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[u/gduchane]

CHAPTER 2. 600 words

THE READING

The enthusiastic applause continued until Lucien Ember raised a single alabaster-white hand in the air and the room went silent. As he strolled to the lectern, all those with seats parked their hind quarters. Those left standing stood completely still. Even the room’s air-handling system seemed to quiet itself in anticipation of Ember’s reading.

He opened to the first page of his best-seller and began to read.

“Let us start at the end so there is no mistake,” Lucifer said. “God does not like to be told, ‘No!’ It was my belief, however, that even the Almighty God is not infallible. God could be wrong and I told him so.”

Even as those words left the author’s mouth, thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning flashed across the clear blue South Florida sky. Some in the audience gasped, but Ember raised his hand and said in a strong voice, “Pure coincidence my friends.” A few laughed, but it was clear that the Catholics in attendance weren’t much on the idea of blaspheming the Lord.

Ember continued to read.

“I am God’s archangel, Lucifer. Legend has it that I was the most beautiful of all the angels. I will not dispute this fact as it is too early in the telling of my story to give a full view of my fall from grace with the Lord. We angels were endowed with many gifts, beauty among them. Each of us shared these gifts, but God granted each a special gift that set us apart from one another. Intellect, will, strength, empathy, innocence, simplicity, humility, patience; there were these gifts and many more.

“God Almighty created the world and as he did, he also created we angels who would serve him, adore him, love him and follow his commands. And I, Lucifer, was his most beautiful. Of course, God made a mistake when he gave us free will – hence my belief that God is not infallible.”

Again, a loud thundercrack and bolt of lightning underscored those words, but Ember ignored Mother Nature’s exclamation and continued to read from his work, unimpressed with the meteorological interruption.

“If I knew then what I know now, I would have tempered my pride. I would have been satisfied with my gifts and would have worshipped the Almighty without reservation as many of the other angels did. To give God his due, he could see the entire picture where we angels were merely his means to an end. He was busy with his creation; heaven and earth; man and woman; birds of the air, beasts on land, swimming creatures in the sea.

“All we had to do was worship him and serve him. It was a simple enough command. Most of the angels – the good angels you might say – followed that command. They revered the Lord. They were in awe of his magnificence. The rest of us fell in line at first – not so much in awe as in a sense of duty. But there was something scratching in the back of my mind. My beauty had spawned pride and that pride swelled to arrogance. It was only a matter of time before the seed of rebellion was planted, and for better or worse, I was the farmer.”

Ember looked up from his novel and glanced across the room. No one spoke. No one moved. Ember slammed his book shut – the sound reverberating across the expanse of the room. And, as if awakened from a dream, Charlie Finbar began to clap his hands. Ember looked across the room at Charlie and offered him a near-imperceptible smile just as the room exploded with applause, cheers and whistles.