When the Bell Tolls (charlastor)

The Call

Spending most of her time at Hyde Park, Lilith was sketching a landscape of the scenery around her when she spotted a blonde man sporting a rather peculiar top hat. Sensing her noticing him, the man introduced himself as Lucifer Magne, and Lilith was immediately smitten with him, having been taken in with his bright smile. Soon, they would become an inseparable pair who bonded over their shared passion for music and had so much in common with each other.

Lilith mustered up the courage to introduce Lucifer to her father, for she was already in love with him, but the aristocrat took one glance at the young man and shook his head in displeasure. Despite Lucifer's wealth, he was still a commoner unworthy of even holding his only child's hand. Unable to ever be parted from the man of her dreams, Lilith snuck away from her father's estate and fled to where her beloved was. After a few days, they boarded a plane headed to New Orleans to begin a new life together despite the short time they have known each other.

Every time her parents would regale her with their love story, it would end with them holding each other, while Lucifer would kiss his wife as their daughter looked on. Charlie would make a horrified face at the display of affection, while secretly wishing she would meet someone who would love her unconditionally.

Feeling sleep finally claim her, Charlie yawned and snuggled into her warm blanket. Soon, she was asleep, despite the endless messages flooding her phone.

Charlie found herself in the most delightful garden she had ever been in. Different kinds of roses, hydrangeas, quinces, and lilies surrounded her, filling the air with the sweetest scent Charlie had ever known. Was she dead? She wasn't sure of that, but if it were true, then she was ready to embrace that final stage of life.

Suddenly, a glowing path appeared before her. Curious as to where it would lead to, Charlie was about to follow the path when a man suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He held up his hands as a sign that he meant no harm, and a nagging feeling in the back of her head told her to hear him out.

As he came closer, Charlie noticed that he had light brown hair and eyes that were a peculiar shade of yellow, as well as skin that was nearly as white as a sheet of paper. He was an attractive man. Was he an angel?

"Hey there! I'm Adam!" The stranger called out, a wide grin on his face. Almost too wide in fact.

"I'm Charlie." Charlie replied, wringing her hands together in an attempt to combat her anxiety at seeing a strange man.

Adam let out a bright peal of laughter as he took in Charlie's confused face. He motioned for her to come closer, a conspiratorial smile gracing his handsome face.

"I'll let you in on a little secret, okay? I'm supposed to be like that cricket guy from the puppet movie. Telling you what right stuff you should do," Adam said, looking into Charlie's large blue eyes a little too intensely.

"And why should I listen to you?" Charlie asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Because, you came from these. You and every single person you know. It's what makes me trustworthy." Adam pointed to where his genitals would have been. As though that was a good enough thing.

Charlie stared at Adam in silence, contemplating on whether to laugh or to roll her eyes in mockery. If he was indeed the first man, then that must mean...

"Oh, you're not dead yet. I just wanted to give you a heads up and stuff. Since every human has a chance to save themselves before they find themselves downstairs," Adam told her, perhaps in an attempt to lessen her confusion.

"So what you're saying is that you're like some sort of conscience?"  Charlie asked, bewilderment evident in her tone.

"Totally. As your ancestor, it's my duty to make sure that such a  fine woman like yourself must end up in heaven. Hell's a shithole and all. I've seen it myself! Anyways, you should be waking up now. See ya!"

And with that, Charlie woke up still in the luxurious bed that her father spent a fortune on. She turned her phone on and saw that she had slept the whole day. Sighing, she got up from her bed and made her towards the bathroom for a soothing shower.

Charlie let the cold water soothe her muscles as she stood in the shower, enveloped in the rose scented shower gel that was her favorite. After twenty minutes of bathing, she went back to her room and donned a blue cotton shirt and navy linen pants.

Charlie made a beeline towards the kitchen, looking for anything that might cure her hunger pangs. After searching the fridge for anything edible, she settled on some frozen pizza and proceeded to heat it in an oven. Once it was done, Charlie began to eat the pizza while scrolling on her phone.

At this hour, the Magnes would have attended mass at St. Patrick's Church, as both Lucifer and Lilith were devout Catholics, despite the odd names.

While plenty of young people found mass tedious and dull, Charlie was an eager participant in it. She found the music beautiful, as well as the church itself, with its ornate interior and beautiful stained glass windows that depicted various scenes from the bible.

Whenever she was inside the church, Charlie felt at peace with the world. A sanctuary where she could communicate with God, without the distractions of the outside world to tempt her.

A main Catholic teaching Charlie took to heart was to help the less fortunate out. Volunteering was just one of the many activities conducted by the church that she was happy to partake in. An eternal optimist, Charlie was always seen smiling whenever she helped someone in need.

As a girl, Charlie wanted to join a nunnery and be among the brides of Christ. Despite her fervent devotion, her plans fell through when she learned that she would have to lead a more humble lifestyle. Charlie was loathe to give up the lavish life that she was accustomed to, having been spoiled by Lucifer from an early age.

Lost in thought, Charlie recalled how much she used to love all the trappings that came with being a Catholic. That all came to an end with Lilith's death

If God were truly fair, Charlie thought, then my mother shouldn't have died such a painful death.

After Lilith's funeral in the very same church that once brought her joy, Charlie had lost interest in her faith altogether. She spent most of her time in bed, staring up at the ceiling, wishing for her mother to come back.

The sharp ringing of the telephone broke Charlie out of her reverie. She made her way to the phone and picked it up, waiting for the caller to speak.

"Good evening, may I speak to Miss Charlotte Magne?"

"Yes?"

"Charlie, you've forgotten about me already?"

Racking her brain for the possible speaker, Charlie was about to give up when that particular cadence finally clicked in her mind. It was Father Cruz, one of Lucifer's old friends from college before he decided to join the seminary. He was the priest who presided over Lucifer and Lilith's wedding, as well as the one who baptized Charlie. Even after joining the priesthood, Father Cruz was a man Lucifer considered family. To Charlie, however, she called him Uncle Gabe, since his first name was Gabriel.

"Uncle Gabe! I'm sorry for worrying you."

"It's okay, Char Char. I just wanted to check up on you. Anyway, I was wondering if you're free tomorrow morning. I'd like to catch up with you in person. If it's alright with you."

"I can, Uncle Gabe. I'm free tomorrow."

"Okay, Char Char. I look forward to seeing you at the parish tomorrow. Take care."

Charlie had a lot of free time on her hands, taking a year off from college to properly process her mother's death. So she was willing to visit Uncle Gabe, since it was a good distraction from her grief.