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GOD |
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by Robert Nagler
The man who must be shot keeps saying, Please God, Please God, Please God. Hearing this, the contract murderer puts up his pistol. The murderer seeks God. The murderer says to the man, I'll give you half an hour; if God changes the circumstances (he can't think of a better word), you live, otherwise ... He walks out, locks the door of the small windowless room and waits. He hopes God will do something. Not a miracle necessarily, but manifest some token. For if there's a God, there may be Forgiveness and for this the murderer will do anything. He hates his life. He hates what he does. He has no memory because thinking about the past is painful. He waits and waits, looking at the door. When the half hour is up, he unlocks the door and walks in. Nothing has changed except the man is in a corner now. He shoots the man. When the half hour is up, he unlocks the door and walks in. God is there. God forgives the murderer and everything changes. Now the murderer has an ordinary life and an ordinary job. He can think about his job without pain. He has a memory. He can think about the past without pain because his memories are of ordinary years and years and none of the memories contain blood. Then, the murderer's many victims are resurrected. Their memories contain no terror. They have only memories of very ordinary events. They go on to live ordinary lives. God has changed everything. Oxford, PA
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