The Other Side

How does he decide?

What's that?

How does he decide who goes where?

What do you mean?

Everyone's saying if you do this, you'll go to heaven. If you do that, you'll go to hell.

You mean God?

Yeah. How does he decide? They said that he decides.

Oh...well...I think he sends you to heaven if you do good things. You've got nothing to worry about, kiddo.

But how does he decide what's good? How do I know if I'm doing good things?

I don't think you need to worry about it. Use your own judgement...do the things you think are good things. You'll feel it if you're doing something bad. Usually people kind of feel it when they're doing something bad.

Like squishing bugs?

Maybe. Does it feel bad to squish bugs?

Kind of.

Then you probably shouldn't do it.

I like to think...he brings them all together. And let's them decide.

What do you mean? The bugs?

Mm-hmm. I think he decides from them. I think when you die he brings everything you've ever touched in your whoooooole life, every living thing you've ever done anything to...like bugs and dogs and people...he brings them all together. And all the things that you were nice to and helped and maybe saved, all of them line up on one side. The good side. The heaven side. And all of the things you were mean to, or maybe even killed, line up on the other side. The hell side.

You mean the bad side.

Yeah.

So all the bugs you squished will be on the bad side?

Yeah. That's your bad side, where you were mean. Where you squished bugs and kicked dogs. They're all there, angry at you. The two sides all line up and face eachother and growl and spit and get ready to fight. The good side wants you to go to heaven, cause you helped them. They like you. The bad side doesn't want you to go to heaven.

Cause you were mean to them.

Cause you were mean, yeah. They don't like you. Both sides're all lined up...and God's got this flag. And you're standing off to the left, waiting for them to decide. God holds up his flag in the air, then he swishes it down real fast, like this, fffwish. When he does that, all the animals, everything on the good side and everything on the bad side, charge at each other. And fight.

They fight?

Yeah, but...you know, they don't hurt each other. It isn't really real. It's not real. It's just this thing that God does to decide. I think.

Oh.

So they fight and fight and fight until one of the sides wins. If you've been good and nice to things, the good side will be a lot bigger. And stronger. And they'll win pretty easy. Then God decides that you get to go to heaven and hang out with all those animals that like you. But if you've been kinda bad, that side will be bigger and stronger. They'll beat the good side pretty quick.

Then what happens?

God sends you to hell. So you go there and you have to be around all those animals that don't like you. And people. Who you hurt.

That doesn't sound good.

But that's how he decides.

How do you know?

How else would he decide?

I don't know, kiddo. I don't know. That's a lota animals to worry about.

Yeah, but you just have to be nice to them. It's not that hard.

Well. When the time comes, I'll be on your good side, k?

K. Thanks.

You're going nowhere but up.

K....I'll be on your good side, too. K?

K.