Storytelling for Week 13: What I learned in Hell

“Dad, can you tell me about that time you met Satan?”

(Thinking to himself) Ugh, why does he always ask me this? I oblige every time and hope that the message will get through to him, but I especially don’t feel like telling stories today. I’ve told him everything I know, given details about each circle of Hell and the consequential punishments. I hate thinking about it and especially hate the notion of it knowing my time is almost up. I might not be on this Earth much longer though, so I’ll take the opportunity.

Son, there’s a reason we go to church every Sunday, no matter what. There’s a reason we donate our money, and there’s a reason why we’re very protective of you. Many years ago, I was lost and living my life the wrong way. I did drugs, I didn’t go to church, I wasn’t faithful to your mother, and the list goes on. This went on until one day a blessed spirit in Heaven took it upon herself to get me back on track.

“Dad, why did she pick you?”

I don’t know son, but I’m glad she did. She guided me into the woods where I met an amazing man named Virgil. He taught me so much in so little time, and told me in order to go to Heaven someday I needed to take a trip with him. This trip was through the depths of Hell of course, but he provided a strange sense of security. While I was there I saw the most terrible things. Adulterers, thieves, addicts, heretics, anything you can think of. I witnessed their eternal pain first hand and even came face to face with the devil himself. The epitome of a sinner, he sits in the deepest circle of Hell, frozen, unable to speak. I learned that many of the people I saw there were no different than myself at the time, and I needed to change. Son, if I kept living how I was I would be headed towards the same fate right now.

“Dad, where are you headed now?”

I’m not sure, but I would like to think I’ve been living a godly lifestyle and that I’ve passed that down to you as well. I’ve seen what happens to the people who stray and I can’t imagine being there for eternity.

“Dad, I don’t want to go there either.”

Read more about how Satan is portrayed in Dante's Inferno here.

Author’s Note

This isn’t a retelling of any specific story, but Dante from Dante’s Inferno is on his deathbed and talking to his little son. We don’t know very many details about Dante’s life, so I made them up, but he did get shown through Hell because he was not living a religious lifestyle.

Bibliography

Dante’s Divine Comedy translated by Tony Kline (2002). Dante's Inferno Unit.

Image Info: Web Source: Wikipedia.