PEOPLE OF PARADISE! People of Greece! How long will they separate us from our loved ones, from those who died long after us? Why can't we see them? Why not know what is happening down on Earth?
Gennimatas next to him, worried about this new attempt by Andreas, whispered: "Don't pull the rope, President!".
Ever the haughty one, he blithely ignored his partner's advice: “Heaven has become hell and hell has become heaven, comrades. We demand change! And along with all that we have asked for, we demand that Jesus' pre-election pledges come true: Harlots and repentant robbers in heaven, right-wingers and conservatives in hell and the outermost fire!"
His audience, stunned, applauded. Chants like "Andreas, you live, you lead us" were heard from one end of heaven to the other
Gennimatas, clearly troubled, whispered again in the president's ear: "My Andrea, Jesus didn't say anything about the right-wing."
"YET AS HE SAID", he continued: "HE SAID HOW THE Scribes AND PHARISEES WILL SIT IN HELL, HOW IT IS EASIER FOR THE THREAD TO PASS THAN THE NEEDLE, THAN FOR A RIGHT MAN TO DO SOMETHING RIGHT FOR HIS COUNTRY!".
The noise from the yachts was now so loud, you thought the gates of heaven would collapse. A small revolution was taking place in the heavens, and it would surely have succeeded, had not the wrathful figure of God appeared at that very moment, darkened, as if he had just sprung from some Renaissance painting. People of Greece, you have risen up.
"ANDREA, ENOUGH!"
They all fell silent at once, bowed and walked away slowly, whistling nonchalantly. Everyone except him. “God, why are you reacting like this? Would you like to have a discussion with arguments?'
“No, not again, Andrea! You will not make me a disgrace to my Christians with your devilish tongue, which turns day into night. No, Andrea. No more socialist arlumbes in my paradise, no more complacency, no more persistence and no more confidence that comes from nowhere."
“It is not my fault, my God, that you have cut us off from the younger ones. Since I came up here, I have hardly met any follower, I don't know what happened in the country or the world. All I can assume is that my successors turned Greece into a paradise."
God, even more enraged, waved his hand dismissively: “Enough! It's time to put a leash on the excessive silliness of your ideas. Andreas, and you, George, will return back to Earth. Four journeys, in four periods of time. Find me ONE bequest of the advance you left in Greece and I will allow you to fulfill any personal wish of yours."
Gennimatas grabbed Andreas by the arm and took him a step back. "It's a trap, President."
"Indeed," he replied, to add: "The God of the Old Testament, vengeful, obsessive, right-wing. Jesus on the other hand, philanthropic, gentle, socialist. And then me. Don't worry George, I can, I can do it! I will accept the challenge."
A light flooded the space, the souls of the two socialists were momentarily teleported from the heavens to ordinary Greek reality... "What date do we have, my George? Where did he take us?'
“Yeah – look over there, on the TVs. April 23, 2010!”
"What do we look like?"
"We are like then, my President. Do you want them to recognize us? Mean…"
Andreas did not allow his partner to finish his sentence. Instead, he did a somersault and found himself in front of a young man walking alongside. Wasting no time, he began his interrogation: “My good boy, do you know who I am?”
He, surprised but without fear, answered immediately. “I have no idea, barba. Who you are; What do you want from me;"
Andreas thought about it for a few millimetres. He didn't need more time. Ah people of Greece. “Look, my boy. I just came back from far away… From… From Australia. Yes! And I have no idea what's going on here. I want you to help me!"
"Don't you have internet there to catch the news, man?"
Andreas looked at Gennimatas. The latter blurted out: "I don't know what he means, my Andrea, after all, you lived longer on Earth." He had to try again. To improvise: “No, young man, I don't have that internet. I was away from civilization for thirty years. Tell me the last prime ministers of this country – if you don't mind!”
"Uh… I don't know, man, I'm not into it much." "Oh my God, we've run into an apolitical guy!" exclaimed Gennimatas, cupping his face with his hand. The young man apologized… “No, man, just… Okay, no one cares. To. Before there was that fat man, Ka… Ka… Karamanlis, yes, him!”
Andreas rolled his eyes! "AND NOW;"
The above was just one of the self-contained, humorous stories of green sun and blue-white hope included in the collection "Old Pasok – The Orthodox 2” and which causes seismic and socialist vibrations in the Greece of 2022!
