The Undivine Journey Of A Heart

By: Faris Nejad

Date: 2/9/18

A group of scientists, some with top medical degrees and some based on practice and knowledge, data and facts only, impolitely and unceremoniously, pulled the heart of an ill man out of his body. It would stop beating if it was not scientifically and immediately, attached to a machine built by other scientists in advance. The heartless man, in an absurd form of Frankenstein's Reality Show, was to remain without his romantic but practical organ for some 140 minutes. The scientists had to repair the man's interior plumbing, make a couple of changes to the faucets (one needed a new washer) and then tidy up and put everything back together, glue all the ribs, and sew back the parted flesh and skin. The other handful of scientists were doing other less significant stuff like, making sure there are no tools left in the chest cavity, bring back the gone man, (literally) to life, reconnect some wires and make sure the oxygen level and the blood pressure is how it usually is for the patient on Sunday afternoons when he is not stressed. This was all done after a group of trained and experienced professionals had prepared and cleaned the operation rooms immaculately to make sure that the temporary gone man would not be faced with any bacterial or other harmful substances. The newly returned back to life man was to be cared for by another group of scientists, nurses and other professionals in the hospital which had been built by engineering scientists, mathematicians, accountants, suppliers, contractors, laborers and more.

Hours after the operation, when all was fine, on the other side of the world, a distant aged mother stepped up on a ladder. Her fragile and inflexible bones would not allow her to raise her left foot up the second step but miraculously she managed. After a clumsy but much needed support by the right foot on the second step, whilst holding on to the wall with one hand she raised her other arm to the top edge of the old wooden closet and with her finger nails pulled a little envelope towards herself. As soon as the envelope was securely in her grasp, she carefully stepped down on the floor. With little respect for balance she rushed to the kitchen table, where the main source of light was, carefully opening the envelope. She was relieved to find enough money in the envelope for due donations of thanksgiving to the local priest in her place of worship across the hill. Her holy destination was far and her knees were weak but she was determined that her son's newly blessed and revitalized body required a special thanksgiving. At the remote temple she had to wait for the priest who was having his afternoon siesta but his majestic appearance at the alter made up for all the hardship and suffering of the long journey. Bending down and extending her arms she reached the feet of the priest and began kissing them. The amused priest was not expecting a visitor at this time of the day but was confident that he or his god had done something right for the blessed woman. He loudly praised his and the old women's Lord and with his left arm blessed the woman again by touching the back of her head which was still on his feet. This gave the woman much needed new strength. With her head still down and her eyes on the floor she stood up. Without looking, like a well-rehearsed act, the women placed all her money in the priest's other hand which was already in position and fully open. "I have to go back to continue my prayers now," whispered the priest which made the woman drop to his feet again. From the alter, ceremoniously, the priest picked up a book which he had read many times and walked towards the sacristy to perhaps re-read it, because unlike the scientists who had been educated for years, for the priest this was the only book he needed to read.

Although I am feeling much better now, unfortunately, it was my heart that was taken out of my body by the scientists but fortunately it was not my mother who went to the temple to thank the priest and his god and gave him her badly needed little money. The woman had gone to the priest to thank him for another "miracle" related to her own son. Yes, I am grateful to the scientists and science for my recovering heart and now, I think, the only thought that can break it again is the knowledge that after all these scientific efforts, and only because I am not thankful to their gods, if all of a sudden I drop dead now, some of my religious friends will find it difficult to hide their devious grin. They will find it difficult because I have failed to acknowledge their god's "miracle" for me and was not grateful to him for sparing my life on the day that he took other lives.