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The night air was colder than freezing, and the snow piled thickly on the ground. One family was having a snowball fight. I waved to them and was then promptly pelted by snowballs. I laughed loudly. They laughed with me. I continued walking and turned my head up towards the night sky. I wished that the clouds would go away so that the full beauty of the stars would be shown. The darkness and the clouds hinted that something was going to happen tonight. Something that would bring me out of the darkness and into the light. Yes, let God's light consume me completely.

"Sir, may I talk with you a moment. If a moment, do not mind if it turns into years." Someone said to me. I turned to look. His face appeared to be frozen, and his eyes seemed to offer no light. They did not even hint of a fire that might have burned deep within him. His hair was long and grey. His clothing seemed to have been worn for countless centuries. "I am Artarz. I was hoping to run into one of your kind tonight. Tonight being the evening before the celebration of the birth of my former master's enemy."

"Who was your former master?" I asked him. Being close to him seemed to make the night even colder and more frightening than it already was. Being close to him made it seem that it was impossible that tonight should be Christmas Eve.

Artarz waved the question away. "You know my master as your own, but you have never admitted him to be your master." His face seemed to become more saddened than it already was. "Yes, your master. I will not speak my former master's name, and I dearly hope that you will relinquish his name, too. But it is not for me to cleanse you. Nor are my hands clean enough to cleanse you."

"Who are you talking about?" I asked in confusion. "Are you talking about God? He is the only Lord I call my own."

This made Artarz laugh, and it took awhile for him to stop. "God? You do misname your master so, but I do not want our discussion to turn into the darkness. It is the darkness that I am leaving, you see." He replied. "It is the darkness that consumes me and tries to make me forget myself. I do not wish to dwell on the past, or the mistake that I made long ago."

"But I'm a Catholic." I said. "How can I not know my God? Are you saying I believe in a false religion? Is your former master Satan, and so you say he is my master also?"

"Satan…do not mention one of his names again." Artarz growled. "Do not think, because of my appearance, that I know any less than you. Do not think your religion makes you something other than what you really are. But this conversation is not for now. Tonight I wish to see how the good people live."

"How can you want to see how the good people live when you say I am not one?" I asked. "What kind of hypocrite are you? I will not allow you into my home!"

"I am not the hypocrite." Artarz replied. "I want to see a Catholic family. It is why I came from where I did. I heard it was the religion that my former master most feared. That being the case, I want to see your family so I can change myself. My state is worse than your own. It is worse than anyone else you have ever met."

"Then you are one of the damned?" I asked. "You expect me to let one of the damned enter my home? I would rather burn in Hell than allow you to wreck havoc upon my house. My wife and children do not need such a cursed person to enter."

"Has your religion not taught you to grant forgiveness?" Artarz asked. "Has it not taught you to allow those seeking redemption forgiveness? Maybe all I heard was a lie, and the Hall house does not contain the way to forgiveness. In other words, it does not contain the one person that can teach me how to find God. From what my former master has told me, I cannot hope to find God. I am too damned to ever find redemption. Will you not grant me the chance I seek?"

"Who are you?" I asked. "Who are you really? Is Artarz just a false name you go by?"

He laughed a laugh that had no happiness in it. His laugh only made the night colder. "Do you want to know about falsity? Only at the start of my life did I know truth, and afterwards I only knew lies. Artarz is my true name, and it's the only thing I can assure you that is not a lie. I will not tell you how I came to be, only that I am here seeking redemption."

I nodded and a fierce wind bit me. I looked into Artarz's eyes again. They were the ones of someone that had given up hope long ago. If what he said was true, those eyes showed the truth. And wasn't it my duty to help him seek redemption? Wasn't it my duty to help him find God? Yes, it was. I had to help him, if only to show myself as good. "Come," I said. "I'll show you my family, and you can judge us how you like. I hope you can learn something."

Artarz bowed to me, and we started walking home. An owl flew overhead, looked at Artarz and me, and started flying quickly away from us. "He is a creature of the night and knows whom to fear." Artarz said. "But whether it is you or I that he fears, I do not know. Besides being a creature of the night, an owl is a mortal animal and can be fooled just like a human."

"Do you want to visit my home or not?" I asked, and he just shrugged. I did not like how he could ignore me so easily. I was not one to be ignored. People had always respected me, and I had grown up in that light. I had blossomed and could not be outdone. I felt that Artarz was going to try and make me appear weak.

We finally got to my house, and it seemed like the Christmas lights were dimmer than before. Artarz looked at them and smiled. "You have done a good job with the lights." He said. "A very large nativity scene, I must admit. It seems to be very intricate. I can see where you think your allegiance lies. Even if your faith is false, you do know the truth."

"My faith is real." I replied. "I know my beliefs, and they have been tested through the years. I am not simple. I am complex. You cannot judge me since you just met me. How do you think you can know so much about me?"

"From where I came, your name is spoken of much." Artarz said. "From those rumors I have found truths that have made me know you. I do not wish to speak of my former home, though. It is much too dark for this night. Too cold for winter."

We walked up to my front door. I knocked. From inside I could hear the young twin boys racing to the door and Anna stopping them. A smile took hold of my face. I laughed. When Anna opened the door she turned in fear at Artarz. "Artarz, meet Anna, my wife. Anna, this is Artarz. He claims to be seeking salvation." I told her as we stepped inside. "Being a Catholic, I figured it was my duty to help him." Anna looked at me as though I was crazy to be letting such a stranger into the house.

Artarz bowed to her. "I am glad to be here." He said and shook her hand. She shivered. "I promise that I will not cause any problems in your house. Though my appearance is lacking, I do know how to pay my respects when respects are due." He looked at the Christmas decorations. "My, you are one group of Catholics, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are." Samuel said from Anna's left side. "We are the best Catholics ever! You won't find better Catholics than us."

Artarz laughed. "No, I won't. As a group you may be good Catholics, but it is how you are as individuals that matter." He said. "Who are you and what good things as a Catholic have you done this year?"

Samuel laughed loudly. "I'm Samuel, and I've done lots of things." He said. "Why should I have to list them all?" I knew that he wasn't talking about good things he had done. Of those, he had done none. Samuel was one of the worst children that had been placed on this Earth. He was rude, and those who knew him couldn't imagine that he came from this house. He was an embarrassment. I had to do many things just to make up for his rude actions. He had gone off on his own one night without telling me or Anna. This made us call the police since we thought he was dead. It was good that he was alive, but he had been punished severely for going out that night.

"You don't have to list them all." Artarz reply. "But list a few so I can at least be certain of the truth that you have been good. If you have no proof, how is anyone supposed to believe you? Many liars hide facts so that their lies are more convincing."

"Artarz, let me discipline my own children." Anna said. "Samuel is not your child, and it is my responsibility to teach him." She pointed to Benjamin who was on her right side. "This is Benjamin, Samuel's twin brother. He is much better behaved, and my parenting is shown better in him."

Benjamin looked at Artarz and shivered. Benjamin had gotten more jumpy after Tamara, our dog, had died. "Yes, but he has no mind of his own." Artarz replied. "Congratulations for raising a robot. While it is good to have obedience, the thing most needed is freedom. You need guidance, true, but you also need to make your own decisions. Take away freedom, all is lost, and you cannot truly live."

"Ben is not a robot!" I yelled loudly. "He is the most precious of my offspring. The one I treasure the most, besides Anna. How dare you come in here and insult him so." I walked over to Ben and glared at Artarz. "You think to turn him away from God so he can worship Satan, your former master."

"I told you not to mention any of his names again!" Artarz yelled. "His name is the most painful memory I can think of. Do not imagine, though, that by saying his name you can inflict wicked pain upon me. I have been through more torture than any mortal can inflict." He looked Ben in the eyes. "I do not want to lead you away from God, Ben, I want you to realize what you believe. God gave his creations free will so that He would know that they truly loved Him. Do not be afraid to question."

"Silence!" I yelled and walked in front of Artarz. "How dare you make it possible for him to turn to evil! How dare you make it possible for him to give up God and embrace Satan!"

"I am making it possible for him to truly know what he believes. When he knows what he believes then he can truly choose." Artarz replied sternly as Barbra came down the stairs. "Ah, another falsity. I thought I had left such falsity behind when I came here."

"What did you say?" Barbra slowly asked as she walked down the stairs. "I am a Catholic. Just ask anyone from around here. I have gone to all the masses, sometimes going to extra ones. I've done everything it says to do in the Bible." I smiled as I thought of what she had done in her nineteen years on this Earth. No other family member of mine could claim as much as she could.

"Yes," Artarz replied as she got to the end of the stairs. "I do believe you have done good deeds. Doing good deeds is a sign of praise and something my former master hated. But, in his eyes, if someone did a good deed but did evil in secret, that person would still go to Hell. That person would still be his."

"Barbra has only done good." I replied, and she had a forced smile on her face that appeared true to me. "I assure you that she is not false. In fact, she is as false as I am. I think, besides me, she is your way to salvation." I could see Barbra about to crumble from the coldness Artarz gave off.

"I know you, Barbra, where I came from there are many like you." He said. "You are one of the main guardians of my old world. The way to salvation, you are not. Isn't there yet another that lives here?"

We all turned as we heard a little cough. Amber, my seventeen year old daughter, walked to us from the kitchen. She just looked at the ground. Artarz gave a giant smile, and I felt more fear than I had ever felt before. He was smiling at the family member that I was the most disappointed in. My fears were true, she was going to Hell. While she followed Tradition, she would do things that went against what I taught her. I had told her homosexuals were not to be looked highly upon, and the next day she helped a same sex couple. Terrible daughter. "I have a story to tell you." Artarz told Amber. "It is an old tale, and one you might enjoy."

"No, Artarz, we don't need to hear one of your stories." I growled. "We do not need to hear what someone who served Satan has to say." Anna walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. I sighed. "Alright, tell your story. Me and Anna won't listen, though." Artarz bowed and then went with the children to the living room. There was an eerie silence as they walked. "I don't trust him. He'll corrupt our children."

Anna looked at me. "Don't you think you're overreacting?" She asked. "I think our children are smart enough to know the truth. Won't you agree that they are strong, George?"

"Bah." I replied. "They can still fall. No one can stand against evil and not be affected. Artarz is evil. To think I was fooled into believing that he deserved salvation. He was right when he said that he couldn't be saved. He is going to pollute the minds of our children, and then all of them will go joyfully into Hell."

A bit of fear was on Anna's face now. "But you're overreacting, you must be." She said. "You act like you're above everything. To think that Artarz affects all of us and not you is insane. Why do I put up with this?"

"You're my WIFE." I replied. "It's your duty to be good to me. Besides, you're a woman, and it is easier for you to be fooled than me. Go and listen to Artarz. See if you can still be yourself." Anna cowered in fear, and I liked it. "Go. Then I'll be glad to show you that you've gotten closer to Hell."

"When I come back I'll be closer to Heaven." Anna said and walked quickly away from me. I believed her steps were quickened by fear. I shook my head in the knowledge that all of my family wasn't worthy to go to Heaven. I walked to the study and sat in the seat that was underneath a crucifix. "God, why have you forsaken my family?"

"Forsaken?" An angelic voice asked. "Surely God has not forsaken your family. He has allowed salvation to come to those who deserve it. You are judged."

"But I have been faithful to God!" I yelled. The voice did not answer me again. That must have been a devil trying to fool me. It had been trying to make me doubt myself. I would never doubt myself. I would stand strong against this task that God had put in front of me. Artarz was one of Satan's followers and was trying to damn me and my family. What idea had made me bring him here? It was the thought of me doing something good. Damn my pride!

Thirty minutes later Artarz walked into the study. I glared at him. "Now that you have corrupted my family you can leave." I told him. "I don't want you near us again. Leave!"

"So you think I'm damning your family?" Artarz asked. "I wouldn't bother if I had wanted to. Anna is fearful to act because of Tradition; Barbra does good deeds but is really a whore; Benjamin should be more freethinking but isn't because of fear; Samuel wants glory but does not have the will to get it; you are too prideful to see your faults; and Amber is the only shinning star among you. It is she that can bring salvation to me."

"You will not go near her." I said. "She is too close to Hell and doesn't need anymore temptations. She pretends to believe but does not act like she believes in what she does."

"From the lot of you, she is the only one who does not tie herself down and allows free thought as well as keeping good morals." Artarz replied. "She does what is needed of her no matter what anyone else says. She has the highest standards of morals among your family. She helps the poor and stays with a family that is different from her. Surely she fell out of the sky to bring light to this world."

"I help the poor, but not the wicked; and I stay with my family when I don't have other duties." I replied angrily. "How dare you say I am not who I am."

"At least I admit I'm damned." He said. "At least I admit that I am unfit for Heaven. You twist things around and make my former master proud."

"Your former master is still your master!" I yelled. "Satan, Beelzebub, or whatever you want to call him. He is still your master! I will not be fooled!" A tormenting anger attacked Artarz's face. He ran at me and I tried to block his hands coming at my throat. I wasn't able to and, as an Emily Dickenson poem went, "First-Chill-then stupor-then the letting go-"

* * *
I went into my room. Artarz's story was all that was on my mind at the moment. He had talked about what actually happened to the damned. He told us what was feared in Hell and the Abyss, a place surrounding Hell. It was not a pleasant story, and I wished I had never heard it. But, in a way, it helped to guide me along the road I went down in life. I lay down on my bed as images tried to emerge from my head.

There was a knocking on my doorframe and then Artarz's voice. "Come in." I said and he came in slowly. While he had joy on his face from seeing me, he also had a pained look there. "What is it?"

"Amber, you are the purest person of your family." Artarz said and bowed. "Your father, the head of this household, would be praised if he was as he thought he was. Do you remember when he didn't help the poor?"

I thought for a minute. "Don't you mean the Satanists? It is good that he didn't help such evil people." I replied.

"They were not Satanists. I can assure you of that. None of them passed through the Abyss to go to Hell." He said, and I was confused. How could he have such knowledge? Had he been to the Abyss? "He did not help those people because they weren't Catholics. What religion they were, I can't remember. All I know is that they weren't Catholic, and they didn't pass through the Abyss." That information was something I didn't want to hear about my dad. To think he was not pure, that I had been following someone flawed. "Do you also remember when your father didn't go back home for the summer?"

"It was because he was doing volunteer work." I replied. "I know he wanted to go home, but he couldn't."

"No, the volunteer work was only his rationalization for not coming home." Artarz said. "George grew up in a home that wasn't religious. He found religion and hated that his family didn't believe in what he did. Of course he did not say so to them, but his actions showed that. You see, religion is not bad. Those who believe in their religion aren't always crazy, but some of them are. Sometimes religion blinds people instead of leading them to the truth." He took my hands and steam started to come off of his hands. I wanted to pull away from him, but a tender part of me didn't want to cause him the discomfort of my fear. "You are the precious gem I need. You see, I am a demon from the Abyss. I, along with many others, decided to rebel against God. It has taken me a long time to realize my mistake, and now I want to change. Your father won't allow it because I am one of the damned. No matter what he hears about forgiveness, he does not let it extend to everyone." He took his hands away. "I want you to come with me."

"But…I have family here." I said and shook my head. "I'm sure that if you stayed with us long enough you'd know he was a good man. We all have faults because we're human. There's not a perfect one among us."

"But I must be guided by someone and here it'll be George. I do not need that temptation now." Artarz said. "If we go away somewhere then you'll be my companion, and my focus will be on you. It'll be easier for me to become someone worthy of Heaven then. It will be better to follow you than the light from Hell where the devils and Satan live. It will be better to follow you than go back to the darkness and cold of the Abyss where the demons live."

"But the temptations will be harder." I pleaded. "At least here you only have to deal with a few different types of evil."

"But it's where my focus is that is my main concern." He said. "I don't like George. We can come back once you grow tired of me, if you want. All I'm asking is for you to help me find something worth believing in. Something worth believing in and that leads to God, Salvation, and Heaven." I nodded.

"I'll help you find the truth in the best way that I can." I replied. "I'll do my best to lead you to God, Salvation, and Heaven." In the back of my mind I was deciding how best to teach him about Catholicism. I started to pack and finished in an hour. Artarz reassured my family that my father would be okay and asked my mother if it was alright for me to leave.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." Artarz said and took my hand. Even though it caused him great pain, he wanted to comfort me. We left my house behind.

***
Last December Artarz had come and stolen my daughter, and now it was after Thanksgiving of the following year. I was right, he had led my family to Hell. I watched as Anna set up the nativity scene while not obeying my strict guidelines. She smiled at me. Helping Anna was Barbra who had her boyfriend of three months over. Barbra had not changed much, but her wardrobe had. Instead of flashy clothes, she wore more subdued clothing while still making it clear she was female. Samuel came out and also went to help Anna. In the past year he had become calmer if still a little wild. Benjamin was inside looking out a window. In a year he had started to question everything and took nothing for granted. Poor boy. But Amber was the one who I was most worried about. She hadn't come back. Hadn't even called us. I decided to go for a little walk. Maybe the cold air would wash my fears away.

Description
The night air was colder than freezing, and the snow piled thickly on the ground. One family was having a snowball fight. I waved to them and was then promptly pelted by snowballs. I laughed loudly. They laughed with me. I continued walking and turned my head up towards the night sky. I wished that the clouds would go away so that the full beauty of the stars would be shown. The darkness and the clouds hinted that something was going to happen tonight. Something that would bring me out of the darkness and into the light. Yes, let God's light consume me completely.

"Sir, may I talk with you a moment. If a moment, do not mind if it turns into years." Someone said to me. I turned to look. His face appeared to be frozen, and his eyes seemed to offer no light. They did not even hint of a fire that might have burned deep within him. His hair was long and grey. His clothing seemed to have been worn for countless centuries. "I am Artarz. I was hoping to run into one of your kind tonight. Tonight being the evening before the celebration of the birth of my former master's enemy."

"Who was your former master?" I asked him. Being close to him seemed to make the night even colder and more frightening than it already was. Being close to him made it seem that it was impossible that tonight should be Christmas Eve.

Artarz waved the question away. "You know my master as your own, but you have never admitted him to be your master." His face seemed to become more saddened than it already was. "Yes, your master. I will not speak my former master's name, and I dearly hope that you will relinquish his name, too. But it is not for me to cleanse you. Nor are my hands clean enough to cleanse you."

"Who are you talking about?" I asked in confusion. "Are you talking about God? He is the only Lord I call my own."

This made Artarz laugh, and it took awhile for him to stop. "God? You do misname your master so, but I do not want our discussion to turn into the darkness. It is the darkness that I am leaving, you see." He replied. "It is the darkness that consumes me and tries to make me forget myself. I do not wish to dwell on the past, or the mistake that I made long ago."

"But I'm a Catholic." I said. "How can I not know my God? Are you saying I believe in a false religion? Is your former master Satan, and so you say he is my master also?"

"Satan…do not mention one of his names again." Artarz growled. "Do not think, because of my appearance, that I know any less than you. Do not think your religion makes you something other than what you really are. But this conversation is not for now. Tonight I wish to see how the good people live."

"How can you want to see how the good people live when you say I am not one?" I asked. "What kind of hypocrite are you? I will not allow you into my home!"

"I am not the hypocrite." Artarz replied. "I want to see a Catholic family. It is why I came from where I did. I heard it was the religion that my former master most feared. That being the case, I want to see your family so I can change myself. My state is worse than your own. It is worse than anyone else you have ever met."

"Then you are one of the damned?" I asked. "You expect me to let one of the damned enter my home? I would rather burn in Hell than allow you to wreck havoc upon my house. My wife and children do not need such a cursed person to enter."

"Has your religion not taught you to grant forgiveness?" Artarz asked. "Has it not taught you to allow those seeking redemption forgiveness? Maybe all I heard was a lie, and the Hall house does not contain the way to forgiveness. In other words, it does not contain the one person that can teach me how to find God. From what my former master has told me, I cannot hope to find God. I am too damned to ever find redemption. Will you not grant me the chance I seek?"

"Who are you?" I asked. "Who are you really? Is Artarz just a false name you go by?"

He laughed a laugh that had no happiness in it. His laugh only made the night colder. "Do you want to know about falsity? Only at the start of my life did I know truth, and afterwards I only knew lies. Artarz is my true name, and it's the only thing I can assure you that is not a lie. I will not tell you how I came to be, only that I am here seeking redemption."

I nodded and a fierce wind bit me. I looked into Artarz's eyes again. They were the ones of someone that had given up hope long ago. If what he said was true, those eyes showed the truth. And wasn't it my duty to help him seek redemption? Wasn't it my duty to help him find God? Yes, it was. I had to help him, if only to show myself as good. "Come," I said. "I'll show you my family, and you can judge us how you like. I hope you can learn something."

Artarz bowed to me, and we started walking home. An owl flew overhead, looked at Artarz and me, and started flying quickly away from us. "He is a creature of the night and knows whom to fear." Artarz said. "But whether it is you or I that he fears, I do not know. Besides being a creature of the night, an owl is a mortal animal and can be fooled just like a human."

"Do you want to visit my home or not?" I asked, and he just shrugged. I did not like how he could ignore me so easily. I was not one to be ignored. People had always respected me, and I had grown up in that light. I had blossomed and could not be outdone. I felt that Artarz was going to try and make me appear weak.

We finally got to my house, and it seemed like the Christmas lights were dimmer than before. Artarz looked at them and smiled. "You have done a good job with the lights." He said. "A very large nativity scene, I must admit. It seems to be very intricate. I can see where you think your allegiance lies. Even if your faith is false, you do know the truth."

"My faith is real." I replied. "I know my beliefs, and they have been tested through the years. I am not simple. I am complex. You cannot judge me since you just met me. How do you think you can know so much about me?"

"From where I came, your name is spoken of much." Artarz said. "From those rumors I have found truths that have made me know you. I do not wish to speak of my former home, though. It is much too dark for this night. Too cold for winter."

We walked up to my front door. I knocked. From inside I could hear the young twin boys racing to the door and Anna stopping them. A smile took hold of my face. I laughed. When Anna opened the door she turned in fear at Artarz. "Artarz, meet Anna, my wife. Anna, this is Artarz. He claims to be seeking salvation." I told her as we stepped inside. "Being a Catholic, I figured it was my duty to help him." Anna looked at me as though I was crazy to be letting such a stranger into the house.

Artarz bowed to her. "I am glad to be here." He said and shook her hand. She shivered. "I promise that I will not cause any problems in your house. Though my appearance is lacking, I do know how to pay my respects when respects are due." He looked at the Christmas decorations. "My, you are one group of Catholics, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are." Samuel said from Anna's left side. "We are the best Catholics ever! You won't find better Catholics than us."

Artarz laughed. "No, I won't. As a group you may be good Catholics, but it is how you are as individuals that matter." He said. "Who are you and what good things as a Catholic have you done this year?"

Samuel laughed loudly. "I'm Samuel, and I've done lots of things." He said. "Why should I have to list them all?" I knew that he wasn't talking about good things he had done. Of those, he had done none. Samuel was one of the worst children that had been placed on this Earth. He was rude, and those who knew him couldn't imagine that he came from this house. He was an embarrassment. I had to do many things just to make up for his rude actions. He had gone off on his own one night without telling me or Anna. This made us call the police since we thought he was dead. It was good that he was alive, but he had been punished severely for going out that night.

"You don't have to list them all." Artarz reply. "But list a few so I can at least be certain of the truth that you have been good. If you have no proof, how is anyone supposed to believe you? Many liars hide facts so that their lies are more convincing."

"Artarz, let me discipline my own children." Anna said. "Samuel is not your child, and it is my responsibility to teach him." She pointed to Benjamin who was on her right side. "This is Benjamin, Samuel's twin brother. He is much better behaved, and my parenting is shown better in him."

Benjamin looked at Artarz and shivered. Benjamin had gotten more jumpy after Tamara, our dog, had died. "Yes, but he has no mind of his own." Artarz replied. "Congratulations for raising a robot. While it is good to have obedience, the thing most needed is freedom. You need guidance, true, but you also need to make your own decisions. Take away freedom, all is lost, and you cannot truly live."

"Ben is not a robot!" I yelled loudly. "He is the most precious of my offspring. The one I treasure the most, besides Anna. How dare you come in here and insult him so." I walked over to Ben and glared at Artarz. "You think to turn him away from God so he can worship Satan, your former master."

"I told you not to mention any of his names again!" Artarz yelled. "His name is the most painful memory I can think of. Do not imagine, though, that by saying his name you can inflict wicked pain upon me. I have been through more torture than any mortal can inflict." He looked Ben in the eyes. "I do not want to lead you away from God, Ben, I want you to realize what you believe. God gave his creations free will so that He would know that they truly loved Him. Do not be afraid to question."

"Silence!" I yelled and walked in front of Artarz. "How dare you make it possible for him to turn to evil! How dare you make it possible for him to give up God and embrace Satan!"

"I am making it possible for him to truly know what he believes. When he knows what he believes then he can truly choose." Artarz replied sternly as Barbra came down the stairs. "Ah, another falsity. I thought I had left such falsity behind when I came here."

"What did you say?" Barbra slowly asked as she walked down the stairs. "I am a Catholic. Just ask anyone from around here. I have gone to all the masses, sometimes going to extra ones. I've done everything it says to do in the Bible." I smiled as I thought of what she had done in her nineteen years on this Earth. No other family member of mine could claim as much as she could.

"Yes," Artarz replied as she got to the end of the stairs. "I do believe you have done good deeds. Doing good deeds is a sign of praise and something my former master hated. But, in his eyes, if someone did a good deed but did evil in secret, that person would still go to Hell. That person would still be his."

"Barbra has only done good." I replied, and she had a forced smile on her face that appeared true to me. "I assure you that she is not false. In fact, she is as false as I am. I think, besides me, she is your way to salvation." I could see Barbra about to crumble from the coldness Artarz gave off.

"I know you, Barbra, where I came from there are many like you." He said. "You are one of the main guardians of my old world. The way to salvation, you are not. Isn't there yet another that lives here?"

We all turned as we heard a little cough. Amber, my seventeen year old daughter, walked to us from the kitchen. She just looked at the ground. Artarz gave a giant smile, and I felt more fear than I had ever felt before. He was smiling at the family member that I was the most disappointed in. My fears were true, she was going to Hell. While she followed Tradition, she would do things that went against what I taught her. I had told her homosexuals were not to be looked highly upon, and the next day she helped a same sex couple. Terrible daughter. "I have a story to tell you." Artarz told Amber. "It is an old tale, and one you might enjoy."

"No, Artarz, we don't need to hear one of your stories." I growled. "We do not need to hear what someone who served Satan has to say." Anna walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. I sighed. "Alright, tell your story. Me and Anna won't listen, though." Artarz bowed and then went with the children to the living room. There was an eerie silence as they walked. "I don't trust him. He'll corrupt our children."

Anna looked at me. "Don't you think you're overreacting?" She asked. "I think our children are smart enough to know the truth. Won't you agree that they are strong, George?"

"Bah." I replied. "They can still fall. No one can stand against evil and not be affected. Artarz is evil. To think I was fooled into believing that he deserved salvation. He was right when he said that he couldn't be saved. He is going to pollute the minds of our children, and then all of them will go joyfully into Hell."

A bit of fear was on Anna's face now. "But you're overreacting, you must be." She said. "You act like you're above everything. To think that Artarz affects all of us and not you is insane. Why do I put up with this?"

"You're my WIFE." I replied. "It's your duty to be good to me. Besides, you're a woman, and it is easier for you to be fooled than me. Go and listen to Artarz. See if you can still be yourself." Anna cowered in fear, and I liked it. "Go. Then I'll be glad to show you that you've gotten closer to Hell."

"When I come back I'll be closer to Heaven." Anna said and walked quickly away from me. I believed her steps were quickened by fear. I shook my head in the knowledge that all of my family wasn't worthy to go to Heaven. I walked to the study and sat in the seat that was underneath a crucifix. "God, why have you forsaken my family?"

"Forsaken?" An angelic voice asked. "Surely God has not forsaken your family. He has allowed salvation to come to those who deserve it. You are judged."

"But I have been faithful to God!" I yelled. The voice did not answer me again. That must have been a devil trying to fool me. It had been trying to make me doubt myself. I would never doubt myself. I would stand strong against this task that God had put in front of me. Artarz was one of Satan's followers and was trying to damn me and my family. What idea had made me bring him here? It was the thought of me doing something good. Damn my pride!

Thirty minutes later Artarz walked into the study. I glared at him. "Now that you have corrupted my family you can leave." I told him. "I don't want you near us again. Leave!"

"So you think I'm damning your family?" Artarz asked. "I wouldn't bother if I had wanted to. Anna is fearful to act because of Tradition; Barbra does good deeds but is really a whore; Benjamin should be more freethinking but isn't because of fear; Samuel wants glory but does not have the will to get it; you are too prideful to see your faults; and Amber is the only shinning star among you. It is she that can bring salvation to me."

"You will not go near her." I said. "She is too close to Hell and doesn't need anymore temptations. She pretends to believe but does not act like she believes in what she does."

"From the lot of you, she is the only one who does not tie herself down and allows free thought as well as keeping good morals." Artarz replied. "She does what is needed of her no matter what anyone else says. She has the highest standards of morals among your family. She helps the poor and stays with a family that is different from her. Surely she fell out of the sky to bring light to this world."

"I help the poor, but not the wicked; and I stay with my family when I don't have other duties." I replied angrily. "How dare you say I am not who I am."

"At least I admit I'm damned." He said. "At least I admit that I am unfit for Heaven. You twist things around and make my former master proud."

"Your former master is still your master!" I yelled. "Satan, Beelzebub, or whatever you want to call him. He is still your master! I will not be fooled!" A tormenting anger attacked Artarz's face. He ran at me and I tried to block his hands coming at my throat. I wasn't able to and, as an Emily Dickenson poem went, "First-Chill-then stupor-then the letting go-"

* * *
I went into my room. Artarz's story was all that was on my mind at the moment. He had talked about what actually happened to the damned. He told us what was feared in Hell and the Abyss, a place surrounding Hell. It was not a pleasant story, and I wished I had never heard it. But, in a way, it helped to guide me along the road I went down in life. I lay down on my bed as images tried to emerge from my head.

There was a knocking on my doorframe and then Artarz's voice. "Come in." I said and he came in slowly. While he had joy on his face from seeing me, he also had a pained look there. "What is it?"

"Amber, you are the purest person of your family." Artarz said and bowed. "Your father, the head of this household, would be praised if he was as he thought he was. Do you remember when he didn't help the poor?"

I thought for a minute. "Don't you mean the Satanists? It is good that he didn't help such evil people." I replied.

"They were not Satanists. I can assure you of that. None of them passed through the Abyss to go to Hell." He said, and I was confused. How could he have such knowledge? Had he been to the Abyss? "He did not help those people because they weren't Catholics. What religion they were, I can't remember. All I know is that they weren't Catholic, and they didn't pass through the Abyss." That information was something I didn't want to hear about my dad. To think he was not pure, that I had been following someone flawed. "Do you also remember when your father didn't go back home for the summer?"

"It was because he was doing volunteer work." I replied. "I know he wanted to go home, but he couldn't."

"No, the volunteer work was only his rationalization for not coming home." Artarz said. "George grew up in a home that wasn't religious. He found religion and hated that his family didn't believe in what he did. Of course he did not say so to them, but his actions showed that. You see, religion is not bad. Those who believe in their religion aren't always crazy, but some of them are. Sometimes religion blinds people instead of leading them to the truth." He took my hands and steam started to come off of his hands. I wanted to pull away from him, but a tender part of me didn't want to cause him the discomfort of my fear. "You are the precious gem I need. You see, I am a demon from the Abyss. I, along with many others, decided to rebel against God. It has taken me a long time to realize my mistake, and now I want to change. Your father won't allow it because I am one of the damned. No matter what he hears about forgiveness, he does not let it extend to everyone." He took his hands away. "I want you to come with me."

"But…I have family here." I said and shook my head. "I'm sure that if you stayed with us long enough you'd know he was a good man. We all have faults because we're human. There's not a perfect one among us."

"But I must be guided by someone and here it'll be George. I do not need that temptation now." Artarz said. "If we go away somewhere then you'll be my companion, and my focus will be on you. It'll be easier for me to become someone worthy of Heaven then. It will be better to follow you than the light from Hell where the devils and Satan live. It will be better to follow you than go back to the darkness and cold of the Abyss where the demons live."

"But the temptations will be harder." I pleaded. "At least here you only have to deal with a few different types of evil."

"But it's where my focus is that is my main concern." He said. "I don't like George. We can come back once you grow tired of me, if you want. All I'm asking is for you to help me find something worth believing in. Something worth believing in and that leads to God, Salvation, and Heaven." I nodded.

"I'll help you find the truth in the best way that I can." I replied. "I'll do my best to lead you to God, Salvation, and Heaven." In the back of my mind I was deciding how best to teach him about Catholicism. I started to pack and finished in an hour. Artarz reassured my family that my father would be okay and asked my mother if it was alright for me to leave.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." Artarz said and took my hand. Even though it caused him great pain, he wanted to comfort me. We left my house behind.

***
Last December Artarz had come and stolen my daughter, and now it was after Thanksgiving of the following year. I was right, he had led my family to Hell. I watched as Anna set up the nativity scene while not obeying my strict guidelines. She smiled at me. Helping Anna was Barbra who had her boyfriend of three months over. Barbra had not changed much, but her wardrobe had. Instead of flashy clothes, she wore more subdued clothing while still making it clear she was female. Samuel came out and also went to help Anna. In the past year he had become calmer if still a little wild. Benjamin was inside looking out a window. In a year he had started to question everything and took nothing for granted. Poor boy. But Amber was the one who I was most worried about. She hadn't come back. Hadn't even called us. I decided to go for a little walk. Maybe the cold air would wash my fears away.