THE MOMENT
".. but.. I was a good person! I tried to be!" Wendell whined at the demon dressed in white. He was a lanky, red-skinned man with obsidian horns and a red tie. "What does it take to get into heaven?"
"Oh, you were fantastic," the demon replied. His voice was surpisngly smooth and low. "Unfortunately in this afterlife there is no Heaven per se.
"What do you mean this afterlife?" Wendell asked. "How many are there?" The demon appeared in Wendell's living room where the conversation started. But, now Wendell noticed they seemed to be moving down. He felt the descent in his stomach and it felt like his living room had become a glass elevator to take him to Hell. They sunk below his walls and into the ground.
"More than one," the demon replied. "This one doesn't have a Heaven. Your soul belongs to Sharp Development, so you go to Hell."
"Sharp Development?" Wendell asked. The name sounded familiar. He thought while he watched the ground on the other side of the transparent walls change to water as they sank deeper and deeper. "Wait, the node? I'm going to Hell because I used a node?" The demon gave a slight nod.
"It does warn you in the terms and conditions you agreed to," the demon said.
"No one reads those!" Wendell yelled. The demon nodded again and smiled.
"I know," he said.
"That's a crappy way to steal someone's soul for eternity," Wendell grumbled.
"I know," the demon replied again. "That's why it's not for eternity. It may feel like it, but you're not damned forever," the demon said. Wendell was distracted by the water. The ocean grew darker as they sunk lower; somehow he still had electricity in his living room. The light fixture provided enough light and comfort for Wendell to stay calm.
"It's a loophole that works out to your advantage," the demon said.
"Yeah," Wendell laughed. "Going to Hell is just a big ol' blessing."
"It is," the demon replied, "..if it's temporary. Better than being sent there for eternity, isn't it? Ms. Sharp developed her Afterlife by focusing on the consumer. After going through some Hell for a time you'll be able to pick a new life and try again."
"Try what again?" Wendell asked. The ocean outside the walls had become completely black. It almost appeared that his living room was floating in an endless void. He could no longer tell by looking out whether they were sinking; the only hint he had was the constant drop he felt in his stomach. The light also appeared to be dimming as if whatever was powering it was running out of energy. "If there's no heaven, what's the point of doing better in the next life?"
"Normally, that's something you're supposed to figure out on your own," the demon said. He made a gesture with his hand and a tall black portal opened next to him. The room was growing dimmer by the second now, but the portal still appeared blacker than even the void outside. "But, you were a pretty decent guy and we're allowed some discretion. So, before I leave you to your Hell, I'll give you a hint."
"What?" Wendell asked. He looked around; his living room now only had as much illumination as a candle would provide. "My living room is Hell?"
"Your Hell...," the demon nodded. "...for the next billion years."
"A BILLION?" Wendell yelled. The demon nodded and shrugged.
"An effective eternity, but not an actual one. You'll be fine...but that light might not last," the demon added with a chuckle.
"Fine," Wendell grumbled. He was content with at least spending the next billion years in a familiar place. "What's your hint?" he asked.
"That's the spirit," the demon said. "The point of doing better in the next life...," the demon said. "...is just to do better."