I was always a little sad you didn't continue this, my friend. It's a wonderful re-interpretation of 'The Great Divorce' (one of my favourite Lewis books!)- and you channel Lewis' style quite admirably. The allegory is also very well done.

Anyhoo... I should probably return to my work. :S (What kind of school gives holiday homework, anyway? Hrmph.) Thanks for this story, though- I do enjoy reading it very much!

Ah, Protestants. /Delicious/. I am suddenly very concerned about what you have said about people who avoid Travel Agencies, however, as I ran away from mine as soon as I realized the horror some of their reccomended luggage entailed and how little of it I actually wanted to bring with me. I anticipate you will introduce such a character somewhere down the road...

A fascinating tale so far. The allegory becomes very obvious in this chapter. It's quite interesting. I might suggest you put it in "The Great Divorce" category, which actually exists, but you -would- get even less traffic there. Oh, well, I'll be sure to keep reading!

This review should have been posted ages ago, but my PC broke :( Anyway, I think the second chapter is even better than the first. That passenger is very realistic, even though he's as sad as he was frustrating. I'm convinced you are more explicit than Lewis, but perhaps that's a necessary part of a modernisation. I'm certainly enjoying this!

Charli

Ooh! This is fascinating. I think you're a little more explicit than Lewis on certain issues, but maybe I just need to reread The Great Divorce. I don't *entirely* agree with all your theology, but I'm intrigued and loving it!
The guy with the kitchen sink was classic and your descriptions are very effective.

Charli

I really like this! It's interesting thinking of it like this - and the way the Stewardesses put their fingers right on the key - "do you really want your rights" - "you paid far less for your ticket than it actually costs" - but the CEO will still sell it for that price - and the rubbish chutes for all the stuff you're still dragging with you.
Please keep on writing - I really want to read some more. Cheers, Paula

I'm intrigued by the passengers' strange attachment to their personal belongings and knic-knaks. As metaphors for religious preconceptions, they seem difficult to be rid of, such that the passengers seem to be embarassed to be seen with them in public.

For "diplomat", read "facilitator". The role comes with a special clearance, which is indicative of a special knowledge that engenders respect. However, it's a nice touch that you have placed yourself into the narrative but eschew an omniscient stance.

Can someone who has not heard the Word attain salvation? Dante seemed to make the "virtuous pagans", who could not reasonably have been expected to have heard the Christian Word, a special case in his Divine Comedy. Not to have heard the Word does not seem to preclude the possibility of salvation. This is a notion that Lewis himself pursued, most notably in "The Last Battle".

Loud Passenger seems to believe that faith itself is enough and that there is no need for intermediaries to help him attain the destination. He appears to share the Protestant antipathy to the notion of Purgatory. What are the implications if one were to exercise Free Will and to deliberately reject religion, or a specific religious path? To my mind, this is something that the stewardess does not satisfactorily explain. Are atheists, agnostics and non-Christians precluded from the chance of salavation once they have made (by their lights) an honest and informed choice?

Loud Passenger appeals for fairness, for his "rights", but the Creator is not "fair". He treats you more fairly than you deserve, than you have a right to expect. This is a concept that you raised in "King Edmund's Crusade" and which has increasingly interested me.

Loud Passenger doesn't like the idea that he had to pay for a ticket, while others don't. His character is reminiscent of people who, having been admitted into Heaven, would then most likely remonstrate with St Peter for letting in other people. That, having attained salvation himself, he would then wish to restrict the gift of salvation to others. In short, the extreme Protestant notion of the Elect.

I'm very pleased that you've highlighted the notion of Natural Law. That, even those who don't know about the Destination nonetheless pack light according to the general principles of sensible packing. In other words, that people with an inborn sense of morality try to do what is right, not because of what religion tells them or because they believe that doing something in a certain way will win them credit in Heaven, but simply because it is right. And that this is enough.

It seems to me that, while one does not necessarily need a ticket to reach the Destination, to spend all that one has on a ticket is a good indication of one's genuine desire to go there.

Violent Passenger appears to be indicative of the kind of extreme Protestant who embraces the notion that, once attained, a state of Grace cannot be lost. "...I was told mine would always be valid. You can't invalidate a Ticket!"

Just as a final point, the pilots appear quite nauseatingly macho. I'm sure there is some finer doctrinal point here that I'm missing but, if the pilots approximate to angels, why would you model them on some refugee from "Top Gun"?

I like how you are taking this story, just as I'm a little dismayed at the paucity of reviews. I refuse to believe this is because your works are too intellectually challenging for readers (although you do have to think! - no bad thing.)

(Yes, it seems I got tired of the old user-name (again). And, it seems you edited because me, touching.)

I must say it was most entertaining to see the "main character" mention that he was a "Professionally, I write Christian apologetics. Privately . . .Metafictional allegories, mostly.” Putting yourself in this story are you? (Forgive me if I'm wrong, but he sounds like you and, perhaps, a little like me as well.)

All fun aside however, you may start to say I agree more with the "sola fides" argument. (However, I also believe in a "spiritual baptism" and that the earthly baptism is only symbolic of the true baptism, which is by the Holy Spirit as mentioned in Matthew 3:11)) However, that man (Will) was...rather foolish, he had so many things that...I can't even say Will was much like my brothers and sisters. It's rather sad that he did not understand that you shouldn't take anything with you.

Anyways, the part about no one wanting their rights is correct. It's good that He has mercy on us, eh?

The thing about the people who did not know about the Ticket however...is a bit edgy. I would say that those who have disabilities or who are unable to get a ticket whatsoever (like a young babe or child whom dies). But, say a person who is from a tribe who has never heard of the Gospel. That person would still be as guilty as the next and have the same problem as them. (Romans 1:18-28)

I must also disagree with the thing about the man (George) who "lost his salvation" by packing to much. I believe that that is quite impossible, although, he might have wanted to fix his life up a bit before getting there... However, he would still be "saved by the skin of his teeth." Not saying that would be fun...accept if I misunderstood this completely.

So, in conclusion, this was a great chapter, Morohtar and rather fun to review. Hm, maybe you'll encourage me enough to get back into writing?

-God bless,
Rose

Personally, I can't wait until you finish this so my teenaged son can read it in its entirety. This kind of mental stimulus allegory is right up his alley. Mine, too, but then, I am patient and don't tend to get anxious when an author takes time to do it right.

Now, to find my ticket and make sure my bag is not packed...

This is a clever idea. I've used airports quite a bit and can relate to how unreal they can seem, and to the barely suppressed trauma they can induce.

The manner in which the passengers are weighed down with useless and quite bizarre luggage suggests spiritual baggage which impedes one's journey to other destinations. At first, I thought that this was a comment on the absurd materialism of this world - a subject on which Lewis himself had much to say - and how such transient things can assume a ridiculous and ultimately baffling importance. Nonetheless, yours is an inspired metaphor which is excellently executed.

I suspect that your representation of the girl/atheist may attract a certain response. She is not presented as a sympathetic character - which I'm sure was your intent - and I'm pretty sure that I would have wanted to throttle her as well. She seems to personify the type of smug pseudo-intellectual who howls down any discussion of faith or religion with the same intolerance of any religious fundamentalist.

Many of the passengers seem to bemoan their fate, complaining about the lack of suitcases and guidance and reminding me of nothing so much as sheep, in a manner reminiscent of the Sheep and the Goats in the Gospel of Matthew. Why weren't they told what to think? Why weren't they told what to believe? It's not their fault they made inappropriate choices. A wonderful dig at the kind of people who blame everyone but themselves at how things turn out.

I will admit that I don't quite understand the significence of the red v blue dogfight, but I may be over-analysing!

I owe you some reviews for Redemption of Sulva but I'd like to see more of this story.

I can't think clearly enough to give you a detailed review, my friend. But I will say this. Thank you. Thank you for writing this, thank you for posting this, thank you for being my friend.

I'm about to cry...so I need to go.

Beautifully done, DK. Beautifully done.

Brilliant! The style, the atmosphere, is so very evocative of Lewis' "The Great Divorce", despite being set in modern times (airport vs bus stop etc), so bravo for that. I adore both Lewis' book and your writing, and I can't wait for more! (I'm assuming your passenger will meet Lewis himself, as opposed to George MacDonald...?)

You might not get a boat-load of traffic to this story, but I, for one, will be keeping abreast of this jewel. You have started in fine fetter and I am most impressed with your skill to emulate Lewis in you own estimable style. It also reminds me of John Bunyan (yea for Literature!)

So, were you expecting me to review?

Despite that I have never read either The Great Divorce nor Dante's work, it wasn't too hard to see where allegories. Awhile back, at my Church (we don't have Mass, we have services instead), we did something like this with passengers and tickets in a skit. Although, I believe it was with trains and people taking said trains to different places. Some of these places were good, but done of them was the right place, accept for the last one.

What really interested me though, was the character of the young woman, let's call her Ann. Ann seems to think that there's a million ways to get to our Destination and many other destinations. She seems to be a product of the world, and an atheist. Hopefully, the next potential passenger is more hopeful? (And, a capital "Sir"? Is that an accident...or on purpose...)

Yes, the rest of the story was fine, and most of the allegories were swell. Accept for a few. One thing I notice is that the idea of "buying" Tickets. Now, accept if I am reading this wrong (which is entirely possible), you have every right to correct me (which I'm sure you will anyways.) Does this means that the passengers buy their tickets through Christ, good works, going to Mass, and performing the sacraments. Or do you mean that the tickets are bought a different way? (That is through faith in Christ alone. No attachments; ie luggage, only the ticket.)

But, overall, this was a great piece of work, not too much to complain about. Or perhaps I just don't have much time to think about it and examine it in its full. *sighs* Ah, well.

-God Bless,
Rose

There's something exhilarating about a metaphor "of the times" such as this one. I've seen airports used before (and I love 'em every time), but never in quite the way you set this up: this is very original, subtly textured, and thought-provoking. The one thing I would argue about is whether women can be Pilots; if one interprets the Pilots as saints (maybe you intended them as priests), one of the most thrilling hallmarks of the church is that sainthood has been coeducational from the start--in fact, if you consider who first knew about the Resurrection, men are also-rans (sorry; couldn't resist). The most deeply satisfying element to me is the part about the Tickets; one can buy one at the Airport. Lost sheep, this way; two lines, no waiting. Thanks for a lovely tale, with the hopefulness of one of my favorite Lewis stories, The Great Divorce.