How to Sell Your Soul

Chapter 9: The Purgatory Fountain

This was the second time, in way too short a period for Denarios' liking, he was meeting up with somebody in purgatory. At least Metatron had agreed to see him here. Of course this was the only safe place for them to do so without getting caught by either side. Which naturally raised questions as to why heaven or hell would even permit that. Shady dealings on either side could and have occurred in this place.

"Enter." The archangel said before the demon had a chance to even knock on the door. He watched as Denarios walked in closing the door behind him.

"Hello Metatron. Long time no see." He said with a half smile.

"Same to you." He walked over and shook his hand. "So I guess you're here about May?"

"So you already know?" He wasn't that surprised. Metatron use to be Harmonia's boss you guess one could say.

"Of course, I could hear her. I am the voice of God after all. All that the Seraphim sing are my hymns. You and Aurum are in some serious trouble over this."

"Before you say anything else I want it known that I had no idea it was her soul when I wrote that contract out! And I have done what I could to stop her from finding out! I'm here to even make sure of it!" He was out of breath. His whole reason of being here was to end all of this for her.

The archangel thought for a moment. It did make sense. Had the demon known that his lost loves soul was in that humans body he would have not allowed her to put it up for contract. This was sadly looking like Aurum had more to do with this since the beginning than Metatron thought.

"I'm here to tell you to take care of her after I'm gone. She needs to be somewhere safe and warm when she leaves the demon work house. Maybe even ask permission to have her memories erased of this whole time."

"So you wish to destroy your soul to break her contract?" Any other demon than Denarios and any other human than the one that carried Harmonia's soul and he wouldn't have believed it. He understood. Still wrong in all things moral in the eyes of heaven. But he understood.

"Before we do this may I ask one question?" Too late now, but he wondered if there had there been another way to handle what he did in the past?

"Of course." He nodded crossing his arms.

"All those years ago... What should I have done?"

Metatron was thankful that he finally asked. It was too late for the answer to be beneficial. It would now only cause pain. "You both could have asked to fall human. Take on the church that was doing wrong to their patrons. Made an honest woman out of her and done work in the lords name."

Hindsight was always twenty/twenty... "I shall refrain from the words that want to pour from my mouth."

"I appreciate the respect." He felt for the demon. He would have made a wonderful human.

~

The mirror like surface rippled where May's face was. Then it was gone to be replaced to a scene with Aurum and a beautiful six winged angel with flowing long curley red hair. It looked like Aurum was claiming his love for her and she gently turned him down vowing to not tell anybody about it. Then the scene changed to the day that Harmonia and Denarios lost their wings. It was painful to watch. But interesting because it matched her dream exactly. Now on to the next scene. Aurum was in Purgatory talking to Harmonia. Instead of her sparse flowing robes she was now in a gray suit. She lashed out at him and went to strike him with her open hand. The angel grabbed her wrist and pushed her into the well behind the fountain that May was at right now. Then darkness, darkness that felt like it lasted forever. Then light, beautiful sunlight, she could see the orphanage grounds where she grew up. There was her mother. Poor fourteen year old that couldn't take care of herself let alone a baby. May held no ill will towards the woman at all. Actually she even had a picture of her that was left with her. Then she could see herself when she was seven still in the home. Then singing in the choir traveling the countryside to perform. May aged out that place. She had never been adopted. Then adult life, lonely and bleak. One should never get bored watching their life pass before their eyes. Her reflection came back, yet half of her face wasn't hers, there was still a green eye looking back on that side, half of her hair was a fiery waterfall of curls. May couldn't turn away.

"I don't understand." As she spoke so did the mirror image. It was the same voice she had heard in her dream. "You pushed her in to be reincarnated so he couldn't find her?" Her voice sounded so strange.

"Yes I did." He said honestly.

"Did you already know before you brought me here?" What She didn't tell him was that she was still looking in the water as she asked. She could see when he figured it out. It showed her first time meeting him. It had been her fault because she was singing.

"Yes."

"Did Denarios?" Again she knew. She could see that he had figured it out the day she told him about shoving a candy bar in Aurum's face.

"Yes."

"Why..." She asked quietly to herself. Still the water answered. She could see and hear who she thought was Denarios talking to an angel that looked a lot like the homeless man she had met...

~

"I think you are too late for that request." Metatron stated. "Unless heaven does grant permission to erase her memory."

"What do you mean?" Just then he could hear it. "I have something I need to do! Could you please excuse me?"

"That's alright. I believe I have something to tend to shortly." With that the archangel was gone.

Damn stupid rules! Angels were allowed to teleport anywhere in purgatory. But demons could only teleport in and out, not through. Denarios swore as he ran out the door and down the office halls till he burst out the double doors to the garden. He saw May sitting on the edge of the fountain looking down. Aurum was standing back about ten feet behind her. He ran straight to Aurum and spun him around.

Aurum hadn't even sensed him near by and didn't see the fist coming till it landed squarely on his jaw sending him flying back. He watched as Denarios grabbed May and wrapped her up in his arms like a child.

"How dare you, you son of a bitch! You have no idea what looking into this fountain will do to a living human mind! Only souls can look in to check their balance! You asshole!" He looked down at May. Her eyes were glazed over as though she was still looking into the water. "You should lose your soul just for this!"

"She asked me to bring her here." He said shrugging his shoulders. "That's on you for not paying attention to her determination for wanting to do right by you. Guess that's the second time you screwed this soul."

"Me? You are the reason all of this happened!" Big words coming from a corrupt angel!

"Ah but that's not true at all. You stole money to give to the poor, but did you keep that to yourself? No. You told Harmonia knowing full well that she wouldn't turn you in. And now after you found out who May was, that secret you kept. Even though you knew she would stop at nothing to find your long lost love. You could have stopped her by telling her the truth."

Anger and guilt wretched through him like a knife. That bastard was right. Even though he had a hand in it all Denarios was not faultless.

She sensed that she had been picked up but she couldn't feel or move, only see and hear and... "You're beautiful Den."

He snapped out of his self loathing to look down at her noticing that it was his green arms that were holding her instead of the human flesh tone he disguised himself with when he was around her.

His eyes were deep and all black, his skin green like an emerald, with two gray horns peaking out from his shoulder length black hair. He was a fantastic sight. "You could have told me I was her."

He took a deep breath. "No I couldn't. If I had then there would always be doubt in your heart. Doubt that I love you for who you are, not for who you use to be. You are not her anymore. It may be her soul but you are not her."

He had just admitted that he loved her yet her body still could not move. That damn fountain! It felt as though she had been paralyzed. At least she could speak. "Yes I am. I love to sing, always have. And from the day I met you, even though I didn't know it right away, I loved you. I love you."

What in the hell was going on? She wasn't the least bit angry that Denarios had lied to her? It was like a flashback to all those years ago in the punishment chamber! Was there nothing he could do to win her? To cause her to hate Denarios? Was he slated to have no chance for what he wanted? Of course not... He was an angel! And angels don't get happy endings. They do nothing but work hard and do as they are told without question. Yet God overlooks their happiness. Why make an angel able to feel these emotions just to deny them the privilege to do so? All of this was making him sick. Without a word he vanished back to heaven to plot his next move.