Distance by Deceit: DREEM-WOTW challenge

It was the appointed time, though time had no real bearing on the conversation. The dialogue between the two would change nothing. Though both knew this as fact, it was still appointed and therefore would be honored. One patient, one prideful, both present - it began with an intriguing entrance.

Hard-heeled, leather boots hugged muscular calves. Sharp, staccatoed steps tapped across the polished marble floor. The spicy aroma of costly cologne announced his approach.

It was all illusion. The sound, the scent, and the staging was all for show, and he excelled in each aspect. As master of deception, he was ever-refining his skills of delusion and confusion. It mattered little that his audience was impossible to impress. Deception wasn't merely what he conjured, it was who he was - and so, his existence was fixed, predictable and inevitable.

"Seen your precious realm lately, have you?" the snarky comment was substituted for a proper greeting. He hungered for this these meetings, vivid memories of a time when he had full access branding his soul - or lack of one. But he had been banished, and there was no return; therefore, these conversations were a torture that he both resented and craved. There was no rest in this emotional duplicity. Hence, he felt no compulsion to resist every opportunity to be acidic. "I've been busy down there with your toys."

"I watch every detail, as you well know."

The truthful pain of that statement hit its target with precision. Yes, he did know. It made the sting of his own banishment all the more vicious. If he was growing too bold, too ambitious, too lofty in his journey to greatness, why hadn't he been curtailed? Why not come alongside him and counsel of the dangers? Why was he - in all his glory and potential for god-like sovereignty ignored and left to fall off the cliff, while the sniveling little worms were continually coddled and babied - despite their constant treachery? Was he so wrong for wanting to imitate perfection? To be a mirror of the One he admired? All in all, he could most certainly do a better job, and should have been allowed to prove it. But no - God forbid His Excellency be challenged.

"You..." the first word hung in air so long, it seemed to be a one-word address. After the pregnant pause, the thought continued,"... had a choice."

The fullness of that message wasn't spoken aloud, but rather permeated every cell with a resonance that spoke truth in love, in patience and in harmonious unity. Protons and electrons pulsed with joy, simply being allowed to be the tools to convey these intentions.

With a slash of opposing hatred, the antagonist spat out fury. Air molecules parted in fear and swirled away as sound waves of wrath blasted through the space creating tiny pockets of vacuous emptiness.

"Did I? And what choice did I have when my father created me to be all that you see?"

As his anger rose, his sneer turned feral, his perfect row of teeth elongating into fangs. The spicy scent of his aroma became acrid, giving off whiffs of sulfur. His cape, previously shining like gossamer became stiff, leathery, and inflexible.

"You continue to have a choice," Purity pulsed in reply.

Brazen, the deceiver coiled like a snake and hissed his reply. "Yesssss, I ssssssupposssse I do." Testing the air with a forked tongue, he paused, tentative. After being thrown out of the realm, he still had access to these meetings, but he had always suspected some trick, some impending punishment. Lured in, to be beaten down? Tolerated until his defenses were slack and then - the ultimate attack? He pushed and provoked beyond the boundaries every time, but had never let his rage push him too far. One day, he would. He knew it. All knew it. But, self-preservation suggested that he tread cautiously. But then again, arrogance instead dictated what came next.

"Ssssssee them down there? Sssssso unaware? Sssssso deliciousssssly oblivioussssss? Ssssso inexplicably disssssstant?" Uncoiling, he raised back up into human form, attempting to regain an air of dignity. "That's me. All me." Sniffing satisfactorily, he continued to enlighten his audience. "It's quite easy, actually. They want to believe that they're alone. They crave desperation. I barely have to convince them at all. Just smash their little hill, and watch all the ants scurry." Turning away from his host, he tilted his head to the left, his profile revealing an almost-human smile. Surprisingly, the human sneer appeared more sinister than his fanged one had been. He shook his head, mocking and patronizing. Running his tongue over his teeth, he measured the distance between his flaming darts and the heart of his target. "Tsk. tsk. Seems you do have a penchant for creating things that turn."

Silence reigned supreme.

The space crackled with friction and frustration, as patience stretched out infinitely. The enemy's silhouette flickered between serpentine and submissive as he fought to maintain his composure, but the silence proved to be a greater weapon than he was capable of enduring.

"Why?!?!" he demanded. "What pleasure can you get from this!"

A response was not truly needed, but would come today. Not so much for the instigator, but for the witnesses. Sometimes, the lesson was for more - beyond space, beyond time, beyond distance. This soul before Him was and would always be - lost - without redemption. But what of others? Others that would hear of this interaction, without even knowing that they were a part of it. The ones that were currently on His mind, and in His heart. The ones He was speaking to - even now, across the universe. To those, e would answer.

"Some will willingly choose you, but not all. It is true that they feel alone, hurting, far from me; the distance they feel is only your weak illusion. Your sham is only as strong as their belief that bolsters it. Your power is dependent on their acceptance. If they're listening, they'll hear that. If they're looking, they'll see. You hurt, I heal. You divide, I unite. You're temporary, weak, and in the light of eternity - trivial. I am not."

Raging eyes blazed fire, snorting nostrils fumed smoke, while fury seethed in the adversary's core- burning, boiling, bubbling. He measured his response, and then carelessly spat his retort in defiance. "Then, I will continue to destroy. This plan is flawed and deserves my merciless attention. I'll never cease to show them how far the gap is between you and them."

"You'll shout. I'll whisper. You'll break. I'll build." He stopped speaking to the man-serpent shifting between forms in uncontrolled fury. Instead, the message radiated out to an unseen audience, offering the unfiltered truth. "He will control. I'll comfort. He will destroy. I will restore. He is death. I am life."

Turning and daring to stalk forward, wrath filled the demon's entire being. "You'll leave them - like you always do. You'll forsake them - because its in
your character. You'll punish them - because you love it." His voice rose to a shriek, "You'll abandon them- like you did me!"

"Lies are no match for Love."

And just like that, the meeting was over.

This post was my entry for the #dreem-wotw challenge: Distant. If you feel so compelled to enter, please feel free to join in! Let the word "distant" dance inside your mind and see what kind of thoughts spin. Share them with us! Use the #dreem-wotw tag, and then submit the URL of your post TOMORROW on Dreemport.com. There, it will be curated and judged by anyone who logs on the following day to read 5 random selections of this challenge. You are very much invited to be a part of that and cast your own vote for your favorites! If you'd like more information - feel free to head to @samsmith1971's post 👉for all the details.👈