“You mean the Underworld?” I clarified, ignoring his colour distinctions for the
moment.
“NO!” His voice boomed. “I mean Otherworld! As Lord of the place you’d think
I’d know what it was called!”
“So, this is Hell! And you’re… the Devil?”
His echoing silences were unsettling, more so than the disembodied, irritated
voice. I could imagine him leaving me alone for fifty years.
After a more protracted silence, the voice replied, speaking very slowly, as
though I was of limited intelligence.
“I am the Lord of the Otherworld. The Devil and Hell are the stuff of
storybooks, but this, as you can see, is not. This is real. And it is where you are. I
thought maybe you’d learn a lesson with all this. Think before you speak. But
clearly you’re not capable of that. You must be the most irritating creature who
ever landed in my domain. I’m done with you. I’m sending you back. May you
have a long and healthy life. I don’t want to see you for a very long time!”
Before everything went black, I thought I saw the plain suddenly transform;
there were flowers and trees everywhere and a brightly coloured sky. I had just
enough time to wonder whether he had made it appear lifeless to make a point,
or to scare me. But then I passed out. When I woke up, I was lying on a sidewalk
and Sadie was shaking me. She looked scared. I couldn’t hear what she was
saying, though. All I could hear was deep-throated laughter ringing in my ears.