The Solar Doctrine

the afterlife in no way is that which Miguel Angel had painted in the Sistine Chapel. Despite this, Arthur however managed to relax, since the place wasn´t completely bad after all and one could perceive in the room a very good taste and devotion towards cleanness, in spite of the fact of all pieces of art being mere reproductions.

  Immediately a door of the celestial room opened slowly and Arthur, still unable to release from some ideas he had assimilated during the Christian catechesis of his youth, believed that after a while would take place the hassling process of the purgatory, a sort of statistical scrutinizing and accounting of the number and gravity of his “sins” after which he would be assigned a given function and position within the celestial hierarchy of angels, saints and heroes fallen in combat… “This is going to be worse than registering at the job center” -he thought. And then kept rambling: “Now they´re still going to have the cheek to tell me that they´re helping me for my own good…Shameless scoundrels! Everything they propagated on earth about the true world being the one up here was no more than propaganda, publicity and religious brainwashing so that we get up here and become available to be assigned to a post where we shall all be heavenly exploited. Assholes!

  Yet all these thoughts full of rage and confusion were incapable of staining the beauty and natural elegance of an almost ethereal figure that slowly crossed the door portraying a brilliant cup. A state of almost mystical rapture passed through Arthur´s body as soon as he realized that it was the Lady of the Temple, Eve, who was approaching him revealing a serene, and almost beatific smile.

  -Hello Arthur. How are you?

  -Now… Now I´m very well, beautiful Eve of my heart… It´s relieving to know that at last we encounter each other… In spite of the fact that our meeting has to take place under such weird conditions.

  -Yes… Well… The night has been very long and hard for you… I was very concerned. There were moments I thought you were not going to survive and attain the miraculous condition that you have now. But you must still take it easy, because even though everything points out that you shall adapt quite well to your new situation, your heart still works for now like that of a baby… So this is why I´ve prepared for you in this cup this nutritional combination of fresh fruits of the forest, milk and honey, so you can start getting stronger… It's important that you realize that the worst has passed by. In all my experience, I´ve never seen a heart as strong as yours. What happened down there was really a miracle.

  -This cup is supposed to be the Grail, isn´t it? -Arthur asked.

  -Oh yes, of course. I´m sorry I had to resort to this vulgar cup of plastic, but because of all the recent hassle up here I couldn´t find a more decent one… I suppose you don´t care… Do you?

  -No, not at all… It´s fine… And with regard to the nutritional smoothy it has inside… Is it actually real and true, or is it also falsified with GMO fruits?

  -I give you my word that they are all fresh and autochthonous products -Eve stated

  -Good… That´s great -Arthur continued, immediately after drinking the substance of the Grail, and feeling quickly recovered, with more energy and spirit, and very likely even with more optimism in order to face the tasks and functions that would be assigned to him in the different departments and celestial hierarchies.

  -See how I told you that I was going to save you! -Eve said, showing a vacillating expression of satisfaction and pride.

  -Well, now that you and I are going to stay eternally together, I suppose I´ll have to start learning to accept the fact of recognizing when you are right -Arthur commented - Alas! It is such a pity that our relation can only be now of an ethereal sort…

  -Ethereal? -Eve asked, feeling confused.

  -Yes, I mean that we can no longer mutually enjoy our bodies because of having attained the condition of immaterial and angelic beings… -Arthur commented with some regret.

  -What? Obviously the blood hasn´t still completely provided your brain with enough oxygen… Did you know that newborns are generally given a slap to verify if they have adequate blood circulation? Do you want me to slap you for what you´ve just said?

  -Come on Eve… Let me be clear on this point… I know you might consider me to be a cheeky and rude guy, but to be honest I always thought you were attractive. Only the thought of having to…

  -No, no… -Eve interrupted- I´m not referring to that… I´m referring to your assumption that you and I can´t touch each other…

  All of a sudden, Eve approached Arthur very slowly and delicately kissed him on his lips. Arthur didn´t feel anything, as he had guessed at first… But unexpectedly, and quite immediately, he felt an electrifying prickling that emerged from his heart and that swiftly spread to his arms and legs, stimulated the blood vessels and the nerve activity, which until then were in an almost hibernation state of reduced metabolic rate… Arthur was abruptly wide-eyed …

  -I´m alive!! -he shouted

  Immediately he moved his forefinger and realized that he was all of a sudden returning back to his body, like in a resurrection process.

  -So I´ve never been completely dead!… Where am I? -Arthur asked, desperately.

  -You´re in my home Arthur, I´ve been caring you during your long night after your fight against the SuperDragon… Thanks for liberating all my kindness from me -Eve commented.

  While Arthur was attempting to assimilate the best he could the situation that he was effectively living, Eve began to tell him that she had found him laying down and unconscious in the streets two days ago when she was returning home from the hospital, and that in a matter of few seconds she decided that it was more convenient to take him to her father´s private clinic, since his heart, however very weak, was stable, and that by risking her entire career as a nurse, she finally considered that the protocol of electroshock reanimations in the Urgent Care Center were only going to cause more middle-term stress and chronic damage… So both Eve and her father decided to apply in the case of Arthur a non-conventional treatment that aimed to induce a coma and thus reduce the general metabolic rates, without causing stress nor high demands to his heart… Somehow both father and daughter treated Arthur with very similar procedures as those that take place in the case of a premature baby.

  -And as I can see the treatment definitely has born its fruits -Arthur commented- You are amazingly brave Eve… I owe you my life…

  -You risked your life for me, my Quixote… And I risk mine for yours… It seams a good deal, doesn´t it?

  Arthur couldn´t help but assenting to this affirmation.

  In a couple of hours you might be transported once again to the hospital -Eve commented- But there is something in me that says that you´ve already made it…

  -For the sake of eternity -Arthur said

  -For the sake of eternity -she replied.

  Freedom

  A day later Arthur was back at the hospital, amidst a crazy commotion and chaos on the part of most of the doctors, nurses and civil protection agents, since immediately after Arthur´s escape, the emergency alarms of his electrocardiograph unit had been activated. For moments, almost all the health staff had thought that during that fatidic midnight our hero had been a victim of another heart attack, or that he was just already dead… Naturally, the following day many explanations were demanded from Arthur. The latter, however, exposed a completely hermetic attitude.

  -I´m really sorry, I can´t tell you why I broke out -Arthur commented- I would really like to tell you why, but honestly, none of you could ever cope with the weight of truth, since none of you are Knights Templar like me -he commented with great serenity.

  The Lady of the Temple hardly could repress her laughter when being present as well in what seemed to be the most surrealistic scene she had ever experienced in her entire life. However, the cardiologists and other doctors were contrarily in a very serious mood, and quickly demanded that the Lady of the Temple immediately leave the room, since she was also going to be later subjected to tough questioning. She happ
ily obeyed and without complaint, aware in every moment that she had done what was correct.

  -We are demanding from you Mr. Gonzalez some clear explanations, or otherwise we will be forced to seriously reconsider the by-pass surgery and the pace-maker implant… Let´s be clear on this point: if you don´t cooperate with us, this hospital center is legally capable of disapproving the operation according to the established schedules. The waiting lists are very long, and our budget is more and more restricted. Do you understand? Do you actually prefer to go through the operation in a private center? Can you just even imagine how expensive that is?…

  During all that bombardment of questions and menaces, Arthur was a little disconcerted and indecisive, yet he quickly recalled the behavior he had to adopt as revealed in the Doctrine…

  -All right, all right… I suppose I´ll have to tell you what happened -Arthur said- since I definitely must realize that my financial situation is not precisely thriving right now…

  -I assure you that is a very reasonable posture Mr. Gonzalez -affirmed Dr.Del Valle- Could you please tell us why did you escape from this hospital center at midnight…?

  -I was fighting against the SuperDragon, speaking with my Creator, drinking from the Holy Grail… The Creator of the Doctrine is who decides each one of our acts and words in this precise