Encouragement

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They will pass
through the land,
greatly distressed.....
and they will look
to the earth,
but behold,
distress and darkness,
the gloom of anguish,
and they will be
thrust
into thick darkness.
[Isaiah 8:21-22]
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(Depression squirms.)
"BOSS!
(Backs up against the door.)
I'm SORRY!"

(Devil screams, the thick
veins popping out against
his beautifully sculptured
throat.)
"LISTEN, you NUMBSKULL!
I did my BEST, TONIGHT!
What HAPPENED?"

(Depression sighs.)
"Well.....I THOUGHT I was
doin' OKAY! I was doin'
pretty GOOD, there.....
for a couple HOURS!"

"SO?
What HAPPENED?
(Devil turns away from
his slave, to pace nervously
around.)
TWO hours ain't gonna
CUT IT, ANYMORE!"

(Depression squints thoughtfully.)
"But.......WHY?"

"Cuz.......
(Devil looks out the window.
He smiles deliciously,
for a moment.
Outside his window to
the world,
a young married couple are fighting,
and cussing at each other.
Inside the car, both of
their children are cringing,
and tearful. The Devil
tears up himself, only
from a great rush of happy delirium.
Suddenly remembering his
momentary failure,
Devil rolls his big,
beautiful eyes,
grimmacing.)
"Our TIME is coming
CLOSE!"
(Grimmace!)
I can FEEL IT!"

(Depression tries to slurk
into the background darkness
of the room.)

"You NUMBSKULL!"

(Depression squints again.)
"Didn't ya already CALL
me that, BOSS?"

(Devil snorts with
pretend self-derision.)
"Yeah; well......
I was never real
good at originality....."

(Depression nods, sort of
stupidly.)
"Yeah;
I can imagine...
(Nod.)
it must be kind'a hard:
tryin' to keep up with
all this scheming, all
these years...."

(Snort.)
"You have NO IDEA!"
(Curious smirk, at one
of his best and obedient slaves.)
"So, you IDIOT?
What HAPPENED?"

(Depression frowns ruefully.)
"Well.....I'm not really sure,
BOSS!
(Fidgets with his black tie.)
(Glances admiringly at his
own black jacket, and then
looks up, remembering
his tireless taskmaster
standing there.)
There I was......havin'
a great night, BOSS!
I SWEAR!"

(Devil eyes his slave,
looking him up and down,
disapprovingly.)
"AND?
What HAPPENED?"

(Depression frowns again,
this time feeling somewhat
nauseated.)
"Eh......well........"
(Gulp.)
"I was doin' real great,
in the car. Ya know:
she couldn't get to
that stupid church
class tonight.....plus,
(Laugh!)
She was remembering it
was her ex's BIRTHDAY,
of ALL THINGS!
(Happy snort!)
Then...eh, she went over ta'
WALMART...."

(Devil impatiently waves
his beautifully manicured
hands.)
"Yeah, YEAH!
I KNOW all that good STUFF!
(Another vein, up on the
right side of his temple,
has begun to throb at the
very sound of that VILE
word.......c h u r c h.)
"Go ON!"

(Depression stops for a moment,
lost in airheaded thought.)
"Well....what with all the crowds,
and prices, and aching
feet, and ya know....
and all, I was
flying HIGH!"

(Devil spits on the floor,
growing more impatient by
the moment.)
"YEAH?
SO?"

(Gulp.)
"Well....plus, ya
know; they got rid
of their SEWING material
at WALMART!
(Snicker!)
And well...
that REALLY send her
off the edge!"

(Devil's glazed eyes stare
at his slave, for a moment.)
"YEAH?
SO?
WHAT HAPPENED?"

(Depression hangs his head low.)
"Well......I couldn't HELP IT,
BOSS! The thing is.....
she GOT IN THE CAR!
And......TURNED ON THAT
DARN..........."

(Devil puts his head in
both hands.)
"Oooohhh................."

(Depression slinks to the floor.)
"Yeah, BOSS.
You GOT it."

(Devil turns away, in vehement
disgust, and silent misery.)

(Depression slides further into
the floor. His black darkness
has already begun to diminish
somewhat, into soft grays
and blues. He knows the
sight of it revolts his master,
but he can't help it.)
"Yeah......that darn......
that DARN......
CHRISTIAN RADIO STATION!"

(Devil turns away from his slave,
and grasping his stomach,
vomits painfully onto the beautifully
polished floor.)
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But none says,
Where is God
my Maker,
Who gives us
songs
in the night?
[Job 35:10]

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