Love Short Story – The Weeping Devil
Photo credit: jdurham from morguefile.com
The poignant Devil wept all alone in hell. Like the rain that never stops, his troubled mind was immersed in the sea of distress. No one saw his oozing tears. Heat from boiling oil evaporated them, leaving a smudge of misery on his cheeks. Remorselessly, he continued his duties in the place where there is no day and night. Just fire, scorching heat and darkness; hopelessness scented in burned oil.
Like an impassive machine, he fried the souls of the ruthless and the despicable, arriving endlessly from the earth, in to the deep fryer of blazing boiling oil. No other devils lent him a hand to reduce his burden nor sighed in compassion. They ignored him as if he never existed. Even the protector and custodian of hell, Lucifer, pretended he never saw devil’s sufferings, the dark circles under his eyes or the vanished charm on his livid face.
Devil always admired his master Lucifer. He may be dishonourable to the world, the one who hugs you and kisses you then stabs you from behind. But the world doesn’t know the real Lucifer; he never betrays those who trust him. He never deceived his folks nor does he break norms, the basic etiquettes and the principles of subordinate master relationship. Devil never loathed his master nor did he complain; but succumbed everything to his fate.
He looked at his reflection in the oil that became like a mirror just before it turned fire, like the stillness before the storm. He couldn’t stop sobbing seeing his repulsive face and the veins ready to burst in his eyes. For a moment, uncontrollable anger steamed up in his mind against God. He bit his teeth and the skin on his face stretched in strain. The anger spawned from loneliness, a feeling of being lost and ignored in his never ending confinement.
“Giving almost all the powers as him, why did God make Lucifer the ultimate of Evil? For God, who is powerful and the seat of wisdom, was this an oversight from over confidence or is this his brilliant decision to remind people of his existence forever?” It puzzled the Devil. He couldn’t find the reason for God creating him unlike other devils. A devil with a soft mind, a brain that never stops worrying and a heart filled with emotions that can pump blood.
Devil felt extremely unhappy in his existence. He was annoyed in God’s decision in making him the way resulting in every one else feeling jealous of him, leaving him lonely in the overcrowded hell. He hated to be part of the mandatory group activities in the hell, keeping silence while everyone else prayed and chanted the praise to Lucifer. Devil kept his ears sealed with his skinny fingers. Even then he couldn’t stop hearing nor resist praying with everyone else the prayer Lucifer taught them. The chant that filled hell every moment in a devilish symphony echoed in his heart. Even though he didn’t want to, he chanted.
Our master who art in Hell
Wicked be thy name and thy people
The world be soon be thy kingdom
Thy will be done on earth as it is in hell
Give the world tyranny this day
And enable all to sin,
as the world fills with misery
fill the earth with temptations,
But deliver us and the world from good
Amen.
Like a volcano ready to erupt, the devil’s brain boiled in the magma of confusion. His mind looked for a soft spot to break to release the pressure building in him. His mind pondered again and again for clues. Why did God create him so special and different from the hell dwellers?
None of the devils can think, they are wired with the brain to do the same things again and again without questioning. They have a brain without reasoning capability and a heartless body. The worry free devils have a life easy as angels except they live in hell. They just praise Lucifer without boredom and get people to sin placing traps and crafting situations. “God split my brain for reasoning and emotions that made me the most vulnerable creature in hell. May be I am just a toy for God the Mastermind, his joke, a creation for everyone else to laugh at,” Devil blubbered. His mind searched for answers, answers that would justify his findings. As he solved the puzzle it evoked more questions. Why did God create Lucifer to rule the hell? Why did God create me as a devil with the mind like his and man. Am I a guinea pig for his future creations?
He thought ‘May be when the hell without boundaries fills with the wicked from earth, God wants to try a new species of devils that can be controlled better.’ His uncontrollable thoughts climbed far beyond the highest walls in a place where literally there were no boundaries or walls.
Everywhere else in hell, the emotionless and the thought deprived devils kept working, getting their devilish jobs completed skillfully. The shrewd Lucifer controlled their minds and actions. The depressed devil kept poking his index finger in the boiling oil hurting himself. No one noticed his broken heart nor saw the burn on the tip of his finger. What a hell, in the busy hell no one has the time to care for others. May be if they did, it won’t be as hell as it is.
Devil had the urge to run away. He knew he couldn’t from the constraints that chained him to hell. There is no other place worse than hell where a devil can go and will be accepted.
“Worse than hell!! Can such a place ever exist?” he screamed.
Frustrated, the Devil threw his giant fork to turn souls in the fire as far as he could. It landed several yards away standing straight up pointing to the gloomy grey sky. Devil lay down on the ground curling the tip of his tail making a pillow. He stared at the starless dreadful sky above the hell. Closed his eyes for a moment… for the first time; Devil felt peace and tranquillity. He forgot about the boiling oil and the mounting souls that were arriving from the earth. His mind was like an ocean that suddenly turned calm. Devil experienced serenity unknown in hell.
Devil’s mind, body and brain betrayed him for a moment, a horrendous betrayal in Lucifer’s kingdom. A reprehensible betrayal! It was the greatest sin of hell that no devil can ever think of. The unthinkable! The unthinkable in Hell! Devil broke the First commandment of hell, ‘Thou shall have no other Master than Lucifer and denounce every other power.’
The hell came to a halt!!
The silence created a vacuum in hell. All the devils were baffled and didn’t know what to do as they never experienced such a thing as this.
Lucifer screamed “What the Hell!!!”
Devils continued their work chanting the prayer they were taught. The hell came back to hell as it always has.
Devil stood bowing to on his knees, with tears rolling down his cheeks. With a trembling voice he prayed, “Oh God the creator of Devils and Angels, the most merciful and powerful, the only one who is praiseworthy, take me out of this hell. This hell is filled with misery, darkness, fear and snakes.” Devil prayed repeatedly without break for a long time. He didn’t know how long he prayed. In hell, no one knows the time and seasons except for Lucifer. Devil became the first one to pray to God for his mercy. The only one to question the supremacy of Lucifer from his kingdom; where no rays from the sun or the light from the moon can reach.
God, more merciful than the ocean and pours love on all of his creations heard Devil’s prayer. The poker faced God who is emotionless in happiness and sorrow felt proud in Devil, his creation. The change in God’s mood surprised the Arch angel Gabriel for a moment. She sent signals to all angels everywhere. The Angels who knew only to praise God stopped singing for a moment to gather before God in excitement. God smiled at them for the first time! All the angels and the good souls in heaven started singing praises to God louder and joyous than ever.
The celebrations in heaven echoed everywhere in the universe and among all creations. Thousands of shooting stars were seen from all over the earth displaying the greatest light show in the universe. The oceans roared louder than ever resonating with the angels singing in heaven. The deserts that never rained got drenched for days. Soon it was covered in green and exotic flowers. Trees and plants that hadn’t bloomed in years flowered to make the forest and the hills to dance with the rainbow. The hell was shaken too by the joy in heaven. But Lucifer sat glued to his throne and the devils continued chanting the praise to their master while doing their jobs. But even in this joyful time, the wicked and the sinners continued their deeds upsetting the righteous. The hell never fall short for souls to be fried. God’s creations and its balance never get disturbed. The greatest planner maintains that at all times and forever.
God being extremely happy enjoyed devil’s prayer like a father listening to his only son. He appeared to the devil in his dream. He purposely chose not to appear in person to the devil as his footsteps in hell would turn it into heaven. It would be chaotic to have no place for the souls of the wicked and the sinners to go. Of course in that case, devils and the angels in heaven will make heaven a hell, way worse than the earth. God knows and sees everything ahead of time. There is nothing that God doesn’t know. The God appeared in Devil’s dream walked in front holding the pointed and skinny finger tips of the devil. They walked for a very long time. Devil didn’t know where they were going but knew God knows where he was going. God who is always very serious in nature did not utter any words. He didn’t want any of his words to go in vain and taken as silly by Devil. A flood of thoughts flashed in Devil’s mind like lighting without the rain. He avoided all thoughts from growing and tried to maintain good thoughts. Devil was really smart and aware that God knew everything including his thoughts.
The darkness of the hell gave way for God on their way with a silvery light. The ugly stones looked like diamonds. The trees and plants spread flowers and tender leaves on their path and it felt like silk. A cool breeze with fresh jasmine fragrance rubbed them and the Devil felt he was floating. The hell without border opened its frontier for God and the Devil by splitting the mountains of dark clouds with colorful flashes. To the devil, everything felt like a dream. Devil couldn’t believe what he saw. There was no darkness. Everything was seen crystal clear and pure as forest spring water. The clouds looked like large white cotton bundles in the enticing blue sky. He saw the sun shining, the animals running around and the trees dancing to the tunes of nature in the soothing breeze. The sound of the waterfall and the dew on the grass made his admiration for God immense.
Astonished and spellbound in God’s power, Devil kneeled before him and bowed his head. Devil bent like a reed in wind till his horns touched the Green grass. He felt the dew drops and grass blades on the tip of his nose. He breathed in the freshness of the morning along with the fragrance from the newly bloomed flowers. He stayed in that position for a long time, a time he never had any sense of. He lifted his head to look at God who had then disappeared. Devil didn’t panic even though he couldn’t find God in the vicinity; he did not feel the fear inherited from hell. He knew the good God will never desert him. Devil stayed there for a while, looking around and enjoying the magnificence around him. The blue light soothed his eyes. Next moment he walked towards the tree with the leaves shaped like hearts covered with red flowers all over it. He saw little birds and butterflies kissing those flowers and drinking the nectar. He sat under the tree where the cool breeze hugged him. He felt the chill all over his body and the hair on his tail stood up. For someone who lived in the blistering fire even a hot wind will be soothing; a mild cool breeze is an amazing experience beyond imagination.
Devil waited for God, but he did not come back to him. He did not get angry at God but was thankful and remained hopeful in patience. Devil didn’t know how many days and nights passed as he never knew to count nor even cared to know. He enjoyed every moment; but never felt hungry or thirsty as devils don’t eat or drink.
One morning before the shadow of the tree fell on him, Devil saw a herd of duck-like creatures coming in his direction. In the hell there were no birds or large animals but snakes and scorpions, so he didn’t have any idea.
Devil’s Brain worked vigorously guessing what species was approaching him. He was not satisfied with the answers received from his brain as nothing made sense to him. The restless Devil kept feeding through his thoughts to figure out the place he was in and what the approaching herd was. “A place like this so bright, cool and joyful has to be nothing but heaven.”
“Yes… It is indeed Heaven!” Devil exclaimed.
He noticed halos and wings on them and knew for sure they were angels. Devil couldn’t believe his eyes. Devil got up in a split second and stood at an angle hiding his tail. Like a humble, down to earth devil he waited. He had a very nice smile causing him to look as if his eye lids were partially closed. Even before his mind started attempting to figure out why God brought him to heaven and about his plans, the angels reached right before him. He scanned angels one by one. All the angels walked in an orderly manner, in an elegance ignoring the devil. They all had charming happy faces, radiating joy.
To Devil’s surprise, at the end of the herd few steps behind the main crowd he saw an angel; an angel who was different from the others. She was not smiling; but had an expression like the one he sees in his reflection in the boiling oil. A face like Mona Lisa, with an expression that is hard to explain, it is not happy, it is not sad but everything together. He stared at her with the heart pounding like a ghost train passing through a mountain pass and his face followed her like the compass turned to the north forever. Without him knowing, the angels face was being etched in his heart by the fingers that paints rainbow in the sky.
Suddenly, a bumble bee flew across his eyes blocking his vision for a moment, he squinted cursing the bee. He couldn’t believe the angel who was all alone in the crowd turned back and looked at him. Their eyes locked for a moment. The Angel smiled at him like an enchanting pearl just popped the shell in the deep sea. Devil’s heart pumped harder than ever with the sound of thunder. He felt the heat of a forest in a blaze all over his nervous body. He saw a million red roses in her background and golden stars dancing around her face. Devil kept looking at her while she walked away. He walked few steps forward, waved hoping she would turn back to look at him again. The angel walked faster than the breeze and then disappeared.
A new feeling that he never experienced seeded in him. A new mood with rhythms and melodies filled his heart. He saw the wild flowers smiling at him. He was in love; he was a devil in love, the first devil to fall in love. He knelled down in the direction the angel had gone. He balanced himself with his tail to stay straight in the wind with a heart dipped in the sweetest honey surrounded in rose petals. He closed his eyes with his fingers crossed as humble as always. He thought about the Angel that God created for him. He was not sure if God created him for her or it’s the other way. Devil couldn’t control his happiness. He laughed and laughed. He laughed and laughed lying down next to the burning oil and the fire engulfing everything around it. The souls of the ruthless and despicable kept piling near him. The other devils continued their work and ignored the devil in love. Devil laughed and laughed… He didn’t know how long he laughed, but he kept laughing louder and louder.
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[This story is also published on my blog: cyrilmukalel.blogspot.com]
