h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*$216.40*

*Wha….?*

*Your bill Sir, two hundred and sixteen dollars, forty cents…. please?*

He stood, in his immaculate suit, at the immaculate counter, unsure as to whether he was checking in, or checking out; the last few hours had been a bit weird.

*Wha….? *, was the most his fractured mind could summon.

*$216.40, £165.38p, 3.693.70 Rand, 197.62 Swiss Franc or 16,098 RUB…..your bill ….Sir?*

*Sorry. My bill….for….?*

She smiled angelically, or demonically; he couldn’t quite tell.

*Your sins? Those that you’ve wronged. Your life’s sum-total deficit? *

*Two hundred bucks? My life? Sins?*

*Thank you for living on Earth Sir, now that this stage of your Journey has ended, please pay the fee due, and progress to your chosen Afterlife…. that’d be $ 216.04…Sir…*

He fished in the pockets of his immaculate suit. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

*I’m so sorry, I appear to be a little, erm, financially embarrassed. What happens if I can’t pay my, erm, bill?*

*All fees due are required by Law to be immediately paid, those that settle shall be granted onward transportation. Onwards and upwards so to speak. Those that cannot, or will not, atone for their debts…* She looked down, deep, deep, downward.

There are no pockets in shrouds.

You can’t take it with you when you go.

Hollow words.

Time had erased the need, the necessity to pay our debts.

Pharaohs, Celts, Irish Kings - all knew the Price to be paid.

Modern mankind? Mehhh…not so much.

His passport was stamped, ‘In Arrears’, and Down he went.

[Will there be more to this story? I'm interested. ]

Just a thought following a conversation about cash being dead during covid. In this day and age, do we actually need money for anything any more? So... What if we did need it, one last time...?

I like the way your mind works.

I've always envisioned karmic debt in a somewhat different form, but I figured you had hit upon the perfect metaphor.

After all, the Persians pictured a rope bridge and the Egyptians a set of scales.

We at Dark/Light Inc. try to move with your perception of Time!

And Willem's into bicycles. Which is not the first afterlife/karmic adventure with bicycles, come to think of it.

You've both got me thinking about 'The Third Policeman', a most excellent book...

Dark/Light Inc wish to direct you to the readily available infernal combustion engine powered bicycles.

I more or less expected that.