Tra
      gindTions
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Satan’s
      Message
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Chris
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ne
      day
      at
      work...
      Kenny
      and
      Chris
      were
      these
      two
      guys
     
     
      O
      who
      worked
      in
      the
      parcel
      pick-up
      at
      Towers.
      On
      the
      day
     
     
      the
      terror
      began,
      Kenny
      was
      griping
      at
      Chris
      about
      their
     
     
      mutual
      acquaintance,
      David.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘*Man,
      that
      Dave
      guy.
      He
      sure
      is
      religious.
      He
      really
      browns
      me
     
     
      off,
      y’know?’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘Yeah,
      [know
      whafyou
      mean’
      .
      answered
      Chris.
      ‘‘He
      thinks
     
     
      only
      his
      kind
      of
      people
      are
      goiny
      tc
      make
      it
      to
      heaven,
      and
      the
     
     
      rest
      of
      us
      get
      sert
      to
      hell.
      Like
      we
      ’rc
      all
      satanic
      or
      something.’’
     
     
      Kenny,
      a
      talented
      artist,
      mulled
      this
      tidbit
      over
      for
      amoment.
     
     
      Then
      he
      picked
      up
      a
      pencil
      and
      started
      drawing
      on
      the
      back
      of
     
     
      a
      cash
      register
      receipt.
      Before
      long,
      he
      had
      produced
      a
      very
     
     
      creditable
      drawing
      of
      Satan,
      horns
      and
      all.
      He
      looked
      appropri-
     
     
      ately
      evil,
      half
      grinning,
      against
      a
      background
      of
      brimstone
      and
     
     
      flames.
      Kenny
      handed
      the
      cartoon
      over
      to
      Chris.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “‘Geez,
      Kenny’’,
      Chris
      muttered,
      impressed.
      ‘‘That’s
      good.
      It
     
     
      reminds
      me
      of
      the
      devil
      int
      the
      Caramilk
      commercial,
      you
      know,
     
     
      the
      one
      where
      Satan
      says
      ‘youll
      pay
      ANYTHING?’”’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kenny
      laughed,
      took
      the
      doodle
      back
      and
      tossed
      it
      on
      the
      ground.
     
     
      Bored,
      they
      started
      talking
      about
      Kenny’s
      rock
      band.
      However,
     
     
      this
      too
      quickly
      bored
      Chris
      and
      Kenny,
      slightly
      offended,
      left
     
     
      fora
      coffee
      break.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Alone
      at
      the
      parcel
      .»ick-up,
      Chris
      started
      thinking
      of
      the
      picture
     
     
      again.
      Didn’t
      the
      Bible
      say
      something
      about
      drawing
      graven
     
     
      images?
      Maybe
      he
      and
      Kenny
      had
      just
      committed
      a
      grave
      sin!
     
     
      Butno,
      how
      could
      sucha
      stupid
      cartoon
      be
      evil?
      Laughing
      off
     
     
      his
      nervousness
      Chris
      returned
      to
      his
      work.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      the
      picture
      kept
      bugging
      him.
      Suppose
      they
      went
      to
      hell
     
     
      because
      Kenny
      drew
      a
      cartoon
      of
      the
      evil
      deity?
      Chris,
      now
      very
     
     
      nervous,
      started
      looking
      around
      for
      the
      picture,
      perhaps
      in
      hopes
     
     
      of
      destroying
      it
      and
      saving
      himself.
      _
     
    
   
   
    
     
      He
      couldn’t
      find
      it.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Damn
      it,
      I
      know
      it’s
      here
      somewhere,
      Chris
      thought.
      Kenny
     
     
      Couldn’t
      have
      taken
      it
      with
      him.
      Could
      it
      have
      vanished
      by
     
     
      ltself,
      possibly
      winging
      its
      way
      to
      the
      one
      it
      depicted,
      one
      who
     
     
      Would
      keep
      it
      a
      reminder
      of
      a
      bargain
      struck
      by
      two
      goofs
      at
     
     
      Towers?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      No,
      that’s
      dumb.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      As
      ifin
      answer,
      a
      faint
      gust
      of
      wind
      blew
      the
      missing
      paper
      into
     
     
      Chris’s
      sweaty
      hands.
      Feeling
      like
      a
      fool,
      Chris
      put
      it
      in
      his
     
     
      pocket
      for
      safe
      keeping.
      Then
      a
      plan
      hatched
      in
      Chris’s
      tor-
     
     
      mented
      mind.
      Wouldn’t
      it
      be
      hysterical
      to
      play
      the
      same
      trick
     
     
      the
      paper
      played
      on
      him
      on
      Kenny?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      When
      Kenny
      got
      back
      from
      his
      break,
      Chris
      went
      into
      action.
     
     
      ‘*Kenny,
      did
      you
      take
      the
      picture
      with
      you?’’
     
     
      “*No.
      Why?’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘*Now
      don’t
      freak
      or
      anything,
      but
      I
      couldn’
      t
      find
      it.
      It’s
      kind
      of
     
     
      bugging
      me
      ”’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘*Are
      you
      serious?’’,
      squeaked
      Ken.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Chris
      nodded
      glumly.
      They
      spent
      the
      next
      five
      minutes
      looking
     
     
      for
      the
      paper.
      Sure
      enough,
      Kenny
      started
      to
      freak
      out.
      ‘‘Oh
      man,
     
     
      this
      is
      weird.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Oh
      man
      this
      is
      weird.
      This
      is
      too
      f***ing
      weird.
      I’m
      taking
      off,
     
     
      man.
      This
      is
      strange
      shit...’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Chris
      realized
      Kenny
      was
      really
      frightened
      and
      decided
      he’d
     
     
      taken
      the
      joke
      too
      far.
      ‘‘Calm
      down,
      Kenny.
      I
      was
      joking.
      See,
     
     
      it
      was
      in
      my
      pocket
      the
      whole
      time...’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘‘That’s
      not
      funny,
      Chris,’’
      and
      Kenny
      stormed
      out.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Later
      that
      same
      evening,
      Kenny
      was
      at
      his
      late-night
      art
      class.
     
     
      The
      subject
      was
      flowers,
      and
      Ke1.ny
      was
      putting
      the
      finishing
     
     
      touches
      ona
      lovely
      picture
      of
      ared
      rose.
      He
      signed
      itand
      handed
     
     
      it
      in
      to
      the
      teacher.
      She
      was
      so
      impressed
      she
      immediately
     
     
      framed
      it
      and
      hung
      it
      over
      the
      desk,
      right
      next
      to
      Kenny’s
      picture
     
     
      from
      last
      week’s
      class.
      She
      then
      dismissed
      the
      class.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      As
      Kenny
      was
      walking
      home,
      he
      remembered
      that
      he’d
      left
      his
     
     
      backpack
      in
      the
      classroom.
      Racing
      back
      to
      the
      building,
      he
     
     
      found
      the
      teacher
      in
      the
      parking
      lot
      and
      convinced
      her
      to
      let
      him
     
     
      back
      into
      the
      class.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Miss
      Smzulcy
      opened
      the
      door
      to
      the
      class
      and
      turned
      on
      the
     
     
      light.
      As
      Kenny
      searched
      for
      his
      backpack,
      she
      sensed
      some-
     
     
      thing
      wrong
      with
      the
      room.
      I
      ooking
      around
      for
      the
      scurce
      of
      the
     
     
      problem,
      her
      glance
      happened
      to
      fciion
      Kenny’s
      rose.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      oe