The High Rise

By Sallie Becker

The High Rise is a satirical look at the decisions people make in everyday life and how those decisions have future consequences, also making allowance for forces that are outside of human control. The main characters, Allie and Trudy, through little fault of their own, find themselves dead after a multiple car pile-up on Pacific Coast Highway. Arbitrarily, they are thrown in Hell by two rouges from Heaven's escort service. Lou, the Devil, senses they should not be there, and calls Corporate in an attempt to help these girls reach Heaven. Will he succeed? Read more, as the plot unfolds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483623061

Sallie Becker

My name is Edward Becker, and I am originally from California, the sunshine state. While my dad was in the U.S. Navy, we lived in San Diego, and my mom was a school teacher. My little sister was born there also and our family became complete. After we spent sometime in the west, our family moved to the rural state of Indiana. Here in Indiana, I have lived most of my life, and the experiences here have helped inspire me to write this book for you. I enjoy Silver Beach near Lake Michigan, and I like to take walks with my children. I also like to roam through the larger parks in the Northern part of Indiana. I enjoy the songs that nature sings, the outdoors, and the journeys I take in my free time to escape the harshness of our world.

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Copyright © 2013 by Sallie Becker.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 04/11/2013

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Contents

Preface

Prologue

Chapter One: A Day Unlike Any Other Day

Chapter Two: Down To The Mall

Chapter Three: A Meeting With The Boss

Chapter Four: Contacting Corporate

Chapter Five: Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Chapter Six: Deliver Us From Evil

Chapter Seven: For Pete’s Sake

Chapter Eight: For Thine Is The Kingdom

Epilogue

Preface

This book is dedicated to my family, especially to my parents, who taught me to be a Christian. This novel is not intended to offend anyone. It was written with the purpose of having the reader pause and think about the choices one makes, as do the main characters, Trudy and Allie.

Prologue

As Trudy and Allie were driving down Pacific Coast Highway in their red Mustang convertible, they were admiring the scenic ocean view and the beautiful California weather. The wind was blowing through their hair, strawberry blonde and chestnut brown, respectively. Trudy’s blue eyes sparkled like the ocean spray. The waves crashed against a wall of rocks, lining the sandy white beach. Smiling as she soaked in the sun, Allie closed her brown eyes, enjoying the warm, sunny summer day.

These two had developed a friendship that spanned many decades, beginning in childhood. They first met at Sunday school. Later, they went to junior high together. Trudy learned to dance and ski. Allie played the piano and sang. Both loved the Beatles, Elvis, and Michael Jackson.

Even though they attended different high schools and colleges, they kept up their friendship. Long-distance phone calls were expensive, so they waited to talk to each other until Trudy came home on the weekends from UCLA. Allie attended the university in town, planning to become a teacher. Usually, they would get together on Saturday and go to church on Sunday.

Both enjoyed reading and imagined that one day they would marry just the right man and have children and a home of their own. As time went by, Trudy took more classes and decided to become a teacher as well. Their friendship stayed true through marriage, divorce, remarriage, cancer, and—eventually—death. Now both widows and retired teachers, they were living in a house they had bought together in Santa Barbara.

Trudy, being active, assertive, and easily bored, had decided that they should get away for a weekend—a welcome change from routine. Allie was content to stay in her own world of books, music, and crossword puzzles; but together, they planned a trip to a special place they had visited years before. They were stopping for lunch in Solvang, a sweet Dutch village nestled in the Santa Ynez Valley. After lunch, they were planning to spend most of the day there shopping, leaving for home in the late afternoon.

Chapter One

A DAY UNLIKE ANY OTHER DAY

The traffic was heavy coming out of Santa Barbara. There were lots of families on vacation and huge trucks of every description going to any number of places. Trudy and Allie were looking for the 101 Highway, which would take them to Solvang; but huge semis were blocking the right lane, making it difficult to see any road signs. They could tell from their map that they were getting close to the exit, so Trudy drove