Good Game

God and Satan are playing a game of chess.......

God and Satan sat at a table, playing chess. 

“Seems your humans are at it again. They are a predicable sort.”

“You’ve never given them the credit they are due, Little Horn. They are an amazing thing. They are full of all sorts of complexities.” God smiled, not in a smug way, but with true happiness and love. He advanced a pawn two squares.

“You take too much credit for them.” Satan chided “if they were yours they wouldn’t sway in the wind as they do.” 

“No” said God. “I understand the free will I placed into them. I also understand how you have used that. Overall, I am only proud of them. You never fully understood that some forms of pride are good. You can be so.....simple.”

Satan smiled. “And for me, you don’t take enough credit.” Satan made an aggressive, but calculated move with his knight.

This comment frustrated God, but not immensely. He understood that certain things were necessary, even those things that were out of his immediate control. 

“I have made many strides with their kind. I have made some of them bow before me. They praise my name and look to me as they should look to you.” Satan advanced his queen into a good defensive spot. 

“These types are mostly harmless, Iblis. They posses anger and hubris, much as you. These things can be forgiven.” A defensive move by God gave Satan pause and he studied the board.

Satan smiled and took a bishop. “These are easier to take down there.”

God stood stoic. He made a move with his rook.

“They say my greatest accomplishment was in making them believe neither of us existed.”

“Yes, Mara, you have gloated often about that one, but those souls are the least of my concern. Their intent is generally good. Some have lost hope, some have lost sight of us, but they still have within them a great capacity for good.”

Satan studied the board, and looked at every angle. Several moves passed in silence. Satan smiled, advanced his knight and hissed “Check”

God again stood stoic and made another defensive move. Satan made counter moves and with a large smile proclaimed “Checkmate!” God smiled and lowered his king. 

“Good game Belial.”

Satan beamed with pride. 

“You know, Angra, you seemed to have missed an accomplishment.”

Satan’s smile seemed to falter. He felt as though he was missing some larger picture.

“You see, your greatest work is what you have persuaded them to do in my name, in my many names. When they attempt to exclude one another from me. When they dress up lies in truths and stray so far from what they can be. My message is, and always has been, “Love one another” but they use me as a reason to hate one another. When I see them raise a banner in my name and commit atrocities, I....well....” God was, uncommonly without words to describe this. 

With this, Satan again smiled from ear to ear. “Yes, I would agree with you. I guess I hadn’t quite thought that one through.”

God leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He smiled, almost smugly, and stared into Satan’s eyes.

“What? What is this?” whined Satan.

“Poor Azazel, so shortsighted. You see, you have put into place your own undoing. Humans are beautiful in many ways, but at this point in their history they are children. They have swayed to your will often, but it is in this process that they learn. That is the greatest beauty I tried to instill in them. It takes them a long time, millennia even, but they learn. They grow. I instilled in them the gift of evolution. When I made you and your kind I tried to make you perfect. Not even I posses that capability. So as they evolve and learn they will become so much more.”

“Impossible. They will never be like us.”

“No, Baal. That was never my intent. They will become....something else, and you will see it in my pride.” God began collecting the chess pieces, placing them in their case. He stood and turned to walk away.

“Good game.”

Reviews

[Krystal Nicole]

Loved it!!! A very well written peice. thats exactly what I would imagine it being like if God and Satan were to play chess. Great job

[Misty Blue Eyes]

this is a really good story...i love the characters in it...

[MuSe Ampoule]

Good story, nice imagery and character interactions. Said nicely without singular minded religious overtones to spoil it.