Malcom-A Short Story

Twelve seats filled with men in white robes. Quietly they looked at Malcom. He was sitting across from them with a rosy smile painted across his face. The room's roof was open, revealing the stars. The floor was a cloudy texture. It was judgment day.

Finally a big round man walked into the room and took his sit at the judge's table. He gripped a huge gold book and glared at Malcom.

"Malcom, it is judgment day for you," the judge said. "You have lived your life to its fullest extent. We will now reflect back on your life and make a judgment on where you shall go from here. As you know there are only two places you can go, correct?"

Malcom ran his fingers through his thick, aged brown hair. "Yes I understand this." He finally answered.

"Good, now that is understood, let's start from a very important time in your life, a time you claimed you knew God. Do you remember that time?"

"Yes sir, I remember."

"Very well then. It says here you were living in the streets of Tampa Bay for several years. You began slaughtering people in the name of God-"

"I did not slaughter! I punished!"

"Malcom, it will not do you any good whatsoever so act in such a manner. Why don't you start by telling me what happened."

Malcom took a deep sigh, forcing himself to go back to those days on the streets of Tampa Bay, Florida.

"I was a small child when I decided what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Unfortunately, I never had the ambition to make something of myself. I married young, divorced young, and found out she had an abortion. I lost everything, everything! My job, my credit, everything...That is what landed me on the streets. I became homeless.

There was a Publix where I would sleep at nighttime. The grounds were hard and cold but I managed. The food was scarce but I always managed to find a bite to eat before I starved of hunger. My clothes were ragged and torn. I was dirty and smelly from not having the privilege of taking a nice bath, but I learned to ignore the rot of my flesh. This way of life was becoming routine. Everyday that passed I was bothered less by it.

During the day, I sat along the sidewalk with a Wendy's cup in my hand hoping some kind stranger would drop loose change into it. Fifty cents isn't too much is it? You spend much more on a fattening Wendy's meal than a person does if they were to drop change to help a poor man out.

One time a man with gold chains and watches walked right past me. I could hear the change chinging in his pocket. Nope, no help for Malcom. Just walked right past me, didn't even look at me.

But I saw something they didn't see. Something so terrible and horrifying, I had never seen anything as the such in my life, not even in horror films. The people, those rotten greedy people began to glow each day. I saw a halo around their heads, some white, some red.

The white ones, those were the ones who helped me. The red ones, they just ignored me and walked past. I begin to get these strange feelings, very bad feelings when the red ones walked by. I soon began to realize these feelings were premonitions and tattle tale signs of what their lives were like, what bad stuff they did in their life.

At first, it took me five whole minutes after they done walked away to know what those feelings meant. Eventually, I learned how to tell what a person had done before they even approached me.

Rapist in sheep's clothing, murderers in business suits, it was so horrible I tell ya, horrible! I had to do something about it. I had to get those people off the streets. I started doing something about it! The first person I met, his name was Henry. Henry had cheated on his wife, committed adultery. So I told Henry to help me move some things. Of course by my appearance, Henry hesitated at first. But as soon as I had him around the corner, I told that Henry:

"I am Malcom and God has judged you for adultery and you shall die in his name!!"

I then I hit Henry on top of the head with a glass bottle I had found. Henry didn't die so quickly, no I had to break the glass and stab him with it a few times. Soon, he was up here being judged just like I am now and thank God we rid the earth of him.

I made seventy five offerings to the Lord. Seventy five evil, mean people I helped rid the Earth of. Soon I seen less and less red halos and more white halos, I was so happy.

Tuesday, August 17th is when I was sent here. An old lady, probably seventy eight or so was driving down the road in a broken down Ford. Her halo was os red, it struck orange and I had learned that she beat on her kids when she was a young mother. I pulled her out of the car and ended it for her right there. I didn't even bother to hide it, I was so angry. I heard a loud firecracker and felt a sharp pain strike my left rib cage. Another sound and another pain in my chest. The police were shooting at me. I don't blame them, they couldn't see what I seen, and they didn't understand what I did. My life ended.

I enjoyed making those people suffer as they had made their victims suffer. I paid their victim's death by making them die themselves."

Malcom began to feel eyes, strange eyes peer upon him.
"What? What are you all staring at?"

"Malcom," the judge said, "Henry, the man you claimed cheated on his wife, his halo was red because he was living in guilt that he had done so. And the old lady, her halo was orange because her child had just died, she was sad. Did you heed the warning that was gave to you before you discovered the gift you were given?"

"What warning?!" he cried.

"What does Matthew 5.21 say?" the judge pushed his glasses up with his finger.

"I don't know?"

"What about Romans 12.17. Can you recite that for me?"

"No I cannot!"

"Well what about Matthew 6.24?"

"I do NOT know!"

"I see..." the judge said slowly. "Do you have any closing arguments?"

"No!"

"Very well then. We will take a short recess as the jury makes their decision."

The men in their twelve seats began to stand and collected themselves in a tiny room and closed the door shut. Malcom sat nervously as sweat poured down his templates.

After an hour the men returned to their seats.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" the judge asked.

"The jury has." They replied.

"Will the court please stand. Jury read your verdict."

"We, the jury, find the defendant, Malcom Williams, guilty of breaking commandment number two, commandment number six, and commandment number nine. We shall sentence him to an eternity of hell, the live with the fallen angel, Lucifer."

"If there is anyone inside this judgment hall that wishes to speak on Malcom's behalf, please do so now or forever hold your peace."

Just then an old lady wobbled to the front row and took a seat. She raised her hand.

"I wish to speak." She said.

"Go ahead..." the judge said.

"I am the woman Malcom last murdered. It was a dreadful series of events that led him here to his judgment, I admit that. When Malcom murdered me, I was terrified. But, once I arrived here, I was the happiest person alive. Therefore, I forgive Malcom for what he has done to me. I forgive him forever."

The judge looked at the jury.

"Malcom, we are sending you back to Earth. You will be reborn, a fresh new start. You will not remember being here, or your past life."

"But...But, I don't understand." A tear fell from his eye.

"You see Malcom, if there is at least one person around who has enough in them to forgive you, that in itself will save you. For it is the love of others that saves us."