The TV Works, but the Clicker is Broken - Chapter 12

 TWELVE

“Nothing is permanent”

"Congratulations!" The angels said in unison as Matt woke up. "You passed!"

"But he got shot? He hadn't convinced Mickey to change his ways?" Sussy was happy to have her pet back, but she had questions.

"Well Mickey was planning on turning on him in the end anyway, he was going ton get away with the girl and all the money." Raj explained. "But in the original story, Hue's character would have double crossed Mickey first. But his soul was good enough that he didn't doutlt cross his friend, and instead he got shot in the face."

"And that gets you into heaven?" Sussy asked.

"It's a little known secret, but yeah." Martha said.

"You hear that Hue?" Sussy lifted him up to her eye level. "You're good enough!"

Matt looked up at her. He wondered how much more of that life she had to live before her consciousness returned to Hell.

"Your Level 1 lost soul passed his test and can now go to heaven." Raj said. "You can keep what's left."

A beautiful woman with wings appeared next to Sussy's shoulder and flew close to Hue.

Matt couldn't believe his eyes. Just looking at her he instantly recognized her and was filled with love. He couldn't believe his eyes, after all this time in Hell his memories had been blocked from remembering anything good in his life. And she did it. His beautiful wife. They'd been married for 40 years, they knew each other their whole lives, and there she was, in the form of an angel. He remembered their life together, all the good times. Their children, the weddings, the parties, the special occasions. Everything that had been blocked out in Hell all came flooding back once he saw her face. She held her hand out for him to come with her. Matt blinked through the tears and took her hand. There was a sudden flash of light, and then he felt nothing.

He felt no sadness, no happiness. He knew he was crying from happiness a moment ago, but now he couldn't really remember what he'd been thinking about. Overall he just felt empty.

"Was that it?" Sussy asked.

"Yes, His soul is now gone from here." Sasha said. "But you can't keep whatever's left. He'll be a little spacey, but you can still teach them tricks when they are level 2."

"I don't care about teaching him tricks." Sussy said, cuddling him up against her face. "I just want to keep him safe, and treat him nice."

"Whatever." Raj shrugged. "Be sure to bring him back here if his soul comes back. But for now he won't be a problem to any Hellhounds lurking around."

"Thank you!" Sussy placed Hue on her shoulder so she could cuddle against him as she walked home.

Matt felt Sussy's smooth skin against his face as they walked through the strange night mist back to her house. Her how was not going to be his home for the foreseeable future. His soul would live on in heaven, but he would have to live here, as a soulless creature. A pet to a demon in Hell. Matt wasn't sure what kind of life he'd lived before Hell, but he was up for this experience.

The TV Works, but the Clicker is Broken - Chapter 11

 ELEVEN

“What is like unto itself is drawn”

"I'm not a philosopher Sussy." He shouted. They'd been at it for hours, trying to figure out what it meant for him to be just, true and follow his conscience. "I need to get this right so I can get to heaven." Matt picked up the pad of paper. They'd written down all the factors involved in the situation and different ways of make all the angels happy."

"Well your conscience is easy, what is your inner voice telling you to do?" Sussy asked, picking at her nails.

"I feel like this is the first time I've ever had a conscience." Matt paced the floor. "In the van I felt it, it was screaming at me to do something. Like it was telling me not to rob that bank. Even though we'd done things like this before."

"You've kidnapped someone to ransom them?"

"Yes, but not for as large of an amount as you." Matt paused for a second. "How are we going to get this money by the way? I mean, who are you, in this dream world anyway?"

"I am the fiancé to a rich prince. I came into this body a few days before the heist. I met with Mickey and told him the story of my fiancé being financially controlling, which is true. I have no control over my own money. It's either handled by my father or him. But if you guys sent him a ransom note, I know he or my father would be willing to pay anything to get me back."

"You really think they can get 4 billion dollars together in 2 days?"

"I know it! They are very rich people. And they care for this girl." Sussy pointed to herself and picked at her flesh. She ran her hands down her body as if she was noticing herself for the first time. "Human bodies are strange."

"I guess it's no different than when you come into my dreams."

"That's different. That's my succubus self." Sussy got up and poured herself some coffee and passed Matt a pack of cigarettes. "I can look like whatever I want in dreams, and I can control what's going on. This is different. I feel my body. I can't control what's happening to me, I have hunger, pain, and feelings! This is worse than being in Hell. At Least there I had soft furry legs!" Sussy lifted up the shirt she was wearing to show off her bare legs. Matt got lost in thought for a second.

"We were talking about uh, truth!" Matt snapped back to the topic at hand. 

"Well, what is the truth?" Sussy sat back down next to Matt.

"The truth can be relative," He said, lighting a cigarette and leaning back on the couch. "What is true for one person may not be true for another. Same with what's right and wrong."

"In a general sense what you guys are doing is wrong," Sussy curled up and got closer to Matt. "When you look at the specifics, you are not doing a bad thing. You've freeing me from my life with a man who just wants to control me. The way you got there was wrong but the intention was right." Matt was lost deep in thought for a while. He looked up at the ceiling and thought back on his life in general.

If this was his life, maybe he deserved to go to Hell. Whoever he was now was not a good person. However, simply the fact that he and Sussy have been debating what is morally justified about this action leads him to believe that this life wasn't the life he had originally. This was just another dream put together by the demons, or angels. He wondered who he was. Who was the real Matthew? Not whatever Matt this bank robber guy was.

"What are you thinking about." Sussy asked.

"Nothing." Matt snapped back and realised he'd been staring off into space right at the spot Sussy was sitting. She'd been drinking her coffee and fiddling with her fingers, but he hadn't noticed. He was lost in thought. The train of thought would be too complicated to explain to her. "In your few days of being this girl, are you noticing a lot of differences between what's normal for Hell versus what's normal here."

"Yes, people try their best here, but are often stepped on by more powerful people. Social structures seem to be the same. And humans are angry and petty. But I guess not all demons are like that."

"I guess demons and humans aren't so different."

"What about justice?" 

"Justice works differently for humans for sure. We don't have a justice system like you humans have, but what is like unto itself is drawn, am I right?"

"Did you just have a stroke?" Matt tapped out his cigarette. "What did you just say?"

"What is like unto itself is drawn." Sussy repeated slowly.

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Matt tried to think of a way that made sense. 

"It's something demons and angels always say, you know? It's a saying. What is like unto itself is drawn!" 

"Please don't say it again, it's giving me a headache to think about!" Matt pressed his hands into his temple and started to massage his head. 

"It basically means you are what you are, and you get what you get because of who you are and that's just how it is." Sussy said in a more confusing way than the original phrase. "It's so simple." 

"If you say so, if we're justified in our behaviours, or do they mean seeing justice for the wrongs we've done? If we misinterpret what they want us to do we could get it all wrong, and I'll be thrown into the pitt!" Matt was getting more and more worried. His  heart was racing, his head was pounding. He just wanted to scream and run away. But how can you run from a dream you are stuck in.

"Calm down, Hue. Calm down." Sussy stood up and gave Matt a big hug while he sat down. She shoved her chest in his face and locked her arms around his head. Strangely enough, it did help calm him down. Her cold shirt pressed against his face, he could hear her steady heart beat. He started to breathe in sync with hers. It calmed him down. 

"Sorry that took so long, my old man was..." Mickey walked in and stopped mid sentence when he noticed what he was walking in on. Sussy didn't move or react, even her heart beat stayed steady. But Matt realised what a strange scene that must look like. Sussy was standing with her boobs in his face, in a shirt and no pants. "Did I miss something?"

"No, We're just trying to figure something out." Sussy said, releasing Matt from her grip and walking over to her spot on the couch.

"If it involves what I think it involves, I'll help you figure it out." Mickey was obviously jealous, but it seemed he didn't want to show his true colours too early with this girl. "Matt can I talk to you."

Mickey took Matt into the other room and left Sussy to sit on the couch. 

"It's not what it looks like." Matt tried to explain as soon as Mickey closed the door.

"It better not be what it looks like! We are this close to getting 4 billion dollars." Mickey pinched his fingers close together. "If we start fighting over this girl, it could ruin a good thing. We've gotta promise not to let her come between us. When we get the money, we leave her behind!"

"No problem, I don't like her like that." Matt laughed. It would be difficult to explain to Mickey what was really going on. But deep inside Matt felt he should be convincing Mickey to do the right thing too. Maybe justice was more than just getting justice for him, but for the others around him. Maybe they're conscience needs to guide them to do the right thing. He needs to change their warped view of truth. Mickey, Dave and Gary have all been living this way their whole life. If this is all they know then this is how they would act, but it's not a good way to live, but they've probably been suppressing their conscience so long they don't know what is true and just. The test must be about saving them! Not just him.

"I figured it out!" Matt shouted.

He walked out of the room and frantically started ranting his idea to Sussy. Mickey stood there confused, not understanding anything they were talking about.

"That could be how to pass the test. You'd save not just your soul, but their's too."

"Woah, woah, Matt what are you talking about?" Mickey came in closer. "Are you telling me you're getting religious on me? You think we need our souls saved?"

"Yes! You do! You've been living this life for too long, you don't even see how wrong it is." Matt explained. "What is like unto itself is drawn!"

"You get it!" Sussy exclaimed in delight as she stood up and started clapping.

"What the fuck is happening to you!" Mickey said. "I left you alone with this girl for 3 hours and suddenly you want to change your whole life. You wanna move to a mountain top and become a monk too?"

"You don't have to go that far, but we haven't made any demands yet. And Dave and Gary have the stuff from the bank. We could return it. We could just get by living a decent wage at the bar. We don't have to do these things anymore. We won't be rich, but we won't be criminals!"

"I'd rather be rich." Mickey said in a stern voice. He then pulled a gun from his belt and shot Matt in the chest.

Time started to slow down. He didn't feel as much pain as he thought he would. Suddenly he was looking at the ceiling, he was laying on the floor but he didn't remember falling. Sussy was above him, she looked worried, her hands were covered in blood. It was his blood. He could feel his chest now. The pain came all at once. He kept his eyes open long enough to see Sussy beating the crap out of Mickey after wrestling the gun out of his hands. Matt chuckled a bit then he closed his eyes for the last time.

The TV Works, but the Clicker is Broken - Chapter 10

 TEN

“There are two sides to everything”

His eyes opened slowly. He took a deep breath in and his experience over the past few days faded away. Almost like a dream. He looked around, he was in a van with three other people. Everyone was dressed the same and everyone was holding guns. 

Memories of the situation came flooding back to him. He and his friends were going to rob a bank as a cover for a kidnapping. Mickey made a deal with a lady he met. We were going to fake kidnap her and share the ransom from her fiance. Apparently, he was some kind of prince. 

Mickey works at his dad's bar, so he gets small jobs from people all the time. We've been doing jobs like this one since we were kids. Not fake kidnapping, but robbery or something for quick cash. Each of us had been living this life for a long time. 

Mackey was sitting in the van next to Matt, Dave was driving and Gary was across from Matt, behind the driver's seat. There were no seats in the back of the van, it was just one of those big ones you rent from tool supplies stores. 

Memories of the plan started to flood in as we got closer to the bank. I was supposed to find the girl, she'll be blond with a blue dress and sunglasses, she should be standing by the door. Gary and Mickey will head back with the bank manager and get whatever is in the vault. And we'll all split up after we ditch the van. 

The girl should act like she's scared, but she'll be in on it. So she won't really fight back too much. Matt was nervous, and started to tapped his foot quickly. 

Gary silently offered him a cigarette and he took it. It seemed like an appropriate thing to do at a time like this. 

"Don't be nervous Matt," Mickey said, trying to reassure him. He seemed to be the only one who was nervous. And he didn't know why he was, he'd done these hundreds of times before. "I had a good omen come to me in a dream last night." 

"A good omen, I haven't had one of those in a long time." Gary chuckled to himself more than anyone else.

"I just mean I can feel it. This one is a sure thing. And when it's over we get 1 billion dollars each."

"Yeah, I know, I guess I just have a weird feeling about all this." Matt took another drag from his cigarette. "I feel like this is the wrong thing to do. I can't explain it."

"Uh oh Matty, you better not be growing a conscience on us." They all laughed. A few embarrassing memories of Matt causing damage, or being a general nuance came to mind. Nothing specific, but he knew for sure he was not a good person. 

"Okay fellas, out here on the left," Dave said, pulling up to the curb. "4 minutes and I'm outta here." 

The next three minutes happened so fast. They pulled down their masks, ran into the bank. Matt quickly found the blond woman with sunglasses in a blue dress. He used her as a human shield. We always used blanks, but Matt wasn't sure if Mickey had told her that. She started crying but Matt didn't find it very convincing.

After Mickey and Gary left for the vault for a while, they came back out with duffel bags loaded up, but Matt had the real treasure in my arms. They quickly ran out the door and got her in the van then Dave drove off and changed lanes and directions a few times. We had done it. We kidnapped a girl.

She'd given Mickey some kind of sob story at the bar. It sounded too cliché to be true in Matt's mind, but it was basically that she was trapped in a relationship with the prince she didn't love, she had no money of her own because all her life she was either getting money from her father or other men. Never had her own money, but she guaranteed that her fiancé would pay a lot of money if she was kid-napped. So Mackey got the idea to pretend to kidnap her when she was at the bank. It will seem like we had no idea who she was at the time of the robbery so it will be less suspicious.

Matt had built his own satellite phone so they could hide out anywhere and call in for the money.

Naturally, Mickey suggested Matt's place. Mickey lived with his parents, and Dave and Gary had wives and kids. Matt however had his own apartment and his neighbours left him alone. If they saw the girl walking around they wouldn't tell anyone. 

"She just has to stay here for a couple of days, then when we get the money, we go anywhere we want!" Mickey was excited about his plan. Matt still had doubts for some reason. He wasn't sure why this girl was worth 4 billion dollars to her fiancé. She was pretty, but either he was filthy rich and wouldn't notice 4 billion dollars, or this girl is really special. "So I'll go out and get some supplies for you guys, and we'll make the phone call when I get back."

Mickey slipped out the door and headed to his car. We'd split up with Dave and Gary and taken separate vehicles when we left the van by the underpass. They'd cleaned it down with bleach before abandoning it behind some bushes. Then they'd found their cars, Mickey let Gary and Dave have the money they got from the bank robbery. And we'd meet up later to give them their share of the kidnapping money. Matt sat down on the couch with a sigh, and The girl came walking out into the living room in a towel. She'd helped herself to the shower and was already making herself at home in his apartment. 

"Where did Mickey go?"

"He's off to get some supplies. He'll be back later."

"So it's just the two of us?" She sat down next to him and placed her hand on his leg.

"Yes, just the two of us."

"Good! I need to tell you how to pass this test." She clapped her hands together and picked up a pen and pad of paper off of the coffee table. "The angels said you will be dealing with Truth, justice, and conscience." 

"What? What Angels? What are you talking about?"

"The angels at the Crimson Bridge." She looked at him all confused. "How long were you in this body, do you really not remember?" Matt looked into her eyes as if he was supposed to remember her from something. She looked a little familiar. Then he remembered the dream he had before the heist. "Sussy?"

"Hue! You remembered me! You're so cute!" She wrapped her arms around him. So happy to have her pet back.

"What, you mean, this is another one of your dreams?"

"No, this is the dream the Angels gave to you. This is your test to make it across the bridge!" Sussy said. "I'm here to help you make the right decision!"

The TV Works, but the Clicker is Broken - Chapter 9

 NINE

“Everything is connected”

Sussy was able to carry Hue on her shoulder that next morning they set off for the Crimson Bridge. It wasn't far from Sussy's work so they were able to get there in just a few hours. On their way there she passed a few more demons that had pets too. It was cute how they howled at each other when they saw the other one, something about lost souls being very territorial.

"Hey, Hey, help me!" Matt shouted to the other people he saw, but they would usually just growel, or sometimes not respond and just stare off into the distance. They'd given up hope of ever being free of this place. Matt felt so alone, was he going to feel like this forever? He didn't remember why he deserved this, but he was sure he could do better if he just had the chance. Especially knowing what was waiting for him.

Once they arrived at the bridge there were special instructions for the lost souls to step close to it without their demons.

As Matt approved the bridge it started to change shape. What was once a sturdy looking bridge made of stone quickly turned to a rickety bridge that looked like it was going to break just byslooking at it.

"Yeah, I'm not crossing that thing..." Matt said.

"Yeah, I'm not crossing that thing." Sussy said, picking Matt up off the ground. She looked around the area. She knew there was supposed to be someone here. She'd read up about the bridge while Hue was sleeping.

Frantic flapping noises caused Sussy to turn. Three angels with large black wings stood tall in front of her. They had flown too close together and had their wings all caught in each other. They looked like a big mess of feathers.

"Hello! I am Sasha. I am one of the angels of the crimson bridge. This is my sister Martha and our brother Raj.” Martha and Raj waves respectively as they all smoothed out their feathers.

Sasha looked the most human, although he was much paler than Hue, and had smoother features. Hue had strange colours all over his body, but Sasha was just one pure skin town. He also had a flaming blue aura around him.

Martha was one of those angels that was so bright they just looked like a beam of light with black wings. Though she had a row of 3 on each side, Sussy never learned if more wings on an angel was more significant then less, it seemed rude to ask.

Raj Had the largest wingspan, and a large beard that covered his body and fell to the ground. Together they would determine Hue's fate. 

Matt sat there cowering in Sussy's arms. He couldn't understand what they were saying, but these things were taller than Sussy, and they all looked way more menacing than she did. "Even now that I've gotten to know Sussy's more delicate side, I still can't help but see those burning people when I see these angel things. It seemed like Sussy was arguing with them. Maybe I was supposed to do something, that's why the bridge changed. Or was it like a magical code word? Did I have to shout open sesame?" All this went through Matt's mind as Sussy talked over his fate, without him understanding a word of what was going on.

"So in order to cross the bridge, and make it safely to heaven, he'll need to be tested. What kind of test is it?" 

"Just one that will test his Conscience, truth and justice." 

"We will give him the memories of someone who made all the wrong decisions, and see what decisions he makes to make it right."

"One test, to test all three things?"

"Yes, it's a simple process. It's just been so long since we've seen any souls come to the bridge."

"Well, I know he can do it! He's a smart and sensitive soul, and he'll pass your test."

"I hope so, or else neither of you will be able to come back."

"Say what now?"

"You have to go with him." Sasha explained.

"I have to go to this test with him? What will I do? I don't know how to be human?"

"Don't worry. You're not the one being tested, you just have to help him with his test. Try and make sure he makes the right decision." Raj smiled, though you could barely see it in his beard.

"But what if... oh, I don't know, say he doesn't make the right choice." Sussy had confidence in him, but she just needed to know.

"Well, you'll still both come back here eventually when you die. But he'll be sent down to the pitt. But you'll be fine. He'll be fine too, nothing that happens in the test is real, although, he won't know that, the human mind is very feeble and easy to manipulate." Martha's voice echoed a little.

"Okay, I'll do it! Send us on your quest!" Sussy was excited.

"It's not a quest, it's a test." Sasha said.

"Although Quest does sound better." Raj muttered.

"Maybe it is a quest, we haven't done it in a while." Martha added.

"Enough!" Sasha shouted "On with the test!"

The TV Works, but the Clicker is Broken - Chapter 8

 EIGHT

“We are rewarded for right action"

Matt's eyes opened slowly. As he turned over he remembered where he was. This was his life now. A pet to a giant demon. Living in a shoe box filled with sawdust.

Suddenly the giant started making noise and walking toward him. She brought her hand down and scooped him out of the box. 

"What? Hey, I just woke up. Where are you taking me?" Matt protested as she carried him across the room. She put him down on the table to reveal a strange looking popsicle house.

"Did you make this?" Matt asked. The demon nodded and motioned for him to go inside.

The house looked like a small cottage. He was amazed at how much it looked like a real house, even though it was made out of popsicle sticks, giant popsicle sticks from his perspective. He opened the door and found a tiny room with a small bed for him, a table and a chair. It all looked wonderful. Then the roof opened up and Matt screamed in surprise.

Sussy opened the roof of the house and Hue let out a little squeal. Delighted to see her no doubt. 

"Do you like your new house? I'll add more stuff as we need it. But this is a good home for now. Later we can head over to the Crimson Bridge. I hope whatever they have to do won't hurt." Sussy watched Hue climb on to his new bed. She placed a small box in his house, with some old doll clothes she found. He could choose what he wanted to wear from that, then she placed the roof back on the house to give him some privacy.

It was strange how the giant thing acted so differently from the things that had called itself an angel back in the woods. In his dream Sussy had called herself a demon. She said they were in Hell, but why is she being so nice to him? Demons are supposed to torture you. And the angels, they were setting people on fire. Weren't angels supposed to be love and light. I guess he was technically light, but he doubted they were beings of love.

He looked through the box of clothing she'd left him. There were a few different things he could wear, but he chose a green pants, blue long sleeved shirt combination. Surprisingly pastel colours for doll clothing one would find in Hell. Matt was coming to realise he knew very little about this afterlife. Whatever he was taught in Sunday school didn't prepare him for this. Or had it? If only he could remember his life.

He curled up into a ball and layed down on his new bed. He drifted off to sleep, and tried to remember his life, but all he could think of was the burning people he saw in the forest when he first came here. Nothing beyond that. All he could remember is things from the dream world. But were any of those memories true? Or had it just been something this demon was putting in his mind. Soon his paranoia tired him out and he drifted off to sleep.

Sussy came back to check on Hue, and he was fast asleep. curled up in his new bed, clutching at his bed sheets and thrashing his legs slightly. It was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. From what she'd read, this place was not a good environment for a soul, so he'll have to get his soul removed. There was no doubt about that. For now, she'll give him good dreams. She lifted the bed he slept into her lips and gave him a kiss.

The TV Works, but the Clicker is Broken- Chapter 7

 SEVEN

“Manifestation requires a balance of energies"

He opened his eyes, hoping to see a new day in his room, but the woman had changed spots and was now laying on top of him.

"Who are you?" Matt asked.

"My name's Sussy,” She laid down on top of him. He expected her to be heavy but she weighed no more than a cat. “I'm the demon that found you by the river."

"You? But you look so different?” Matt looked her up and down. This woman looked nothing like the giant thing that had put him in a box. That thing was scally and half goat or something. Not to mention it was the size of a building.

"I entered your dream silly.” She rolled off of his chest and cuddled up next to him on the bed. ”I wanted to talk to you."

“You entered my dreams?!” Matt pushed her away slightly.

“Of Course. I’m half succubus, so I can enter people's dreams, change the events in them to my will, and even enter daydreams. I figured it would be easier to communicate, because I don’t speak human.”

“Human isn’t the language. What language do you speak?”

“I speak enochian like all demons speak, but we don’t understand whatever language you lost souls seem to scream all the time. Right now, because it’s a dream and I want to communicate with you, you can understand me and I can understand you.” She squished her face against his. “You are so cute.”

“Thank you,” Matt said through a squished face. “What do you want with me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, this is Hell, you are a demon. I went to church growing up, I know what this is. You are going to torture me for all eternity.”

“No!” Sussy held him close to her.His face lay in her bare chest. “I want to keep you safe, and make you feel at home. I looked up some information about your people, but I wanted to know if there was anything specific I could do. To make you feel more at home.” 

“So, you don’t want to kill me, or torture me, or have birds feast on my eyes?” Matt used specific examples he’d learned growing up with Sunday school.

“What’s a bird?” Sussy asked, lifting him up off her chest. 

“Never mind.” Matt avoided eye contact. He was still having trouble remembering his real life before he died, but he was sure it had been a while since he shared a bed with a beautiful woman. “So you want to keep me as your pet?”

“Yes! A pet!” Sussy started playing with his hair. “Not a lot of demons keep lost souls as pets, but It was either this, or I could take you to the Crimson Bridge.”

“The Crimson Bridge.” Matt perked up “You know where that is?”

“Of course, I can take you there tomorrow.” Sussy wiggled off of him and stood up in front of him. "So this is your house? In the living world?"

"Yeah, Uh, it was my house growing up." He stood up and started walking around the room continuing to avoid eye contact with the demon. "I spent a lot of time here." 

"I can see why, it's a beautiful place." She looked at the symbols above his door. "What do these symbols mean?"

"It says Matthew, that's my name."

"Mah-at-hew" Sussy tried to pronounce the name. Matt giggled to himself. "That is a hard name. I'll just call you Hue." She sat down right next to him, and you may call me Sussy, I think you'll make a good pet." She started smothering him with kisses. “I'll feed you and make sure you get enough exercise, and keep you safe."

"But I'm a human, I'm not an animal."

"An-i-mall?" Sussy looked confused.

"You know an animal, a creature that's usually on 4 legs, they have fur instead of hair, they don't communicate with language like humans do."

"That sounds like half the demons that live in Dusthuk."

"Dusthuk?"

"Yes, my town, I'll show you tomorrow. We can walk to the Crimson Bridge and I can show you everything."

"I don't want to stay here! I don't belong in Hell!" Matt started paced around the room. "I don't understand what is happening, I wasn't that bad of a person, I was good. I attended church, I volunteered my time to the homeless and the enderly, I gave away hot chocolate to people on the street in the winter, I ran marathons, I was good to the planet! Why would I come here?" 

“Well, Dusthuk is the land of evil words, so most likely something to do with that.”

“But I just washed up on the shore by chance!”

“Pft. Nothing happens by chance.” Sussy shrugged and walked over to Matt, “It’s all connected.” She gave him a hug and suddenly he shrank into the size of a baby and Sussy started to rock him back and forth. The room changed suddenly and Sussy was sitting on a porch looking at a clam sunrise in a rocking chair. Baby Matt could feel her heart beating close to him and his eyes got heavy as if his own mother was rocking him to sleep. "I don't know why lost souls come here, and I don't know why you are here. There is no love or light in Hell, but I can try and make you feel comfortable and safe. You will be treated better than any other lost soul, I guarantee it!" The words were comforting. But it just made Matt more homesick.

The TV Works, but the Clicker is Broken - Chapter 6

 SIX

“Manifestation requires aligned action”

Matt was back in his childhood bedroom. His eyes were heavy, and he could barely move his head. He'd never felt so thirsty. A flood of memories came back to him. He knew he was dreaming, but what part was the dream?

He looked around the room. If this was the dream, it was the most realistic dream he's ever had. This was his room when he was a young boy. It was mid day, and he could see a shadow from the tree outside. He was too small to look out the window, and he had trouble standing. Was this because of the dream? Or was this an old memory?

He looked around the room and noticed how empty it was. Was it always this empty? Was he just having trouble remembering what it looked like as a kid? As he remembered, items from his childhood started to pop into place as if they'd always been there.

His big comfy chair in the corner next to a bookshelf full of colourful childrens books. A large box with a few different kinds of toys and stuffed animals. A messy area with scattered art supplies. The light left the room and then came back as if the sun was rising and setting every other second, until the room changed so gradually. It was the way it was decorated when he was in high school. The walls were a new colour. There were posters and instruments everywhere. Clothes covered the floor and then flew into the closet, then suddenly he remembered. This was the room he was in a lot as a kid, and a teen. It was the one place that was all his own.

He sat on the edge of his bed and looked around the still room. It was night time again, but there was a low light coming from the desk in the corner of the room. He remembered this, his first time alone in his room with a girl.

A hand reached out and touched his hand, Matt looked up at the face the hand belonged to. But the face wasn't who he was expecting. He remembered this time in his first year of high school, but he'd remembered the girl being Loren Bushwack.

She'd been a plan looking girl with large glasses. They'd been study partners for a few weeks and he'd learned Loren had a crush on him. He didn't really know how he felt, but he was too shy to say anything to hurt her feelings. He'd end up dating her for three years. But this was not the face of Loren Bushwack. This was a woman

She was a fully developed woman with curves and well done make up and very little clothing. She was put together like a model straight out of a magazine, the kind of woman no real woman looks like in real life.

Now, he knew it was a dream. It was nice to have a beautiful woman like this in his bedroom, but it wasn't real. He knew the true reality of it, is that he was in a shoe box of a giant demon.

Matt layed down on the bed and closed his eyes, hoping to wake up from this strange dream. A beautiful woman in your childhood bedroom might have been some men's dream, but Matt remembered how religious his parents had been, and he would have been in a lot of trouble if his parents came across this scene. As it is, he was grounded for 3 weeks when his mother caught him and Loren holding hands.

The TV Works, but the Clicker is Broken - Chapter 5

 FIVE

“Every action has a consequence”

Sussy looked through every book and paper she could find about humans to learn more about hers. She knew he was male, that was obvious, human anatomy wasn't all that different from demons. The same basics are there. 

They eat pretty much everything, though they prefer cooked foods, and it looks like they need clothes.

Sussy found an old cage in her storage space, and placed a small dish with water and some heated up leftovers in it. There she found an old cloth from her cupboard. She cut some holes in it and dressed the lost soul in it. He looked confused at first, but after a few minutes he started to look relaxed.

While he was getting his rest Sussy searched for videos and step by step instructions on properly dealing with a lost soul. She found a good written blog by a demon who has housed over 30 lost souls. 

Lost souls don't thrive well in Hell, so no matter what you do, sometimes they just don't make it. But it depends on the kind of lost soul you have. You can take your lost soul to Doctor Buer Raymond he will assess it as a level 1, 2, 3 or 4 soul.

Level 1. Full soul human. They can learn tricks and you can train them to behave. Typical behaviour of a level 1 lost soul include excessive sleeping, crying, skating and occasional bouts of anger. Until a relationship is formed with you and your lost soul, they may be difficult to deal with. If you can enter their dreams to communicate with them I suggest trying that, (he posted a link to a How to Dreamwalk video tutorial.) Luckily Sussy, as a half succubus can already naturally dream walk into dreams of humans. Walking through the dreams of a lost soul would be no different. This level lost soul needs to have their soul extracted at the Crimson Bridge.

Level 2. No memories, soul to speak of, just a lump of flesh and nerve, runs on instinct. These souls typically lounge around, they don't like to do much, they are very subservient and move slowly. They can sometimes start eating themselves if they get too bored. Keep them busy with a toy, or get 2 of them so it can have a friend to play with.

Level 3. A soul with no body, mostly transparent, but still able to interact with the world. The typical behavior of a level 3 is spastic and quick. They have no body, so they can fly, which sometimes allows them to escape. Be sure to leave them inside if this is your fear. Be sure their house has a cage on it that they can't get through. A human soul can't travel through these rebind nettles as well as pass any salt lines. (He wrote a long list of different kinds of material that souls can't go through, and where to get them. As well as hand designed cages for your level 3 pet).

Level 4. The kind of souls you see floating in the river. No life, no personality. These do not do much, they are best left alone in a jar, or glass of water. They glow in the dark, but typically only when accompanied by other souls. If you find one, feel free to throw it into the river, eventually they make their way to the Pitt, but they glow lovely until they get there.

As a demon, your skin may be used to the strange change in temperature, and you will definitely be used to the smells and sounds of our great cities. But a lost soul is a sensitive soul. They require more silence, or delicate music. Most lost souls prefer the sounds from the era of 1900's. Be sure to play plenty of 70's disco, 80's funk, or any polka music. 

To make them feel more at home, get your lost soul their very own house. Even if you live in an apartment, buy a dollhouse for your lost soul to explore. They are relatively easy to find at a second hand store, or you could even make one yourself.

Be sure to feed your lost soul!Remember, lost souls lack the ability to know when they are full, so they will eat anything that's in front of them. Restrict it's eating habits to 4 times a day, and maybe a treat if it's been good. They will eat literally anything you give them, but they prefer green and orange things. Green things can be hard to come by in certain regions, so we suggest finding anything orange to feed them. Nutrition is not important to lost souls, so you don't have to worry about that.

You're going to have to put in a lot of effort when it comes to taking care of them, but it's worth it.

The article ended with a photo of the demon author and a tiny lost soul sittin on his shoulder. She looked terrified and confused, but she was smiling.

The TV Works, but the Clicker is Broken - Chapter 4

 FOUR

“It’s all relative"

Sussy had him sitting in a hat she'd found on her desk, while she fixed up an old shoe box as a quick area for him.

She lined it with sawdust, and made sure there were holes in the top so he wouldn't suffocate.

"There you are, little fella." Sussy placed him in the box. He slid out of the hat and sat in the middle of the box shivering.

"Poor little guy." She placed the box on her desk and looked in the drawers. She finally found a snack bar and broke off a piece for him. Then she put some water in a small dish in the box.

"Sussy, did you finish filing that paperwork for that showcase?" her boss called from the other room. 

"Yes ma'am." Sussy picked up the files and hurried into the other room.

Matt sat there shivering. He thought back. He'd been walking down a dried river, then suddenly the river flooded and he woke up in the hands of a giant monster. He hugged his knees to his chest. 

"o...k" He shivered and spoke out loud to himself. "I don't think this thing is going to eat me. It gave me water, and at least it didn't set me on fire." Matt stood up slowly and walked over to the water. It looked clean. He took a few sips and didn't realise how thirsty he was until he finished the whole thing.

Then he noticed the chunk of snack bar she'd left for him. It smelled salty, but it didn't look like an appetising colour. Matt nibbled at it, but decided he wasn't hungry enough for that yet. What water he didn't drink he used to splash on his face and gave himself a bird bath. Then he curled up in a ball in the corner and started to cry again

"Oh look! He drank all his water." Sussy said checking on her new pet. 

"Wow, where did you get a lost soul?" Bertha asked.

"I just found him by the river on my lunch break." Sussy covered the box so that the soul could have some peace and quiet. As cute as she thought it was, it probably needs to adjust to being here.

"He looks kind of heavy. I think he's a new arrival." Bertha sat down across from Sussy. Sussy sat at her desk typing something and making notations in a calendar. "That's rare."

"I know." Sussy looked excited. "He's so solid, you can't even see through him like the lost souls in the river."

"Do you know how to take care of one of those things?" Bertha looked over at the closed box. "They can be pretty high maintenance, and they don't thrive well in our environment."

"I'll take him to a specialist tomorrow, tonight I'll do some of my own research on how to care for a lost soul." Sussy remembered seeing a few how to videos and blogs for a while now. Maybe it had all been a sign she was meant to find this little guy. She peeked on him in the box, he looked cute when he was asleep. all curled up in the corner. Making cute little whimpering noises.

The TV Works, but the Clicker is Broken - Chapter 3

 THREE

“Energy is always moving and always changing”

After running for what seemed like hours he finally came across a river and a dock. The river got more and more shallow as he walked closer to the dock. There was a slender cloaked black figure by the boat. A thick mist started to grow closer to the docks as he walked closer to the boat. There was less and less water in the river with each step.

"Coin?" Said the man with a shadowed figure next to the boat. 

"Must be in my other pants." Matt looked down and sarcastically pointed to his pantsless hips.

"With no coin, I can not take you across the water." The boat man said. He looked at the water. It didn't look very deep. He could probably just walk.

"Most people have to swim, but it looks like no one mourns your loss." The boat man chuckled to himself. "What's your name, lost soul?"

"Me?" Suddenly he heard every angry teacher, parent or boss that he'd ever dealt with in his entire life all screaming the same name "Matthew." he said confidently.

"Well, Matthew. Good luck on your walk, I hope you make it to the Crimson Bridge before the Hellhounds find you." Matthew wanted to ask what a Hellhound was but he turned around to find the boat man, and his boat had disappeared into thin air. Matt walked off the dock and started to cross the shallow river.

The fog was so thick he could only see a few steps in front of him. He hoped he was walking in the right direction. If he'd been in a boat, at least he would have a guide.

The man at the docks had mentioned a bridge. Maybe he was supposed to find a bridge, all he needed to do was find the other side of this dried up river. He looked at a firm step in front of him before the fog suddenly fell.

There was rubble on the ground and water started to flow in from the side knocking him down and into the now fast running river.

Matt was swept under the water and then spat out on top somewhere further down the river bend than before. Trees and stones on the side of the river flew past him. He must have been going very fast, but where had this water come from all of a sudden? The water around him was very bright, and it had a different viscosity than usual river water. He wondered why. His wandering was cut short when he accidentally hit his head on a low hanging branch and he passed out and sunk into the river.

The TV Works, but the Clicker is Broken - Chapter 2

 TWO

“As above, so below “

He opened his eyes, slowly. He knew he had to run. He wasn't sure why or even where he was, but he somehow knew he needed to get moving. He sat up and looked around. He was in a pile of dirt, in some kind of strange dark forest.

The trees were far enough apart to walk comfortably, plenty of grass in between them , but the trees were old, tall and not maintained. It was an untouched forest, but where was he? Why would he be in a forest? How did he get here? He tried to think back but he couldn't remember anything. He couldn't remember who he was, let alone, why he was there. But he knew he had to get moving. 

"Maybe moving will restore my memory?" He said in a raspy voice to no one. Clearly he hadn't spoken in a while. He felt so thirsty. As he walked in the woods, not knowing where he was going, or in which direction he was walking he eventually came to a small clearing where he saw a small group of people.

The group had maybe 20 people standing in a circle around 2 very tall figures. He looked around to find any sign of sun, or moon, or even star to get a sense of direction. But he found nothing but the tree tops and the tall figures. Perhaps they would help them? Maybe these creatures knew something he didn't. The tall figures made a low humming noise that was very inviting. But he was still unsure about them so he kept his distance. As he stood near and listened, the humming changed to a message in his mind. He still heard only humming but somehow he knew the tall figures were chanting for everyone to come to them.

"You will be loved,

Fire will cleanse you,

You must be pure to feel his presents."

This felt suspicious to him. Two people in the group stepped forward and one of the tall figures morphed in shape. He became a large binding of circles, like five crowns of gold circling within themselves. Each crown was encrusted with gemstones of all different colours and it shone so bright it was hard to look at. More people came closer to the figure now. It hummed some more explaining that it was an angel and was sent down to make us pure enough to go to heaven. He walked closer and memories started to come back to him

He remembered being a young boy, causing trouble. He didn't remember the specific memories, only the heavy emotions that came with the memories.

He felt only the pain that came from growing up, learning, and life. He remembered all the bad things he'd ever said. All the horrible things he had experienced. He dropped to his knees at the edge of the forest. His pain was too great, he started to cry, he felt so confused and scared. 

Why would they return these memories to him? Why show him his name, but not show him his loved one's? Did he even have any loved one's? He remembered very little from his life, but surely it wasn't all pain and despair. Was this angel real? Was any of this real? Was he really dead? Then before any of his questions could be answered the angel shot a beam of light at one of the people in the small crowd and they burst into flames.

"Fuck this shit!" He quickly sprang up and turned in the opposit direction. Whether that was an angel or not, he was not going to go with it.

As he ran through the forest he remembered more things about his life, all the times he'd been scared, It was as if every emotion he felt he unlocked all the memories associated with that emotion. He remembered every time he was hurt, physically and mentally. Something told him that he had died a lonely old man. Now he was a young version of himself and running naked through the woods. Was this what happened to everyone when they died?

The TV Works, but the Clicker is Broken - Chapter 1

                                                                          ONE

“Everything has a unique vibrational frequency”

Sussy was sitting on the river bank enjoying her lunch break. It was nice to get some fresh air after being stuck in a dusty old building all day. The sky was a misty purple and the dark sky twinkled the way it always did. The river has a blue glow as a large chunk of human souls slithered by. She sometimes wondered if those souls could communicate with each other and have races. Or if they really were just voidless blobs that they looked like. The souls in the river didn't even have any features normal lost souls have. Just figures of their old self with a dull blue light.

Humans looked nothing like most demons. Though all demons looked different, some looked more like animals than people. Sussy was one of those demons who was half human looking, but most demons are too terrifying to really see any humanity in them. Sussy was a tall slender demon. Her lower half was a goat body, but her upper torso and arms were human, although she was very thin. She was basically a skeleton. Her face was not human looking. She had no nose, two large horns, a small sliver for a mouth and 4 large black eyes. She was always told she looked just like her mother, but she didn't know that for sure. Sussy had been abandoned at a young age, and had lived her whole life without any real family. But demons only live for thousands of decades, so what was a few million years of loneliness to a demon.

Sussy was about to pack up her things and head back to work when something caught her eye. It was something small, but it had a strange white glow, that contrasted against the dark green of the grass next to the river. As she got closer she realised what it was. It was a human. She'd never seen one in person. A lost human soul. 

She picked it up carefully in her hand. It was still and lifeless, but had a very light heartbeat. 

"It must be sleeping, It's quite a long way from the River Armstead." That was the main river lost souls would take to get to their afterlife. She covered him from the wind and blew lightly into her hands to help keep him warm. His eyes popped open and he immediately flipped onto his back. 

He was a buff triangle shape of a person. Sussy knew from experience it was impossible to tell the age of a human without cutting them in half, so she'd have to guess. He was heavy for a lost soul, but he was covered in hair and strange symbols and dark marks. Sussy wondered if it was natural or if he'd permanently scared himself on purpose. Perhaps it was a part of a new ritual the humans are doing. They were always doing new and strange things with their dead.

He started barking and growling in some unknown language. Sussy braugh her finger down slowly to place on his head. Once he fell silent she patted the top of his head and stroked his hair back. His face grew confused. She pulled her finger back and he continued shouting in his language. No doubt confused as to why he is here, or wondering what I'll do with him.

"I'm not sure what people usually do with lost souls when they keep them as pets. But I guess I can't leave you here." Sussy cupped him in her hands and headed back to the office.

I've got Creativity out the wazoo

I've got the itch. I want to let out my creativity. But I can't think of what to do or where to start. 

Maybe it's just that I have so many ideas I don't know where to start. Sure... Let's go with that.

I've still got my fan fiction. Kind of on hold because I don't want to kill anyone, so I have to back up and start writing again from a new point. I might not be able to stop everyone.

Problem-solving - Calming Techniques - Activity schedule

Problem-solving is a useful strategy to assist in controlling life's stressful moments.

1. Identify and define the problem area. Make it as clear as possible and objective as possible.

2. Generate potential solutions. Try making a list, include anything and everything you can think of. even the silly things.

3. Evaluate alternatives. Go over the list you just made and take out the unrealistic answers. eliminate any bad ideas, weight the pros and cons of the situation.

4. Decide on a solution. Be as specific as you can and give yourself a deadline.

5. Evaluate the outcome.


Calming techniques to use include... breathing slowly. in 4 seconds out 3 seconds ext.

Mindful meditation is always a good way to calm your mind.

In a situation where you can't get away to find a quiet place try tracing a box on your hand or leg. as you draw the first line breath in, and as you draw the next line breath out. ty and sink your breathing to your hand movements. it might help you stay more focused.


Keeping an Activity Schedule can help completing even the most daily routine with the feeling of accomplishment.
Try marking down what you plan on doing for the week, make a note during the day on whether you did them. It will give you a good feeling of accomplishment and give you a sense of what you can handle.
be sure to re-evaluate every week, if it seemed too hard, give yourself a break and maybe share the work if you can. work at your own pace, life isn't a race.

You've been struck by a smooth criminal...

Blackmore’s new novel “Charter to Redemption” is based in 1821. In this book the main character Emma Colchester is going to Newcastle to marry a man she’s never met before. This was back in a time when marriage was more about class and less about love.

Emma ends up meeting Tobias Freeman. Tobias has no freedom, but by finding each other they find redemption each in their own way.

Even though “Charter to Redemption” is a work of fiction, there are quite a few true historical references. Having these in works of fictions such as this can get readers interested in history, which is good because you're never too old or too young to learn something new. It’s important to read books that have some truth or historical significance in some way. If more people read books (even fiction) about the past they might be more inclined to read up on actual history. And we all know how great it is to live in a world with knowledgeable people (mostly because stupid people suck). Reading in itself is a great way to find new things to love about the world.

From what I’ve read about the book so far, it's something I'm definitely looking forward to. As you can tell a key theme in “Charter to Redemption"is, of course “redemption”. This speaks to me personally, because I appreciate redemption. I believe in second chances, forgiveness and mercy and saving someone from a mistake they made. Just because someone makes bad choices doesn’t mean they are a bad person. And just because others say they are a bad person, doesn’t make them bad.
However, once someone starts believing they are bad, it’s hard to convince them otherwise. They can be a good person, but if they continue to view themselves as a bad person, or a villain, or a criminal, that’s all they will ever aspire to be.

"Charter to Redemption” is D.J. Blackmore’s first published work and I look forward to reading more about them in the future