Chapter 15- Visiting Purgatory
Crowley came through the gate into Purgatory and walked briskly into the Terminal. Newcomers roamed curiously; those for whom the newness had worn off sat and stared blankly ahead, waiting. The waiting could be decades or millennia, until a decision was made by God whether they could move up or down. Satan seldom bothered to voice an opinion; humans served themselves up to him readily enough. A few who couldn't stand the idleness made a place for themselves in Purgatory by cleaning, working a kiosk, or helping the newcomers. Crowley had been there enough to know those who couldn't resist having a purpose almost always went UP, not Down.
Since there were seldom departures, some of the gates had been repurposed. One was a yoga studio, one was set up with tables for chess, checkers, backgammon, mahjong or dominoes. It was rumored that there was a bowling alley in Concourse C and a stage with bands in baggage claim.
In Concourse B, Crowley popped by the art studio at gate 42. "Antonio! it's been centuries!" one of the artists walked up and gave him a warm hug and kiss on both cheeks.
"Leo, what have you been up to?" The former demon looked at the wet cloth covering a clay sculpture in progress. Da Vinci uncovered his sculpture…a platypus. "This creature is fascinating – it just shouldn't 'be'! Its combination of parts is confounding." Crowley laughed, "That's what I said!" then he smirked and murmured out of the side of his mouth, "whatever you do, don't mention that to the Almighty". Leonardo was human, but he and Crowley had bonded over their mutual curiosity and passion for knowledge. DaVinci covered the clay, "As always, I will take your advice my friend. I'd be down below, with only charcoal to work with, if it weren't for you. We will have some wine and catch up", he turned towards a nearby jug.
"I would like that, but I need to meet with Mary Magdalene – do you know which Concourse she is on?" DaVinci pretended not to hear the first part and poured the wine anyway. Handing Crowley a glass, "The Magdalena- incredible woman – she has a strength that radiates and increases her beauty. I've tried to capture it, she lets me sketch her every decade or so, but I haven't quite caught it…" Da Vinci rummaged through a stack of sketches piled on a tea trolley, "See?"
Crowley admired the small sketch of a dark-haired woman sitting profile, looking just as she did when they were friends over 2000 years ago. She seemed to be looking in the distance for something. He sensed her strength, and her sadness. He swallowed, as emotion rose in his throat. "Ah, Leo, you are a man of many gifts. How can you keep getting better? You were already a genius."
"Nothing to do here but practice, my friend. You also have many gifts, Antonio. When you are with me, I always have the best wine, the best ideas, and the best light. You keep the clouds away, except for here of course." Da Vinci motioned to the fog bank outside the window. "Il Papa accused you of being a witch".
"Not far off I suppose", Crowley drank the wine and set down the glass, "but we must catch up another time. Where is Mary?"
"The Information desk near Gate 13, Concourse A. She is a unicorn among us donkeys. Why do you need to see her?" He asked protectively. "There is no way you are taking her below…" Leonardo's brow furrowed.
"Absolutely not! But I need to speak with her. May I keep this?" Da Vinci nodded, and Crowley put the sketch in his pocket. With a familiarity he never exhibited with anyone else, Crowley gave the artist a bro hug and said, "till next we meet, my friend".
"Ciao, Antonio".
"Ciao, Leonardo."
Mary was just finishing her shift when Crowley got to gate 13. She looked at him curiously "You are not new. Do I know you?"
"Not this Me. Maybe this one" Crowley snapped his fingers, and he became a woman in a dark tunic with flowing red tresses covered with a dark headscarf.
"Cora! You were an unearthly being?"
"Yes Mary, it's a long story, but I need to speak to you about something else. Fell sent me" 'Cora' handed Mary a small carved lamb, obviously made by the same hand as the dove Aziraphale had brought. "And someone asked that I get this to 'Madge'. Where could we speak undisturbed?"
Mary led 'Cora' to the children's play area between gates 17&19. It was almost completely empty and silent. "Children rarely come to Purgatory and most people stay away because it makes them sad. Except for the Singing Women". Mary pointed to a woman sitting near a dinosaur shaped feature, singing. She explained the women were in purgatory for acts they had committed in defense of their children. They took turns here, singing the songs they sang to their children. Occasionally, children would be misdirected to Purgatory in the rush of a mass calamity, and the singing women would comfort them until an angel came to take them to Heaven. This is how they chose to spend their penance. Crowley couldn't hear the words the woman was singing, but felt the love in her voice. He made a note to see if Aziraphale had the ability to reunite these women with their children sooner.
They moved to the opposite side of the play area and sat. "Are you an angel?" Mary asked.
"I used to be. I was hiding from a demon when you knew me, Mary."
"Yes, it is easy to be invisible when you're a woman. You deceived me, Cora." As Cora, she had witnessed Christ's crucifixion. Mary had cried through the night after preparing him for burial. Hell had recalled all earthbound staff for weeks after that, knowing the angel presence on Earth during the resurrection would be at War levels. Cora had left Mary under the pretense of being called home. After the ascension, Mary was busy ministering, and Crowley never went back.
"I just didn't tell you my past. Mary, I was more myself with you than I've ever been with anyone except…. Please know I would have never put anyone in danger, and I cherish that time. I value our friendship, and I had no evil intent regarding Jesus. My purpose was to show Him other options than the path He chose."
"He had no 'choice'!" Mary spat out the words. "His choice was me. His choice was US. But Jesu is honorable, and He had pledged Himself to God. And for that, they tortured him to death. Tears came silently with the memory, centuries later. Cora sat quietly, hearing Mary's words echo and combine with hers, "we could have been Us..His choice was US (their voices blending together on the word "US") She handed Mary a handkerchief "I know it sounds fake, but I also had someone choose honor over Us. It hurts now; I can't imagine what it will feel like in 2000 years."
Mary wiped her tears, and sat up straight, back to her no-nonsense self. "Have you seen Jesu? Is he well?"
"I haven't but Fell thinks He needs some help and counseling. He needs you, Mary. Fell and I are working on a plan. But we need to make sure you are both ready for this before we try it."
"I'm ready."
"We're working on a way to get him here, but then you will both have to go back to Heaven, briefly, before we get you home. Cora handed Mary a travel brochure for Switzerland that had photos of the valley near Lake Geneva. "This was what he wanted to choose, Mary. A life with you. What say you?"
"Cora – anything to save Us". Crowley looked out the window, which had no view. "Anything to save US…."
"Say nothing of our plan to anyone. Fell or I will be in touch when we're ready to move. Is there a message you'd like me to pass on?"
"Tell him that valley looks like Heaven" she held the brochure out to Crowley.
"Keep it, Mary. If we all have your strength, we will see this done." Cora stood, changed back into Crowley as he currently was.
Mary put her hand on his sleeve, "But Cora, why do you not stay a woman? You said you were happy."
"Oh, I was happy, and on Earth most women are still invisible, but a powerful woman is noticed and seen as a threat. My powers are less apparent in male form".
"2000 years later, and so little has changed."
"The human ideal is slow to change. When you get there, you will see many wonders that give you hope, but also horrors that will make you so angry. Jesus' example has rippled through the years and has helped, Mary. He did change the world for the better. But Duty done, he deserves his own life with you."
"With me. When that happens, will you visit, Cora? We need a long visit with a good meal- how we will laugh!"
"As soon as I can, Mary. I haven't had that in a very long time."
"Shalom, Cora"
"Shalom, Mary".
Crowley left Purgatory, popping out of the broken stall in the men's WC at Embankment Underground station and walked to his Bentley, parked in a fire lane along the Thames. He sat in his car, eyes focused on a bird on a buoy in the river, not seeing. His conversations with Leo and Mary were unsettling. He'd forgotten how attached one could get to humans, especially brilliantly intelligent ones like Leo, or equally brilliant empaths like Mary. "It's like I'm damned to be human. Why do I relate to them more than my own kind? Everyone in Heaven and Hell are right – we have gone Native". Heaven and Hell both frowned on attachments of any kind, but Crowley felt better, remembering he had more friends than just that bastard of an angel. But friendship had its cost- the pain of Aziraphale's refusal still hurt, even though they were allies again.
A barge moved upstream, rocking the buoy, and the bird flew away. This stirred Crowley out of his wallowing, "get on with it" he scolded himself. He rang Muriel.
"Fell & Co bookshop, Co speaking", they answered.
"It's Crowley".
"Hello Mr. Crowley. I just watched "Weekend at Bernie's" and I don't understand why it was on your list – it wasn't very realistic."
"What did you learn about human behavior?"
"That people are easily fooled, and you can do a lot of things with a corpse that are seen as funny."
"Very good – a Gold Star! The lesson is 'Humans are looking for what they expect to see, not what they actually see' – See?"
"What's next?"
"'Victor, Victoria' – reinforces the lesson about illusion. Are you going to see Mr. Fell soon?"
"Yes. The Acting Supreme Archangel has requested his journal from the bookshop. I was about to go up."
"Can you give him a message?
"Certainly. I am very good at relaying information" (not entirely true, the angel almost ignited the Cuban Missile Crisis and may have been a factor in the Falklands War).
"Let him know I'm ready to meet again. Dusk at Victoria's elbow"
"Dusk at Victoria's elbow…Muriel was writing it down. I don't understand."
"That's ok, he will. We'll talk after you watch that movie." Crowley hung up and started the Bentley.