Opposite halves

White book

“And have you had more than one master?” asked Khalid.

“Master?” said Gemory looking quizzical.

“Ahhh... someone like me.”

“You're not my master, just a prey I have to take care of.” As she sipped from her cup with hot coffee. “And about your question, yes.”

“Oh, who?” she asked.

“I don't remember his name, but he is known so far as the genocidal German.” Gemory said in between eating from her hot dog bun.

“Hit-! You were with him, how is that possible?!”. Said the boy excitedly.

“Yes, I took very good care of him, I didn't even rest for ten minutes, it was stressful.”

“Ha, I'm sorry to tell you, but your protégé died over sixty years ago.” He sipped his cup of chocolate.

“That news shocked me, I only left the brothel for an hour and PUM he was gone.” He raised his hands, the devil.

“Am I not safe with you?” he asked angrily.

“No, yes you are, I've learned from that mistake, I don't want to hear Beethoven playing and screaming again for another 78 years, yes that was a severe punishment... for me.” He drank from his cup the demon.

“Is that a record you just play down there?”

“What, no, the little 'little devils' tortured him while he played, if he made a mistake they bit his limb. It was fun for ten years. He chuckled.

“I don't see the laugh, Beethoven was a terrific musician.”

“Compared to you, he sold his soul completely. Just for a measly fifty-six years.”

“Oh well, yes it's pitiful.” She complained.

“That was the punishment I got for being distracted, it was absurd, I might even say unfair.”

A long talk after several doubts about theories and disproving some, like the book of life. Gemory didn't tell Khalid about it, he bets he will ask him eighteen more questions that morning.

What is the book of life? Or as they call it up there “The vital chronicle” a book where everyone's name is in, demons, angels and humans, maybe out there some dolphin's name, every thinking being is in these sacred scriptures. Of course the bible comes first. The only ones to see this revered manuscript are those of the highest level, the seraphim and God. It is left as a myth this book and no human has seen it, in the great battle that happened millions of years ago, Gemory saw it in full fight as a seraphim wrote the names of the strongest demons to finish with them. It was a very big advantage to win the battalion. It was the size of a school book, from a distance you could tell it was about 180 sheets thick. So little for the book of life, well yes, it has a little trick to not weigh so much, that does not take away all the content it has. Both commands decided not to use it again, because of how arbitrary it was. Only God and the seraphim know where it is.

That is what everyone thinks.

Already at 11 am, Khalid was getting ready to leave to look for some job that would not pay more than minimum wage. Things in Certosa were complicated.

Certosa, a neighborhood in the north of Genoa, has a rich history linked to the Charterhouse of San Bartolomeo di Rivarolo. It faces challenges of crime and social problems, making it one of the most troubled areas of the city.

He watched from afar as Gemory sat in front of the TV, nothing good was happening on TV nowadays, but he didn't have the money to pay for any movie platform nor the time to watch some of them, he just stopped drinking alcohol looking at the stain on the ceiling of his room, it always caught his attention, he was given the option to repaint that old apartment, but he refused to paint that “beautiful” stain, it looked like a person riding a horse. He had nothing to say to her before leaving, he guessed she was tired after so many questions.

“I'm leaving now,” Khalid said.

He received no response from his day-old guest.

“Hey, I'm leaving.” He complained.

“Yeah, whatever, go” He replied while watching TV, sitting on what seems to be his favorite couch. When you come over bring more sausages, it's over. Gemory threw at Khalid's feet a bag with wrappers.

“Ah, yes” He picked it up.

Before he turned to the door to leave, Khalid refused and Gemory looked at him again with defiant eyes.

“No, you know what, we need to clear up a few things and come to an agreement.” I walk to stand in front of him, covering the TV up no good.

“Now what do you want? You're in the way faggot.” Gemory said as he moved his head to look at the screen.

“Humor me” Covering the display with his hands. “Come on, this is for real.”

“Ok, ok, now what does your f*****g ass want.” He turned off the TV.

“From that, we live together and I guess we're supposed to treat each other right or something, don't you think?”.

“Have you ever heard of a demon treating others well? Gemory asked sarcastically.

“Ahhh, no. But you may be the exception. Smiled the boy feignedly.

“No, but will you stop f*****g with me with these 'complaints' if I stop calling you a p***y?”. He sighed.

“Not just faggot.”

“Whatever... Girl, now that I get a better look at your face and how you carry yourself you look like a damn forty year old woman. So I'll just call you girl, all right girl?”. Hinted the demon.

“It's like sissy, but softer, I guess it's better, I don't know, don't forget my name is Khalid.”

“I know it where the beginning.”

“Principle, what do you mean by that? The girl asked.

“I'm tired of so many damn questions today, weren't you leaving?” he got up from his favorite armchair and pushed Khalid towards the door that was magically open.

“Ah, but, okay...I'll be back at lunchtime.” He shouted as Gemory kicked the door shut.

“Damn girl.” He sat back down.

Khalid walked 3 blocks down, he knew there was a stall there that sold newspapers, he was looking to see what jobs were available in the area. In passing he asked the old salesman if they were hiring anywhere nearby.

“Hmm, at the library I saw a sign that they were hiring, you can go”. He pointed out.

“Thank you very much, I'll keep that in mind, have some by the paper.”

He read that there was a booth at a toy store, a bookstore and at a shoe store in the busiest mall in the small town.

He decided to go to the toy store first, even though he knew he sucked at making any drink but coffee, his mother always poured herself a cup every day when she woke up and he learned to do it after she passed away, he believed doing so kept his memory. Anyone who had the pleasure of Khalid making him a cup of coffee always missed how delicious it was, why not look for a job in a coffee shop? Simple, he didn't think he was good at anything no matter how many times you told him a thousand times.

He arrived and went into the toy store, what a surprise that they also made cakes, they looked really good.He asked the cashier about the ad, she told him yes, to wait a few minutes for the supervisor to leave. She started playing on her cell phone, which barely had any battery, she had forgotten to charge it.Gemory grabbed the broom and started sweeping that apartment that at first glance looked like it hadn't been cleaned in months.The only way Khalid cleaned was to throw away the garbage bags. He thought that if he was going to live there, at least it had to be spotless, that ruthless, enigmatic, corrupt and powerful demon hated garbage.During those hours of cleaning the house he started to listen to music that was playing on the radio, that song was “I wanna be your slave” (Måneskin). He found it interesting and striking, he could say that he identified himself with some of the verses, he was dancing and singing with the broom. He did something so that the song would not stop playing on the station for more than 25 minutes, the time it took him to clean up the so-called “home”.

The presenter didn't know what was going on, so she had to give the statement.“I'm sorry dear listeners, we don't know what is happening with the music playback, we apologize for this great inconvenience”.

How boring he thought, how dare people talk when you are listening to music.

Suddenly a call came through his head, he had to go back to hell for a few minutes to see what was going on.How exhausted he was after all the work he did, he needed to sit down on his couch.

“I hope it's not in vain calling me” Gemory said out loud in case anyone was listening ”Ahhh well, damn father.”She grumbled.

He grabbed his watch that was always in his right pants pocket, moved the hands and indicated the time “3:33” and disappeared in red smoke with black with a smell of burning wood.He arrived in less than two minutes to hell, it was always unbearably hot in there, a smell of rotting flesh boiling in steaming lava.

He walked towards a building no more than 20 stories tall, it was deep red, with a hint of black and dark purple, with architecture similar to European architecture but looking more exaggerated. Gemory watched as souls grabbed his feet as he walked down small sidewalks, begging him to help them, this made him no choice but to kick them out of the way.“Leave me despicable execrable beings, go torture someone else who does listen to you” Gemory shouted.

She entered the building, got on the elevator and pressed the button for number 18. It didn't come to her mind what her “boss” would say to her, if she was doing everything she asked. On the 18th floor, he opened the door that led to a large and luxurious room, diamonds everywhere, red gold, which was almost impossible to see in the underworld.All that was just a facade to trick demons into stealing and killing without any sanction. Who would want to kill demons? Simple, it was Belial.

“Ohhh, welcome my son, how's everything up there, having fun?” He said as he walked over to Gemory to give him a warm hug. “Everything okay with your protégé?

“Yes aha, what did you call me for?” replied Gemory wiping his coat without taking his eyes off Belial.

“Can't I see my favorite son, come on, that human body looks great on you.” He echoed.

“Favorite? You locked me in with Beethoven for 78 years listening to his boring shitty music.”

“Shh, hey, you know I really like Beethoven” Belial said as he lit up a cigarette. “What else could I have done? You let the only one capable of having caused World War II die long before the other one, don't think it was easy to have manipulated the headmaster into not accepting him into that art school.

“Ahh die already old man” Gemory complained dropping into the armchair on the spot. “Ya seriously, what did you call me for?

“You're right, I didn't call you to see you” Belial replied as he sat down in his chair or rather his throne. “The book of life.” He said in a deep voice. “What?” Said almost surprised Gemory who shifted from how comfortable he was. ‘What do you mean the book of life?’.

“We know where it is, some demons infiltrated heaven and gained the trust, we have a plan to steal it and cause another war in which hell will win. Erasing the names of the seraphim and chronos who protect heaven, of course, not forgetting their archangels.

Gemory, look at me, this is a unique opportunity and you only have one job to do.” Belial pointed out.

“Me, what the f**k do I have to do here, I support the destruction of humanity is clear, but I don't want to get thoroughly involved in this s**t. Gemory clarified getting up from the couch with firm eyes. f**k you I'm not going to do anything, goodbye you f*****g psycho.

Belial grabbed Gemory's back punching him in the face as Gemory turned around leaving him on the floor coughing up black dripping blood. He kicked him a few times as he agonized in pain, while Gemory in that painful moment did not forget to see the future ten minutes later Khalid's life.

“You talk to me like that again and you know well that I can hang you with your own intestines while you are still alive, falling on you hellish lava.” He stopped kicking him and lifted him gently. “You want to hear the plan?”He smiled.

“Yes.”

...

Khalid was rejected by everyone, he didn't know how to make apple juice with banana and said who would eat that aberration, at the bookstore they asked him to take care of sorting the supplies in alphabetical order, he didn't listen well and sorted them in aesthetic order, from the prettiest to the ugliest,Finally, at the shoe store he was asked to sell the shoes, he did well, but then an irritating customer came in and not more than five minutes after entering the store she began to insult him for how fat and exasperating she was.

The only thing she had left was the library, she stood in the doorway heaving a sigh with it going well this fourth time. He politely greeted the old lady at the counter and asked her if the job was still there, she said yes, but he had to ask her a few small questions first.“Ok son, this won't take long, wait for me a second I find the sheet”.

“Yes, okay” Khalid said ‘How did they let such a senile lady work on this?’ he thought.

“Oh, here it is, very good, now... question one”. He put on his glasses with a huge measure that looked like an almost dying chihuahua dog, the tongue wetting his lips gave him more the touch of that.“What are you good at little boy?”.

“Nothing, I think I'm good at brushing my teeth maybe.”He leaned his elbow on the table.“Well... why did you decide you wanted to work here?”.“It was my last choice, in everything else I was turned down.”The old woman didn't know what other face to make to hide her discomfort, she shifted her glasses to disguise a little.”

“Are you playing a joke on me?”The old woman asked somewhat annoyed.

“No how do you think? I need this job.”

“I don't think we're looking for a profile like yours.”

“Nothing, nadita?”.“No, honey.”

She said pitifully.

“Thanks, anyway... Do you think I could look at some books? Khalid asked.

“Of course sonny.”

Khalid walked through the shelves of books to see which one he liked best, but even thinking what he would do if he didn't start working, he was worried he would get deeper in debt than he already almost was and leave the apartment where he would live. Thought with his eyes in the air and lost, a boy dressed in red ran up to him, shoving him in the shoulder and leaving him on the ground.

“Hey, you asshole-!” He couldn't yell at him because of the silence that must be in libraries. “Cretin” He got up and wiped his pants which were in themselves unwashed and looked down at the floor. “What was that?

It was a book with a white cover, somewhat dirty and heavy, approximately 300 pages thick. Did the boy who ran drop it?

“It says... Angelic Treatises.” Khalid said quietly. And this? He looked around to see if they were making some kind of joke. “Let's see the index... aaa angelic stories, death and war, pacts with angels... Pacts with angels?"

Hi, I'm the author, sorry if it doesn't have good grammar, I'm translating it from Spanish to English to have more support. Thanks for your attention.