#DivineHell: Treachery

We've reached the end. Hope you enjoyed the five circles of Hell. Ya’ll come back now, y’hear?

“Lucifer is in his office. I wouldn’t disturb him I were you.” Rowan shot Edwin an annoyed glance.

“Oh god, shut up.” Edwin’s fingers curled around the doorknob, shaped like a demons head.

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain!” The Tour Guide bellowed in anger.

“What?“ As he turned around, a thick book with a cross embedded on the cover smashed into his face.

Something moved in the darkness of the closet. “Sir?”

“God demanded that the damned have a day off once in a while. I disagreed. Rowan shows up, then I wake here.” Lucifer shifted into a more comfortable position. “Now that he’s ruined my life’s work he’s posing as a bloody Tour Guide! It was supposed to be damnation without relief!”

“I though you and God had an agreement. How do we—“ A sharp glance from the Devil silenced Edwin.

“We wait until Cerberus finds help.”

#DivineHell: Violence

Welcome to the Seventh Circle. There's no turning back now :)

“Listen to me!” Edwin’s pale face had reddened from the shouting. “I am not one of the damned!”

Rowan’s brow furrowed, lines appearing on his forehead. “Well, what are you then?”

“An above ground employee.” He buried his face in his hands. “Now, please take me to Lucifer. I have a message for him.”

“You’re lying to get out of your punishment.” Rowan flung an accusing finger at Edwin, who returned it with a flat stare.

“You - asked for this.” Fear was written clearly on Rowan’s face as he hit the wall. Edwin’s free hand was drawn back, fingers in a tight fist.

Eyes wide Rowan uttered: “You wouldn’t dare.”

Leisurely Edwin’s fingers curled around The Tour Guide’s throat. “I work part-time for the Devil.”

Rowan looked down, then up. This was not what he had signed up for. “Alright! I’ll take you to Lucifer!”

#DivineHell: Fraud

DivineHell challenge continues. Congratulations for making it this far down :)

The Tour Guide waved his hand in greeting. “Ah, hello Edwin, did you find your level?”

“I'm not—” Edwin sighed wearily. “What’s happened to the punishments of the damned?”

“The Boss decided the damned needed a little break.” The smile on Rowan’s round face was innocent.

“What?” Edwin’s jaw dropped. Slowly an expression of realisation crept across his face. “You don’t work here, do you?”

“Of course I work for the devil.” Behind his back Rowan crossed his fingers. “You calling me a fraud?”

Edwin crossed his arms across his chest. “Well, what’s the devil’s favourite song?”

Rowan’s face went utterly blank. “March of Mephisto?”

“Yes, you’re right…” Edwin said. No, he thought. What the hell was going on? Lucifer loved “Fire” by Arthur Brown. He always started the day by shouting “I am the god of hellfire!”, everyone knew that. He would get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

#DivineHell: Heresy

Second part of the DivineHell challenge. The tour of Hell continues…

The Tour Guide of Hell fanned himself with the list of the damned and their punishments as he walked downwards. Stopping at the lip of a pit he waved his hand and said: “And here are the heretics.”

“God is dead!” A solitary fist rose from the dimness.

“Well then, who put you in here?” Rowan pushed a young man in a cape and pointed hat into the pit. “Off you go, pagan.”

The youngster stumbled down; once he regained equilibrium he threw off his hat and stepped on it. “I died while live-roleplaying, I’m not a real heretic!”

“That’s what they all say!” He shouted over his shoulder. “Now, begin writing the Hail Marys. You’ve got plenty of work to do before the end of times.”

A damned lifted his hand. “What happened to the flaming tombs?”

“Are you complaining about your punishment? They were a bit of an overkill.”

#DivineHell: Limbo

Lady Antimony continues to supply us with fun challenges. This week is all about Hell, burn, baby, burn! Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to write seriously about Hell, death, or things of that nature. But I hope you like it anyway :)

“Welcome to Limbo, the first circle of Hell! I am Rowan, the Tour Guide of Hell,” a man in bright red and orange bellowed. “I’m sure you’re all excited to be here.”

Silence filled the room to the brim; a few of the damned ones shuffled their feet as they cast wary glances at each other.

“So glad to see so many happy faces.” The tour guide grabbed one of the damned by the shoulder. “You’re one of the lucky ones moving downwards. What’s your name and how did you end up here?”

“Edwin, I think I took a wrong turn…”

“Don’t they all, walk right off the straight and narrow.” He shoved Edwin towards the gaping black hole. Before it someone had placed two sticks supporting a low-lying pole. “Now go ahead, do the dance. I’ll see you down below when you’re through having fun!”

From the Depths from Haunted Waters Press

The Winter 2011 issue of From the Depths, a quarterly literary journal from Haunted Waters Press, is now available. This first issue of From the Depths features poetry, flash fiction and short stories and “pays tribute to water, the source of our inspiration.” It contains a piece of flash fiction called “Thalassa” (p. 21), my first published story. I hope you like it and the other works. I think the people at HWP did a splendid job with the design and the layout.

You can read the journal below by clicking at the Expand button or at Issuu.

Open publication - Free publishing