Heaven and Hell (44 page)

“I first utilized the resources of the Hall of Records to gain insight into my own life and times. You see, like everyone here in Heaven, the memory of my earthly existence was a blur. I had to bring that existence into sharp focus, so I carefully scanned the record of my own life. In doing so, I came to many of the same realizations that you have come to. But what I saw didn’t awaken dormant memories; it simply filled in the gaps; and yes, some of them were painful. Yet, this did not deter me. I was convinced that the truth would set me free. That is what the Bible tells us; though I fear I have taken that verse somewhat out of context.”

Chris was not about to let the issue come to rest there. “But you didn’t stop there, did you? You opened other books in the hall, not just your own.”

“Yes,” confirmed Johann. “The next book I opened was that of Tycho Brahe. Through Tycho’s book, I managed to view myself through someone else’s eyes, thereby gaining a new perspective of myself and of him. My search led me to others on Earth, those who were continuing the work that I had started, men such as Isaac Newton and Christian Huygens. I beheld a changing world through the eyes of others. Yet, my interests led me to look at other aspects of creation. I wanted to see and understand more. I scanned the books of significant figures from the Bible.…people like King David, Solomon, and Moses. I even beheld the life of our Savior through the eyes of several of the disciples. It was a marvelous experience. I spent more and more of my time within the books of the Hall of Records. It became an all-consuming passion.”

Chris nodded. “I can see how it could become almost addicting. In my time, millions of people sit for hours in front of the television. They become ‘couch potatoes,’ wasting their lives away, preferring soap operas and game shows to the reality of the world around them. They just can’t cope.”

“Couch potatoes?” asked Johann. “I’m not familiar with that species of potato.”

“Never mind,” Chris said, “please, go on.”

“But still my view of the universe was incomplete. I had to place creation in perspective; I had to view all aspects of it. Up to that point, I had confined my studies to the books of the saints, those who dwelt in Heaven. I had to view the contents of the black books. In doing so, I became a witness to the acts of a monster—satan, the beast of Hell. He is a sadist on the grandest of scales. He revels in the eternal suffering of others. I became quite familiar with his realm.”

“And no one ever escapes their fate?” asked Chris.

“No one,” confirmed Johann.

“But that’s just the thing; before you rescued me, I saw Serena escape the sea of fire and the rain of fire and brimstone. I saw her take shelter in some sort of cave. I know she’s safe.”

“You don’t know that,” objected Johann. “She might have found shelter for a season, but eventually, her hiding place would be found.” Again there was a pause of total silence. “Though, I do admit that this is curious. Then again, who can say what might have awaited her within that cave? Have you considered that?”

“I don’t want to,” admitted Chris. “Still, I need to go back to the hall. I have to know what happened to Serena.”

“Very well,” replied Johann, “but you shall not go there alone, I will accompany you.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“I disagree,” Johann said. “If you insist upon delving into the darkness, someone is going to have to teach you how to find your way around. Anyway, I don’t think you should go into that book alone.”

Chris hesitated before continuing. “Yes, I’d appreciate your help.”

“Understand, I think that you are far too hopeful, but I want to see this thing for myself. Perhaps…well, let us see what transpires.”

“C
OME out, Serena,
I
wish to speak to you.”

The deep and powerful voice aroused Serena from a light sleep. She knew that voice; it was Abaddon. No doubt he had arrived at some solution to his new dilemma. Perhaps he would throw her back into the fiery black sea in order to be rid of her. After a day without pain, the thought seemed all the more ghastly. Still, what could she do? She rose to her feet and walked to the bars of her cell. She drew back the drapes and saw Abaddon. He scanned his guest’s dress with a look of approval.

“Yes, that is much better.
I
am glad to see that you got out of those rags.”

“
I
was very glad to be rid of them,” Serena said. “They were a bit tight, but they came off easy enough. This dress is so much better, thank you.”

Abaddon nodded. “
I
did not mention it when you first arrived.
I
did not wish to alarm you needlessly, but
I
was not so certain that you would be able to remove the garb that satan had provided you with.”

The comment caught Serena by surprise because that fear had actually visited her momentarily on the previous day. “Why do you say that, sir?”

“It is just another one of satan’s tricks from his cruel bag of evil,” Abaddon said. “It has been my observation that, as time passes, the tattered garbs satan has you wear become almost a part of you. Eventually it becomes impossible to tell where they end and you humans begin. I once heard satan speak of it. He said that it was a bit like sin; the more you dwell within it, the more it becomes a part of you, the more difficult it becomes to separate yourself from it. In the end, you become one with it, eternally trapped. It is an analogy that satan revels in, that is why he created this garb. He thinks that he is clever.”

Serena nodded. “I’ve noticed that about him.”

“Yes, but I also see that Ariadne’s clothes fit you rather well; this is good. In a way, you remind me of her. You have the same nose, the same eyes. Perhaps, that is why I showed some measure of mercy to you, why I gave you her cell.” There was a long pause and the slight smile dissolved from Abaddon’s face. It made Serena nervous. “I truly miss her, even after so many centuries.”

Many questions crossed Serena’s mind, yet she resisted giving them utterance. She could ill afford to offend her host.

“I’ve come to a decision,” announced Abaddon, unlocking Serena’s cell with a wave of his hand, “one that will best serve all concerned. I’ve decided to spare you, for the time being at least.”

Spare her? What did that mean? Serena was apprehensive, yet hopeful.

“The sea of fire will have to surge along its course without you,” he continued. “I have been alone here for centuries, totally without companionship. I long for someone to talk to, someone to share my fate, and you intrigue me. Let us share each other’s company on a trial basis. If it does not work out; well, there is always the sea of fire. Do we have an agreement?”

It all sounded too good to be true. Serena’s immortal heart skipped a beat. “Oh yes, thank you. I agree.”

Abaddon’s countenance took on a momentary sternness. “Understand this, I am the master of this domain, I make the rules. If you do not understand this from the start, our days together will be indeed brief. You stand to gain much from our relationship; freedom from pain, the gift of knowledge, and the benefit of my charming personality.”

That last comment brought a slight smile to Serena’s face. It was returned by Abaddon.

“Good,” he replied. “Then we do understand each other. Come with me. I will show you your new world.”

The two walked out into the corridor. It was more brightly lit now. Serena realized that it was lined with cells, not unlike hers. But the other cells were not as well maintained as hers had been. They were dark and dingy with bare walls, and the floors were littered with rubble. Their presence raised still more questions.

Abaddon and Serena walked down the corridor and into the large room that had been engulfed in shadows the day before. Now, it was brightly illuminated by more than 20 brightly glowing crystals.

The room was nearly square, about 50 feet on a side. The walls were amazingly smooth for an underground chamber hewn from the rock, and 12 white stone columns, evenly spaced around the room, added support to the lofty ceiling. The large columns were like those that would support some ancient Greek temple, finely cut and engraved with symbols that Serena could not decipher.

A large and ornate throne of stone and gold was in the center of the chamber, sitting atop a glistening platform of garnet; while around it, a ring of smaller stone chairs faced the throne. Judging from the layer of dust that covered them, Serena assumed that they had not been used in some time. Around the room were other chairs and couches that were made from some sort of dark wood and covered with red cloth. Near the far corner of the room was a white stone basin about 3 feet across. At its center, four black obsidian figurines in the form of winged angels with trumpets in their hands spouted small streams of clear water that splashed into the basin. Serena slowly turned, taking in the fantastic scene.

“Your new home,” Abaddon said. There was the slightest smile on his face, a smile that spoke of his pride in this place. “This is, without a doubt, the very best accommodations Hell has to offer. You will have the freedom of my realm.”

“It’s wonderful,” gasped Serena. “Thank you.”

Abaddon nodded. “I assume you can sew.”

“Yes,” confirmed Serena.

“Then, I shall see about providing you with the materials to make still more clothing for yourself, perhaps, attire more to your liking.”

“That would be wonderful,” Serena said. “I can’t even begin to thank you for your kindness.”

“It is quite all right,” replied Abaddon, whose smile grew even larger. “You will add an air of beauty to my humble home.”

“You shall continue to sleep within your cell. Your cell door will be left unlocked most of the time. You will be able to come and go as you please. You are not a prisoner here, I assure you. However, when I am gone, it will be necessary to lock you within your cell. It is for your own protection. I do not wish for you to travel beyond this place unescorted, it would be unsafe. I am taking a risk in keeping you here at all, a very large risk. As I told you before, it is forbidden for any of us to offer comfort or assistance to your kind in escaping their place of eternal torment.”

“But you’ve done it before,” Serena said. “Who were they, these people who lived with you?”

Abaddon scowled. “For a guest, you ask many personal questions.” A moment later his countenance softened. “No, you have the right to know. There shall be no secrets between us. Yes, once that hallway was filled with your kind, though it was many centuries ago. Those humans that shared this home with me were not servants, slaves, or even pets, they were my family.”

That comment caught Serena by surprise. “Your family? I don’t understand.”

“You will. Come,” said Abaddon, leading Serena toward a pair of large cushioned chairs near the corner. Serena was surprised to feel how soft the dark blue chair was. Abaddon’s wings folded around the other chair as he sat down by her side.

“When you first came here, you asked me why there might be animosity between satan and myself. I declined to answer your question at that time. I will answer it now. You were right; satan and I are not on the friendliest of terms, far from it. A most uneasy truce indeed exists between us. I listened well to what satan told you on the day you were dragged before him; he never changes. He is a liar, but he is very cleaver about how he does it. How could he be anything else? He has had so many centuries of practice.

“He mixes lies with the truth in order to mask them, but they are nonetheless lies. In very fact, I believe that many of his followers, though they were there in the beginning and should know better, have actually come to believe this prince of lies. Thus is his influence over them. They have lost any semblance of a will of their own. They once had one, yet now they do his bidding, blind followers of a blind guide.”

Serena worded her next comment as carefully as possible. “Yesterday you told me that you didn’t fall with lucifer and his angels; that you fought against them, but you wouldn’t tell me more. I’d like to know all about you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a knight in shining armor.”

That comment elicited a hearty good-natured laugh from Abaddon. “A knight in shining armor, am I? If you knew me better, I wonder if you would still feel that way. But let me start from the beginning, that you might better understand what angels truly are. We are sons of God, created in a form much like His. We were the first born, created tens of thousands of years before He brought man into being. When God created the angels, He created most of them to serve one of three tasks. Some were messengers, others warriors, while others were singers, ministering directly unto God.

“The messengers were what you and your society might term data gatherers. In addition to delivering messages to the far ends of the cosmos, they were agents that transferred, processed, and disseminated the information necessary to keep the hierarchy of Heaven functioning. They were created to be fast and efficient, with an almost uncanny ability of recall. Their leader was the archangel Gabriel.”

Serena was surprised. “Are you saying that God needed them to spy for Him? I thought that God knew everything about everyone.”

Abaddon smiled at Serena’s reply. “That is an interesting question, young one, a question for which I do not have an answer. Even after all of these centuries, God is still an enigma to me. I have spoken to Him countless times; I’ve marveled at His wisdom, yet been perplexed by His actions. God is ancient beyond all reckoning. His universe existed long before He created the first angel, and He existed long before the dawn of creation. For that matter, I am not even certain why He created us. The universe seemed to have functioned for an eternity without our intervention. Some say that God created us out of His own need for companionship. Others say we were created to help guide and safeguard the human race. Perhaps both are true, perhaps neither. I am just not certain. There are certain things that God would not speak of. Who can truly know the mind of God?”