Have you ever seen the devil?
I see him in the morning, at 6 AM, when my first alarm rings.
Somewhere between the middle and the end of the song, along the rushed, disconcordante notes, I hear his voice. It's soft as a cloud, warmer than the sun. Unfitting for such a sinner.
"Turn the alarm off. You can sleep ten more minutes. You can lay in bed, just a bit more. Rest your body."
I see him when I sit at the breakfast table, my back straight, unlike the nest of black strands laying atop my head, unlike me.
His eyes shine, with such kindness, you'd almost imagine a crown of thorns on his beautiful curls. Those eyes don't meet mine. They stare at the plate, with a sad look. Their blue is reflected right back at him. Too caring for sinners like him.
"You need to eat. How else will you be able to go through the day? Nourish your body."
I see him when I'm getting ready, his reflection in the bathroom mirror welcoming me as I walk in.
I try not to look at him, but his face is more welcoming than mine. I start to wonder if the Moon does rise along with the Sun, and is just obscured by his beauty. Maybe that's why the Stars only come out at night. They've learnt their place.
"Embrace your beauty. If you weren't meant to love yourself, your eyes, your nose, your lips, your shoulders and every other part of your body, if you weren't meant to love yourself, you would've been born blind, deaf, mute and loveless. Appreciate your body."
I turn my gaze away from him and leave. Behind me, the mirror lays shattered.
I see him when I go out with my friends. He sits next to me as the waiter passes me the note.
I haven't eaten much, and only drank water. He'd been much the same. Could he even eat? I've been told stories of him eating the souls of youth, yet he seems hesitant to even touch the chicken breast. I could see the pity in his eyes, like he'd been told to kill it himself. Maybe he has. Maybe he did.
As I reach to pay for everyone, he sighs. A soft sound, like wind blowing through a broken bell.
"You know, you don't have to do that. Pay only for what you've bought, you're tight on money. Save it to maintain your body."
I frown at him and extend my card.
I see him when I'm sitting on the shore, the cold water chilling my feet. I look at him, and his wings glow brighter than that big ball in the sky. Yet, they don't burn me when my hand brushes against the feathers.
I see a family admiring the waves. They don't notice us.
The father holds the mother's waist, smiling at her as if she hung the stars, looking like he'd burn down the Heavens for her. Their child is running around, her giggles sweeter than the nectar of the gods.
My companion stares at me, his eyes sad, glistening with oceans of unshed tears.
"It's okay to admit you're jealous. You wanted to have what they have, there's nothing wrong with that. Wishing you had a better childhood does not make you a bad child."
I see him when I take the shortcut to my apartment. He's walking next to me, looking cautiously at every man passing by. I do the same, occasionally speeding up.
He stops walking. So do I.
To my left, I see a man whistling after a little girl with wild black hair. Her dark brown eyes are wide, like a deer staring at a hunter. I feel anger burning my veins, my fists clenching.
His fists clench, too, his perfectly sculpted brows furrow, his lips curling into an ugly snarl.
"Don't pull the covers over your anger. Protecting others is a good soul's ultimate purpose. Do as you wish to achieve it."
When my fist connects with the man's face, when I hear the crack and my once tan hand is redder than my companion's curls, I finally feel satisfied.
Last time I saw him, I was waiting for my date, wearing my best suit, the bags under my eyes gone, a half-empty glass of wine in my hand.
He offered me a smile, filling my glass once more, those now so familiar blue eyes glinting in the dim lights of the restaurant.
"Don't be anxious. If you won't find love in this person, there's always another. Don't settle, know your worth. Having standards doesn't make you undeserving."
With that, he disspeared, leaving me to wait for my date.
Following a short wait, my date came, greeting me with a charming smile and twinkling eyes.
Maybe it was irony that his curls were as red as the wine and eyes as blue as the sky. Maybe it was fate.
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