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"When they asked if bad men and women¡ªwho did not obey their laere not thrown at death into fire forever¡ªan idea very current ast them and others¡ªI was horrified, and told the A wee newborn soul to be punished in fire forever? Atrocity, I told theain, I said to them that they should venerate the souls of the Dead to ease their own pain and the pain of those Souls, and that when death calooht of Life on Earth

"I said s because I simply didn't knohat to say

"Oh, blasphemy I had done it, I had really done it And noould be row old and die, a venerated teacher, and before I did¡ªor before some pestilence or wild beast cut offI could And then into Sheol I would go, and I would begin to draw the souls to me, and I would say: 'Cry, cry to Heaven!' I would teach theht is there!"

He took a breath, as if each word burnt him with pain

I spoke again softly from the Book of Enoch " 'And now, behold the souls of those who have died are crying and ates of heaven ' "

"Yes, you know your scriptures like a good Devil," he said bitterly, but his face was so stricken with sadness and co, that it had no sting "And who knehat then Sheol until those cries battered Heaven's gates and brought therow, then you can be as angels! That was the only hope I had, to rule aotten of God "

"But God didn't let this happen, did he? He didn't let you die in that body "

"No And he didn't send the Flood either And all that I had taught was not washed in a Deluge What remained, orked its way into myth and scripture was that I had been there, and that those things had been taught, and it ithin the coic, and not ic, and even the secrets of Heaven hat the souls would on their own perhaps have come to see Sooner or later, the souls would have seen "

"But how did you get out of it? What happened to Lilia?"

"Lilia? Ah, Lilia She died venerated, the wife of a god Lilia " His whole face brightened and he laughed "Lilia," he said again,her close, obviously "My Lilia Cast out, and casting her lot with a god "

"God had taken you by that ti?"

We gazed at each other for a moment "Not quite so simple I'd been there three months perhaps when I woke up and discovered Michael and Raphael had come for me, and said very distinctly: 'God wants you now '

"And I being Memnoch, the unredeemable, said, 'Oh? Why then doesn't He pick me up and take me out of here, or do what He wishes?'

"At this point, Michael looked miserable on o willingly back into your proper fors carry you to Heaven He wants you only if you want to come! Now, Memnoch, think before you'

" 'No, you don't have to caution , with tears inLilia She looked up at me 'This is farewell, , beca theup on her elbows and crying, would see this last vision and hold it to her heart perhaps when she needed it