Page 14 of Unholy Night

Mandy looks up at me and grins, crumbs dotting her chin and a dollop of red frosting on the tip of her nose, making her look a bit like Rudolph.

But it’s Lucifer’s gaze that heats me up through the layers of clothing, making my skin tingle with the promises inherent in his look. Promises I will not lay claim to, no matter how tempting he is.

His grin is wicked as he takes in my outfit. “If at any point you need help peeling yourself out of those layers… let me know. I’m quite skilled at such things.”

I snort. “I’m sure you are, but I’ll be fine.” I’m starting to sweat though, so I clap my hands and put on my mom voice. “Shall we be off then? I’m not sure how this works but I don’t imagine we have a lot of time to make this happen?”

This is the first time I’m actually considering the logistics of this night. How will Mandy get any sleep? There’s no way she’ll have the stamina for an all-nighter. How are we going to get to every house on earth in one night? Or at least the ones that celebrate Christmas, which is still a shitton. And if Santa is truly real, why do so many kids go without during the holidays? I need answers, but these aren’t questions I want to ask in front of my child.

Lucifer stands and helps Mandy up, who’s a bit unbalanced with her multiple layers.

“Yes, about that,” he says. “First, we’ll need to stop by Hell to get ourselves organized. Then we can begin.”

“Hell? As in… actual hell?” I ask, my throat going dry.

He nods. “Don’t worry, it’s quite pleasant for honored guests, of which you both are, of course. You needn’t fear the more nefarious parts of my domain.”

“Right. Sure. Okay. How do we get there?” I ask. I must be under some kind of madness spell for even considering taking my child to hell with Satan on Christmas Eve. If my ex finds out about this, he’ll have a field day in court. But of course, he already tried to accuse me of being Satan, and that didn’t fly. So no one would likely believe him about this even ifhebelieved it, which he wouldn’t. That man doesn’t have a magical bone in his body.

And he has no claim on me or Mandy anymore. She’s all mine. I repeat that mantra to myself daily, when anxiety creeps up and fears starts to take hold again. It’s done. The abuse. The court battles. It’s over.

Lucifer holds out his hands, and those same flames from earlier appear. At least this time my fire alarm won’t go off.

“The fastest way is through a portal,” he says. Then he chants something in what sounds like an ancient language made up of guttural sounds under his breath and flicks his wrist.

Before us, an arched doorway appears, made of the flames themselves.

“We’re supposed to walk through fire?” I ask.

But my fearless daughter is already approaching the door. I reach for her hand but she touches the flaming doorknob. “It doesn’t hurt, Mommy. See?”

Without hesitation she twists the knob swinging the door wide open. With a squeal she launches her way through the door and out of my sight.

“Mandy!” I run forward without thought, and as I move through the frame of the door I feel a shiver travel up my spine. My skin feels electrified, sizzling with a magical energy. I feel weightless for a moment, and then my feet slip on dew wet grass and I barely manage to stay upright. A solicitous hand slips under my elbow to steady me, but I shake it off. “Mandy, get right back here.”

It’s dark, but there is no missing the bright blue of her snow suit and jacket. She’s twirling in a slow circle, her mouth open in a wide ‘O’. “It’s like a fairytale!”

Taking in her amazement and wonder, I realize she’s in no immediate danger, so I look around too. I expect rocks and fire, dank smells, and scorching heat. Brimstone and torture. The usual hellscape.

I am incredibly wrong.

The air is cool, but not cool enough for the amount of clothing I’m wearing. A soft breeze tickles my skin and lifts my loose hair from around my shoulders. The air is so sweet I can almost taste it on my tongue. Crisp, clean, and devoid of any sort of pollution. It’s something I’ve never experienced. I doubt even the air at the very peak of Monte Picchu is so fresh. Untainted by pollution, untainted by humans, untainted by evil.

It is only in this moment of experiencing such purity that I realize how toxic my normal environment is. Like coming out of an abusive relationship where you think that’s the norm, and finding out it’s not. That there can be kindness and goodness in others. Like seeing the sun and the moon for the first time.

I turn in a slow circle to take it all in, and I see the fiery door I just came through disappear as Lucifer steps through.

The largest trees I’ve ever seen surround us, almost blocking out a clear, star-studded sky. In the lichen, different shades of flowers are peppered at their base. Amongst the branches, soft orbs of light float here and there like fairies. I spin in my own slow circle and take an even better look. In the distance I can see the glimmer of lights that must be from a small town or more likely village. Is it populated by demons? It feels more likely we will run into a fairy or a unicorn rather than a famed creature of hell.

Modern religion is wildly off the mark in its understanding of hell, it seems.

But that’s not what stops me in my tracks.

Behind us stands a castle straight from the bedtime stories I read Mandy every night.

Beige stone that shines softly in the moonlight, a drawbridge made from the smoothest wood I’ve ever seen, turrets that would make the buildings in Manhattan jealous, all surrounded by a moat of crystal clear, teal water. Vines creep along the stones, purple flowers blooming even in the dark. Glowing gems the size of my head light the path along the bridge. Crystals are arranged in a delicate swirling pattern above the arch of the castle entrance and along the visible windows.

My wildest imagination could not have conjured a place such as this.

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