My religion taught me to live in fear. Fear of demons in the shadows, tempting me to stray from the straight and narrow path. Fear of sin that could curse me to Hell’s eternal flames.
Every night I pray for forgiveness of all my sins, known and unknown, lest I miss one and be forever damned with the lost. But I never really know for sure.
Tonight, as I brush my teeth, I gaze at my reflection in the mirror and see a shadowy, hooded figure creep up behind me. It whispers, “Give up, you are already lost.”
My heart pounds and head spins; I stagger backwards onto the bed. The figure pounces, cape outspread, covering me with his body, strangling me with impossibly large hands that encircle my throat. I can’t breathe, I can’t scream, I struggle for air, but there is none. I think I’m going to die. This is the end. The devil has come for my soul.
Everything goes black.
I see the distant light of flames and hear the faint screams of torment. An invisible force propels my body forward. The flames get closer; the screams get louder. I feel the heat and terror in the air. I must be in Hell.
“No!” I shout. “It’s not fair!” I thrash violently and flail with all my might to escape the fire, but my feet are stuck, and I can’t move. Satan stands nearby wielding his giant glowing pitchfork as his minions hiss and laugh.
The flames lick at my legs and feet, engulfing me, and I know I am doomed to burn forever. But why? I say my prayers every night. What did I do to deserve this wretched fate?
Voices shout and hands reach, grabbing me, pulling me into the fire. Is it one of the lost? A demon? The devil himself?
I open my eyes and gasp. I’m surrounded by flames on every side, as timbers crackle and roar like the screams of hell. I choke and cough in the thick smoke, and my eyes sting. A fireman lifts me from my bed, cradles me in his arms, and carries me from the inferno to the safety of outdoors.
It was a dream, but what a terrible dream! Hell is a real place, if only in my mind. At least this time.
I’d better remember to say my prayers.
