The Sprout

Short Story: Seven Deadly Sins

Posted by emb789 from Cardiff - Published on 03/08/2010 at 13:57
1 comments » - Tagged as Creative Writing

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Mr Grey
"Gluttony, Lust, Greed, Despair, Wrath, Vain, Pride. Now, repeat that back."
A chorus came back from the class of young angels of "Gluttony, Lust, Greed, Despair, Wrath, Vain, Pride!" Teaching the younger angels gave me joy, they came up with strange ideas, but it's OK, because as soon as they pass the exams, all independent thought will be lost.

"Sir?" came the voice of a young girl near the front. She'd barely made it into Heaven, she'd committed six of these sins by the age of fifteen.
"Yes, Lucy?"
"What happens if someone commits all of these?"
"They are condemned. Even the highest ranking angels cannot save them."
"Sir?"
I sighed. "Yes, Lucy?"
"Why wasn't I condemned, if I had intent to commit the seventh sin?"
"Because you had a high ranking angel to guide you. You never noticed him, but he was there. He cared deeply about you, and he plans to find you, now that you're here, too."
"What's his name, Sir?" She asked. She just wouldn't shut up, would she? It's OK, though. The System will take that out of her.
"His name? I believe it is Matthew. He only died a year or so before you, but he's already one of our best angels. In fact, he requested to be assigned to you, specifically."

Lucy gasped. Matthew had been her best friend, who had died, trying to stop her from committing her first deadly sin. In fact, after his death she committed two in quick succession - Lust and Despair. But, he claimed he'd cleared every memory of himself from her mind before becoming her Angel. It's impossible for an Angel to lie, physically impossible, so maybe she managed to hold on to some subconscious memories?

The day ended, and Lucy ran out of the room instantly. She was going to try and find Matthew, I could tell.

***

Lucy
For some reason, the name "Matthew" sounded familiar. Like trying to remember a dream, the more you try and focus on it, the further away the truth seems to become. All I knew was I had to find him.

The best place to search seemed to be the Heaven Directory - there, a record is kept of every angel. It's very convenient, it's all digital now!

I fired up the computer, and typed "Matthew" into the search box. Mr Grey had said that Matthew was a young but high ranking angel. I narrowed the search down to people named Matthew, ranked B-rank or higher, and who had been in Heaven for a year. I got back one result, Matthew James. Phone number... I pulled out my mobile and typed in the seven digit number (in heaven, all numbers are divine) and waited for an answer.

"Hello, Matthew speaking?" That voice... it was so familiar...
"Ah! Hi, my name's Lucy, an-"
"Lucy! You made it here! I'm so glad, I worked so hard to save you, in both life and death!"
"In life? Did I know you?"
"Oh. I knew you, but you don't know me. Would you please meet me at seveb tonight, at Divine Drinks?"
"Um, yeah, it sounds good!"
"OK, I'll see you there. Bye!"

***

Matthew
I sighed. The old me would have contradicted the rules that stated that Lucy was not allowed to remember me, but the new me takes whatever is given to him. I don't want to comply, but what choice do I have? Everyone thinks I've lost all independent thought, but I haven't. I've just kept it hidden.

***

Lucy
That night, at seven, sharp, I was stood outside Divine Drinks. Many angels had passed me, but none of them had stopped, so I knew they weren't Matthew. Then I saw a face. It was a face I recognised, but I couldn't place my finger on where I'd seen it before. Maybe in a magazine or a picture?
"Matthew?" I called out.
"Lucy, I need you to trust me, please. Come to my house with me, so I may speak to you."
"I know I've never met you before," I began, "But for some reason, you are so familiar. Why do I know you? Where have I seen you before?"
"Come with me, and I will explain."
I didn't have time to waste dithering. It was time to make a decision.

***

And in the end...
Lucy was never seen again, in Heaven, Hell, or on Earth. Matthew fell from grace for doubting the Lord. Mr Grey started giving angels independent thought, but taught them how to keep it secret. For those who never met these three angels, life went on as normal. But things were starting to change, and it was all down to Lucy.

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