The View

            “There’s not much I like looking at today”, said Gene.

He rolled over on his cloud and sighed upward toward heaven. It was just another day to keep an eye on the doings and goings-ons of the people of Earth. It was pretty boring heavenly work.

“You know it has to be done”, said Herzial.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but it’s always so boring. That guy missed a bus, that guy got splashed by a puddle, that fisherman missed a big haul, that lady got punched, that baby goes hungry, boring, boring, boring”, said Gene as he pointed out over the planet and at each little instance of action that appeared on the God’s Eye Monitor 3000 screen.

“Still, it beats some of the other jobs around here”, shrugged Herzial.

“I guess”, sighed Gene.

Gene rolled back over and tried to get a little more comfortable on his cloud. He looked at the God’s Eye Monitor 3000 screen and started scanning through the billions of views that where available for planet Earth. He sighed again.

“It’s just so tedious. I mean look, there in Chicago another teenager shot for no reason. And look, there in China, a flood just wiped out that guy’s entire farm. It’s just so random and cruel and repetitive”, said Gene.

“Maybe you should put in for another assignment”, said Herzial.

“Oh, like it’s that easy. I just can’t up and leave and go to a new job. That’s not part of His plan”, said Gene. 

“Well, He might consider it if you tell Him how unhappy you are”, said Herzial.

Gene shrugged and put his head down on his forearm resting on the consol for the God’s Eye Monitor 3000. The screens flickered with fires and a minor earthquake, with still born births, and, murders, and rapes. Gene didn’t lift his head up.

“You should be watching you know. It’s basically what we were made to do”, said Herzial.

“I know Herz, but when is enough enough for these people”, asked Gene.

“When He says so”, said Herzial.

“I mean with all they have done in His name I can’t believe He’s let it go on for so long”, said Gene.

“All they’ve done”, asked Herzial.

“Yeah, they’ve been murdering each other in His name for thousands of years and yet he lets it go on”, said Gene.

“Well, they do good in his name too”, said Herzial, “like all that missionary stuff and providing for the poor and such”.

“Uh, hello. They usually have to do those things as a result of all the killing and murdering and stealing and molesting in His name”, said Gene.

Gene looked up and over at Herzial. His robes glistened with holy virtue and purity. While Gene’s robes were a little dingy and getting slightly thread bear.

“How do you keep your robes so clean and white”, asked Gene.

“What? Uh, Jeanne in accounting turned me on to an excellent guy”, said Herzial.

“Oh. Can I maybe get his name? My robes aren’t looking so hot”, said Gene.

“Sure, but after our shift. There’s a major rocket attack going on over the old Holy Land”, said Herzial.

Gene called up the information on his screen and watched as rockets burned through the air and hit hospitals and day care centers and exploded in giant fireballs.

He sighed.