The light in the throne room turned sour, changing gold to brass. At the foot of the dais, angels caught the cue and shifted their praises to a minor key.
Jesus turned to his left. “He’s waking up.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” the Father replied—their old joke along with “another day, another ten cents on the dollar”—but the light and the music lent a sadness that while perhaps unintentional, was certainly not untrue.
As Jesus walked down the steps in front of his throne, the angels parted but never halted their song.
“Son,” a voice called out from behind him, “take Lucifer with you.”
© 2006, 2024; first appeared in print in Coach’s Midnight Diner: The Jesus Vs. Cthulhu Edition (2007)