Muttering to herself, an old woman climbed towards the golden gates of Heaven, wobbling up the glass stairs at an excruciatingly slow pace. Huffing and puffing, she gathered the last of her strength and lifted her stiff body up on the landing. Proud of her accomplishment, she shuffled over to the two angels, who stood tall in their shining armours while guarding the golden gates. She expectedly gazed up at them, waiting to be let inside. 

“Hello!”

“...”

The two angels glanced down at her for a split second before their opaque eyes shifted back to the glass stairs that the old woman had journeyed from. The elder frowned and impatiently tapped her cane on the crystal landing that overlooked a sea of bright, shining stars glittering across the night sky. But no matter how many times she tried to gain the angels’ attention, the ethereal beings refused to acknowledge her presence.

Gritting her teeth, the elderly woman held her head high, refusing to let their blatant disregard kill her determination. She had every right to be here– heck, she deserved her place in Heaven! Her whole life, she had tried her best to live life to the fullest, treating each day just as precious as the previous one. So, there was no way she was going to let a pair of snooty angels bar her entry into paradise! 

Hiking up the skirt of her white dress, the old woman was about to march through the golden gates when a pair of sharp platinum blades poked at her throat, pushing her back from the entrance.

“Halt. You are not permitted entry.”

“...What? What do you mean I’m not permitted entry?!”

The two angels exchanged a look with one another, but refused to elaborate further. The old woman felt her entire body start to quake with unbridled rage. She had spent the last 49 days climbing up the never ending stairs without a single complaint. Her life’s motto had always been that ‘life is just a cycle of hardships that’s worth it in the end.’ Yet, these two had the audacity to say that she was unwelcomed? Then why did they let her climb up all those stairs? What kind of cruel joke was this?

“You can’t make someone go through that grueling journey only to turn them away without an explanation!”

“Like we said–.”

“No.” The elder quietly replied, her grip on her cane tightening as she glared at the frowning divine beings, “Open those gates.”

“If you continue to disobey, we will have no other choice but to condemn you to Hell.”

“That’s utter bullshit!” The old granny fumed, raising her wooden cane above her head as if to strike the platinum-armoured guards, “I SAID, OPEN UP, YOU PAIR OF PEA BRAINS—!”

“What have we here?”

“M-My Lord!” the two angels gasped, bowing to their beloved creator.

A towering being emerged from the golden gates, his footsteps light and carefree as he assessed the situation before him. His long hair gleamed like spun gold, shimmering with each step he took. With his deep amethyst eyes, the divine creator gazed at the seething old granny, who stared right back at him with fierce confidence. Hiding his amused smirk with a light cough, he held out his hand to the cautious elder. Raising an eyebrow, the old woman gazed at God with great suspicion.

“Are you God?”

“I am.”

“Then, you tell me: am I unwelcome here?”

The deity was about to answer when he paused, noticing the two angels' looks of utter disdain at the old woman’s unabashed curiosity. As former guardian angels and current gatekeepers of Heaven, Adathan and Yadathan were exceptional judges of character. Their decision was usually more important and binding than the Intake* team’s discretion. So, it was unsurprising that they were irritated with the old woman’s behavior. Yet, there was one thing that God couldn't understand. If this soul was unfit for Heaven, why hadn’t Adathan and Yadathan immediately banished her from the premises? Hmm, there must be more than meets the eye.

“Adathan, may I see the Book of Life for this soul?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”  

Pulling out a tablet from thin air, the black-haired angel scrolled through the screen, pulling up a dozen records before presenting it to the deity. God, who had been curiously studying the old woman, scanned the contents stored on the tablet. His violet eyes grew bigger the more he reviewed the registry. 

Frozen in place, the old woman gulped nervously as minutes ticked by. She had been so sure that she deserved a place in Heaven when she crossed the blinding white tunnel. But what if there had been a mistake? Wiping her clammy palms on the skirt of her dress, the elderly lady inched forward, hoping to catch a glimpse at what God was reviewing. What in the world is he looking at? I feel like he’s been staring at that screen for over ten minutes now. Just as she was about to lift her toes, the divine being suddenly let out a roaring laugh.

“Pfft… Hahaha! Interesting, how very, very interesting!” God guffawed, clutching his toned abs while tears rolled down his rosy cheeks.

Dumbfounded, the elderly woman glanced at the two angels next to her, who looked equally as stunned. What did he see that’s making him laugh so much?! I’m over here worried about going to Hell, and this guy is having the time of his life! What kind of Heaven is this?!

“What a cheeky child! Don’t worry, you won’t be going to Hell any time soon. Hahaha!”

“Uh….”

Waving away the twin angels’ platinum spears from the old woman, God ushered her inside the golden gates, “Now, come along. We don’t want to keep him waiting.”

“Eh? Who?”

“But God! She’s not—!”

Raising his index finger to his lips, the divine creator winked at the two angels, stopping them from saying anything more, “It’s fine. Keep up the good work, you two.”

Opening the golden gates, God turned to the elderly woman as a warm, golden light burst from the land of paradise, 

“Welcome to Heaven!”

~~***~~

“Unhand me, you cretin! I didn’t give you permission to touch me!”

Paying no mind to her adorable, squeaky voice, God carried the newcomer inside, chuckling at her changed appearance. How cute. If only they stayed this small forever!

Annoyed that she was being carried without permission, Hee-yoon (the elderly woman) wriggled against God’s chest before managing to break free from the deity’s tight grasp. Stepping onto the fluffy and cloud-shaped floor, she gasped when she saw how tiny and baby-like her feet were. What the…?

“THE HECK?! What is this? Why am I so small—?! Huh? Hey, stop that!” Hee-yoon giggled at the large, fluffy Samoyed licking her cheek. 

“Hehe, that tickles! What a cute puppy!” 

“Haha, looks like Cloudy wanted to welcome you.”

“Cloudy…? You seriously named him Cloudy, of all things?” Hee-yoon snickered, shaking her head at the childish name.

“Well, what would you have named him?”

“Hmm….” Hee-yoon rubbed Cloudy’s belly, her small forehead scrunched into a frown. After a few seconds, a bright smile lit her face as Hee-yoon turned to God, “Milky!”

“How original.”

“Like you did any better. Ack! Wait, this isn’t important!” Jumping up to her feet, the granny-turned-child glared at the amused God, “WHY DO I LOOK LIKE A CHILD?!”

“Why not? Better than carrying around this cane, no?” God asked, plucking the wooden cane from her hands. I wonder where she found this thing. It’s not like she needed it in the first place.

“Hey! Give it back!”

“Nope. What’s wrong with looking young? You look cute.”

“Who says I want to look cute?! At least change my appearance to when I was in my twenties!”

“But if I do that, I can’t do this.” 

Scooping the young girl in his arms, God cackled at Hee-yoon’s obvious disgust. Humming to himself, the deity began walking towards a large cathedral located in the center of a rather busy marketplace that resembled a farmers’ market back on Earth. Mesmerized by the new, but familiar scene, the young child found herself peeking over God’s shoulder at the mundane items that were up for sale. 

“They’re selling sourdough bread and succulents? That’s so boring! I thought there’d be ancient grimoires and potions being sold!”

God, who had been greeting the residents of Heaven, raised an eyebrow at Hee-yoon’s words. What did she think this was, the medieval times? Shaking his head, he tightened his grip on the mystified child as the pair inched closer to the central cathedral. 

Bored of observing the vendors, Heeyoon was about to settle into God’s arms when she noticed the shimmering threads of fine golden hair tickling her cheek. Ooh! I wonder if it’s as soft as it looks? Without warning, the toddler tugged on the golden strands, completely forgetting that the beautiful “threads” were attached to the divine being’s scalp.

“OW! Stop pulling!!!”

“Oh. Oops.” But instead of letting go, the young girl held onto it for dear life as if those golden strands were like a lifeline.

“Argh! What did I tell you?! Stop!” God winced, desperately trying to loosen the child’s grip from his hair.

“Why, I don’t know what you mean, sire. An innocent child like me could never think to harm God!” Hee-yoon gasped while wrapping God’s hair tightly into her fist. 

“You’ll regret it if you don’t let go right now! I can send you straight to Hell—!”

Hee-yoon immediately dropped the gorgeous strand of hair like it was lava. Letting out a fake yawn, she opted to comfortably lounge in God’s arms while smiling sweetly at the unsuspecting passersby. The deity bit his lip, already cursing at himself for letting in this wicked mortal. He had thought it was amusing for a living soul to make it all the way to Heaven, but he never imagined that she would be so mischievous.

“By the way, where are we going? And who am I supposed to meet?”

“You need to attend orientation for one, and as for who…” God trailed off, a soft smile on his lips, “Well, it’ll be a sweet surprise.”

~~***~~

With a large pout, Hee-yoon plodded behind the happy-go-lucky creator of the universe. Glancing up at the divine being, she sighed. She had expected God to be charismatic like the majestic ruler the Bible had praised about. Yet that “orientation” had been the most boring and cringeworthy presentation she had ever seen. A shiver ran down her spine as Hee-yoon replayed the horrendous performance God had performed to instill the rules of Heaven onto the new residents. Who did he think he was, a K-pop idol?

“Ugh, so embarrassing.”

“Hmm?”

“Hmph. I thought Heaven was supposed to be fun and full of excitement. There’s nothing here except for a bunch of people loafing around,” she muttered, frowning at the peaceful atmosphere. It wasn’t that Hee-yoon expected there to be chaos, but where was the flare? The excitement of life?!

“Let’s see if your views change once you meet him again.”

“Seriously, why won’t you tell me who it is–?”

“AHHH! —YOO~!!!”

Her ears suddenly perked up in surprise at the familiar name. Slowly, Hee-yoon turned to all the hubbub. Her bright brown eyes widened, shimmering as she stared at the figure before her. 

“Song Yoo…?”

SIDE NOTE:

*Intake Team: The Intake Team is a department within the afterlife that determines which souls ascend to Heaven and which descend to Hell for their eternal punishment. The department is headed by a council of gods who represent Death (with Hades as the leader of the High Council). 

**NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**