Friend of the Devil, Ch. 2

After the reception, Judge Flynn was decapitated in a car crash on her way home.

The next morning my phone rang.  I knew it was Satan and I didn't want to answer it.

But the iphone was in my hand.

"Samuel, this is Satan.  You must come with me to the new play at the Vishnu theater.  Its the local theatre that opened up at the corner of Laurence and South Grand.   I know the director.  Come support local arts with me."

I didn't want to go.

Outside the theater Satan had a small dog on a lease and kept kicking it gleefully.   The dog tried to escape, but each time Satan pulled it back.  The small eyes of the dog were swollen shut with the impact.

We entered the theatre.   It was empty.

The play began with an actor playing Jesus hanging on the cross.   He was smeared in blood.   The blood looked real.   The "jesus," smiling in ecstasy, kept repeating a mantra:

"May I open to the suffering in the world"  "May I die to the suffering in the world"
"May I open to the suffering in the world" "May I  die to  the suffering in the world"
"May I open to the suffering in the world" "May I  die to the suffering in the world"
"May I open to the suffering in the world" "May I die to  the suffering in the world"
"May I open to the suffering in the world" "May I die to the suffering in the world"
"May I open to the suffering in the world" "May I  die to the suffering in the world"
"May I open to the suffering in the world" "May I  die to the suffering in the world"

At the foot of the hanging "jesus" was saffron robed figure, presumably a buddha sitting in a seating lotus position in front of the cross.  A grotesque imp knelt beside the sitting buddha and stroked the buddha's erect penis.

Satan gloated:  "Isn't this delightful?  The symbolic unification of all religion based on death and suffering.  Notice how Jesus strains to keep his arms open to receive all the suffering in the world.  The buddha is trying to annihilate himself.  Ha! If they only knew what little boys are really made of."

Satan handed me my iphone.  "Check for yourself.   Look at the great reviews our little production received."  

I was in front of my computer terminal at work.  The screen showed the website "Rotten Tomatoes" and a dark red heart with a 150% next to the movie review.  Its not possible, I thought, the most the movie could have earned is 100% if all the movie critics in the country liked it. 

Satan touched me on the shoulder.

Samuel," It was the highest score for any movie ever created."