Written by Aliah Nicole Tejano
I'm not an atheist. I do believe in a God. I just stopped believing he would even bother with my insignificant life.
I could never tell my family about this. They're devout Christians. And I'm, well...let's say I'm more sympathetic towards the other one.
I guess it was true what they were saying about the more exposed you are to a person, the more attracted you are to them.
I found him behind the bar counter in the She-Devil wiping down a wine glass. He owned the place. Seriously, he couldn't have thought of a better name. She-Devil. How original. Anyways, I honestly think he just revealed his identity, because he was bored. Some reality warping here and there, and I was convinced.
"The most ridiculous thing about it is all the censorship. I get the propaganda. I'm evil. Blah blah blah. But the censorship! The apple, really? Why couldn't they just put it in there? I had sex with Eve, so what? Before you ask, yes, Cain is my son. Kicking them out of Eden would've made a lot more sense. When Lot did it with his daughters, it was fine."
"You read the Bible?"
"Of course I did! Where else could you find that many stories about me." I think he winked, but it barely got through me. I didn't think his feline grin could get any wider. He picked up a bottle of Italian Chanti and, to my surprise, a longsword. It definitely looks authentic. This Satan is a character, for sure.
Seeing my surprise, "A memoir from one of my adventures in what you call the medieval times. Believe it or not, I fought in the Crusades." His pearly canines once again taking the limelight.
Christian - Muslim territorial wars?
As if reading my thoughts, "I fought for both. It's funny how the two religions with the most similarities have the most skirmishes in history. You know, this is one of my favorite stories. I managed to convince both sides I was spying on the other for them. I went back and forth. Joined the one with the more interesting goings on. I was bored. It seemed fun at that time. And I already had too many offspring, if you know what I mean." There it is. The mischievous glint in his eyes again. Strangely enough, you don't see any truly evil intentions behind them. You briefly wonder if he is truly good or if this is another one of his tricks.
He swishes the bottle by the neck. "Want some?" "No, thank you." I was curious about it, but I hardly think my parents would approve. Plus, this is the Devil I'm talking to.
"Oh, I know that look," he stuck the tip of the ancient weapon into the cork and, with a flourish, had a rushing stream of liquor in a round glass he gracefully swiped off the shelves.
"Parents, am I right? I can relate."
"You can?"
"Hah! I have the bossiest parent there is! You'd be surprised."
"God is bossy?"
"I didn't like it one bit. An eternity of indentured servitude? No, thank you! I like myself with a side dish of a sense of agency please."
"Wow."
"It wasn't that bad. We had enough stuff for everyone. We helped people a lot. But it was never for me. Born to do bidding. Taught to never question and disobey. Turning people more like us. My missions on Earth were my favorite things. I guess I was jealous of human individuality. I was fascinated. When we were driven out of Heaven, I was lost. I didn't know what to do. At times, I felt like this was just a phase in my life. But it's been centuries." I could swear the color of his eyes went dull as he looked at the swirls of red in his cup.
"But anyways, it's 10:30. Almost curfew for you, darling. Your parents would be worried. So, off you go!"
"How did you---"
"I know a lot of things." He pushed me towards the entrance of his bar. The action was surprisingly gentle. As if he was afraid he would hurt me. He waved at me fondly as I breathed in the fresh air. I gripped the door and turned to him once again.
"Mr. Lucifer---"
"Oh, please! Call me Satan. Lucifer is soo several millenia ago. And mister is awfully assuming, don't you think? It's 2021."
"Oh! How should I address you, then?" I managed to stutter out. He's right. I shouldn't have assumed.
At this, he burst out laughing. Glimmers of tears at the sides of his eyes. "You should've seen your face!"
Seriously! This person!
"And yes, I do prefer masculine pronouns. You know, angels don't usually have that, you know? They're just...angel."
"I was just gonna ask if you will be here again tomorrow?" I swear I could see the subtlest hesitation from the confidently charming man.
"Enjoyed our little talk, did you? And yes, I will be here tomorrow." The last sentence was spoken softly I barely caught it. Almost as soft as the hint of fondness in his eyes.
That was the day I truly realized nothing is ever just black and white.
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