The Man Who Went Up the Mountain (Prophet and Devil)

The Prophet and the Devil:

See now that I am one

, and there is no god with me.

I kill and I give life, I wound,

and I alone heal.

No one delivers from my hand

. Deuteronomy 32:39.

The man stood atop a hill, surveying the surroundings from the Creator's perspective. His arms were spread out, like the statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro. He took everything in with his gaze. It was as if he owned the mountain at that moment. A view unfolded of valleys and forests, guarded on both sides by a chain of medium-sized mountains, here and there interrupted by winding man-made roads. Standing on one of the hills, the man waited for his companion. He turned his head to the side and watched for a moment as the other staggered on his feet, trying to cross the clearing, the wind still hindering his progress. Just a few steps away, he reached the bottom, where they had begun their ascent. Panting like a consumptive, he fought the wind with his whole body to finally approach his unwavering friend. Leaning against his bent knees, he spat until his mouth was empty. "Why the hell did you drag me here?" the tired man asked his friend. The wind was so strong that he couldn't even muster the courage to stand up straight like the other man. After a while, his heart stopped pounding, and he slowly began to look around, admiring the view. He was particularly intrigued by the small houses in the valley. With their small chimneys, from which white smoke rose, they reminded him that someone else still lived in this world, ready to light the fire. He imagined women bustling in the kitchen, preparing breakfast in time for the still-sleeping family. Others, nestled in warm sheets behind curtains, waited for love. This was the world now, with houses the size of a deck of cards. It seemed so small and fragile that a mere puff could destroy it.

On the opposite hill, the view of the rising sun was marred by a dozen skyscrapers that seemed out of place in the neighborhood. They appeared almost overnight, destroying the perfect picture of untouched nature. Light shone in their windows from morning to night, and how many times had men gazed at them in their lives? Perhaps never had more than ten lights gone out in the entire forty-story building.

The man didn't know why they were up so early, and before they even had time to drink their coffee, let alone eat breakfast, they began climbing the hill. His friend wouldn't tell him, just told him to take the car and drive wherever he took them. When the car couldn't handle the increasing elevation, they left it at the bottom and climbed the mountain for almost an hour. The man remained silent throughout. Occasionally, he'd just urge each other on, ignoring the risk of a sprained ankle or, in the worst case, a broken neck. "The world has sinned, so a new wave of flooding is coming," the man finally said, lowering his hands as if concluding his entire speech with that one sentence. "What are you talking about? We're no longer at the top. What does the world have to do with this climb? If you're a sleepwalker, I'll have to wake you up, and that won't be very pleasant for you. Idiot," the man muttered to himself and began to approach his friend. "A new flood will come upon the cities, and people will drown in the sea of ​​their pride. The Creator promised not to send any more rain. Speaking of the lack of punishment from heaven, he didn't mention that it wouldn't come from the earth. Although no one is worth saving, he warned me so I could tell the story of what happened here later." He raised his left hand and pointed north, to a place where it was still night. It seemed as if the stars were so low that he was about to reach for one and hand it to his friend, who stood still, stunned. "From there, the wave will rise and pass south, reducing the monuments of human pride to dust and rubble. This will only happen because people refuse to believe they are doing wrong." "I'm leaving." The man's friend turned and started to descend. "Are you moving? If you stay, don't count on me coming back. After all, it's only ten kilometers. You'll manage such a walk." "Wait a moment longer, and you'll see for yourself." The second man remained standing, seemingly listening for something.

Suddenly, without any warning, light illuminated the horizon to the north, where the man had just pointed. Seconds later, a resounding boom rolled overhead. The explosion was so powerful that its sound carried beneath the cloud banks, flowing like a wave, announcing the approaching catastrophe to the people sleeping in the valley.

Just as the man had predicted. Something was approaching from the north. From afar, an ominous shadow could be seen rolling across the ground. With each passing second, the sun illuminated the valley more and more, revealing the tragedies before the men's eyes. Billions of tons of earth were lifted by incredible force, a wave of mud, rubble, and sand sweeping away everything in its path.

The man approached the proudly standing "prophet" and looked first at him, then at the wave rushing towards them. To him, this meant only one thing: death, a death he was slowly coming to terms with. He didn't even try to escape, knowing it was no way to escape his fate. He stood tall and watched the wave approach, expecting the earth to swallow him.

Again, something unexpected happened. They both felt everything tremble around them and the earth shift beneath their feet. But then, nothing happened. The wave passed a few dozen meters away, bypassing the hill they stood on.

Someone had left them alive so they could later recount how the small houses in the valley were buried beneath the earth. They also saw the towers built by the people slowly extinguish themselves, only to burn for a final second. They could see them sway before breaking in half and sinking into the sea of ​​rubble.

They both stood there, observing the fields of destruction. It was as if they were witnessing a display of natural forces. The only question that flitted through the man's mind was whether there would be anyone they could tell about all this.

When the man turned around, the prophet's face was adorned with the death mask of a devil who had died for Heaven thousands of years ago. But before that, God decided to display the body, so that people would see that nothing lasts forever except Him. He ordered the body hidden where no one could ever find it. At the bottom of the deepest ocean, the remains were buried, so that people would believe that all evil was the work of a single rebellious angel, no longer in His fold...

...and so that they could blame someone for their mistakes.