And now the light shows through the stained glass window with all of Gods glory.  Light is proof of God’s power, shining his glory upon man’s darkened souls.  Light is pure, untainted, unspoiled.  Aston always felt this glory standing before this window.  The image is most powerful; that of a Christ adorned crucifix, which splay across the congregation at morning mass.  Aston stepped up to the podium, taking a deep breath of incense and candle laden air.  It is time to lead the people toward God’s light.  Choose they not follow; they be damned.

 

            It began, “Brothers and sisters of the Almighty’s earth who stand here before me, the day is soon to come when God shall pass his divine judgment upon this unholy land.  It is the unholy who walk the earth, spreading their filth and disease.  We must teach the blind to see the truth; Our truth.  We have a burden, the burden of God’s word.  True Christians must spread his word.”  Engrossed with the sermon, the congregation consumed his every word.  “We true Christians and only the true shall enter the gates of heaven.  I am one of the True and I pray to him, the Almighty, that you are one of the true as well.  Will you go?”  It ended.

 

            Aston was not one of those people who got up on the podium and preached one thing and acted on another accord.  Aston followed the scriptures perfectly.  Aston believed the scriptures and followed the scriptures. Unlike so many others, they were not true.

 

            It was dark by the time he finished preparing his next week’s sermon.  He always prepared it in advance, not for any particular reason though.  Walking at a leisurely pace home, a strange feeling of awareness washed over him like a primordial wave.  He often got these feelings but never so overwhelming, so he picked up the pace.  The feeling was getting stronger.  It was at least 85° out and he was actually getting goose bumps.  He knew something was terribly wrong, but what?

 

            An ambulance siren pierced his concentration, shocking him out of his self-induced trance.  Aston could see, hear and feel the ambulance rush by.  Racing through a red light, the ambulance met a car from the crossing road at the intersection.  Both vehicles swerved to avoid impact.  The ambulance arrived at the other side of the intersection unscathed.  Lacking the ambulance driver’s skill of maneuvering the other car slammed into an electrical standard.  The poles and wires fell on top of the car.  Without a thought Aston ran to the car trying to spot any animation.  He reached for the car handle.  That awful feeling rushed through his mind and body, but it was too late. Grabbing the handle, his body wrenching into a rigid posture.  A bright light flashed within his head

 

            From within the recesses of his memory flowed his past.  As Aston awoke he became aware of a prickly feeling inside his head, like the feeling that one gets when his hand falls asleep.  He sat up in sheer darkness.  Where was he? Standing he walked ahead with his arms outstretched, expecting to hit a wall or something, but there was nothing.  He stopped and pondered his predicament.  Becoming aware that there was no floor; or that he could not feel one, he reached down to touch whatever he stood upon, jerking up repulsed, curious & frightened.  There was no floor, no ground.  He had reached below the elevation of his feet and had not touched a thing.

 

            Where was he?  Suddenly a light appeared.  It got brighter, or was it getting closer?  He couldn’t tell.  No, it was definitely getting closer.  Out came a deep voice, “Follow.”  “What?  Who are you?  Wait!”  Cried Aston, as the light faded.  Follow?  How could he follow when there was no ground to walk on and what, or who was he to follow?  Somehow he was able to follow.  He followed for a long time, it seemed an eternity, but finally there was light; all was light.  “Number 666.39372099375 Deleigh.  Aston K. At your service.” Bellowed Aston.  He was astonished by what he had just said.  The words came from his mouth but he had no idea what he was saying or who he was talking to.  “What in Satan’s name did at your service mean,” thought Aston.  Satan?  That wasn’t the right word.  What was the word supposed to be?  “Ah, how nice it is to have another one of my profits of delusion coming to join me,” emanated a voice from within his head.  Did he really hear a voice talking to him?  How could he?  “What did you mean by profit of delusion?” he thought.  Wait, he thought that out loud.  "What in Satan’s name is going on?” he thought aloud again.  Satan?  That wasn’t the right word!  “The word you seek is God“ emanated the voice.  “What is all this?  Where am I?”  Aston yelled with his mind and his mouth. “I see you are confused.  Let me clear the void for you.”  With no warning hell was exposed before his eyes exactly the way he had imagined it.  Volcanoes were spouting magma thousands of feet into the air and down onto the damned.  The searing hot magma burst into flames upon contact with flesh and vial screams of agony burned though his mind. The voice came, “why it is hell, Sheol, Hades, Avernus, Abode of the Dead you see.”  The voice was gleeful with sheer pride.  Aston ducked his head and closed his eyes, as if he could escape the image that lay before him.  “Now do you understand?  No, no you don’t.”  The voice intruded.  Even with his eyes tightly shut he could see the vision.  His cerebral vista showed a thousand demons and nymphs feasting lewdly on each other’s flesh.  

“But I am one who followed the word of...of... what is that word? “Cried, Aston.

            “God!” came the word.

            “God”, Aston finally said it.  “Yes, God, I followed the word of God.  I followed the scriptures perfectly."

            “Yes,” outpoured the deep voice filling his abyssal mind.  “Yes you did and I thank you for it.  You did me a great service while you were alive.  I hope you will do the same here in your new existence.”

            “What...What are you talking about?  Who are you?”  Inquired Aston.

            “Well, Satan is one of my exalted titles,” came the sickening thought.

            “What...uh...no...How was I service to you?  I fought against you.  My whole life I fought against you!” exclaimed Aston.  “I always chose the side of...of...”

            “God,” taunted Satan.

            “Yes God,” said Aston. “I read, studied and followed the bible, the book of G...G...”

            “I know.” answered Satan. “It’s one of my many books of evil.”

            “Evil?” questioned Aston, “Never!”

            “Yes evil.”

            “But the bible teaches us good and condemns evil.”

            “I see you still do not understand.  Let me clear it up for you.”  “Where are you?”  Aston interrupted.  “Let me see you.”  A new vision materialized before him; or was it just in his mind?  A demon: Flesh of ichor and spirits; A single horn adorned is brow; Blackened steel claws to tear at your carcass; Dry hot breath to melt your soul; Red eyes to pierce your mind.

            “The Bible you speak so highly of was not created by your God of Good but your chosen God...Me.”

            “But what of good?" asked Aston with less exclamation than before.

            “Good does exist," explained Satan.  "So does the entity of good known popularly as God.  But that has absolutely no justification or claim in or to religion."

            “What?” begged Aston shaking his head.

            “Hmm.  How can I explain this? Your Christianity was created by me and my minions of evil.”

            “What...?  Why? What for...?  Christianity?”  Cried Aston in bewilderment.

            “Yes, “explained Satan, “Christianity and all other forms of religion as well.”

            “But why?  That doesn’t make any sense,” Aston pleaded.

            “Oh but it does.  Think about it.  If religion, all religions were created differently with similar, yet opposing ideals that would cause strife and great strife at that,” the beast put forth.

            Bewildered Aston sighed, “but I always taught good against evil, not the other way around.”

            “Actually you are quite right and yet so very wrong.  What you did was to create and spur on peoples natural resentment for other beliefs that were not their own.  This caused much, and in fact most of the misery of the human race.  You see it is because of religion that people hate each other and fight.  Religion is designed to make everyone think that what they do and believe is good and that others should follow them.  But, you see that is the deception, and you helped pass it on."

            “But how.... I taught good in the name of good.”

            “You mean you taught good in the name of evil.  What you did was taught people to resent other people and to look upon other people, without their beliefs as incorrect, thus causing strife, war and prejudice in which they will be sinning, and beautifully I might add.  And as for you.  You gave them what they needed to do just that.  You werntor. “ I thank you.  You are most graciously awarded an eternity in hell,” the demon proudly pronounced.

            “I, I don’t understand,” cried Aston.  “I tried so hard to be good.  How is that wrong?”

            “Like I said,” repeated Satan, “By trying so hard to be a true Christian you performed the true sin: teaching people to believe that they are above other's beliefs.  It is inherent in each faith.  The religion is based on it.  It’s not the faith that is bad; it’s the religion of that faith that corrupts mankind in my favor.  It was I who designed the faiths.  They were created so that man had something unsolvable to dispute, and dispute they did and still do.”

            “I can’t deal with this.... I don’t understand!”

            “But I’ve explained it to you!”

             “But I didn’t know.  It’s not my fault.  I didn’t know," argued Aston. “Why am I being punished when I didn’t know?”

            “It doesn’t make a difference if you knew or not.  Frankly I am surprised at you Aston.  In your scriptures it says: ‘If the entire nation of Israel sins without realizing it... all the people are guilty.’  You as their teacher lead them to this.  The information was all there for you to figure out for yourself and if you knew the scriptures as perfectly as you thought you did you could have figured it all out.  You knew the scriptures but you did not understand them.”

            “What is my punishment? Asked Aston.  “The lava?”

            “Oh cruelty no,” answered Satan.  “That was conjured up from your own mind simply to get the point across that you are in hell, my friend.  That has nothing to do with what hell is really like,” he laughed.  “Your punishment for your sins is quite simple:”

            “What is it then?” Aston asked with great sorrow and shame.

            “You have an eternity to figure it out.”  The demon faded.  All was black.  Aston K. Daleigh, hell serial number 666.39372099375, sat down on the “nothingness” with no sight or sound.  He slumped over and pondered in torment.  “Where did I...How was I...” for eternity.