Write This Way
From, The Crossroad Hotel: Stories
Inside room 606 of The Crossroads Hotel in Asheville, Illinois Angelica stood naked in front of the bathroom mirror. In the dark she cut the palm of her hand. A line of blood seeped out and began to puddle on the hardwood floor. Underneath the floorboards the ground was ripe with decay and promise. Tonight, she was going to shake hands with the devil. The blade that was centuries old the concierge brought up to her moments before was used in thousands of ceremonies such as the one Angelica was about to participate in. The grandfather clock in the lobby struck twelve o’clock midnight and echoed throughout the hotel. As her blood flowed, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Slowly and softly she began to whisper his name.
“Lucifer…Lucifer… Lucifer…”
Nothing.
The blood was still flowing and she raised her voice until she was calling his name out loud.
“Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer!”
Still Nothing. Louder, she called his name, “LUCIFER! LUCIFER! LUCIFER!”
She felt a hot breeze enter the air conditioned room. Then…
“I hear you.” A deep, dark voice spoke. The Devil was standing right behind her. A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed it. It happened every time. Seekers would have a hot, lump of guilt form in their throat right before the omission of their wants. I want a new car, a new house, a job, a new job, a new life, a new body and a new child. His favorite was the plea of, I want a new husband. I want a new wife. I want a new life. With those requests he would get creative and up the ante of the shock factor of payment when a soul was to be collected or was overdue.
He wore a three piece, white linen suit with white wingtip shoes. He was White with a long, blonde ponytail, a slim nose, full lips and Robin egg blue eyes.
“You came.” Angelica said. She was a bit scared and somewhat relieved.
“I always do.” He said. She could feel his warm breath on her shoulders.
She felt unsure and uneasy. He sensed her reservations.
“You called me. Is this not what you want? To sell your soul for a successful writing career?”
“I do. Nothing else is working.” She hung her head down low. “Not even prayer.”
“Then say it.” He instructed. “Say, I want to sell my soul to The Devil.”
Tears of fear filled her eyes. The Devil leaned in close and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Your God has abandoned you,” He said. “I can only help if you stop believing in Him.”
Raised Catholic from birth, she wrestled to loosen the reins of her Faith and let go of the God she had known her whole life.
“I can see that you are still holding on to your faith.” He smiled. “You have to completely let go in order for me to help you. Damn him. Damn your God, your Lord, your Christ. Take his name in vain and pronounce me your savior.”
“I… I can’t.”
“Then you must not want it bad enough.” He said as he turned away from her.
“Stop. Please!" She pleaded.
He smirked. “You weep for an entity, a concept that has failed you time and time and time again.”
“I do, and I’m sorry.” She paused. “I will do what you say.”
“Damn Him.”
The room fell quiet. She felt hot and uncomfortable. Her heart was beating so hard she could hear its strong thumping in her ears.
“Goddamn you.”
“Who?” The Devil asked, taunting her.
She cleared her throat and wiped her eyes.
“Let the tears fall.” He said. His voice was vibrating with irritation. “Hurry up, or I’m leaving. There are others that need me in this hotel; not just you.”
“The Devil is my savior; my one and only Lord and I surrender all I have to his all mighty being.”
The Devil turned Angeline to face him. He leaned down, kissed her on each cheek and then on the lips. Then he whispered in her ear, “You shall have what it is you desire and much more. Grand success and riches will be gifted to you and your happiness will be beyond your wildest dreams.”
“Thank you, my Lord.” She said before he left her and went on to serve another poor soul in need at The Crossroads Hotel.
For twenty one years Angelica is granted what she had sold her soul for; bestsellers, lucrative book deals a plenty, options to make her books into film and television, speaking engagements where she entertains hundreds of hungry readers of her books and book critics rave and can not get enough of her in interviews. She teaches creative writing at her local university and holds a writing retreat in the French countryside every summer. She marries her editor and five years into their marriage she’s pregnant and gives birth to a beautiful baby girl named Leeza. With each passing day the author fears the collection of her soul less and less for now she is a famous New York Times bestseller, wife and mother. She has it all. Everything she ever wanted has been granted to her, just like The Devil promised.
One day, Lucifer comes to collect what’s owed to him on the day after Angeline’s daughter's sixteenth birthday. This surprises the author because it is so soon. The Devil tells her that she can keep her own soul, her top status as a literary darling and all of her riches if he can have her virgin daughter's hand in marriage to be his forever bride in Hades.
“Give up your first born and all of this continues. Your riches, your popularity and your status.” He added. “None of it will go away.”
“Mom!” Her daughter, Leeza protested as she was being held in the Devil’s strong arms.
“I get to keep it all?” Angelica asked. She loved her daughter. Leeza was one of the best things to be gifted in her life, but…
“Your status will continue until the day you die.” The Devil said as he watched Angelica think hard about her options.
“Mom?”
“Oh, Leeza.” Angelica sighed. “I have worked so hard for this. For all of this.”
“Do we have a deal?” The Devil asked extending his hand.
The author kissed her daughter on the cheek and shook his hand. “We do.” She agreed. Angeline’s daughter is stunned and the author’s greedy husband agrees with his money making machine of a wife.
“Mom! You are a monster!” Leeza screamed as she kicked and tried to fight The Devil who was taking her away.
“Maybe.” Angelica smiled. “Leeza. I hope you will one day understand and forgive me.” The author said as she walked out of the room sad for the loss of her daughter but celebrating for the big win of keeping everything she worked so hard for and having her name finally remembered forever even if it came at the cost of losing her own flesh and blood.