had finally gotten his time off work for the time necessary and was to be Mikey’s own personal assistant for the long trek. Mikey had inquired of Daniel into what kind of vehicle they had purchased and, after Daniel initially said ‘None of your bloody business’, which had made Mikey laugh, Daniel had shown off the grand vehicle and told Mikey the price. Mikey and Danny found the same dealer, looked through the range and, Danny suggesting they go for one model higher to add extra luck for their team, Mikey agreed, forked over 90% of the cash with Danny happy to contribute 10%, and were looking good.



Sammy’s mother agreed, in the end, to take on the long trek. Mrs Genevieve Jones, with still a soft French accent, for she had been raised in France, managed to get an extended leave without pay break from work, which had only been part-time anyway, and arrived in Joniquay, eager to help out her daughter. They also bought the same model as Daniel and Gloryel, and were looking forward to the big day.



* * * * *



‘Remember,’ said Daniel, massaging his wife’s legs. ‘It is alright to be nervous on your first day. And, like we said, go slow to start with. This is a LONG marathon, sweetie. We can take a few days to start with of careful walking to ease yourself into the long grind. If you want to ultimately do well, start carefully. Warm up the body. Don’t worry – you may even be last for a while, but victories in something like this need a good strategy.’

Gloryel nodded, taking all that in, but what lurked behind those steel eyes, Daniel did not really want to venture.

A knock came to the van door. ‘5 minutes,’ someone yelled, and Gloryel stared at her husband.

‘I just want to say this, Danny. Whatever the result, I couldn’t have gotten this far without you. We are winners already.’

‘I’ll wait before I agree with you. Now, sweetie. Fuck it,’ he said, and planted a kiss on her cheek. ‘Now lets get out there and kick some arse.’



They exited the Van, walked along a thoroughfare and came to a large road which was filled with competitors well down a bit. There were cameras everywhere, and the contest was being televised on 3 Pay Tv channels dedicated to hosting the event. Whatever else, if she did well, Gloryel would be even more famous than her ancient name had warranted.





They found Mikey and Sammy were they had agreed to meet up and the three competitors, dressed in athletic guise, were lifting up legs in warming up motions, looking at each other.



‘So. Sammy. Here we are,’ said Gloryel, almost already attempting to stare down her opponent.

Samantha just smiled and nodded. Mikey spoke up. ‘So, will you go the bloody distance, Glory Girl? Or will we leave you back near the starting line.’

‘Very funny Mr Robinson. I will remember that,’ she retorted.



They looked around and Gloryel glanced up at the large digital clock. 11:54. Six minutes to start. She looked at Mikey. ‘Well, do we still have that agreement? Nothings changed? We stay slow for a few days, walk it out and then someone starts to push on a bit.’

‘But who?’ replied Samantha.

‘I don’t think it really matters so early on,’ replied Gloryel. ‘As well all know, the everyday pace is what will get us there in the end. A regular routine, miles done, in a particular time. Seeing who can cope with the grind. Someone may get off to a hell of a start, but unless they are ready for the grind, then it really doesn’t matter.’

‘No, it doesn’t,’ said Mikey, finishing off his stretches.



An organiser came up and checked with Daniel, who moved over to the side of the road. The time was approaching.



‘So, the winner buys the rest 1000 rounds. Is that still on,’ said Mikey.

‘What if we all finish outside of the top 500,’ responded Samantha.

‘It’s only money,’ finished Gloryel. ‘It always comes around again.’

‘It’s settled then,’ said Mikey. ‘Now good luck girls. You’ll need it.’

‘We’ll see Mikey boy,’ said Samantha.

‘Yes, we’ll see,’ responded Gloryel.



They stared at each other and, looking up at the time, settled.



Daniel, staring at his beloved, prayed a silent prayer, and looked at the clock.



Shortly a female voice began speaking.



‘Ladies and Gentleman. We are ready. The competitors are all here and accounted for – all 5000 entrants. How long they ultimately take, well who knows, but we will be keeping very accurate race records and are looking to the establishing of a long race tradition. Now, as soon as the clock ticks over to 12, a loud siren will sound, and off we go.’ She went silent, and a hush came over the crowd. And then, almost startling everybody, the siren whaled, and they were off. Off on the adventure of a lifetime.



* * * * *



4 days in they were still walking along, an occasional bit of jogging, but nothing to strenuous when Mikey, finally, signalled to the two girls and said ‘Well here goes,’ and pushed on a bit into a jog and then a bit of a run. And he was off. Half an hour later he was well out of sight and Samantha turned to Gloryel. ‘Well, sis. It’s been good. Time to get serious.’ And she took off after her man.



And then there was one.



Daniel, deciding he would walk with her for a couple of hours, before walking back to the van, something they had agreed he would do for her from time to time. They walked along and, finally, around 6 in the evening on the fourth day, Gloryel stopped, came over to the van, and sat down in the front seat, taking a cold Coke.

‘What gives?’ queried Daniel.

‘I’m ready,’ she said.

‘Ok,’ he responded.



It was early, the following morning, very early. She had risen, woken Daniel, and said it was time they were off – seriously. Time to set the pace they had programmed over the entire slog, taking many factors into account, building slowly, carefully and gradually over the first 4 years. Years 5 & 6 would be the main challenge – the pace would be at about the maximum she could handle. They would slow down for year 7, slower still for year 8, and slower still for year 9. And then they would assess. It would be a hell of a grind if necessary, but year 10 was the year she was to go for broke and make sure she finished off the challenge.



She walked for about 10 minutes and then took off with a jog. And then, around 9 mid morning, she reached her pace. Her standard pace for this first 4 years leg. They had anticipated around the end of the fourth year they would be mid-field. They were pretty confident, after all their calculations, that she would manage that. After that, all things being equal, they would push on and increase the pace, and so on. By the end of the 7th year she needed a lead. She needed a good lead. She would be slowing down after that and that is when the competition might catch her, but that was inevitable. She knew, in truth, as Daniel continually reminded her, her psyche, her body, her spirit, only had so much to give. Only so much. So they would be careful, play it by ear, and finish their race.



* * * * *



She counted them one by one. First, 17 weeks after beginning, still assuming she was almost definitely last place, she passed her first already tired looking jogger. He was well built enough for the competition, and they chatted for about an hour. He maintained that he had trained appropriately, but hadn’t really quite yet grasped the immensity of the challenge. And, as she progressed, one by one, similar tales came forth. It was around mid year, when she had passed over 200 of her competitors, that Daniel finally gave her a nod. ‘Remember, sweetie, at the top of the pack they are still generally going for it. Ok. But ego only lasts so long. They’ll be cooling off somewhat now, facing up to the enormity of the slog, and second thoughts will plague most of them. Just stay focused, sweetie. We’ll reel them in.’



And one by one, she did.



* * * * *



It was at the end of the second year, and she was already midfield. Ahead of schedule she continued to maintain to Daniel, but he wasn’t so sure. He had been keeping records, watching the race online with his wireless Webnet, and was cautious. The leaders were out to a good lead – a very good lead. It would be tough, but years 5 and 6 now looked very promising. Providing she could keep the tough pace she promised him. Provided on that.



When she hid mid year of year 3, she was starting to look a different woman to Daniel. A very different woman. Something had changed in her. Something which he hadn’t noticed initially but which had slowly crept up on him and become more and more obvious as the race progressed. She was hardening. In more ways than one. Her body was looking tremendously fit, which it should, and there had hardly been a torn ligament in the whole time, something they had seriously factored in. A couple of sprains, which had delayed her a little, but they had healed and she was soon back on the road. But it was more than fitness – it was attitude, temperament. She was tough, now. A strong woman. A powerful woman. A woman who knew what she wanted, what she wanted to achieve, and was working damn hard to achieve. She really, for all intents and purposes, was a woman destined for glory. That much seemed bleeding obvious to Daniel. Bleeding obvious.



Yet, what would be the breaking of her spirit? What would be that? Looking at her at the moment, he seemed certain that not only would she finish the race, but that she would be streaks ahead of the competition when she finished it. But that was now. That was now. There are many a slip twixt cup and lip was a very familiar saying to Daniel, and it was always better not to count your chickens before they were hatched.



She looked like a woman on a mission, to quite Gabriella Cilmi, and seemed absolutely and resolutely determined to go through with this crusade at all costs. Of course, they had rest days occasionally, which was absolutely necessary on such a humungous trek, and they had theoretically factored in a 1 week stay at a hotel somewere around the mid point of the 4th year, as well as at the end of the 7th year. That was up in the air, depending on the state of play of the challenge, but at this point in time was still set to go ahead.



It was all those factors which were deemed necessary to give her the psychological mindset to overcome the challenge. To go the distance. To finish the race.



Yet, were the glory would rest on the final leg for the angel Gloryel – well only time would tell on that. Only time would tell on that.





Chapter Six



Daniel looked at the data carefully. Year 6, nearly complete, and the end of the main effort behind her. Surprisingly, she was first. It had been a rush when she pushed passed Mikey Robinson to claim third place and then, as time marched on, she moved to second, then outright first. But year 6 was almost over with and she had only been in the lead for 4 months. If she slowed down now, wouldn’t they catch her?

‘Look. Glory. It’s up to you, ok. You have to ultimately call the shots. When we started off on this thing it was a work in progress – we didn’t really know just what you were capable of. But, looking at your attitude, looking at your physical fitness, I say we push on and modify our plans for year 7. The same rate again as 5 and 6 and in year 8 we look to be slowing down. With the lead we may end up getting in year 7 it might ultimately be the way to go. But it’s your call, ok. It’s your call.’

Gloryel nodded. She knew it was her call. Had in truth known that for the last 4 months.

‘Ok. As you say, it has always been a work in progress. We can make our best plans, but reality interferes. Ok. I feel strong. I feel good. We push on for year 7 at the same rate, but then I will have to slow down. You know, it is starting to get to me. The sheer constant effort. The sheer continual devotion to this bloody challenge.’

‘Ok. We’ll see how it goes,’ responded Daniel. ‘We’ll see how it goes.’



* * * * *



It was three quarters into the 7th year and Gloryel had started slowing down a little. Daniel could sense it – she had peaked. There was only so much, now, left in the tank. Probably enough to finish the race in the end, but winning it? That was another question.



‘I don’t know what it is,’ she said, coughing and spluttering. I just – feel exhausted. This race has gone on forever, Daniel. Forever. Its like I’m running and running and running and that is the only meaning in life. To run. I’m jack of it.’

Daniel softened. He didn’t want to argue with his beloved. ‘Well. I don’t know. Do you… Do you want to call it a day? It has been a hell of an effort and there is no shame at this point.’

She stared at him and almost, almost, said yes. Instead she tried something else. ‘We’ll take that week off now. We have a good lead. We’ll see how we go.’ Daniel nodded.



The week seemed to go slow. Gloryel was in bed a lot of the time, and refused to get up a couple of the days, but Daniel couldn’t blame her. Obviously she needed it. It seemed they had been running forever, going through the same old routine, and sometimes they both wondered just how much they needed this.



It was the 8th day, and she had risen. Their lead was still quite substantial, and Gloryel looked almost like she’d had no rest whatsoever, seeing the weary look on her face. But, no. She looked at Daniel and nodded. ‘We’ve come too far, Danny. Too far. I won’t quit on you.’

He came over, hugged her, kissed her, and then, after breakfast, she was away. She wouldn’t give in. She wouldn’t quit.’



* * * * *



Mikey was ready. Ready for a hell of a push. He knew how far Gloryel was in the lead, and he knew he was now second. Ironically, Sammy was back in 7th at the moment. The little group had done amazingly.



This run had been the making of Mikey Robinson in more ways than one. In the first years it had been difficult – he had been full of doubts over wether, in the end, he would go the distance. But he had hardened. He had toughened. And when one third of the distance had been done, no matter what else, not matter how long it took him, he knew he would finish the race. And then winning it became a priority.



And so he had pushed on, grown steadily in confidence as more distance past, and started believing – whatever else, he would do well. Perhaps even first, but he was not sure yet.



* * * * *



‘Seriously, how the fuck am I in the top 10?’

Genevieve smiled at her daughter’s profanity, very typical for Samantha. ‘You are just an extraordinary girl, Samantha Jones. Just an extraordinary girl.’

‘I guess fucking so,’ she replied. ‘Well, time to put that extraordinariness to the test – we have miles to run.’ And, finishing her warming up for the morning, off she went, back to the endless grind.



Sammy Jones was a realistic girl about this long run she had taken on. Her primary goal was just finishing it which, after about a week from the start, she realized she would do. In the end, it was just more bloody work. Challenging, difficult, hard – you name it – but it was just plain old work in the end. And, after countless years working the same old boring job she was used to that reality. And so, in the Challenge, the monotony of it all never quite got to her – she could cope. Which meant, after about 4 years of going along steadily, improving all the time with her attitude and fitness, she contemplated the idea of actually bothering to try and win it for real, and off she went on a new spirit of competitiveness.



And now that spirit of ‘have a go’ was paying off. She was in the top 10, currently 9th, and she knew too well who was out ahead of her. Mikey and Gloryel. Could she catch them? Could she make the grade of excellence? Only time would tell.



As she motored along she looked out at the scenery around her. So many new things she had seen in this trek around heaven. So much new life, so much new creation. Were she had lived in Joniquay she was used to the particular scenery and, having lived in heaven for so long, had seen so much of God’s divine glories. But this long run had given her a chance to see so much of it right up in person, and she was so thankful for the opportunity to have done so. Sceneries were amazing and part of the motivating factors for her wanting to continue this run. Whatever else, she had seen an eternal lifetimes supply of new and interesting vistas to place in the centre of her heart and enjoy on rainy days in years to come when new grandchildren asked her how she had spent her days of eternity.



Her body was strong, now. Very strong. From what the occasional competitor who she passed told her some were saying they felt their bodies starting to challenge them and ask ‘Have you had enough of this?’, but for Samantha the answer was still ‘Not Yet.’ She could cope. She knew essentially how long she had to go and, somehow, the subconscious of her mind had processed the data and said ‘Fine – you must know what you are doing’, which hopefully she did.



Yes, it was a hell of a long trek, and she still had a long, long way to go. But it looked achievable – it was achievable. And, having come so far, there was no point in stopping now. Not with so much to gain. Not with so much eternal glory awaiting her.



‘On we go mum,’ she said to her mother Genevieve, and on she went.



* * * * *



‘Nine years I have been running this fucking race, Daniel. Nine fucking years!’

‘I know sweetie. Stop complaining and let me finish drying you off.’

Gloryel, still wet from her shower, stood there in the van, shaking a little in the cold, a proud woman.

‘One more year to go. One fucking year.’

‘But are you ready for the challenge? Mikey is a little bit ahead now, and Sammy is about 3 days behind us. We always maintained the last year would be the heart of the challenge when it would be time to up the ante. It looks as if the time has come.’

‘Victory or death,’ said Gloryel, with not the faintest bit of pride in her tone.

‘Don’t say that sweetie. You know I can’t afford to lose you. Who would wash up the dishes?’

‘Victory or death!’ exclaimed Gloryel again, still shivering, but looking a determined woman.





They ran that day, at an increased pace. A greatly increased pace. As agreed they had indeed slowed down over the last few years, mainly to conserve her body’s energy, which was now finally starting to ebb and show, but also to prepare her for the final assault – the final year of glory.



There were competitors, back there, who still hadn’t reached half way. Who were still grinding along, working at it, taking on the challenge. She had practically exceeded them all, but 2 fierce foes remained – her best friends in this challenge. Victory or death was the motto she cried, but Daniel, looking at her battle weary and worn body knew indeed it could be one or the other – the making or the killing of her.



* * * * *



It was late, in the cold of the year, with not long to go, and Daniel was nervous about Gloryel. She wasn’t looking good – not looking good at all. She was muscle, and that was all she was – a body of muscle. There was hardly any fat on her, which was never a good thing, as the body needed its fat. But, also, she looked drained – physically, and you could especially see it in her face. She wouldn’t say it, really. She would never really say it. But she was tired. Oh, so tired. It had taken it out of her, this challenge. It had gutted her, deprived her of all her beauty and glory and made her face up to the hard edge of life. But to her credit, in which Daniel took firm delight, she had pushed on and would just not quit. Not now – not with so much to gain. And perhaps now, more than ever.



Samantha Jones had caught her for a while, not that long ago, but she had eventually responded, pushed on, and then, knowing they were close, caught Mikey and overtaken him. She was in the lead again – right out in first place – with about 2 months to go.



It was all calculated – it was all as it should be – but looking at her body and her physique – at the terrible price she had paid for this – was it really, the pride, all worth it in the end? Was it really worth that much? God forbid if he had to ever do it – God forbid.



* * * * *



They grinded on and, as the cold of winter passed, and the year gradually warmed, Gloryel seemed to be getting a little better. As if the hardest part of the battle was now dead – completely finished with – and she could come home in the graces of Almighty God. The last week was pretty special for Daniel, in hindsight. They knew Mikey was too far behind to make a last ditched valiant attempt at victory and that, barring a total breakdown from Gloryel, the victory was theirs. In some ways that didn’t make it any easier. They still had to go through the grind – the early rising, the new running shoes, the constant body massages and rub downs, and all the other pressures of the regular grind – but they were both happy now. Gloryel had run the course – had taken the challenge – had come out on top. She was a champion – now and forever.



The day came, and she reached the top of a large hill and, looking down the valley below her they could both see the finishing line and the large crowd which had built up – the crowd was enormous, too many to count, and Gloryel felt a little chuffed.



Daniel exited the van at the top of the hill and beckoned for her to come and get changed. ‘We’ll let you look sweet for the final hurrah. First, have a good shower, and you can have a bit of lunch with me as well, but your whole afternoon will likely be taken up with this and that affair. There will likely be a press conference were they will have a mountain of questions. Remember, if you don’t want to answer let me field it.’ Gloryel nodded, and climbed into the van and then, did that most remarkable of things – she fell asleep. It was around 4 in the afternoon when she rose, had her shower, a little to eat and changed into a long pair of track pants to cover her legs and a lovely bright new gold T-Shirt. She looked good. She thought on the make up and, finally, a light dousing of a professional one they had kept which took the edge of her haggard look. And now she was ready.



Daniel left the vehicle were it was, which wasn’t a problem, as a small crowd had climbed the hill and there was a police escort guarding it. And, walking with her every step of the way, they descended the mountain, into the heart of Joniquay, and approached the finishing line which had also been the starting line, from the opposite direction.



It was with about 50 metres to go that Gloryel stumbled, and reached for her ankle. She had sprained it. Daniel was cautious. ‘Can you make it today? We have plenty of time up our sleeves – at least a month. We can wait. Don’t push it unless you really want to.’

‘With all these people,’ said Gloryel. ‘I can hardly disappoint them now.’ And she didn’t.





Chapter Seven



Strangely, she was lost. Lost in a world which had a different beat to it, a different merry strum, one which, really, to the mind of Gloryel, current champion of heaven, had no great focus. No great desire upon achievement.



It was Daniel’s tonic to this mood of Gloryel’s, which erupted into words from time to time, subtle words of ‘You could do better’, which eventually brought Gloryel back to the real world. Away from the focus – away from the pursuit of excellence – away from the pursuit of glory.



‘In the end, Gloryel, the race in life is this – it is NOT one with a finishing line. Ok. It doesn’t have one of those. Rather it is an ongoing race, it is an everyday race, it is the race of the eternal, one which never ends. And ALL of us, dear Glory Girl, are the participants. ALL of us. If you are happy with your life, and God has placed no great burdens upon you, who are you to be judged by the fanciful judgements of other egoists? Sure, they may have reinvented the wheel itself, but who cares. After all, in the end, life goes on – and it is not yesterday’s glories which speak of eternal life, but the glory of today, in the living of it successfully, and the simple pleasures of being alive and a decent person. If people are getting along with you, who cares if you haven’t faced the greatest of all challenges – you are still loved. Glory comes and glory goes, dear, dear Gloryel. Life goes on anyway and regardless of it.’



And with such words, and with such comforts, Gloryel managed to return to the real world, and the simple everyday focus of the humdrum of life. But she did retain bragging rights – she did do that.



* * * * *



David was bored. Extremely bored. The Angel Ambriel, also known as David Rothchild, the chosen Messiah of mankind, was bored. He had received his heavenly rewards for all his efforts among mankind and their sanctification long ago, and retired to the heavenlies, after a very long life on earth. But now, having pursued so many dreams, having pursued so much glory, David was bored. What else was there to do, really. What else.



He looked at the paper which his wife, the angel Meludiel, had brought in to him. On the front page, staring at him, looking mean and lean, dear old Gloryel. One of Gabriel’s long term favourite angels – triumphant in the challenge, queen of heaven, queen of glory. And sitting there, thinking it over, perhaps this could be a new lease of life for David Rothchild – perhaps a new challenge could enter the heart of Ambriel, Seraphim of Glory of the Angelic Host of Heaven.



* * * * *



Little Danielle, Daniel and Gloryel’s new child, born to them about a year after the end of the challenge, looked up into Ambriel’s eyes. She was now five, and full of life. Full of beans. ‘You’re Ambriel. The Messiah,’ she said, with eyes wide open innocence.

‘Uh, yes I am, sweetie,’ said David, patting her on the head.

‘I think she likes you,’ said Daniel, looking at them.

‘That’s good,’ said Ambriel.

‘Could be a romance one day,’ responded Daniel with a little chuckle, which brought forth a kick from Gloryel who was seated next to him on the couch.

‘I don’t think so,’ responded David. ‘I am married enough as it is.’

‘How many wives is it now, anyway?’ queried Gloryel.

‘784. And counting. There is a Russian Princess who has sworn devotion to me, if only I will propose.’

‘Good grief. 784,’ said Daniel. ‘You must have a busy bedroom.’

The look David gave Daniel in response seemed to sum up the answer to that question.



‘So, Gloryel. You are now Queen of heaven. Champion of the long distance. The elite of the elite. How does it feel,’ queried the curious Ambriel.

‘Oh, you know. Pretty good. Thanks for asking.’

‘I mean, really. You obviously overcame so many of lifes problems and challenges in that run. Proving your-self. Proving your glory.’

Gloryel looked at him, and nodded. ‘You could say that David.’

David nodded, and took a sip of tea, and looked at the child who was playing with a toy car.



‘Well,’ he eventually began. ‘I have not come for no reason. Not for no reason. I have a request. Perhaps of both you, Gloryel, and Daniel.’

‘A request?’ queried Gloryel. ‘Sure. What is it?’

‘Train me. I. Well. I need another challenge now. A great challenge. An epic challenge. You showed the world what courage and determination could do. What a committed soul could achieve. And, while I have done so many things, the sort of trial you went through was amazing. Totally amazing. Now, they have set the challenge again – for 3 decades from the start of the last one. It is meant to be an ongoing challenge – an ongoing achievement for glory. You have first place, but that is quite suitable for you – you are God’s little glorious one.’

Gloryel blushed at that.

‘But, I foresee,’ continued David, ‘that this challenge will be the making of many of the children of heaven. To complete it – to win it – will be the making of us in more ways than one.’

Daniel looked at David with those words, and a little cog turned over in his mind.

‘So,’ continued David, ‘I want you both to train me. To prepare me. For I want to compete in the next challenge. And more than that. I want to win the damned thing. To come first. Now, what do you say? Will you do it? I can pay you richly, if that is a problem. Believe me, cash is no problem.’



Gloryel looked momentarily lost for words, but turned to Daniel. ‘Uh, well. Daniel. What can we say?’

Daniel looked at David, and, despite thinking perhaps he really should no better, was ready at once to respond.

‘Ok, David. Ok. We’ll do it. I understand that you need this in your life, because I saw it in Gloryel as well. The determination. So I won’t let you down. You may not end up getting what you need – what you want – from the result, but I will train you anyway. And I am sure Gloryel will help.’



David was overjoyed at Daniel’s response. ‘Thank you greatly. The both of you. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to begin.’

‘Yes,’ spoke Gloryel, ‘I’ll help you as well. I don’t mind. It will give us a focus – something to do. Perhaps it is our calling for such things. Perhaps that is how we can help in life.’

‘I am sure it is,’ said David. ‘I am sure it is.’



* * * * *



Later on, when David had left, Gloryel and Daniel were at Dinner, discussing things.

‘Actually, it could become something of a career,’ said Gloryel. ‘A good source of income. I mean, with my victory in the very first of the contests, people could be seeking me out for a good long while to come. I mean, if David wants our services, it could even become a career for us. We could become specialists at it.’

Daniel actually nodded at that. ‘Well, I hate to say it, Glory, but I was in truth thinking the very same thing. Sure, we are on a good enough wage, and we never really need that much more anyway. But with your reputation for winning it, and, I suppose, my own name for assisting you, we have a lot to offer. And perhaps a very good income also.’

Gloryel smiled. ‘So we shall pursue this then? For a while? Trainers? Trainers for the challenge?’

‘We’ll see how it goes,’ responded Daniel, and smiled at her.



* * * * *



In the Robinson household there was generally quite solid celebrating for quite a while. Sammy and Mikey married, and were the toast of the athletic community for quite some time. There payout, from what Extreme Power Sports had raised from the telecasting, for Mikey finishing second and for Sammy finishing third was really huge. Extreme had returned a substantial amount to the 500 first finishers of the large profits they had made, and Sammy was able to completely pay off her mortgage, with a substantial amount remaining. They were on easy street for quite a while.



There first child, Samuel, was a beautiful boy, and when he turned 8, he was well familiar with the challenge which his parents had competed in. They saw a lot more of Gloryel and Daniel at various dinners for the challenge community which had arisen, and it was always interesting to hear about David’s progress in his training for the next challenge. This time the field had been opened up to 50,000 entrants, simply because of the excessive demand. It was going to be huge the second time and athletes who had not been ready for the first go at it were definitely setting their aim on the second one. It was going to be big and, after a while, David knew that too well.



Daniel and Gloryel seemed to work well on David’s team and, when he finally qualified for the challenge, just making it, but with a low seeding at 44, 562, they didn’t have the greatest of confidences for the win. But Gloryel constantly reminded David that she had been seeded way down the bottom and had even been in last place for the early part of the competition. ‘It is the challenge itself which is the making of you,’ she told David. ‘Make a good plan, stick with it, and you will come out on top. Trust me.’ And David did.



‘In the end, David,’ Daniel had said to him. ‘If you are really the most determined – the most sure of yourself – the most committed – the most prepared to do what it takes – it doesn’t matter your size or your gender – you will simply pull through. You just have to put in the work before hand and it will all come to you in time. David had nodded at that. That much he knew to be true. He would have to earn it. He would definitely have to do that.



And so they pushed on with the training, getting ready for another long grind, and, for now, things were busy and complete in the lives of Daniel and Gloryel, angels of God.



* * * * *



It was a little later on. The second challenge was not long around the corner, and Daniel and Gloryel were as busy as ever with David and a heck of a lot of media coverage. Constant questions about how they felt David would go and his odds of victory, as well as questions about their training methods and so on. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to know about this big second one.



For David, it could have been an excuse to slacken off – he had already won the popular vote by a landslide, and now only needed to compete for a fair while to earn his glory. But no, not for David Rothchild. It was all or nothing for a man like him.



It was later on, one evening after training, Gloryel off at the Robinson’s house, and Daniel out on the back porch, with the rarest of beers in his hands, which he almost never drank, looking out at suburbia. Life was good, now. Life was good. He was happy with things in the general sort of way, and pleased to be doing something useful and being found needed for it. It was good in that sense.



The constant training and dialogue and media intensity about David, perhaps, made him and Gloryel lose sight of each other in all the commotion, but the understanding about the endeavour they were pursuing was unwritten between them, and they both knew were each other was at.



As Daniel sipped his beer, he thought on life. Sure, life went on, as it always did. But there were some new ideas in the mind of Daniel, angel of God. Commotion, activity, excitement, purpose. Those sorts of words now shone up a lot in conversations in his little world and simply having something useful and challenging to do gave him a lot of purpose and a reason to get up in the morning. In this way his life was more complete and fulfilled than ever.



And thinking about that he started contemplating ideas about, in the ongoing humdrum of the eternal, facing up to things with a spirit of excellence and commitment – mainly for this reason. The living of life on the edge, at the fullest, in the heart of glory – well it gave life a buzz which you never normally got out of it anyway.



And so, saying a silent prayer of thanks to God for the glory of his wife and her efforts, he sipped on his beer, looked out at suburbia, and hummed a little tune as another day of heaven passed on by.



The End