A Fig for All the Devils

by C.S. Fritz

“Hope punctures holes into our black sky to tell us that this ever present darkness is only for a short while.

“I once heard a priest tell a freighted nun hundreds of years ago—” “A nun?” “Yeah, she was hilarious. She used to tie earthworms into knots and watch them squirm. Anyways…that’s not the point. I once heard this priest tell her to give a fig to all the devils.” “A fig?” “Yeah, it’s a saying. Like, to give your demons the middle finger. To give someone a fig centuries ago was a figure of speech for controlling the situation with—with—fearless vigor! You know what I mean?” the Reaper asked, ashing his cigarette into one of Sonny’s old sneakers. “Not really,” Sonny said, starting to smile again. “It means you can and you should hate this process. It shows you’re real. You must be bothered by what goes bump in the night. But, that doesn’t mean it has to beat you. Hating a process should never equate to hating yourself. Victim or victor. It’s for you to decide: you either eat the fig or give a fig to all the devils,”