As Above, So Below

by Dana Isaly

“One for sorrow, two for mirth. Three for a funeral, four for birth. Five for heaven, six for hell,” I murmur.

“Suffering is good for the soul, Branwen. Be brave. Remember, sometimes to reach the light, we must manipulate the darkness.”

They love us at first, swooning when they feel that magnetic pull we tend to have. But when they get too close, what they perceive as evil starts to seep through, and they notice the difference between us and them.

“I know you wanted a savior. But a demon is what you got, witch.” Her heavy-lidded eyes search out for my face. When she finds it, she smiles. “My demon,” she whimpers, trying to lift her hand out to me. I smile down at her. “That’s right. Pray to me.”

“You will want for nothing.” He kisses below my belly button. “No one will ever hurt you again.” He kisses just above where I want him. “Or I’ll burn them alive.”

“You taste like my favorite sin.” “Which is?” He grins. “Lust.”

“If I’m alive, it’s only because you need me,” he says with a moan. His grip tightens on my hair. “And if I’m good, it’s only for you.”

But watching her burn down everyone in her path will be fun as well.

We also keep those souls who deserve an afterlife of peace and contentment. They get the best fields of flowers to frolic in for the rest of their lives until they decide to reincarnate as a butterfly or something. Whatever good people want to come back as. I personally would want to come back as someone who climbs the ladder, rules and dominates over his people. But no one seems to want that responsibility. Whatever.

“Look at you. You’re no witch, Branwen. You’re a Goddess.”

“I’m not sure how much I believe in karma anymore,” I say with a sigh. “Or maybe I still believe in it; I just think it’s taking too long for my liking. So I’ll just do it myself.”

As above, so below, what you reap is what you sow, and all that good shit.”

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, am I right?” I laugh as I rise and look out into the sea of faces. “I don’t want to stay here,” I tell them. “I don’t want your forgiveness for what I’ve done up here, and I certainly don’t seek your approval or your love. I did at one point, but honestly, you can all get fucked.