[ WP ] Smouldering hat in hand , the Devil has come to the one person who is more versed in corruption of humanity than him . And it 's a real shock to learn it 's YOU .

I really wish that Margaret had dusted yesterday. The house must be spotless for tonight's guest. 
 
 `` Margaret! Please be a dear and go over the mantle again. That nice woman on the phone is coming over tonight and I would like the house to be as clean as possible!'' I ask. 
 
 `` Yes, Mr. Lowery, I'll do it as soon as I've finished with the dishes,'' she calls back from the kitchen. 
 
 As I hobble over to the window, I can see see the kids in the street playing again. It's good, I think to myself, that they finally get such nice weather to be out playing. The clouds have finally cleared up and only the regular layer of thin smog is over the city. 
 
 I walk back across the room towards the library. It's the treasure of all my possessions, where I keep books that I've collected since I was a little boy. It's the only part of the house that Margaret does n't clean, as I take care of the books. It's hard at my age to get to the top shelf, so Margaret helps me with the ladder, but the books and their wisdom is mine. Today I plan to clean the last twenty T's, and re-read the first R's. I just finished re-reading the Q's yesterday and am very glad to have hit five hundred forty times through! I picked up a new metaphor as well, which is always exciting. 
 
 As I went head on into the library, I did n't notice the hours pass or the sun set. I did n't notice Margaret opening the door, nor the woman walking in until I heard, `` Mr. Lowery, Ms. Lucile is here.'' 
 
 I make my way to the front of the townhouse and see the striking red hat that this woman wore. It would n't have been as striking were it not for her charcoal outfit that disguised her. 
 
 `` Good evening, Ms. Lucile. I'm George Lowery.'' 
 
 `` Yes, I know. You're quite popular where I'm from,'' she stated with a polite handshake. 
 
 `` And where would that be, exactly, Ms. Lucile?'' I ask, always suspicious of such keen beauty. 
 
 She pauses, and looks briefly at Margaret. `` Perhaps we could speak in private, Mr. Lowery.'' 
 
 I nod, send Margaret out of the parlor, and take my place across from Ms. Lucile in the parlor. Before I get a chance to restate my question, she asks, `` Why do n't you leave the house anymore, Mr. Lowery? It's been seventy years, and you've not left your house once. Why is that?'' 
 
 I was taken aback. The only other person to know how long I've been here is a man that died some twenty years ago. Suddenly I felt very tense and uneasy, and it's clear that this visitor could see that. 
 
 `` Please, Mr. Lowery, it's very important,'' she pressed on. 
 
 Although it ached my bones, I could n't help but turn to look towards the library adjacent to this room. I turned back to the woman and mustered an answer. 
 
 `` Well, I... I suppose it's the books. They say such awesome things. Such terrible, awesome things. There are accounts of horrors and crimes that make one never want to step outside again. The men and women who penned those books have taught me that the most monstrous things in this world are ourselves.'' 
 
 She took this in for a moment and then pointed to the library. 
 
 `` May I?'' she whispered. 
 
 `` I suppose,'' I answered, but then quickly added, `` But please do n't touch the R's, I just cleaned them today.'' 
 
 `` Yes, of course.'' 
 
 As I got up from the couch, I noticed the weather had turned sour outside, and there was n't a child to be seen. Such a shame, I thought, but I suppose it's better they be in bed by now. I look at the clock and notice that it's already a quarter past ten-o'-clock. How long were we talking? It did n't feel like more than five minutes! 
 
 I move into the library, where Ms. Lucile has already pulled about fifteen books from the shelves, being careful not to go near the R's. 
 
 `` This is an amazing collection you have, Mr. Lowery,'' she says with such delight. `` Oh! Dante's *Inferno*, one of my favorites.'' 
 
 `` I've had that since I was twenty. It's one of my favorites, too,'' I reply. 
 
 She turns to me quickly and says, `` Let me tell you something, Mr. Lowery: you're far too smart for your own good. Everyone else goes through their lives thinking'ignorance is bliss', when in reality, they're living in an absolute cesspool of ignorance. The only reason they end up with me is because they never learn from their mistakes and continue to sin more and more. But what do you do? You read about the horrors of others and make the smart decision: never get involved. How can you do anything wrong if you do n't do anything at all? Some would call it cowardice, but I recognize it for what it is: intelligence.'' 
 
 She paused and looked at the sleek silver watch on her wrist. `` At 12:19 in the morning, you're going to die and be taken to heaven, where you will be the only occupant.'' 
 
 Once again, I was utterly bewildered. `` I do n't understand...'' is all I could bring myself to say. 
 
 `` Mr. Lowery, you have n't done anything in your entire life that is worth sending you to hell for. You are the *only* person in this world that has never sinned. That's why I needed to come and meet you before you died.'' 
 
 As I stood there, my knees began to shake and I had to sit. She started to put the books back on the shelves and made her way to the doorway of the library. 
 
 `` I believe Margaret went home. Will you show me to the door?'' she asked. 
 
 In this surreal state, I did n't say anything, but I did as she said. When we reached the door I asked, `` What are you?'' 
 
 She smiled and said, `` Lucile is short for Lucifer. Congratulations again, Mr. Lowery.'' 
 
 With that, the door closed. 
 
 I suddenly felt a sense of urgency and paced into the parlor where I checked the clock. 12:17! My mind was racing as I tried to comprehend the evening I had just experienced, and I was worried that she was right! Was I really going to die in a matter of minutes? Should I say a final prayer? Or was all this absurd? 
 
 Because of all this commotion, I did n't notice the vase until I had already tripped over it. When I hit the ground, I felt a horrible pain in my chest, and a saw a pure white light that blocked out everything. In the last, brief moment I noticed the clock strike 12:19.
