It’s a mystery! OK, well, not exactly a mystery. We know who won. It was the mystery man, robert b!

All right, not so much of a mystery in the end. I figured out who you are, robert! Well, because you tweeted about this. But next time throw us a bone, hey? 😉

That’s right, the winner this week is Robert Brunet, @robertstories.

Didn’t you love his entry? The bored endurance with which Arnold approaches the “whole apocalypse thing” is just awesome.

But wait! There’s more! This week’s guest judge, Steve Umstead, @SteveUmstead, author of Gabriel’s Redemption has agreed to give a copy of Gabriel’s Redemption to this week’s winner!!!! You hear that? I always tell you there’s no prize other than the extreme fame and fortune being a 5MinuteFiction winner brings. But, well, I lied.

So, here’s Robert‘s entry, do enjoy. Hope you come back next week!

Arnold was distracted by the whole apocalypse thing. It had interfered with the morning traffic for several days now, and he began to wonder if he would ever get the chance to clean out the little desk in his highly decorated cubicle. Worst of all was the gleaming man in the shiny robes that followed him everywhere.

“Can you at least tell me what you are doing?”

From behind the blinding light that was the face of the mysterious man, a smile slipped out. But no answer.

The conversation went the same for several days, until the walls of hellfire began to encroach on the border of the city. Arnold was nervous. He had never considered buying fire insurance and he was quite attached to his little townhouse in the valley.

“Are you ready now Arnold?”

The sound of the robed man’s voice filled Arnold with a bit of fear and a touch of hunger as the scent of exotic incense and curry emanated from his mouth. It reminded him of the month long vacation he had taken in Morocco the summer after he graduated.

“What, exactly am I supposed to be ready for?”

“This is it, the end of all things.”

“Are you here to take me to heaven?”

“No.”

“Am I going to hell?”

“Perhaps. That’s not for me to say. I am merely the emissary to will argue before the powers that be the record of your life and it is in their mighty but invisible hands to decide if there are any redeeming qualities to your human soul.”

Arnold walked to the little hall closet and tried to decide if such an affair required a sport coat or if a simple windbreaker would do. He froze for a moment wondering if such indecision about petty things would count against him. But then a glowing hand was placed on his shoulder, and they were gone.