#5 Johnny: The Great Debate
Storyteller: Dr. Stephen Phinney | After a long night of Johnny entering in and out of his silence of torturous despair, he awakens to his morbid loneliness.
Johnny, The Day After, is a flash short story series. Join Johnny in his degenerate journey into the mystic world of the new global Chancellor. Experience his loneliness, pain, sorrow, and rebellion as he adjusts to being one of many who are left behind after the Rapture.
New to Johnny? Read Chapter One HERE | Chapter Two HERE | Chapter Three HERE | Chapter Four HERE
After a long night of Johnny entering in and out of his silence of torturous despair, he awakens to his morbid loneliness. He then remembers his commitment to a debate with his deranged neighbor, Angra.
He shuffles to the front door to put his feet upon that buckling concrete walk leading to Angra’s porch, steps over grassy seams, and makes his way to Angra’s door, hands in pockets, through the deafening silences of the neighborhood, that Johnny grew to hate. He stood upon the porch, peered through the glass door, and knocked. Being tempted to back out of the debate, he decided to go through with the regretted commitment.
Would you like a cup of coffee, Johnny? Sure, said Johnny. As Angra prepares the coffee, he drops sodium thiopental, truth serum, into Johnny’s cup. While the two of them are sitting on the porch, Angra asks his first question. How are you feeling today?
Johnny: Honestly. I am struggling with trusting you. I deeply feel that you are taking me down a path that might not be the wisest choice.
Angra: That’s understandable. We are new friends, and trust will take time to develop. If the two of us are to survive in this new world order, we will need to be on the same page with our beliefs and plans. Your survival is my passion. What is your first question?
Johnny: I have been reviewing my father’s notes. He found many people who wondered what the new Chancellor’s Tribulation is or what it is all about. What is your view?
Angra: Johnny, you silly boy – that is what those born-again Christian types called it. It is not a time of tribulation; it is, however, a time of anti-tribulation, peace. Our new Chancellor clarified that he came to bring rest and peace to a chaotic world. Why are you questioning this?
Johnny: There is one thing my father was not – a liar. He said the Tribulation is utterly crushing, pulverizing, and will grid humanity into a pile of powder. The Bible backs his findings, noting it will be a time filled with terror and trouble. My dad said the Antichrist would be the most deceptive man in humanity. What say you?
Angra: First of all, I believe all those Christians were confused. They believed in a book of outdated cultural misnomers. Back then, writers used expressions depicting leaders they thought were evil. Mere men, not God, wrote the book they quoted. Most of those Christians considered our new Chancellor evil because they were obsessed with the Jewish beliefs not matching our new leader's beliefs. Our Chancellor believes that all religions are good and acceptable. Of course, they will say his leadership is filled with tribulations.
Johnny: I didn’t think about that. That does make sense. However, Angra, the Bible, and my dad’s writings said the first half of the reign of the new Chancellor would be filled with peace – then he switches to murder and mayhem after three and a half years. If, by chance, the Bible is telling us the truth, what do you have to say about that?
Angra: I believe their “Bible” is fallible. We must remember that men wrote it. Although, IF I were to believe such a fable, it would behoove us to be on the right side of the Chancellor before such aggression occurs. Has it occurred that the Chancellor might become aggressive with those who don’t support his new peace deal with the nations?
Johnny: Good point. This confirms my opinion regarding my parents being ‘crazed Christians.’ I always thought they were mindless in believing silly stories written by people who were too weak to think for themselves.
Angra: Exactly! Johnny, you and I need to think for ourselves. We need to pick up on our discussion tomorrow. You need to think through for yourself the details we talked about today.
As Johnny headed back to his home, his inward war increased all the more. He couldn’t shake his beloved loyalty to his father for some reason. His mother's words were striking at his conscience – Your father is a man of Truth. Honor his guidance. Instantly, a voice spoke over his thoughts, saying Your father was a good man who believed bad lies. You will need to learn to hate him to be freed from him.
Saddened, Johnny sat down on his couch while being overwhelmed with mental torture. As he reached out to pet Apolo, his dog began to laugh with a tone he had often heard in his dreams. Johnny broke out in a nocturnal scream in his mind, leading to a broken child's soft sobs. He concluded he was losing the fight. He had no one to comfort him. His tears sank into his cotton t-shirt as he ran his hands up and down, up and down his face. The next moment, Apolo was licking the tears that were drenching his tear-filled hands. Repeating aloud, poor little Johnny, poor little Johnny.
Coming up next: THE DEPLORABLE DREAM