- Have I already died? - asked the man.
- Yeah, - nodded the Angel, continuing to study a massive book. Yes, you have died. Absolutely.
The man hesitantly shifted from one foot to another.
- And what is now?
The Angel looked at him quickly and then stared in his book.
- Now you should go there - he pointed his finger at an unnoticeable door. Or there - his finger turned toward another exactly the same door.
- And what is there? - asked the man.
- HELL – answered the Angel. - Or EDEN. It depends on the circumstances.
- Ah... and which one is for me?
- Don't you know yourself? – The Angel slightly raised his eyebrow.
- Well, - the man hesitated. - Who knows? Where should I go, according to my deeds...?
- Hmm! – the Angel laid his finger in the book and finally looked directly at the man. – So, according to you deeds?
- Well, yes, but is there another way?
- Okay, okay, - the Angel opened the book closer to the beginning and began to read aloud. It says that at the age of 12 years you helped an old woman to cross the road. Is it true?
- Yes, it is true, – the man nodded.
- Is it a good deed or bad?
- Of course, it is a good deed!
- Let's see... - the Angel turned the page. - Five minutes later, this old lady was run down by a tram in another street. If you hadn't helped her, they would have missed each other, and the old woman would have lived another ten years. What do you think?
The man blinked dumbfounded.
- Or another accident, - the Angel again opened the book in another place. At the age of 23 you with the group of your friends took part in the brutal beating of another group of friends.
- They were the first who started the fight! – The man tossed his head up.
- But I have another version here, - said the Angel. - And by the way the alcohol intoxication is not considered as the mitigating factor. In general, you just broke two fingers and the nose of the seventeen year old teenager for nothing. Is it good or bad?
The man said nothing.
After that the boy couldn't play the violin but he showed great promise. You ruined his career!
- I didn’t want to do this, - muttered the man.
- Yeah, I understand, - nodded the Angel. - By the way, the boy hated this violin since the childhood. After your meeting he decided to do boxing to be able to stand up for himself, and finally he became the world champion. Should we go further?
The Angel turned some more pages.
- Is rape good or bad?
- But I...
- This child became a wonderful doctor and saved hundreds of lives. Is it good or bad?
- Well, maybe...
- Among these lives one belonged to the serial killer. Is it good or bad?
- But...
- And the serial killer will soon stab a pregnant woman who could become the mother of a great scientist! Is it good? Or is it bad?
- But...
- This great scientist, if he had been given birth, would have invented a bomb that could burn half of the continent. Is it good? Or is it bad?
- But how could I know about this! - The man cried.
- Of course, - agreed the Angel. - Or, for example, on the page 246 you stepped on a butterfly!
- And what happened because of this?!
The Angel silently turned the book and pointed. The man read it, and the hair stirred on his head.
- What a nightmare, - he whispered.
But if you hadn't crushed it, this would happen, - the Angel pointed to another paragraph. The man looked and swallowed.
- It appeared that ... I saved the world?
- Yes, four times, - confirmed the Angel. – Having crushed the butterfly, having pushed an old man, having betrayed your friend and having stolen an old lady’s purse. Each time the world was on the brink of disaster, but due to your efforts it managed to get out of it.
- Oh ... - the man hesitated for a second. - But on the brink of this disaster itself... was it me again?
- Yes, that’s right, don't hesitate. It was twice. When you fed a stray kitten and when you saved a drowning man.
The man’s knees buckled and he sat down on the floor.
- I understand nothing, - he cried. – Everything that I've done in my life... what I was proud at and ashamed of... everything is inside out; everything is not just what it seems to be!
- That's why it would be wrong to judge you according to your deeds, - said the Angel instructively. - Except only for your intentions... but here you're your own judge.
He closed the book and put it into the bookcase, among another such books.
- So when you decide where you should go just go to the selected door. I have a lot of things to do.
The man lifted his face full of tears.
- But I don’t even know behind what door HELL and EDEN are.
- And it depends on what YOU choose, - replied the Angel.
- Yeah, - nodded the Angel, continuing to study a massive book. Yes, you have died. Absolutely.
The man hesitantly shifted from one foot to another.
- And what is now?
The Angel looked at him quickly and then stared in his book.
- Now you should go there - he pointed his finger at an unnoticeable door. Or there - his finger turned toward another exactly the same door.
- And what is there? - asked the man.
- HELL – answered the Angel. - Or EDEN. It depends on the circumstances.
- Ah... and which one is for me?
- Don't you know yourself? – The Angel slightly raised his eyebrow.
- Well, - the man hesitated. - Who knows? Where should I go, according to my deeds...?
- Hmm! – the Angel laid his finger in the book and finally looked directly at the man. – So, according to you deeds?
- Well, yes, but is there another way?
- Okay, okay, - the Angel opened the book closer to the beginning and began to read aloud. It says that at the age of 12 years you helped an old woman to cross the road. Is it true?
- Yes, it is true, – the man nodded.
- Is it a good deed or bad?
- Of course, it is a good deed!
- Let's see... - the Angel turned the page. - Five minutes later, this old lady was run down by a tram in another street. If you hadn't helped her, they would have missed each other, and the old woman would have lived another ten years. What do you think?
The man blinked dumbfounded.
- Or another accident, - the Angel again opened the book in another place. At the age of 23 you with the group of your friends took part in the brutal beating of another group of friends.
- They were the first who started the fight! – The man tossed his head up.
- But I have another version here, - said the Angel. - And by the way the alcohol intoxication is not considered as the mitigating factor. In general, you just broke two fingers and the nose of the seventeen year old teenager for nothing. Is it good or bad?
The man said nothing.
After that the boy couldn't play the violin but he showed great promise. You ruined his career!
- I didn’t want to do this, - muttered the man.
- Yeah, I understand, - nodded the Angel. - By the way, the boy hated this violin since the childhood. After your meeting he decided to do boxing to be able to stand up for himself, and finally he became the world champion. Should we go further?
The Angel turned some more pages.
- Is rape good or bad?
- But I...
- This child became a wonderful doctor and saved hundreds of lives. Is it good or bad?
- Well, maybe...
- Among these lives one belonged to the serial killer. Is it good or bad?
- But...
- And the serial killer will soon stab a pregnant woman who could become the mother of a great scientist! Is it good? Or is it bad?
- But...
- This great scientist, if he had been given birth, would have invented a bomb that could burn half of the continent. Is it good? Or is it bad?
- But how could I know about this! - The man cried.
- Of course, - agreed the Angel. - Or, for example, on the page 246 you stepped on a butterfly!
- And what happened because of this?!
The Angel silently turned the book and pointed. The man read it, and the hair stirred on his head.
- What a nightmare, - he whispered.
But if you hadn't crushed it, this would happen, - the Angel pointed to another paragraph. The man looked and swallowed.
- It appeared that ... I saved the world?
- Yes, four times, - confirmed the Angel. – Having crushed the butterfly, having pushed an old man, having betrayed your friend and having stolen an old lady’s purse. Each time the world was on the brink of disaster, but due to your efforts it managed to get out of it.
- Oh ... - the man hesitated for a second. - But on the brink of this disaster itself... was it me again?
- Yes, that’s right, don't hesitate. It was twice. When you fed a stray kitten and when you saved a drowning man.
The man’s knees buckled and he sat down on the floor.
- I understand nothing, - he cried. – Everything that I've done in my life... what I was proud at and ashamed of... everything is inside out; everything is not just what it seems to be!
- That's why it would be wrong to judge you according to your deeds, - said the Angel instructively. - Except only for your intentions... but here you're your own judge.
He closed the book and put it into the bookcase, among another such books.
- So when you decide where you should go just go to the selected door. I have a lot of things to do.
The man lifted his face full of tears.
- But I don’t even know behind what door HELL and EDEN are.
- And it depends on what YOU choose, - replied the Angel.