nothing but a multi-colored blur. The glass itself depicted gruesome pictures of Jesus Christ hanging from the cross, blood gushing from His hands and feet.
The South American War had affected its veterans in different ways. Some had turned to anarchy, some had turned to drugs. Toby Whitehouse had turned to JTV, “Jesus Television.” It was a mild and somewhat positive preoccupation, and Dodd had no problem with it. Whatever made Toby and his family happy was okay with him. He rang the doorbell again and listened for footsteps.
There was the sound of wood sliding roughly against wood, and Dodd looked up to see Savina, Toby’s 17 year old daughter, poking her head and shoulders through her bedroom window. “Dodd,” she said in a loud whisper. “I’ve got to talk to you.”
Just then the front door opened and Toby was smiling and greeting him. “Dodd! Dodd, come in.” His accent was heavier than usual today, which told Dodd he was excited about something. Dodd smiled up at Savina before walking inside the house with her father.
“Today has been an incredible day,” Dodd said.
Toby closed the door behind him. “That it has.” He was grinning. “Come on in. Sit down.”
“Thank you.” Dodd followed him into the den and leaned against a wall, feeling too pent-up to sit down. “I’m troubled, Toby.”
Toby paused in front of him, looking at him as if he had no right to be troubled. “And what is it that is bothering you on this incredible day?”
“Did you know that Bob was going to quit his job?”
“No, that I didn’t.”
“He went in and gave them his resignation, and they talked him out of it. They gave him a promotion – now he’s my boss.”
“You don’t seem very happy about it.”
“I’m not. We got into a fight.”
“Oh, that’s bad. Especially now that he’s your boss.”
Dodd gave him a brief summery about the argument, to which Toby made grave faces but little comment. Something else was on his mind. Savina made an appearance downstairs and Dodd smiled at her; she made mysterious hand signals behind her dad’s back and then put her finger to her lips, telling Dodd to be quiet about something. He winked at her, ruffling her thin braids as she came close. She laughed, dodging away.
“So,” Toby said, “have you heard the big news?”
“What big news?”
“About the Savior! The Second Coming.”
“No, I think I’ve missed this one.”
Toby’s eyes were gleaming like a used robotics salesman. “You haven’t heard, then?”
“What? No, I haven’t.”
“It’s something fantastic,” Toby said, exhilarated. “They announced it today on JTV. The Pope of the United Church was given a revelation. He’s coming back!”
“Back where? To the Americas?”
“No, to Jerusalem!”
“The Pope’s going to Jerusalem?” Dodd didn’t get it. What was the big deal?
“No, not the Pope. The Savior!”
“The savior?” Dodd still didn’t get it. “Which savior?”
Toby looked very disappointed in him. “You know, the Savior.
The Son! Jesus Christ.”
Dodd thought that he was still missing something. “Jesus Christ?” he said, hoping for some vital clue.
“Yes. Jesus Christ. The Savior.”
“Jesus Christ is going back to Jerusalem.” The sentence was meaningless to him. He waited for Toby to correct him.
“Yes. Is it not a spectacular revelation?”
“Jesus Christ is going back to Jerusalem.”
“Yes!”
“Jesus Christ is going back to Jerusalem. This is what you’re trying to tell me?”
“Yes! That’s it!”
Dodd ran the words through his head. As in an echo, the words BEWARE THE ANTICHRIST AI came scrolling back. “I don’t get it,” he told Toby, apologizing for his lack of understanding.
Toby took him by the shoulders and gently shook him back and forth. “Are you in shock? I’m telling you in the simplest words I know.”
Dodd stared deep into his friend’s eyes. In the background he could hear Savina laughing. Suddenly it dawned on him that Toby meant the actual words that he said, “Jesus Christ is going back to Jerusalem.” His mind tried to reject it again but there was no other explanation. “Wait a moment,” he said to Toby, “you’re telling me the Pope came on JTV and made this announcement?”
“Yes!” Toby was grinning. “In eighteen days.”
“What were his exact words?”
“This is what he said: Our Lord and Savior is returning to Earth in eighteen days. He’s coming to Jerusalem.”
“The Pope made this announcement?”
“Yes!”
“In all seriousness?”
“Yes!” Toby was grinning like a maniac, his white teeth shining in high contrast to his dark skin.
Dodd’s skin had gone pale. The United Church was a very serious organization, they were not into making shocking, sensationalist statements. “Do you have this statement on tape?”
“No need, they’ve been repeating the tape of the Pope’s announcement every five minutes.” Toby led Dodd into the next room where his video system was on with the sound turned way down. Toby turned the volume up and they watched the tail end of a PTL Cola commercial; thin and genetically perfect Believers guzzling from bright cans with obvious sexual delight. The music was very up, very bouncy. Then a JTV announcer was grinning, and just as Toby claimed they were replaying the Pope’s announcement. It was very calm and dignified, a news conference held in what had used to be the Catholic Vatican. The Pope was old and dressed in white with gold trimmings, and he was surrounded by rich reds and purples. In the background were other old men in tall hats who were peacefully smiling. “The Savior is returning to Earth. He will be in Jerusalem in eighteen days. Lets us pray …” There’s a long session of chanting, most of it in Latin, and then a lot of praising of God. The clip ended, leaving Dodd breathless.
“We’re going to church tonight,” Toby told him, catching him off guard. “It would cause me great pleasure if you would attend it with us.”
No convenient excuse came to mind – indeed, Dodd’s mind was blank. “I don’t know, Toby.”
“You don’t know!” Toby was very displeased.
“I have to think this over.”
“What is there to think about. You come to church with us, you pray to God, maybe your soul will be saved.”
Wheels turned in his mind, thoughts that would only offend Dodd’s old friend. “Sorry, Toby, I’m in shock. Pray for me if you want, but I don’t think I want church tonight.”
“You pray for yourself,” Toby said angrily.
“Please, Toby. Not tonight.”
Toby searched his eyes. His expression softened, and he nodded. “If it is not right for you, it is not right. I will pray for you.”
“Thank you. I think I’ll be going now.”
“Okay.” Toby shrugged. He followed Dodd to the door and opened it for him, his daughter Savina trailing behind giving Dodd meaningful looks. He said goodbye and left, walking in a hurry.
The United Church owned JTV, he thought. JTV is having a ratings slump. The church is losing money. So they have the Pope come on an announce something exciting to boost ratings.
Dodd thought this through very carefully. It seemed to make sense, though the letdown at the end of the eighteen days was going to be a big risk for the church. He couldn’t understand why the church would take that big a chance, unless they were about to sell the network. That’s it, he thought – boost the ratings, sell the network, say the Pope’s vision was a little off, maybe he meant 18 years instead of days. People would be a little disillusioned, but they have to forgive their Pope. Meanwhile the church has made money and at the same time dumped a major obligation.
That’s got to be it, he thought. It had to be the explanation, or at least close – because Dodd was positive the church couldn’t be serious. The Savior returning? The Second Coming in eighteen days?
He paused a block away from his apartment complex, gazing across the skyline at the late afternoon sunlight. All the buildings glinted, little sparkles reflecting off of ten-million windows. He bit his lower lip at a frightening thought that he could not dismiss: What if the Savior was coming back? Dodd lowered his head, looking at the sidewalk, eyeing the motion of a beetle which happened to be crawling a few inches from his feet.
During his childhood, back before the collapse of ‘26 and the wars that followed, Dodd had been forced to memorize the Bible by a wire-haired old man with bad breath who screamed at him and several other children every Sunday for six years. Jesus Christ was coming back, the man had insisted. He was coming back in fire and glory, yes, yes indeed, He was due to return, but at the end of the world.
The End Of The World.
Of course this was from the old Bible, the King James Edition, which according to the United Church was “grossly distorted and altered to serve the purposes of man.” They made the same claims about every other edition predating their own “new translation” which came about after the collapse, after the United Church had swallowed up Christian Life, the Southern Baptists, the Mormons, and others … even the Catholics.