Gods And Monsters

1. a formidable place

---------------\\ A F O R M I D A B L E P L A C E //---------------

The devil does not beg forgiveness, especially not from his ex-girlfriend.
It was her fault that he went to the bar, had a few too many drinks, and rolled over the next morning to a delightful girl for round two. It was her fault, because he was jealous. It was written all over his self-consumed ego. He was just a junior assistant of a barrister, while she was the award winning world creator, designer, architect of what he thought was an average planet - Earth. The devil could not date just anyone. And yet, all Dante wanted was forgiveness and to have her in his arms again.
Having decided this, the only way that seemed conceivable, with a chance of working, was to talk to her directly. That meant going to Earth and finding her. Which was oh so simple, of course, when the universe was infinite.
The stars strippled and swirled as he found himself in a park. He had taken a book out of the Athenaeum in the designer section on Earth. He had been to Earth before, but one of the things Dante remembered Ceci going on about was how it was ever changing. He now knew that parks were recreation spaces where humans, no, people could appreciate green things. He did not really get the point of them. It was irrelevant, at least in his mind.
He noticed that there was a library, an Athenaeum. He walked briskly through the park. He had no desire to dawdle on this planet. He had pre-chosen his Earthly attire to remain inconspicuous. Dante would never admit that he was actually quite found of the billowing black coat. It swished behind him as he walked and observed the flowers and trees, each part an intricate aspect of the whole. In fact, he would not diminish himself by saying it was quite-
"What the hell?" Squawked a voice. He had walked into something small and obnoxious. "Look where you're going!" It spat.
"I'm sorry," he muttered before moving on wards. What did "hell" mean? It would be the first thing to look up in the Library after Creator. He had written a list. Creator was first, because he wanted to see where Ceci fit in, to work out the surroundings before the target. It was a standard plan, especially useful in his chosen field - law.
"Jerk," the imp called behind him as he walked away, into his thoughts. Spiteful creatures, it was a wonder that they "controlled" the planet.
He walked the rest of the way with no trouble of people and opened the Athenaeum door. A little noise went off as he entered. It startled him for a moment, till he realised that it was signaling his grand entrance. Dante wandered up to the desk. A woman (the female of the dominating species) sat there with glasses on the tip of her nose and a sour face. Her little name tag, which Dante could just see when he squinted, read Gertrude. She did not live up to her name. Her eyes were focused to her lap, where, he could tell as he lent forwards, she had a book.
"I would like to inquire about the Creator of this Planet," Dante declared, remembering that he must comply with the customs of earthlings. "Please, madam."
The sour lady with a running face looked up, surprised to see a towering gentleman looming over her desk.
She blushed a dark shade of pink before snapping to her senses. "The creator of this planet? Inquire? What odd phraseology you have." However, Gertrude had been taught to have manners, so she answered his question. "Well, there are plenty of different ideas. I assume you are writing an essay, so you will want a selection for you to inquire about." She giggled in a high pitched tone that was unsettling when paired with her vulgar complexion. It was completely lost on Dante. Had he made a social par? He did not think so, but followed her nevertheless.
Through a maze of bookshelves and a blur of spines he followed. Athenaeums made his brain swirl. Gertrude stopped, and Dante bumped into her back. She gave him a light, playful glare (which disturbed Dante greatly) before gesturing gruffly at the shelf.
"Try the Bible, Vedas, and maybe the translation of the Qu'ran."
"Thank you." He paused for a moment. Did they use names when on familiar terms? "Gertrude." The woman flushed a violent shade of red and scuttled off back to her post. Was she ill, or had he said something wrong? He wasn't quite sure. Dante picked the books she recommended, he would read them later. He vaguely remembered the way to the desk and set off. Next, he would ask about the "Hell".
He reached the desk. The library was silent still, like unsettled dust. It clung to the pages of books, so loud and triumphant with words. He buzzed with the electric emotion between the pages. He could sense it all. It was in his blood to feel the frozen energy of creation. It was beautiful, and yet it gave the envy and want inside him the water to grow. Gertrude sat once again with her head bent suspiciously in her lap, reading. It was the same position as before. Her bones must crackle with rage at her appalling posture.
"These, please." He placed the books on the desk as her head jerked up, eyes squinting at his chest. Her eyes moved up to his face. "I also wanted to inquire about the 'Hell'?"
Gertrude's pointed eyebrows raised at the man's strange language. The purple glasses slipped down her nose a little more. They would fall off soon, how had they not already? She looked puzzled, but then relaxed and sunk into her chair.
"I think you will find those books sufficient enough." A creepy smile drew across her face. Dante was not afraid of her in any way, but this curdling raised his heart rate.
"Thank you, madam," he said quickly, with a charming smile. It never hurt to be polite. He picked up the books, as Gertrude was still dazed. She forgot to say to return them on the due date. She was clearly a failed librarian.

---------------\\ & //---------------

There was cafe next door. Charming, with the smell of the brew of coffee. Not that Dante liked coffee, he just admired the aroma. It was a product that traveled through space regularly.
He pushed open the door and entered. The same little bell went off, signaling his entrance. There was no queue in front of the counter, but delicious cakes perched on top. The man behind had scruffy brown hair and tortoiseshell glasses, squarely poised on his nose.
"Can I help you?" He asked, a cold sniffling through. Dante smiled politely - if not slightly hauntingly, and stated:
"Yes, I would like a Lady Grey tea, lightly milky with no sugar."
"That will be £1.50 please." Dante handed over the change he had conjured from his pocket. "Thank you very much, enjoy your tea."
The waiter pushed the cup towards Dante. A slice of orange had been cut, floating in the tea. He picked the cup up carefully in one hand and smiled before moving to a table in the back. He sat down and put down the books beside him. A little barrier of privacy, not that it was needed in the corner. He chose the first volume and began to get lost in the figurative time.
Devil, Satan, Hell, the formidable place. The evil enemy of God. It was true that their relationship had not ended well - but an enemy? This was a revenge so cruel and misleading. He had become a villain in her own mind, her own creation. A fallen angel who had done wrong, gone bad. Dante had not done anything wrong. Not in his opinion, anyway - he had explained it perfectly clearly to her.
A fallen angel. Dante suppose this was the only semi-redeeming feature that Ceci had said. Commanding the bad, damned for eternity. In a weird way, it was true. He was helping his commanding barrister in cases where someone would be found guilty and prosecuted - if unfairly. These were fickle half-truths - he wasn't sure they were even worth the title of lies.
But, to install this petty revenge on billions of toys? No, this was too far. The fantastical revenge that Ceci had devised was not fair. It was fuel to the fire that burned, and Dante wanted her back. He would accept this and move on. It was what he must do.
"Would you like a refill?" Dante snapped back from his dark brooding to the waiter, hovering with a teapot. Dante nodded. The cup filled with liquid, and with a plop another slice of orange came out. It occurred to Dante, at that slice of orange, that he might need a place to stay in order to see Ceci.
"You would not, by any chance, know if there was a place to stay, er..."
"Alex."
"...Alex?" Dante drawled. He had to appear normal. So he needed a place to stay, and observe the "normal" human way of life. Age old books from Earth took years to reach where he lived. He would not admit that he like it on the small planet. Alex perked up.
"Well... There is the hotel down the road but that is ridiculously expensive" Alex paused for a moment. Money was no cost to Dante. The waiter hesitantly continued "I am in need of a flatmate, but I would have to ask some questions first."
This was an opportunity Dante could not miss. A real life interaction with a human being, of the approximate human to ominous years no less. This waiter had given him the chance. Now al he need was to charm the man in letting him stay.
"Go on, Alex...ander?" Dante preferred full names to shortenings. Alex snorted as he sat down. The cafe was quiet - not much was going on.
"Do you have any habits I should know about? Like leaving doors open, or the fridge?"
"No."
"I'm quite a messy person, do you mind it?" He confessed, "I have a cleaner..."
"That is content." Alex looked at Dante funny, and Dante realised his mistake. "-fine, I mean fine. I am not the cleanest person myself."
"Now, the serious stuff." Dante braced himself. "Do you have a criminal record? Any crazy relatives or relationships?"
"Yes, I do," Dante said. He had better come clean about Ceci before his relationship started and Alex would be swallowed into it - a wingman, a supporter.
"What did you do?!" Alex exclaimed, "Was it a bank, a park bench? No - it couldn't be - not a lady's handbag?" He stage whispered as Dante stuttered to correct him.
"Er...no! I don't have a criminal record! There's nothing strange about me!" Dante blurted nervously. Alex slumped down into his chair. The idea of a criminal was too damn exciting in his unsociable world. "I just had a crazy relationship, and, well, I want to get her back. That's why I need a place to stay."
This softened Alex's heart. He could not bear the idea that someone could be without love. Not that Alex was an acquainted with it, let alone friends. He could not miss what he did not have.
"True love conquers all, eh?" Alex beamed goofily.
"I hope so."

© 2014 Aria Seabrook All Rights Reserved