The Personal Hell

I woke up in a cold sweat. Darkness flooded over me making me nervous. The last thing I remember, I was at the club having drinks with a guy I just met. “Did I go home with him?” I thought as I searched my brain for a more recent memory. I felt my body and found that I still had on my dress. “Well at least I didn’t have sex with him,” I said out loud and started to get up. I looked around and saw a small ray of light. I began walking towards it and realized it was further away from me then I thought. The closer I got to the light, the more I could see of my surroundings. I was in the middle of what looked like a desert. As far as I could see, there were no signs of civilization. My sweat made me aware of my clothes. My black dress was in tatters and I had bruises all over my skin. 1

“Oh my god! I think he raped me,” I gasped. 2

“I don’t think so my dear,” said a man who appeared out of the darkness and was walking towards me. 3

“Who are you and where did you come from,” I asked, “Are you the man from the bar? I swear I’ll hunt you down if you raped me. Where am I? Where did you bring me? Who are you? And why am I getting so fucking hot?”4

“The sun is rising,” the man said matter-of-factly, “hold on, I’ll be back in a little bit.” He turned around and disappeared. Two seconds later I was became surrounded by an intense heat. A crippling pain filled my whole body and it made me fall to my knees. My skin began to bubble and then it was over. I panted for a few seconds, when the sky darkened and it began to rain. The man reappeared in front of my in a raincoat.5

“Don’t worry the heat is the worst of the three cycles,” he said and helped me to my feet.6

“Three?” I asked, just as the rain stopped and a gust of freezing cold wind blew. The rain in my clothes froze to my skin. I began to shiver uncontrollably.7

“Now, to who I am,” the man said. “For the rest of eternity, I will be your best friend. On your way home from the club, you fell and knocked yourself out. You drowned in your own puke. I'm sorry my dear. As one famous person said, ‘The devil’s greatest victory is that people don’t believe he exists.’ So, here you are. This is your personal hell. You will see no other people. They have their own tasks to attend to. Please enjoy you time in my lovely home.” He smiled and then disappeared. I looked around and saw a small ray of light. I knew it was starting all over again.