William H. Hallahan -

by The Monk

  "We have a proposal," Beelzebub said to Lucifer. "We can go live some other place. And you can be our leader." He watched Lucifer's face. "We are not wanted here."

  We are not wanted here. The thought fed Lucifer's growing anger. Now he was not alone. He was not the only one who had been slighted.

  "There is a large number." Beelzebub pointed. A huge number of heavenly host outside his pavilion. They were looking to him to give shape and direction to their feelings.

  "Enough of such talk in these halls," Lucifer said.

  "We wish to talk with you," Beelzebub answered. "Let us go somewhere."

  Lucifer hesitated. If he went with them, he would be setting his foot on a path with no return. He reflected only a few moments. Then he nodded at Beelzebub. They went to the west side of heaven a good distance and Beelzebub said, "We are unhappy."

  "You are unhappy," Lucifer echoed. "The Lord has done something to displease you? Are you deprived? Are you in any way less than you were? Since your very being is a gift from the Lord, whatever the Lord gives, He can take away again. By what standard do you justify your right to feel unhappy? I ask you this: Dare you set yourself above the Lord?"

  His eyes went from face to face and they all remained silent.

  "Not one of you has answered me," Lucifer said at last. "You should have said Yes. The Lord has done something to displease you. You are deprived. And by your loyalty and love you have earned His. And He has now withdrawn it. For you are now less than you were."

  "And," Beelzebub said to Lucifer with his crafty grin, "dare you now set yourself above the Lord?"

  "Who says He is the Lord?" Lucifer replied. He watched their stunned faces again. And he rephrased the question that has unsettled the entire cosmos ever since. "Who says that He created us? We have only His word for it. None of us remembers our own creation. Maybe He's an impostor."

  "What are you saying, Lucifer? What is the point of that deadly question?"

  "Why must we leave?"

  And slowly, with comprehension, their gazes turned to one another's.

  "How many of us are there?" Lucifer asked.

  And they conferred among themselves. "There are legions," they answered. "All of Moloch's, most of Belial's--perhaps all of Beelzebub's, and several legions beyond that. And we surely can recruit more. And, Lucifer, you yourself command legions."

  Lucifer frowned. "It is not enough."

  "It is all we have. Michael's forces will remain loyal to the Lord. So will Abdiel's and Gabriel's and all the others, including Raphael's."

  "And Timothy the red-haired?" Lucifer watched them react.

  "No," Belial said assertively. "He has no quarrel with the Lord."

  "If he came," Lucifer said, "he would bring half of heaven with him."

  "He will not come, Lucifer. Look elsewhere."

  "Timothy," Lucifer insisted. "Timothy is our answer."

  And Lucifer returned to his pavilion and summoned Timothy.

  "What are your plans?" Lucifer asked Timothy when the magnificent angel had arrived.

  "Plans? For what?"

  "For the future," Lucifer said. "We are all being displaced. Surely you understood that."

  "No. I didn't. Man is to have his own paradise."

  "Yes. . .until the next announcement. We have no say in our lives, in our futures."

  "The Lord created us," Timothy said, "and He has the right to dispose of us as He will."

  "Did you ask to be created, Timothy?"

  "No."

  "Now that you are here, Timothy, regardless of who created you, you have the right to control your own destiny. You have free will. That implies the right to use it."

  "This is too fast," Timothy said. "I owe my loyalty to the One who made me and gave me bliss."

  "Who made you, Timothy?"

  "Why--the Lord."

  "Did He, Timothy? How do you know?"

  Timothy frowned. The catechism had gone awry. Lucifer had raised new questions. Disturbing questions. Lucifer had planted the most insidious of growths in Timothy's mind: Doubt. And she would prowl the chambers of Timothy's mind, destroying all the secure beliefs she found there.

  Timothy's face was stricken with misery. "I must think."

  "You'd best hurry, Timothy," Lucifer said. "The Lord's new Son will be here soon and He may drive you off before you've reached any conclusions." And he watched Timothy leave, struggling with the pain in his mind. Innocence, love and absence of guile--Timothy's virtues sickened Lucifer.

  Not long after, Timothy returned. "What is your plan?" he asked.

  "Rebellion," Lucifer replied.

  "If we are to do this," Lucifer told them all when they had assembled far from the throne of the Lord, "let us do it quickly. Surprise and speed are essential."

  And in great haste they built fires and erected forges and they made spears and flaming swords and lightning bolts and other impedimenta of war. And they girded themselves with armor.

  Lucifer conferred with the leaders--Moloch and Beelzebub and Belial and Timothy. And quickly he sketched a plan of battle. He put Beelzebub's forces and his own side by side in the center of the line. Timothy's vast host he put at the right wing, and at the left he disposed all the others, holding the forces of two legions in the rear for reserve. And they marched toward the throne of Heaven. Lucifer had decided that he would have it for himself.

  Fully seven tenths of the angelic host had defected. And when the enormous army was seen by the Lord, Michael was hastily summoned and he quickly drew his forces up in front in solid phalanxes to defend the throne.

  Lucifer struck with the utmost ferocity. His troops soon had Michael's army reeling. But Michael's flaming sword seemed to be everywhere and he rallied his men and re-formed them and led them in furious counterattack. Soon there was a stalemate in the center. Though outnumbered four to one, Michael's forces had stood their ground. But the price was high; they were nearly spent and Lucifer was gathering for another attack.

  Lucifer had a surprise for them. While he made a great show of presenting another attack, he secretly ordered Timothy on the right flank to attack Michael's flank. And Timothy's troops responded immediately and went into battle in enormous numbers, enough to overwhelm the forces of the Lord.

  When they were nearly in the position of battle, streams of fresh troops were released by Michael, all sworn to defend the throne and the Lord. But these angels weren't armed. They walked out onto the field of battle, and Timothy recognized every one of them--all friends and comrades who had remained loyal. And they called on Timothy's forces to lay down their arms, to repent. Soon they crowded the battlefield and prevented by their presences the army of Timothy from advancing on the throne of the Lord. Timothy became abashed. He was unable to strike them, unarmed as they were. And their words were having their effect: Many of his troops were throwing down their arms. Hastily, Timothy called for a retreat and a regrouping. But the unarmed angels followed after, mingling with Timothy's troops and creating great confusion. The troops failed to disentangle themselves and regroup. And more and more of them were wavering in their resolve to attack the throne.

  In a short time Timothy's forces were nullified. And Lucifer saw the collapse of his right wing, recognized the Lord's guile behind it. The Lord well knew Timothy. Now Michael raised his flaming sword again and led his weary troops into furious battle. They attacked with all their weapons but most particularly with lightning bolts that scorched the ground and blackened Lucifer's angels. The two forces clashed in a thundering splintering collision. The battle swayed back and forth, then Lucifer ordered his left flank to attack. These were the forces of Moloch and his cohorts. And they proved worthless. They hung back, they attacked without conviction. They fled from danger. And their line parted, turned and fled. Soon all of Lucifer's forces were in disarray.

  "Timothy!" he shouted. "Timothy! Attack! Attack!"

  But Timothy stood helplessly by and watched Lucifer and all his officers and troops bei
ng slowly driven back to the edge of the precipice. Michael with his flaming sword had formed a wedge and was driving Lucifer back, back and farther back. At last Lucifer's troops were fighting for their very existence, struggling to maintain a toehold on the very edge of the precipice. And they failed.

  They were swept over the edge. Legion upon legion fell from heaven into the dark abyss. And falling, they knew terror. Soon not one of Lucifer's followers remained in heaven. All had been pushed over the side into the abyss.

  Later, Michael returned with his exhausted but victorious troops and he passed by the shattered Timothy.

  "If I were Lucifer," Michael said to Timothy, "I would have cause for cursing you for all eternity."

  They fell. Into an unknown world, a black void with only the rushing air in their ears, tumbling, turning, shouting with terror and hearing the cries of the others. Some feared that they would fall like this forever.

  Entire legions of once-bright angels fell for seven days and seven nights. Then suddenly, they struck firm ground and were immediately hit by other angels who fell on top of them. They crashed on a broken terrain covered with gritty mud and wetness. Foul, sulfurous smoke roiled about them and a dead red glow emanated from some of the rocks. Nearby was a lake of fire.

  None moved. They were in agony and barely conscious.

  The Lord summoned Michael and Abdiel to His sanctum. They sat at the conference table and the Lord was possessed by wrath. But He spoke very little.

  Abdiel lay back in his chair, hands clasped before him, a leg thrust straight out. "Punishment," he said. "There must be punishment."

  "Forgiveness," Michael said. "Wounds must be healed. Their punishment already has been terrible."

  "Tell me," Abdiel demanded, "what punishment for Lucifer can equal what he did?"

  "For Lucifer has suffered the greatest self-punishment of all. Defeat."

  Abdiel slowly thumped the table with his fist in cadence with his words. "Lucifer must be made to pay. He must be made to kneel before the heavenly throne and apologize and beg facedown for forgiveness. The Lord must stand upon Lucifer's neck!"

  Michael looked at the Lord. "Turn the other cheek, Lord."

  "Ha!" cried Abdiel.

  "Lucifer is a proud angel," Michael said. "He felt justified in his act. He was demoted." Michael fixed his eyes on the Lord. "He felt disgraced. With no explanation. He was unfairly treated."

  The Lord sat bemused. He didn't answer Michael's accusations. He kept a thoughtful hand over His mouth as He turned His gaze to Abdiel.

  "Punish him," Abdiel demanded. "If You do not punish him, then the others who remained loyal will feel slighted. Loyalty will be set at naught in heaven. Other rebellions will follow. This must never happen again."

  "If You punish Lucifer, it will happen again," Michael insisted. "There will be warfare for eternity. We will never know peace again. Love will grow sickly and languish. Sad times will prevail."

  The Lord made no answer.

  "What about Timothy and his forces?" Michael demanded. "If we punish Lucifer, then Timothy's forces may join Lucifer's. We won't fool him a second time. Together Lucifer and Timothy can overwhelm us. We can't afford vengeance."

  The Lord stirred Himself and looked with burning eyes at Michael. "Leave Timothy to me," He said.

  "This was not of our doing," Abdiel insisted. He pointed a blunt unbending finger at Michael. "Ask Lucifer if he forgives! Ask him if he will return here and live in obedience. Ask him!"

  In the end Abdiel's arguments prevailed. He was sent to hell to deal with Lucifer. And Abdiel found Lucifer and his forces still writhing in great pain from their fall. They were shadowy figures in the half-light that came from the glowing rocks, and the fitful flames of the burning lake. They were black and mired from the muck they lay in.

  Abdiel's legions searched among the falling with glowing torches, pulling them apart, kicking them to wakefulness, searching for Lucifer. They found him sitting on a rock, staring at the ground, almost catatonic in his self-absorption. They led him to Abdiel.

  "I am to tell you, Lucifer," Abdiel said, "that you must abnegate yourself before the Lord. Your crimes must be examined in open court before all the loyal angels. You must kiss His feet and beg forgiveness and suffer Him to stand on your neck. Then you will be readmitted to heaven but you will be shunned by the others. And these--" Abdiel swept his hand over the entire lot of the fallen. "These will be readmitted in a newer category of angel, serving the wishes of those angels who remained loyal, fetching and running errands."

  Gradually, Lucifer gathered himself. "I am Lucifer," he said to Abdiel. "There is no one else like me in all of heaven. Had that Timothy behaved like a soldier on a field of battle, I would be dictating the terms now, not you. It was not my desire to rebel. But I was disgraced before the others, cast aside--poor payment for my service and loyalty. Now, I will not kneel. I will not beg. I will not submit to the Lord's standing on my neck. And I will not live in heaven a pariah, shunned by the others."

  Abdiel nodded at his lieutenant. Lucifer was seized and chained hand and foot. The reviving angels raised a murmur. Lucifer was pinioned, arms outstretched to a dank wall. And the murmuring grew to an outcry.

  "Are you going to whip him?" Beelzebub demanded.

  "We are going to whip him," Abdiel answered.

  "You cannot. You must not!" Beelzebub cried. "If you do, it will be warfare forever!"

  Abdiel did not answer Beelzebub. Instead he nodded again at his lieutenant. Lucifer's white gown was ripped from his back and two angels were set to scourge him.

  "There will be no turning back if you do this, Abdiel," Beelzebub said. "The breach will never be mended, the wounds never healed."

  Abdiel nodded a third time at his lieutenant and the whipping began. With the first blow Lucifer turned his face and looked at Abdiel, and his angry eyes never left the other's face throughout the whipping. With each sigh of the whip through the air, with each terrible stroke across Lucifer's back, his fallen legions cried out.

  "Abdiel!" Beelzebub called. "If we had defeated you, we would not have done this to you."

  Many of the fallen were now on their feet and by torchlight they stood in great agitation, crying out with each stroke. Abdiel watched, his arms crossed, his chin thrust out. And all through the whipping, Lucifer never took his eyes off Abdiel.

  "You can never undo what you have done here," Beelzebub said when the whipping stopped.

  "I am not finished," Abdiel said. "I will give you more to remember."

  Now Lucifer was led away from the wall, still in chains, to the edge of the burning lake. He was seized by four of Abdiel's troops. When it was clear what they meant to do to Lucifer a great cry went up. A furious scuffle began in the darkness and Abdiel's troops found themself fighting off Lucifer's angels. But the great Fall had taken away their strength and they were not organized. Quickly they were put down and Abdiel nodded once more.

  With a great swing the four angels threw Lucifer into the burning lake. The pain was beyond anything he had ever imagined. Molten fire seared the welts and cuts on his back, penetrated to the very marrow, and he rose with a roar of agony to the surface of the lake, spinning and writhing, maddened by the pain. At his cries his troops cried out with dismay.

  "Take him out!" they called out to Abdiel. But Abdiel stood high upon his rock and watched Lucifer and ignored their pleas.

  Lucifer's violent thrashing in the lake of fire slowed at last and he became quiet. Only his head showed above the surface, licked by the flames and occasionally obliterated by the smoke.

  "Timothy!" Lucifer shouted. "Timothy! What have you done?"

  Then he became still. He endured the unendurable in silence, his eyes fixed solely on Abdiel.

  Abdiel kept Lucifer in the lake of fire for fourteen days. Then at last he ordered Lucifer removed. But whereas an angel was thrown into the lake, a ravening beast came out.

  He was charred and blackened and filthy with
mud and dirt and from this burnt hulk stared two insane green eyes.

  Lucifer stood facing Abdiel. "You threw Lucifer into the fire," he said to Abdiel "And you pulled out Satan."

  "Adversary," Abdiel said. "We do not fear you at all. You will remain here in darkness and gloom forever. Without hope. You will be an eternal lesson for all others who might consider trying your ways."

  Abdiel ordered Lucifer chained to the wall, hand and foot.

  "Behold your great leader," Abdiel said to the fallen. "God help the one of you who cuts him free. He is to remain with you here. You are all castaways from heaven. Forever."

  And as Abdiel and his forces were leaving, the Lord threw one more lightning bolt. It struck Lucifer on the thigh and ran down his left leg, scarring it indelibly.

  Over the entrance to the great gloomy chamber, Abdiel had inscribed, ABANDON ALL HOPE, ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE.

  In despair the fallen angels settled to the ground and many wept. Hell was a terrible pit. It was the domain of Chaos, where the flickering light turned everyone and everything into shadows. No living light ever touched there. No vegetation grew anywhere. The air was rank, stinking, smoke-filled. Fire issued from the rocks.

  The angels slumped on the ground around Lucifer in the great underworld Hall of Pandemonium. Nearby flowed the black dead River Styx.

  Lucifer watched them all collapsed with grief. "Never," Beelzebub said, "never to see the plains of Elysium, the fields of flowers, the soft bright light of heaven. Never to hear the purling of the streams, never to hear the heavenly choirs. Never to smell the ambrosia. Never to taste the nectar. Never to feel our hearts singing within us." And Beelzebub tore his hair and poured ashes on his head. "Despair. No hope for evermore."

  Satan cast his eyes about his fallen followers as they lay and wept and tore their hair.

  "What is this!" he cried out to them. "What manner of creatures are you?"

  They heard his words and they stood and gathered about him, gazing with pain-filled eyes at his charred body and at the thick links that bound him, a miserable creature, chained to the nethermost rock in the entire universe. Miserable save for the eyes. They were two round balls of green flame, burning like the lake that had ignited them.