The Devil’s Lament

The Devil’s Lament

I strained my eyes to make out the dark figure in the distance. It was still dark, 5:30 a.m. on a cold winter morning. I had just missed my bus and was waiting for the next bus. I did not know when will the next bus come or if there is a next bus at all, but I was desperate to leave this wretched place. The bus stop was cold and dark; there was no sign of another living thing for miles around, and then I saw this figure moving in the mist, coming towards me.

The figure – a man in his mid forties, wearing a worn out hat and long coat - stopped near the bench, barely visible under the flickering streetlight. He slowly turned his bearded face towards me and said in a hollow voice “will you listen to my story?”

I could now see his face in the gloomy light; his eyes were glowing red, his face expressionless. “ya sure why not, but who are you buddy?”
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He looked at me and then slowly turned around and sat on the bench, his head bowed down; he slowly lifted his head and fixed his gaze at me.

“My name is ‘Devil’… ‘Diablo’… or you can call me by any of the thousand names that I have. I sit here today both proud and heartbroken….. Proud because I stood my ground and did what I believed in……. Heartbroken because I have to turn against everything I loved and have to leave all that I have gained after millions of years of struggle and hard work. I had to indulge in things that I never wanted to and I had to turn against those that I loved the most. And the worst part is that it is not over yet. I don’t know how much longer do I have to go through this. I really do not.

You may not find my story interesting but rather disgusting. That is what everyone thinks of me, maybe because they don’t understand my pain. But then, why should they? Why should anyone try to understand their enemy? But I do, I really do. And you are not my enemy. Yes I am fighting against you, but you are not my enemy, believe me you are not. No one is.

But I must warn you this is not a beautiful story. This is a disgusting and disturbing story of a disgusting person doing disgusting things. But maybe, just maybe, you will be able to see beyond all this disgust and catch a glimpse of who I really am and why all this ‘disgust’. That is my hope, my only hope.

I was looking at him – ‘Diablo’ or whatever he was – my mouth wide open, still recovering from the shock of enduring this unexpected monologue. But before I could say or do anything I heard the bus coming. Yes the bus was here, I grabbed my bag, ran towards the bus, signaling it to stop. The bus slowed down and stopped right besides the pavement. As soon as the door opened I quickly leaped inside and was on my way home – at last.