"Choose."

He pointed towards the two keys on his palm.

"Wow! I got a choice here?"

"You always have."

"Not always I think. Sometimes you left me with no choice."

"Maybe not the ones 'you' wanted but certainly you had choices. You sometimes have to choose using your conscience you know?"

"Yeah, never made good use of that thing"

"You can, now."

"Isn't it too late now?"

"Its never too late for a new beginning. Choose wisely. As I told, use your conscience."

"hmmmmmm.....lemme see if its still usable."

He smiled.
I was impressed I actually made him smile. Considering my reputation back in Brooklyn where I lived till few moments back, I never thought he would ever see me.

"Take your time. I'm not too busy you see"

"What? I always thought you would be busy like hell. Everyone in my gang except Johnny-four-fingers say you control everyone and everything."

"Yeah, thats what everyone down there thinks. Until they meet me."

"I can't believe that idiot Johnny was right after all."

"He came close to me some years back. He was stabbed in the chest by someone I think."

"Yeah, and also lost his finger in that fight. We killed that attacker son-of-a-bitch though. Was from a rival gang."

"I know. Good that you remember those things."

"Its hard to forget actually."

"Yeah, its meant to be that way. Hope you understand why."

"Yes, I do now. Makes the choice easy."

He smiled understandingly.

I picked the key marked 'Hell' and walked towards the Gate.