"The old priest, who was dying, composed himself on his bed and said a prayer for the repose of his soul. He was troubled about Heaven and Hell. What were they like? God knows he had spent a lifetime preaching about both places. Now, at age 84, he wasn't sure.

"Dimly, he saw two figures at the foot of his bed. He knew who they were. The tall muscular one was Moses and the other was Peter the fisherman. When they beckoned to the priest, he got up and followed, walking through the wall of his bedroom. Silently, they led him through the galaxies of the night sky. In a far-off place, they stopped before a big house. 'The kingdom of God is made of many mansions,' Peter explained. 'So too is Hell. Step inside. We will show you the first room of Satan's palace.'

"As the priest walked in, his ears were assaulted by a babble of complaints. Many people were seated at a large table. In the center there was a big pot of the priest's favorite dish, beef stew. Although everyone in Hell had a spoon and could reach the pot, the people were starving. The spoon handles that were attached to their hands were twice as long as their arms. They could catch the stew, but they couldn't bring it to their lips. The cries of the starving were so loud that the priest begged to be taken away.

"Peter and Moses took him to another mansion in a faraway place. Moses invited the priest to step inside the outer room of Paradise. There the priest saw a similar large table surrounded by many people. In the center was a huge pot of beef stew. The spoon handles were too long for human arms, but there were no cries of complaint. No one was starving. All the people were feeding each other."

~ Jan Bishop, King Features

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