LIMBO

After the three have awakened they gather their belongings and continue their adventure. As they stumble down the dim lit path of the restricted luminescence of Enlightenment and Illumination they come to a small brick building about the size of a tool shed. There is a pair of steel doors that open in the center. At the right of the opening there is a small plastic button.

Awareness is curious about the button so he pushes it. As he pushes it the two steel doors slide away from the center into their prospective pockets. The three look at each other with reckless abandonment and enter the small room. There is nothing inside. As they turn around Awareness notices at the right of the door there is another button. He looks at Enlightenment and Illumination with an inquisitive expression. The two shrug their shoulders so Awareness pushes the button. As he pushes it the two steel doors close and they begin to experience an unusual sensation.

Awareness attempts to describe his experience. “I have a strange sensation going through my body as if my senses were being stimulated. Perhaps this is a device to stimulate our senses so we can become more acutely aware of our existence.”

“I know what it is. It is some kind of therapeutic room.” Enlightenment says, “It makes your body feel as if it is falling, then climbing, slipping, then sliding and then tumbling…”

“No,” Illumination interrupts. “I understand it to be some kind of mind stimulant. It exercises your mind so you think you feel a certain way but then you become confused and are tested to determine what you are really experiencing”.

“IT’S AN ELEVATOR YOU MORONS!” A strange voice taunts them from out of nowhere.

“Who said that?” Awareness asks.

“I don’t know!” Enlightenment exclaims.

“I don’t understand,” Illumination whines with great confusion.

“Turn up your lights,” Awareness tells his companions. “No one will see us in here. Perhaps when it is brighter we can see who has spoken to us.

Enlightenment and Illumination increase their luminescence so they can see the stranger who has spoken to them. However once they do they discover that the three of them are quite alone in this room.

“OVER HERE!” The mysterious voice says.

The three each turn frantically looking around but still there is no one.

“HERE, YOU IDIOTS!” The strange voice repeats.

The three look in the same direction and notice a small 12” x 12” wire screen on the wall of the room.

“WILL WONDERS NEVER CEASE!” says the voice from the speaker.

“Who are you?” Awareness asks feeling a little self-conscious as he addresses the small wire screen.

“I am Limbo, your elevator.” The strange voice answers.

Awareness could not think of any response. However, remembering his friend Curiosity and how they first began their conversation Awareness asks the stranger. “What is your purpose?”

“My purpose,” Limbo replies, “Is to transport my passengers from one state to another. However, you’d never know that from the way you hear others talking about me”.

“What do you mean?” Awareness asks.

“Well some say I am a place where they send, ‘dead babies who are not baptized’ and others say I am a, ‘prison’. Does that mean that Origin sends dead babies who are not baptized to prison?”

“I never thought of that?” Awareness answers.

Limbo continues. “Some say I am the, ‘Abode of the Righteous dead’ and others say I am place of, ‘excommunication,’ Does that mean the Righteous dead are excommunicated by Origin?”

“I don’t think so.” Awareness replies.

“All I am is an elevator.” Limbo continues, “I move you from one condition to another. Sometimes I can get you there quickly sometimes it takes a little time. It depends on how far you’re going. Now, I can go up. I can go down. I can go forward. I can go back. I can go to the right and I can go to the left. I can even go diagonally. And sometimes I can even go three dimensionally diagonal. That takes a lot of effort.”

“But where are you taking us?” Awareness asks sheepishly.

“Where,” Limbo answers. “Who knows? Where ever you’re supposed to go. No one ever tells me. I just go. Around and Around I go, wherever I stop nobody knows. Not even me. I was set in place in the beginning by Origin. Only He knows the destinations. When you push the button you go where you were supposed to go. That is the beauty of it all. Once you are in you can never go back and you never know where you are going to wind up. I am the ultimate amusement ride.”

Awareness begins to get a sense of excitement that he has never experienced before. “I never thought of you this way!” Awareness exclaims.

“If you knew the literal meaning of my name you would rejoice.” Limbo informs them.

“What is it?” Awareness asks excitedly.

“It means ‘On the edge, or on the border’. When you are in Limbo you are just about THERE,” Limbo proclaims.

“Where,” Awareness asks.

“THERE,” Limbo answers. “The place of your destination, where ever you are suppose to be. You know, THERE. You are on the border of your DESTINATION. You are on the edge of ARRIVING. The problem comes from the uncertainty of THERE. But you know that Castle Glade dwells in the Land Of Uncertainty so what’s the problem? There is nothing certain in Castle Glade. I have written a poem that best explains it. Would you like to hear it?”

“Yes, I would” Awareness says.

Limbo clears his throat.

“THERE is a place you are suppose to be

You can only get THERE once you step inside me

When you’ll get THERE no one can tell

But once you are THERE you’ll know very well.

THERE is a place you’ll feel right at home

But where THERE is found cannot be known

Only through me will you ever arrive

And only in THERE are you truly alive

So don’t be afraid just step inside

And I’ll take you THERE on this amusement ride

Try to relax and rest for a while

And I’ll get THERE with a real sense of style”

“THERE is a place, a state of mind.” Limbo replies, “It is a destination that we all wish to arrive at, a station for which you should truly rejoice.”

“But if I don’t know where I am going to end up how can I rejoice?” Awareness asks, “What if I end up in a bad place, a place of pain or even HELL?”

“To most people uncertainty is hell,” Limbo answers. “You always expect the worst. That’s why people dread being in Limbo. However, if they knew that every new experience was ultimately good, they would look forward to enter into my elevator. You know where you’ve been. It’s where you haven’t been that bothers you”.

“But I feel so forgotten in here!” Awareness exclaims.

“People who enter Limbo often feel neglected and forgotten.” Limbo replies. “They feel abandoned. Mostly because it takes me longer than they expect to get them to their destination. No one likes to wait. The longer they have to wait the worse they feel. They also feel despair because they expect the pending doom. They always seem to think of the worst instead of being excited about something new. Men are creatures of comfort and they are very comfortable with the familiar but they are extremely uncomfortable with uncertainty. Usually they wind up content once they arrive and they forget all about the fact that it was I, Limbo, who transported them there.”

Just then the elevator stops and the doors suddenly open. Awareness sticks his head out of the door and looks to the right and to the left and then cautiously steps out of the elevator. Enlightenment and Illumination follow. Then, Awareness, remembering his manners, turns his attention back to the elevator and says. “Goodbye Limbo.”

The doors to the elevator slowly close.