The Devil’s Warning

The Devil’s Warning

by Adrian Mejia

Dear Reader, Today is March 23rd 2021.

The day happened all too quick. I got 8 hours of sleep, finished classes, left the house to pick up my sister from school. I’m grounded currently for unacceptable grades, which is understandable of course. I couldn’t go outside for the past two days because of that, and I wanted to play basketball and savor the once in a lifetime warmth the weather had to give, but I couldn’t overdo the actions I’ve taken. I was sad, basketball is something I do every day, since the cold I’ve done it every day. I took a 2 and a half hour nap (I never take naps), woke up, ate food, and came back into the room. I laid my head facing the window with a revealing curtain showing the sun’s glow. Resting my head, I imagined me going back to the past and telling myself to do good in school and do everything and don’t let it pile up.

I became very sad, knowing I can’t take away the actions I’ve done and I should take the consequences like a man, but then I prayed and asked for me to be let go, and be outside and to be given a chance. Then, all the sun that was a bright orange turned white, and I felt goosebumps across my body, fully relaxed. I looked at the sun and in the corner of my eye I saw a beard, but I couldn’t move my eyes or body to react, I was looking at a white sun. The beard came in and whispered in my ear and said, “The closest day with a 7 you’ll live again.” Then, I was back. I had this urge to do all of my chores and do my work, and so here I am with this mode of extreme responsibility, doing everything I can do to have a better, clear-minded, stress-free life.

Saturday, March 27th came and there is a God and Jesus because my mother let me off my punishment, the motivation of there being a superior being in this world gives me hope. I went to the park . . .

Walking there, I saw a crazy man kicking garbage cans and screaming. He didn’t look homeless, but seemed crazy. He would ramble words I’ve never heard. He was around 5’8”, sort of skinny,

with a brown beard. Me knowing this isn’t new, I just walked past him, he acted like he was alone, too comfortable throwing trash and yelling. Walking to the basketball court, I told my cousin to meet me there. I waited around 15 minutes shooting around. My cousin showed up but was with a dude that looked like the crazy guy I saw recently, but he was taller, he was my height now. I waved at my cousin from far away. He didn’t notice me. The guy was holding the same ball I had in my hand. I assumed something was wrong, so I walked to the guy with a dead face, showing calm aggression.

“What’s going on here?”

My cousin said nothing, like I wasn’t even there. I looked at the guy and shoved him. Then everything went black, and I was back at my front door, leaving for the park again.

I walked out, confused about what just happened, then I thought to myself, “I’ll just walk another way to the park.” I arrived and again I texted my cousin to meet me at the basketball court. Instead of shooting around, I just sat on the bench and looked at the ground. I thought about the guy, how creepy it was that he was basically me, but didn’t look like me at all, he just was my height. I forgot about it, heard my cousin yell my last name in a funny tone, smiled and threw him the ball. Something was off. He was my height now, and his hair was longer.

“Damn bro you got a growth spurt?” I asked.

“What are you talking about? I’ve always been like this.”

“Oh yeah,” I replied, weirded out.

Out of nowhere, he started dribbling the basketball way better than he usually does, almost looking like me when I’m dribbling, then shot the ball and swish. I was weirdly impressed, but I said nothing. He shot it again but missed and the ball flew and hit my head. Soon everything went black once more, and I was back at my front door.

“What the f—” I said.

“Adrian, can you go to the store!” my mom yelled.

I got aggravated at this point, my legs were tired from the walks I’d just taken to the park twice. Then a guy’s voice said: “Yes . . . ”

I was terrified, my heart skipped a beat and my stomach sunk in. I looked back and saw the same crazy guy again, putting on a shirt in my living room. I only saw his back, it had scratches like someone whipped him, and his ankles had blood on them. He had chunks of missing skin on his back rib area. He turned around and walked to

my closet, and opened it. A loud wind roared through the house. It smelled like a church, so I said, “Yo, who are you?” Then my mother walked in and said, “Don’t forget the EBT card,” but she looked at the guy like it was normal, like he just didn’t open the door to heaven. I looked at my mom’s eyes, but she didn’t make eye contact with me, like I was invisible. The guy seemed mad, and mumbled, “I always gotta go outside to the store.” I looked guilty at this point because my mother is so sweet and the guy seemed so mad for something as little as going to the store. I do the same thing to her. I felt mad about my actions.

“Your sins are forgiven,” the guy said, and looked at me . . .

I was sitting on my gaming chair now, playing Fortnite, and it was 2:52 a.m. “Bro, what’s going on?” I looked outside and it was dark, but the same man was standing in the middle of the street, staring at my window. I got tired of the weird stuff. I went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, put on my slippers and sweater, and left to meet the guy outside.

“Yo, bro, you starting to piss me off,” I yelled with frustration, walking towards him with full eye contact.

I came up to him and pushed him and then punched his nose and then stabbed him 5 times. The man started crying but very little, not in pain. I started getting dizzy and fell backwards headfirst.

I saw my mother and my sister watching me and I was dribbling a basketball, in the middle of a game of 2vs2. The crazy guy was behind my mom and sister and had a gun to their heads behind them.

I yelled, “Ma! Watch out!”

When I said that, I heard two pops and both of them fell and blood was all over the concrete floor. I yelled at the top of my lungs and felt electricity flow through my body. It hurt so bad, I screamed and ran at the guy and pop he shot me, everything went black.

I was in a cave now. It was dark and burning hot, not painful, but it was suffocating. I started running through the cave and heard my friends and family say they wished death upon me and a loud deep voice yelled, “You were not forgiven.” It was getting in my head, I wanted this to end. I saw a cliff with a deep drop, I was sad, more than sad, it was a sadness in my chest. I ran full speed and jumped, I remembered my whole life and all the great memories. All thoughts and thinking disappeared.

I woke up again and I was back at my front door. I looked down at my hands and saw that I was not in my body any more, but I saw myself walking in the hallway, panting, like I just ran a marathon. I ran up to myself and saw my face. I was better looking than I thought. I touched my face and boom I was back to my body, I looked at the guy and he had a blank face, no eyes, no ears, nothing. I pushed him and I was back to his view and I touched my body’s arm and I went back. Then everything went black . . .

I was at the basketball court again and my cousin yelled my last name, in the same funny tone, he looked normal, and I felt normal. I went to him.

“Am I normal?” I asked.

“Yeah?” he replied.

I felt the air push on my face and it felt good I was free again. The day went and I will never understand why I went through that, and will I ever see that crazy guy again. He will forever haunt me.