**OnlineHost** You have entered the Mansion of Heaven chatroom.

LidleHands: /sigh

/fumbles with slip of paper

Gate 17, Concourse C, Floor 22, room 8. Okay.

LidleHands: /looks around confused

Oh. Hey, uh, sir? Could you help me out?

HoweHigh: You look lost. What's up?

LidleHands: I, uh

I don't really know where I'm going.

HoweHigh: How'd you get here? Meth bender? If so you're on the 18th floor with me.

LidleHands: No, plane crash actually.

HoweHigh: What a square. Anyway, you're in the right area. This is the New York City concourse. Plane crash victims are on the 22nd floor.

LidleHands: OK, thanks.

/takes elevator up

LidleHands: Room 8. Here we go.

/swipes key

LidleHands: /looks around room

/sighs

Marilyn_Munson: /knocks on door

Hey.

LidleHands: Oh, hey there. I was hoping I'd meet you up here.

So...this is heaven, huh?

Marilyn_Munson: Yep. Morning calesthenics at 7 AM sharp tomorrow. When did you get here?

LidleHands: About 2:30 this afternoon, I think.

Marilyn_Munson: All right, well, you're going to have to wait until tomorrow to check in then.

LidleHands: This is a weird question, but...should I be sad right now?

Marilyn_Munson: I wouldn't worry about being sad yet. You need some time to digest the reality of what happened. After that, your body manages to quarantine the sadness into a lump in your throat that never quite goes away.

Marilyn_Munson: Uh, so. Cessna? Fixed-wing?

LidleHands: Yeah. Fixed-wing. It was the only tall building on the East River.

Marilyn_Munson: Huh.

/shuffles feet

Oh yeah, you're going to have to meet us downstairs at the lounge tonight. I was gonna go have a few beers with Babe Ruth and Randy Johnson's career. You want to come?

LidleHands: Sounds great.

Listen...something's been eating at me ever since I got here.

LidleHands: As soon as I woke up, I didn't really have the will or the ability to figure out exactly how I got here. At first I was a little hazy. Everything just looks like a great big airport here.

LidleHands: So I sat down on one of the benches and grabbed a copy of tomorrow's newspaper. I'm all over the news. I can't believe it.

LidleHands: And just like I thought, all these people are writing all the go-to cliches that they pull out of the bag whenever anyone of any level of celebrity dies. They're all bad, but the worst is when everyone talks about how my death "put things in perspective" for the sports world.

LidleHands: Is that really true? I mean, do people really need somebody to die to be reminded that there are far more important things in the world?

Marilyn_Munson: Listen, man. Don't read what sportswriters have to say, because they rarely say anything worthwhile. They'll tear into someone like a rabid dog if he chooses not to talk to the media. They'll dissect him to no end if he goes through a slump. They'll grandstand, and they'll spit out dramatic character assassinations as if sports are somehow a great big deal.

Marilyn_Munson: And then, if someone dies, they'll turn around and assume a dignified demeanor, solemnly suggesting that "this really puts things in perspective" for everyone involved. They're disingenuous people who haven't been kids for a long, long time. And make no mistake, they got over their sadness pretty goddamn quickly as soon as the papers started selling and people started tuning in. Just remember that those aren't the fans. The fans will be able to see past all the bullshit, and remember and love you for what you were.

LidleHands: I will. Thanks, man.

Marilyn_Munson: Oh crap, it's 8:00. We're on prayer duty, man. Pick up your phone, it'll automatically route a prayer through. If the prayer isn't in English, just transfer to 413 and it'll re-route. Cool?

LidleHands: Wait, I have to answer prayers?

Marilyn_Munson: Yeah, but don't let it intimidate you. If you get a crank prayer, just hang up. Otherwise just shut up and listen. When it comes down to it, that's all people need.

**OnlineHost** Marilyn_Munson has left the chatroom.

LidleHands: Here goes.

/picks up phone

WordUpThome: HEY GOD THIS IS JIM

WordUpThome: I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THESE NEW XXXL FOOTY PAJAMAS I FOUND AT THE PAJAMA BARN I KNOW YOUR GOOD HAND PLACED THEM THERE

WordUpThome: THE TOES CRINKLE AND THATS WHAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THEM

WordUpThome: WELL I'M PRETTY TUCKERED BUT I JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU IF YOU WOULD SAY HI TO MY GOOD FRIEND CORY, AS YOUR KNOWLEDGE KNOWS WE WERE TEAMMATES FOR THE PHI PHILLIES

WordUpThome: I JUST KNOW HE WILL HAVE FUN UP THERE IN THE CLOUDS AND MAKE NEW FRIENDS. TELL HIM THAT IT WILL PROBABLY BE A LONG TIME BUT THAT SOME DAY I HOPE TO SEE HIM WHEN I GO TO HEAVE

WordUpThome: HEAVEN

LidleHands: /smiles