Chapter Nine: THE FIRST OFFICER IN HEAVEN

   

Swirling fog made the gray night even darker. A tugboat whistle sounded far in the distance. It was answered by a foghorn, low and growly like the mating sound of some reptilian beast. Horses' hooves clip-clopped close by. The temperature was chilly and the air was wet. The First Officer suddenly found he existed.

    "Where am I?" he thought to himself, silently of course. His people did not consider it in good taste to talk to oneself.

    There was a yellowish glow to his left. He moved into the glow. It was coming from a metal pole, tall and slender. He looked up. The object was a gas powered street light.

    The First Officer's keen alien eyes adapted somewhat to the foggy darkness. There was a lower place on the concrete beneath his feet. He stepped down. A horse drawn carriage ran right through him.

    Calmly he suddenly thought of several colorful metaphors.

    A voice sounded in the darkness, a tightly controlled but cheerful British voice. "Fascinating, isn't it, friend? You exist."

    The First Officer suddenly realized that he hadn't always. The memories that came flying into his head were being manufactured right on the spot. He was sure of that.

    "Where am I and who are you?" He asked.

    The voice said cheerfully, "Direct and to the point. How very rational of you! You're in a re- creation of Victorian England and I am Sherman Homes."

    The First Officer disagreed, "There is no such person as Sherman Homes. He is a fictional creation."

    "And so are you," said the voice. The person behind the voice stepped into the yellow glow of the streetlight. That made him much easier to see. Interesting. He did LOOK like Sherman Homes.

    "What do you mean?" the First Officer asked.          
                                                                                           
    Sherman smiled, "Did it ever occur to you, my fine fellow, that if I did not exist, Heaven would not be Heaven to millions of my fans? Well Heaven couldn't be Heaven to many a science fiction fan if you weren't up here."

    The First Officer gave the strange fellow a good looking over. He wished he had his hand- held sensing device. Suddenly he realized he did.

    Sherman spoke. "See? Heaven could not be Heaven to you without your little toy, so you have it!"

    The First Officer said firmly, "I do not believe in ghosts, especially not fictional ghosts."

    Sherman smiled, "I did not either, friend, but the Universe proved bigger than I thought it was. Remember in my stories where I commented to my good friend Doctor Datson that you could deduce the ocean from a drop of water? Well friend, I was blind! Totally blind! I failed to realize Human desire is as real as any drop of water."

    The First Officer was intrigued. "Explain."

    Sherman answered, "Almost every life form in the Universe is genetically programmed to desire to continue existing. And it's a big Universe, friend, a big one! Somehow, some time, some place, Somebody figured out how to build Heaven and Hell."

    The First Officer asked, "Are you implying that we are now existing in some kind of afterlife? But you were never real in the first place."

    Sherman shrugged, "As I said. To some, Heaven isn't Heaven without Homes."

    "Then why am I here?" The First Officer asked, "I do exist even if you do not."

    Sherman threw back his head and belly laughed.

    The First Officer lifted an eyebrow. That seemed most unusual behavior for Sherman Homes.

    The being continued. "Come, friend, let us go see more of my domain. Your domain is a lot bigger that mine, by the way. I somehow still feel the overpowering desire to stay close to England. There is a Mexican restaurant up the street a bit. Let's go grab a tasty meal and discuss things."

    The First Officer pointed out, "There were no Mexican restaurants in Victorian era England."

    Sherman nodded, "True, but my creator did not stay dead either. He found himself in Heaven and found some parts of Heaven do have Mexican restaurants. He grew to like Mexican food. So when he was asked to help build this re-creation of ancient England, he added one. We often meet there and discuss things."

    The First Officer asked, "I assume by the term ‘creator' you are referring to Sir Author Konan Royale and not a Divine Deity?"

    Sherman laughed, "Yes, friend, Royale is my father! The Divine Deity is our Grandfather!"
   

    "You are implying that God exists?"

    "Oh friend! Oh friend. You are even more naive than I was. From the existence of amoebas we can deduce the existence of every possible kind of life form from the simplest to the Most High. Ecological niches don't stay empty, not even God's eco-niche. Evolution could not avoid its Final Glory!"

    "You are saying God evolved?"

    "Well, friend, I rather think He did. You are so very much like me that I think you will like that theory. You are not the only one. Darwin is as
pleased as rum punch."

    The First Officer lifted an eyebrow. Darwin is in Heaven?"

    The detective nodded, "So few people remember he is a Christian." They never realized his theory would prove the possibility of God's existence, not deny it."

    "It is only a theory, then?"

    Sherman nodded and smiled, "Yes indeed. We are only scientists, not beings of faith. To us nothing is ever proven, not even our own existence!"

    "Within the parameters of your theory, how can a Deity that evolves also create the Universe from which It evolves?"

    Sherman lifted a finger, "You know very well that space and time are curved. Anything that curves must eventually come back upon itself."

    The First Officer nodded, "That is a logical though somewhat imaginative hypothesis."

    "Yes," Homes agreed. "But I cannot take the credit for the idea. There is a computer called Rodric, who you shall have to meet sometime.", and I think he got the idea from Pierre Teilhard De Chardin.

    The Mexican restaurant was dark and smelled wonderfully of spicy foods. There were flickering candles on the table and bouncy guitar music was being played in the background by a sombrero and serape clad band.

    The First Officer discovered that he did indeed enjoy Mexican food. "Interesting flavor," he commented to Homes. "It reminds me of some of my own planet's preparations. But I fail to understand how we are able to eat if we are only computer programs."

    Sherman smiled, "Well, give the Most High credit for improving on the ideas of virtual reality.

    Now we dead people can taste and smell, too. I was told by Adam that this was not always so."

    The First Officer asked, "Is Adam a re- created being or did he really exist?"

    Homes smiled, "I do not know, friend. He's not telling. But we know from DNA tracing that Eve existed, so maybe Adam did too."

    The First Officer asked, "I assume I was brought here because I have always wanted to meet Sherman Homes, but I hope England is not my final resting place. I am a being from Space. Also now I am beginning to remember certain other people who are of deep emotional importance to me."

    Homes pulled a watch chain and watch out of his vest pocket. He looked at it. He shook it. "This blasted thing never works! It's about time I tried space and time travel. I'm to show you how to find your friends."
The First Officer lifted an eyebrow. "I seem to recall in one of your stories that you did not even know whether the Earth went around the Sun or the reverse. Are you sure that you know what you are doing?"

    Homes smiled, "No, but the Universe is user friendly. If we get lost we can always ask for directions."

    "From whom?" the First Officer wanted to know.

    "From whomsoever we happen to be near. Let us start you off at Big Ben. That always worked for Peter Pan. Besides I've got to reset my watch."

    As the First Officer and Homes left the restaurant and went walking along the sidewalk to London's most famous landmark, The First Officer asked, "Peter Pan is now in existence? Is there also a Never Never Land?"

    Sherman smiled, "Actually there are five of them. There is one based on the original novel, one based on the stage play, one based on the Disney animated movies, one based on another movie called 'Hook,' and one based on the holographic multisensor interactive role playing game. People weren't able to agree on which Never Never Land was supposed to be the 'real' one."

    "Hmmmm," said the First Officer. "Are there also more than one Peter Pan?"

    Sherman smiled, "Oh yes. They get in terrible arguments sometimes! I'm lucky there is only one me! There's Big Ben."

    "So now what do we do?" The First Officer wanted to know.

    Sherman explained, "According to the instructions I obtained from this rather uncouth Angel named Fireflower, I am supposed to lift my feet off the ground and float and you are supposed to do the same. Then you place a mental image of The Doctor in your head and you start going towards him. I am supposed to follow for a short distance to make sure you are all right. Frankly I am dubious. I've never tried space travel before and Fireflower is known for being a practical joker. However let's give it a go. We have nothing to lose. Hang on a minute. I'm about to attempt to reset my watch for accuracy."

    Sherman continued. "Not that Big Ben is any more accurate than my watch. That is one problem with Heaven, friend. Nobody ever knows what time it is and few care."

    The First Officer tried floating. It worked. Homes followed. A few minutes later they were soaring way above the Earth.
Sherman stared at his surroundings. Each star and planet was a jewel resting on black velvet. "Great Scott!" he exclaimed "Beautiful! No wonder so many Earthlings love Outer Space!"

    The First Officer nodded, "It affects many of my people that way also."

    Sherman commented "I'm not surprised! So, which is it? Does the Sun go around the Earth or vice-versa?"

    The First Officer came as near to smiling as he ever would, "I suggest you make that the next object of your inquiry. I would never take away the joy of the chase from Sherman Homes."

    They parted company at the asteroids. Sherman was no alien. Humans do talk to themselves. As they moved away from each other the First Officer heard the detective commenting to himself, "Fancy that I would ever care about astronomy!"

    The First Officer watched the Universe flow around him. "I wonder where I am going?" he thought to himself. And could Sherman Homes really be Sherman and is he right? Is there really a Supreme Being?"

    "Logic!" He thought to himself. "In a finite Universe, filled with life, some life form HAD to be the Supreme Being."

    "But that does not make Him God, or Jesus of Nazareth," The First Officer thought to himself. "'But Human desire is as real as any drop of water.'"

    He remembered something the Captain had said; "Humans get what Humans want." This strange simulation of Sherman was at least partially correct. Relativity did state time and space were curved. It was at least slightly possible that Humans and other similar life forms could go all the way around the circle of time, and while they were there they could rewrite history to their liking.

    Many life forms wanted Jesus to be God, but then again, many did not. Who won?

    A great philosopher on his planet had once said, "Harmlessness and patience are the most effective weapons of all. Few have a defense against harmlessness and patience. Harmlessness will eventually rule the Universe."

    The First Officer thought. "These words are true. That is why democracies manage to continue to grow while tyrannies are almost always thwarted in their attempts to expand. Tyrannies want to exploit and destroy. But most members of democracies only want to make friends and gain knowledge."

    And what could be more harmless than the Supreme Being arranging to be born in a barn among animals and impoverished primitive humans, and then letting Humans kill him without protest? Maybe Christ was a case of self fulfilling prophesy. Maybe Christ had always been so. Either way, he could no longer ignore the possibilities.

    "God, are you real?" he asked the Universe, "If you are, I'm on your side."

    Suddenly it was as if the most Joy Filled Being in existence Mind melded with him. It happened so quickly he could not blink. It happened so slowly the Universe came and went. He could not tell. All time and space became one, and he was one with it."

    "Yes I Am real," said the Being, thundering and whispering all at the same time.

    "Forgive me, God, I never knew." He said calmly, unemotionally as befitted a member of his species. If I had suspected you existed, I would have sought you."

    The Presence thundered and whispered to him. "Oh my precious child, you always sought Me even though you didn't know My Name. You called me Truth and Science and Mystery. You sought me every time you used your sensing devices, every time you went seeking new life. I was science to you, and logic and awe. I was love to you. Yes, you loved deeply even though you could not admit it to yourself. And of course you are forgiven! It is logical that a Creator turn his anger inward and forgive His creations for their flaws. You did not make yourself, and cannot help what you were. I can improve you, but only with your permission."

    "God, you most certainly have my permission."

    "I know I do, and that decision is logical also."

    Oh how it hurt! Oh what ecstasy! He knew he would never be just himself again and yet now he was forever himself. This Being took everything that was him away from him and gave him everything back strangely glorified.

    Creator and creature mind melded together. For a short while, or for eternity, he could not tell which, they floated together in the void, marveling at each other's existence. Then God thunder-whispered in his mind, "Your friends are off in that direction. Now go to them, and I shall always be with you."

    He went.

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