Friday, 30 May 2014
Sweet redemption
“Come, come forward, follow the path, follow me, there is nothing to fear, come.”
The voice was soft, gentle, almost hypnotically so, the honeyed tones beckoning, promising.
The reply was tenuous, nervous. “What will I find on the path?”
“On the path you will find love, trust, compassion. The twists and turns will reveal many acts of kindness and selflessness. Amongst the wayside rocks you will discover humility, patience and peace of mind. Beneath the overhanging branches you will be able to lead the way of life that has been denied you.”
“But I have done some very bad things in my life, I won't be allowed to follow the path.”
“No-one is denied.” Came the gentle response. “It is never too late to change, to see the light.”
“People will not accept me because of my appearance, they will be repelled, and scorn me.”
“That will not be so, they will see beyond your outer self, they will look into your heart, seek the beauty inside.”
“Will I find any chocolate on the path?”
“What?”
“I said, will I find any chocolate on the path?”
“Err... yes... yes... I believe you may find some chocolate as you follow the righteous path.” Came the slightly dismayed voice.
“Lots of chocolate?”
“Well... err... it's difficult to say just how much chocolate a soul may come across on the road to redemption.” The honeyed tones of the voice began to harden slightly.
“Look, I'm not embarking on any path, road or trail, to redemption, righteousness, or anywhere else unless there is going to be plenty of chocolate on the way. So will there be lots of chocolate or not?”
“Yes, I believe there will possibly be lots of chocolate.” The voice took on an edge of impatience.
“You promise? That there will be chocolate, and lots of it?”
“Yes!” A tone of anger crept into the voice.
“Say it then, say you promise me that there will be lots and lots of chocolate. Enough to make me sick.”
“Very well then. I promise that on the path you will find lots and lots of chocolate, enough to make you sick. Enough to fill your belly thousands of times over. Enough to choke you, you greedy, self-centred, sweet-toothed, gluttonous git. Now get on that goddam PATH!!”
“Ah, what the hell.” Said the demon, and took the first step.
©2014 Stephen. J. Green.
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Well, he had a point, who wants to go where's there's no chocolate she said consuming a dark hazel nut piece as she writes ^_^ Loved the sense of humour here Steve.
ReplyDeleteThank you Helen. I've given the "Silly Quill" another outing this week. LOL.
DeleteErr... I don't suppose you could possibly spare a square or two of that there chocolate bar, could you? :-)
I would demand the same terms of any self-help redemption exhortation. Good fun
ReplyDeleteThanks Marc, glad you enjoyed it. I think many a decision could rest on the amount of chocolate (or not) thrown into the deal. :-)
DeleteAh but would it be white or dark chocolate? If it's white, then there's just no point...
ReplyDeleteFor him, I think it would have to be the darkest, most chocolatey chocolate available. :-)
DeleteI agree with Icy here. White chocolate = meh!
ReplyDeleteHi A.M, and welcome. :-)
DeleteYeah, I think of white chocolate as a treat for kiddies, definitely not fit for demon consumption. :-)
Ahahaha! I thought we were on sort of the same track as Marc's story took this week until he asked about the chocolate. Super fun story Steve!
ReplyDeleteThanks Roslyn. The story did look a bit straight forward up until that point, but you know me, you hardly ever end up with what you started out with on these pages. LOL.
DeletePS. Love the name btw, and If you run into Deanna, please say Hi from me. :-)
It's an important question to be asked before any journey, job interviews, and such.
ReplyDeleteI agree David, the question of chocolate can be quite a weighty one. :-)
DeleteThe road to hell is paved with... chocolate. That about sums it up for me. It's almost like a narcotic the way some people abuse it. Great last line, Steve. I enjoyed reading the back and forth.
ReplyDeleteHeheh, yeah, and the good intentions that come with it.
DeleteGlad you liked it Stephen, I hope it gave you a smile or two. :-)
LOL Bribed with chocolate!
ReplyDeleteHaha! Some demons are just easily bought, I think. :-)
DeleteThis is precious! It is itself a winding path, and I had a blast walking it. So serious to surprise humor to the tender voice losing it… And a tale like this doesn’t go away without a last great word and it's a double delight: a demon saying “what the hell”! Twisted Quill indeed : )
ReplyDeleteMiss A
Miss Alister, thank you so much for the very kind comment. I do try to add humour to most things I write, but quite often it is a very dark humour, turning what is sometimes quite a horrific, gory tale into a giggle at the end. Once again, thank you. :-)
DeleteAm I alone in that, I don't really care for chocolate? Or does this put me on the wrong path?
ReplyDeleteHi Jon, and welcome. :-)
DeleteA person must choose their own path Jon, and chocolate is not everyone's cup of err... tea, is it? LOL.
Although I like chocolate, in truth I don't really eat that much, my favourite sweet is those chocolate covered ice cream lollies 'Magnums' I usually buy half a dozen each time we go shopping. :-)
That's me!!!! Chocolate or no going on no path! Hahahaha, such fun piece, Steve!
ReplyDeleteOh no...now I need chocolate...
Thanks Cindy, I hope you had a giggle with this. Now go on, treat yourself. :-)
DeleteWhite chocolate isn't chocolate, no self-respecting demon is going anywhere for white stuff.
ReplyDeleteHiya Darling. Yeah, it's gonna have to be the dark stuff innit? Infernally dark if possible. :-)
DeleteTotally fair point. "If I can't dance, I don't want to be in your revolution," &c., &c.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this, not least because before the first mention of chocolate it read an awful lot like some New Age books I've been lent by various acquaintances.
Thanks Katherine, glad you enjoyed it. :-)
DeleteThere are various reasons as to why someone would decide whether or not to follow a particular path in life, I guess for some the availability of chocolate could well be the deciding factor. :-)