Heaven's Library

By Neil Griffin

A random and vicious skirmish during the routine movement of two groups of prisoners results in the untimely death of decent and hardworking Prison Officer, William Stanley. As he settles into his new life in the hereafter and with the help of the somewhat detached Archangel Gordon, he is forced to consider his separation from those he loved on Earth and how he might intervene in the life of Benny the shiv, the "most unutterably disagreeable human being" that he had ever met. As he finds his way around the huge and endless realm of Heaven's Library he arrives at a decision that may bring comfort to his loved ones and a kind of justice to his killer.
This short story is an extract written by the central character, Bob Hazzard, in the novel "Martha's Vineyard" by the same author.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Neil Griffin
• Release date: Apr 29, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476406220

Neil Griffin

Neil Griffin is a husband, father and grandfather. As a teacher he has found himself in various settings from mainstream comprehensives to high security prisons. As a musician and entertainer he performed with his band “The Fabulous Wildon Brothers” on stages from the “Blood tub” workingmen’s club, Stockton upon Tees to the Royal Albert Hall in London. As a local politician he has served as a member of Arts Council England and as Mayor of Durham City. A role which brought, vegetarian, Neil to the attention of the nation’s media when the fur on the mayoral robes was replaced with fake fur and he became nicknamed the “Veggie Burgher” by the UK press.

Book preview

Heaven’Library

By Neil Griffin

Copyright @ Neil Griffin

Published by Neil Griffin at Smashwords.com

Heaven's Library.

On St Peter's day off it was often the job of Archangel Gordon to greet Heaven's new starters. This had been the case the day that William Stanley had shuffled off his mortal coil. It wasn't a busy day for Gordon, there'd been no major disasters and only a few minor acts of terror, (if there can be such a thing as a minor act of terror). He'd had a bit of hassle with a few suicide bombers who'd complained vociferously and looked bewildered and disappointed when he wouldn't let them in but instead waved through their infidel victims. William, a prison officer in life, had been hastened towards his departure from the land of the living by a particularly unpleasant and definitely unstable member of the prison's population, Benny the Shiv. Benny's weapon of choice was the knife, hence his nickname, and true to form it featured in his dispatch of William. It was a fairly routine day. A fairly routine movement of prisoners from the prison workshops where some worked hard to get through their time while others merely feigned interest in such self-improving industry and kept an eye on the main chance. Benny had been the latter. Doing a stretch for manslaughter, Benny Altino, 32, was no stranger to prison, shifty and sly, a