An excerpt from, “The Invisible Employee” by Gostick & Elton

You might have heard the story of the star salesperson who was killed in a tragic accident with a handheld garlic press.  (Don’t ask.)  When he arrived at the Pearly Gates, St. Peter greeted him with the following news:  “You must spend one day in Heaven and one day in Hell before choosing where to spend eternity.”

The first day was to be spent in Hell.  But instead of the general weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth that he expected, the salesman found himself in a beautiful setting, eating delicious food, and talking to fascinating people who seemed impressed and fascinated with his background.  He had such a good time, he found he didn’t want to leave when the day was over.

After his surprising experience with Hell, he was a little nervous about what Heaven would look like.  (Was it opposite day in the afterlife? He worried. )  But as it turned out, Heaven was nice too, with harp music and lots of fluffy, white clouds, just as expected.

It was a tough decision.  But in the end the salesman chose to spend eternity in Hell.  It was just a little more edgy than Heaven, he reasoned.

When he got there, however, he found it changed beyond recognition.  Deflated-looking people wandered hopelessly across a scorching desert, doing meaningless, never-ending tasks.

“What’s happened?” he cried out to the Devil.  “Just two days ago I was here at a fantastic party with fascinating people.  Now, everyone is miserable and the conditions are intolerable.”