Soulless

ONE

He had come to her in a dream. A few days after her mother had died, a figure, more of a shadow than anything, appeared in the midst of her rather pleasant memory. The girl was reliving the day of her mother's death. It had been a good day, in all reality, until her father's trigger finger had "slipped."

The shadow's entrance into the dream seemed to pause the world. The girl's mother beamed down at her, her hair and skirt flowing in the wind. Her mother, tall, blonde, and still young, was beautiful.

"One day you'll be just as pretty," she'd said to her daughter. "I promise."

The girl found herself smiling at the thought of her mother's words. The smile immediately faded when the figure approached her. "Hello?" She'd asked.

"Hi," he replied. The shadow paused, looking at the beautiful, frozen-in-time woman. "Your mother, correct?" he'd asked.

The girl nodded, sadness overwhelming her. As the depression that came with her mother's death settled, the image of her mother blurred, turning into the picture of her body lying on the floor. "She died," the girl whispered.

The shadow nodded. "I'm sure that was hard for you."

"Oh, it was. My dad didn't mean to, but it still makes me sad."

The figure nodded. "Does it hurt?" He asked. "Your mother's death."

The girl looked away from the figure and down at her mother's crumpled figure. "Every single day. I know I can't bring her back but I wish she was here. Or, at least, I wish the pain would go away." She paused. "Who are you?"

The figure smiled. "Some call me Michael," he said. "Other have more... disturbing names for me."

The girl stared at him. "How are you in my dream, Michael?"

"Well," he began. "I used to be an angel. So, even though I can no longer fly, I can still visit people."

The girl's eyebrows furrowed. "Used to be..." she trailed off. "You're that fallen angel! The devil, right?"

The figure stopped smiling. "I prefer Michael, but yes."

"Oh, okay, sorry," the girl muttered. "But, wait. You aren't scary like everyone says you are."

He nodded but said nothing. The girl glanced at her mother again, thinking. The two stood in silence for several minutes before the girl spoke again.

"Why are you here, Michael?" The shadow met her eyes.

"I'm here to make you a deal," he whispered. "To take away your pain."

"You can do that?"

"Of course, little one. I can do almost anything."

The girl took a moment to consider his statement. "How?"

The devil smiled. "I need your soul," he replied.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "That's it?" Michael laughed.

"No, my darling. That's not all. If you kill your father, thereby giving me your soul, I'll make sure your life is prosperous and painless."

She had stared at him. "You want me to kill my father?"

"Yes," he replied. "After all, he did kill your mother, didn't he?"

The girl's eyes flicked to her mother. Part of her knew what she had to do was wrong, but the other part of her wanted the pain removed. The other part of her wanted to relieve herself of the pent up anger she had toward her father.

After a moment of silence, she looked back up, meeting the devil's eyes. She paused, then, slowly, she replied.

"Okay."