The Wasting

21-Doubt

SOD slithered out from beneath a rock, stretched to his full height and oozed words of doubt into Alfred's ear, "So now we are alone."

"I'm never alone," Alfred pleaded his case.

"But you let the silly impish girl take The Book..." SOD objected.

"Its words live in my heart and can never be taken from me." Alfred had a revelation he was wasting his breath on this shifting shadow. SOD knew the rules, in fact he knew The Book by heart. Still Alfred engaged in an unfortunate interaction with evil personified.

"Really?" SOD morphed his appearance from a shadow to a man. "If that book you are always campaigning truly lives in your heart than you must be a poor lover. For is it not true you left your first love for nearly four decades?" He sucked Alfred into his web of shame and accusations.

"Well yes... but..." Alfred attempted an objection. He was not winning his defense.

SOD mocked him, "Well yes... but you are a fool." He sauntered up in front of his red beady-eyed jury in the swaying spruces. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury... Do you find this man innocent or guilty of treason?" The glowing pairs of eyes quivered with delight. "A unanimous decision... Guilty!" SOD's voice boomed causing Alfred drop to the ground and hide his head with his arms. "You measly old man... You are a disgrace to your so-called King and I find you in contempt of life itself. You are hereby sentenced to eternal torment day and night by yours truly."

The jury surrounded Alfred as he attempted to crawl away. The larva-like beings clung together, preventing his escape. They encircled him like a bloody quivering jello mold. He was trapped.

"Meet my posse Al... They do my bidding and are my eyes and ears on this delicious planet." He licked his slippery red lips.

Sarcastically Alfred replied, "We've met."

"Ah yes... you have met. As a young boy I believe?" SOD morphed through the line of slime. After clinging for a moment, he broke free and appeared on the inside of the circle mimicking a handsome, contemporary man from the ancient GQ magazine. "They do good work don't you think? Unfortunately, I cannot be everywhere at once but they do take their daily assignments seriously. You, for example, had an entire crew on your tail day and night... Once you began memorizing the inane book with your little girlfriend... Marina right? The persecution became too much for you and you simply gave up. Well done Alfred. Good boy! No sense in wasting your time reading some dumb, old, useless book. Your young world was full of much more pleasing entertainments was it not? I understand once you abandoned your deplorable reading habit you took full advantage of all the baser forms of pleasure I afforded you."

"Stop it." Alfred covered his ears. "Do not remind me of my failures."

SOD continued his torment. "Yes... and your uncontaminated girlfriend fled the scene once she knew you had fallen captive to my enticements.

"Leave her out of this!" Alfred looked directly into SOD's facial façade.

"Little Marina Woods... so pure and good. SHE DISGUSTED ME!" SOD's vulgar form grew larger and broke the circle scattering his squirmy minions back into the surrounding pine trees.

"No one is pure... no one is good, save the Great Author." Alfred stood up.

SOD shrunk down. Mimicking the whines of humankind the shadow mocked, "If the Author is so good than why does he allow all the sickness of the world, all the hate, the poverty, the pitiful, dying, mutated children?" SOD's eyes drew narrow as his crooked, smile widened. I adore pitiful, dying children. I crave their whimpering and relish their rotting flesh.

"You know why SOD." Alfred stood up.

"Yes I do... I am extra good at my job aren't I?" He spat red foam on the street. "Man is so stupid..." He glided closer to Alfred. "Sometimes they don't even put up a good fight. If my job becomes too easy it gets dreadfully boring you know. Give me a good challenge I always say. You my friend fought the good fight and lost."

Alfred clenched his teeth, "I'm not your friend SOD." His anger made his entire body tremble.

"Come on now... you know the rules... You either follow the Author or you follow me, you-chose-me. And since you've followed me for forty plus years, I'd say that makes us the best of friends. "

"By default." Alfred knew he was beat.

"Okay, I'll take it. Besides it's all clearly stated in the rule book. Oh what a pity... I've burned almost every last copy."

"Almost..." Alfred made a valid point.

"Yes almost... there are nineteen copies at your old girlfriend's house. I don't know how I could have missed them. I burned the place down."

"You!" Alfred accused.

"Of course me! Were you expecting anyone else?" SOD enjoyed a good fire. "And about those remaining books...I choose you to help me get rid of them.

"I will do no such thing SOD.

"Can man be two places at once?" SOD teased.

Alfred answered, "You know we cannot..."

"Then while I am ridding myself of the rest of the hazardous books of the world you will be trying to save pathetic, blind Bell. On the other hand, you could stop me from torching the sub basement with granny and the geek still in it. Decisions, decisions, decisions..."

"Bell's blind?" Alfred let the sad truth sink in. She is blind--but alive!

"Yes, didn't you hear? Poor thing fell ill to one of my creatures. It is such a pity you didn't spend more time imparting any ancient wisdom to your girls."

"You insidious monster!" Alfred lunged toward SOD but he merely vanished and turned up behind him.

"I'm a monster Al? You are their doting grandpapa. I'm not the one hiding the truth from them--their entire lives." SOD flew up into the trees and bit the head off an unsuspecting bat just to show off. Blood squirted down SOD's chin and dripped onto Alfred's head resembling blood on snow..

Wiping the blood off his forehead Alfred attempted to excuse his actions, "But I have told them."          
"Too little, too late my crony comrade. Presently I'm waiting for the go ahead to make sickly Bell deaf as well as blind." SOD spoke as if Alfred was hard of hearing. "HOW WILL SHE BE ABLE TO ACCEPT THE WORDS OF THE BOOK IF SHE IS UNABLE TO HEAR THEM?"

Alfred stood a bit taller. "You have tipped your hand SOD."

"Never without reason Al. Make a choice. The copies or the blind girl?"

Afred pondered his choices. His detainment was due to his weaknesses, pure and simple. He had let SOD suck him into his evil forest of doubt once again. For a moment, a mere shadow had gotten him to believe the course of the world was in his own polluted hands. It wasn't. The King and the King only was in complete control. Renewed by this truth, he raced home to his family. Marina was far more trusting than he could ever hope to be. She and Leon would have the high calling of protecting the manuscripts, whether they knew it or not.

Author protect them.

-End of Chapter 21-

Author's note: I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Please vote, comment, follow and add The Wasting to your library. If you've got a book you'd like me to check out comment the title here: I'd be delighted!