I pace back and forth in my tomb-- this
sepulcher of darkness and death, never
seeing the light of stars or feeling the
pull of the Moon. Long ago they
sealed me up in this accursed concrete
box in the park of the dead and left me
for the conqueror worm. Saying that I
was evil, they tortured and killed me on
the rack, trying to force a confession of
my alliance with Satan of the Infernal
Kingdom.
"Confess!" Howled the priests of the
forgotten god. "Confess or Die." They
gave me no options. They had already
destroyed my wife at the flaming stake,
and now they wanted me. As the fire
of torment rushed through my body, I
cursed these bastards with all of my
heart and soul. In my mind's eye, I
scooped up molten brimstone and flung
it at them! At the time, I had never
consorted with the Devil, no not once!
But as my defilement by these cloaked
sons of a mad god continued, I threw
back my head and asked Satan to
Avenge me!
"Fill me with the power of the Infernal
Kingdom," said I , as a grunt of rage-
soaked pain escaped my constricted
breast. "Lord Satan, give me the power
to destroy these vermin who torment
me so. Give me the power to tear out
their throats and rip out their immortal
souls that I might present them to you
as an unholy offering on the last day."
"I curse them and their children, and I
shall offer them up to you in blood-
soaked rags of sack cloth and ashes, for
they are rightfully yours." Oh, the hot
coals on my eyes began to cook the
limitations and love for a hateful god
out of my brain as I lay there in agony
and despair. The pain ground on, but I
clenched my teeth and spat my curse at
them with all of my power and will.
"Satan, Satan, where for art thou
Satan?" Where was the Dark Lord who
could offer me succor in my time of
need. "Lord Satan, raise me up from
this place of despair!" Oh, my misery
made me twist and turn in the grip of
the rack, and then blackness-- nothing.
My spirit floated free above my ruined
body that the priestly pretenders had
destroyed on their evil device of hatred,
intolerance and vengeance. Words
would do no good now, but there was a
dark one who appeared and held out
His hand unto me, saying: "Thou hast
done well my servant. Thou hast called
upon my name in thine hour of need,
and I have answered thee. Thou art free
of their clutches and are free to enter
the joys of the abyss of Summer Land
where thou shalt makest thine eternal
home in plenitude and delight.
Would thou carest to have the return
of thine spouse, or would thou carest
for another? "No, I will keep my wife,"
said I, as she has served me well and is
of great value to me." "To me too,"
answered Lord Satan with a faint smile.
"I forget not mine own!"
"Come with Me for now, my son, and
enjoy all that I have given thee against
the day of awakening when thou shall
have thine unholy revenge and visit
thine hatred upon the descendants of
those who have needlessly destroyed
thee in their evil passion, before their
mad god of the desert-- thine day shall
come."
I was so happy in Summer Land that I
soon forgot my time of suffering. My
wife was restored unto me as a young
maiden, even more beguiling than I
remembered her in my youth. I had all
that any man would want, and not a day
went by without my giving thanks to
my Lord Satan and the Principalities
and Powers of Hell who kept us safe
from the bands of marauding angels
who wished even the destruction of our
spirits.
But now I awaken in my tomb, this
sepulcher of rock and concrete. Why
am I here? Oh yes, my curse! I
remember my hatred and my vow of
vengeance! What was it that my Lord
Satan said unto me so long ago in my
time of pain? Something about rising
up and fulfilling my vengeance upon
the third and fourth generations? Yeah
verily, the last days must be near, for I
have returned to the place of men, not
through birth, but through resurrection.
I am a nightmare now. I look horrible,
like the grim reaper, or perhaps, one of
the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!
My hatred knows no bounds, and I
shall howl at the Moon in praise and
thankfulness for my time of seething
and merciless vengeance. The corpses
of mine enemies shall rot upon the cold
earth, for I am here!
Yes, my day of vengeance has arrived.
I pace back and forth in my dark and
musty cell, questioning and waiting...
Then it came! The sound of scraping!
I hear a strange noise that sounds of the
roaring of many great beasts, and hear
the metallic scraping of a great shovel
of metal upon the outside surface of my
crypt. I feel the strain that the great
beast places upon my chamber and hear
a great cracking noise as light appears
through the crumbling stone.
It is not a beast a all, but a great, yellow
machine with a shiny, metal blade that
digs earth. Surely, there was nothing
like this in my time. A man perches
upon a tiny, black seat at the rear of the
machine and works small levers back
and forth in his gloved hands. The
crack opens wider and with a lunge, I
am free!
