Short story collection.

Lucifer

"The devil is real. And he's not a little red man with horns and a tail. He can be beautiful. Because he's a fallen angel, and he used to be gods favourite."

*************************************

I don't know how many times I've repeated the mantra, Lucifer, gods favourite, cast out by the almighty wrath of god. Lucifer Condemned to consume the souls of sinners and evil doers for eternity. I've done a lot of things; in the eyes of god I'm evil and will possibly live out my after life in the fiery depths of hell with the dammed whispering in my ear. I never thought I would end this way. By my own misadventure. Water droplets fall from the ledge above onto my hand, making it slick so it inched off the railing of the bridge. A person knows when their time is to leave this world, you feel it. I don't want this anymore, I refuse to die. My attempt to claw at the railing with my limp arm fails and my hand grasping the rail slips further. Energy to scream has left me and I sob helplessly, my tears falling into the raging river bellow me. Why was I this stupid to want for my demise? The icy cold water that caresses my skin feels like the hand of death threatening to let me drop. As if that I am Lucifer and being cast out of heaven, to fall off the fog covered bridge to the depths of the brown torrent below me.  If only I hadn't reached out and stopped myself at the last minute, it was as if time stilled and my mind didn't want me to follow through. If I had jumped, missed the edge of the bridge and fell into the river my bedraggled body would have floated peacefully without all this uncertainty and doubt. My coward dice has left me with the choice; let go, die, hold on and survive. Then all this is for naught, my addiction I know now, I can overcome, my abusive relationship I can leave and all the sins I have committed will be forgiven. My looming dark thoughts brought me to the edge to this bridge, told me to stand on the railing and let go, only now I see how I was so quick to end it all, to want for death so much when in reality to see my silver lining I had to throw myself off a bridge to come to terms that my situation isn't as bad as it seems. In a desperate plea to slave myself I reach for the railing grasping with all the might I have left and struggle to pull myself up. Just as I am about to reach for the higher railing my foot slips on the icy metal of the bridge and I see my death before my eyes. My abusive boyfriend denies what he did, claims the monster was in my head and I became unstable, uses my drug addiction as a media ploy, the news plasters everywhere images of my carcase washed up on the river bank intertwined in reeds and dead aquatic life. I am label a coward, suicidal villainess and a disappointment. From out of the darkness a strong hand catches me and pulls me back to earth, I find my feet are on solid ground and light reaches my eyes, my heart beats is in my ear. I catch my breath as the figure that pulled me up comes into focus. Blonde hair is my first observation, and I don't notice much at first, my near death experience has shaken me beyond words and I can't find my voice to thank the person.  Strong arms of the figure hold me up, and I'm glad, I don't have much energy to stand.  My eyes finally adjust and the person who now is a man is beautiful, undeniably. This blue eyes and perfect proportions are framed by his chiselled jaw.

"What's your name?" The angelic man asks.

"Mary, yourself?" I croaked.

"I'm Lucy." He replies smiling out the corner of his mouth.

"Is that short for something?" I mumble leaning over to catch my breath.

"Actually it is", I straighten back up to look at the man who now carries the wickedest smile upon his face.

"Lucifer to  be exact" he smiles and it's as if I'm looking into the devils eyes. Conscience falls away from me and I am consumed by Darkness.