The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.  So the Lord said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for, I am sorry that I have made them."  But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah was a righteous man in the eyes of the Lord.  He had been preaching the word of God on many platforms including cable television channels. 

But the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. 

And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  Make yourself an ark steel; make rooms in the ark and give them to the best of the men and women that still remain righteous on the earth."

But Noah said to God, "How will you destroy six billion people?  They have their different means of escaping a flood.  There are the high rise buildings, there are boats and ships, rockets and satellites.  Will your flood submerge the Burj Dubai or the Petronas Towers?"

"Am I not the Lord, your God?"  God asked Noah.  "Do I not have the power to destroy your boats and ships, your crafts and designs, your towers and rockets?  Obey what I tell you."

Noah knew that God was a jealous dictator.  He would not tolerate the view that someone else was more powerful than him.  But Noah was in mood to construct a new ship.

"Should I construct a new ship?  Can't I buy one of those luxury cruise ships that are already there?"

The idea suited God.  Constructing a new ship would take time.  And God's wrath was mounting.  God's wrath had become impatient.

Thus it came to pass that Noah approached the owner of the largest luxury cruise ship and bargained with him.  Noah offered to pay him in dollars whatever the sum he demanded.

Dollar was losing its sheen in those days.  God had become displeased with America although the country had a President who claimed to have hotline connection with God. 

Noah offered to pay in Euro and then in Pound Sterling.  Finally the owner of the largest luxury liner agreed to accept the price in Indian rupees or Chinese renminbi.  India and China were going to be the Superpowers of the future.  Noah did not tell the owner that there was no future for him. 

After the deal was signed and Noah became the owner of the largest luxury ship in the world, Noah preached God's message on the cable television channels. 

"The Kingdom of God is at hand," said Noah.  "Repent and believe in the Lord if you want you and your family to be saved."

Very few people took Noah seriously.  People had heard the same words for centuries.  Words had lost their meaning.

But some people believed Noah.  And there were many of them.  Noah's luxury liner could only contain 800 guests.  There were 400 crew members and supporting staff. 

Noah decided to sell tickets for the 800 vacancies. 

The richest among those who believed in Noah's words about the doomsday bought the tickets paying heavy prices in the auction that Noah personally supervised. 

"Does it mean that only the rich deserve to be saved?" An economically backward but devout follower of Noah asked.

"It is called the survival of the fittest," said Noah.  "When the going gets tough, the richest get going."

More time than God had imagined passed before Noah completed his job and submitted to God the list of the potential survivors.  In the meanwhile God's wrath had relented.

God remembered all his similar attempts at eradication of evil from the world of men.  He remembered Sodom and Gomorrah, the burning of witches and heretics, the holocausts, earthquakes and tsunamis, the WTC...

"Haven't I been more violent than men themselves?" God wondered.

And God said to Noah, "No, I shall not sow the seeds of violence any more."

And Noah asked God, "What shall I do with this ship and the passengers that are booked in it?"

"Take them for a ride," said God. 

And Noah took the people for a ride. 

Those who are not familiar with the story of Noah may read it in The Bible, Genesis, chapters 6 to 8.