When I was twelve years old, I came to the realization that life was, oftentimes, unfair. I realized this one cold day in December, Christmas Eve of 1963 to be exact. I was sitting by the Christmas tree, trying to figure out which present was mine and if dad had somehow wrapped that new bike I wanted in a box, and if so, which one it was, when there was a knock at the door.
“I guess Isabelle finally decided to come home,” My dad said, chuckling to himself.
“Thank god for that, too.” My mom laughed, walking towards the door. “It’s 8:45, fifteen minutes past her bedtime. Seven years old and already skipping curfew, wouldn’t you know it.”
“Eh, our older kids did it first. Teddy was out late when he was six.” Dad patted me on the back. “And I’m pretty sure Alex and James skipped when they were still in diapers.”
My mom laughed as she opened the door. “There you are sweet-“
But she stopped when all three of us simultaneously realized that it wasn’t my little sister at the door.
“Oh!” My mom said, slightly shocked. “Officer John. Merry Christmas. What can I do for you?”
“Evening, Mrs. Keller. Merry Christmas. You uh, might want to sit down for this.”
Life isn’t fair. It was unfair when I opened my presents and none of them were the new bike I wanted. It was unfair that Isabelle never got to see our older brothers who were flying down to visit us for Christmas. It was unfair that she never got to open the present that I had gotten her- the Barbie Dream House that she wanted, that I had saved up five months of allowance for. It was unfair when they gave up searching for her body a week after they found her scarf and mittens right outside the police department. And perhaps the most unfair, was that everybody wore black to her funeral, which was the only colour she didn’t like.
I wasn’t the same for a long time after that. My older brothers, Alex and James, tried to comfort me, but they never knew what I was going through. They moved out before Isabelle was born. They only saw her twice a year, Easter and Christmas. They never knew her. Mom and dad kind of shut down after Isabelle disappeared. They gave up, like everyone else.
I never gave up. I kept on looking for her, even as the snow melted away and the flowers began to blossom.
One day, as I was searching once again, Officer John approached me.
“Hey, it’s the Keller kid! How are you doing, champ? Still looking for that sister of yours?”
“It just doesn’t make any sense!” I said, slumping down on a bench. “Everyone just gave up, like they didn’t care about her. Her mittens and scarf were found right here, outside the police department! It’s like whoever took her did that on purpose. To tease the officers.”
“Well, Teddy, if you ask me, the simplest solution is often the right solution.” He said, and continued to speak before I could figure out what he meant by that. “You see, Isabelle went missing the day before Christmas, which is Jesus’s birthday.”
“Yeah, I know-“
“And this right here is a little secret that stays between us, but-“ Officer John looked around. “I know God has a plan for everybody. And it seems to me that this was God’s plan for Isabelle. I mean, even if she survived that night she went missing, it’s been two months with no sight of her. Sorry to break it to you, but Isabelle died. And unless you have a way to somehow bring her back to life, she’s going to stay that way.” He patted me on the back, then got up and walked away. As I watched him leave, his words repeated in my head.
Bring her back to life.
That night I prayed. I prayed to anyone who would listen to bring Isabelle back. Right when I began to lose hope, I heard a rumbling from beneath me. I jumped up onto my bed to avoid whatever it was, when all of a sudden something appeared in front of me.
It was tall and big, with horns and glowing eyes that pierced my soul. He was holding a large spear. I should’ve been scared, but all I could think was, I didn’t know I could pray to the devil!
He loomed over me and eyed me up and down.
“Theodore. A Keller boy.” He said in a booming voice. “You Kellers seem to be in good shape. So, what is it your heart desires?”
“I-I- uh, my little sister, Isabelle. I want you to bring her back. Back to life.”
“Isabelle Keller, huh?” He said, and closed his eyes. “It seems you’ve been mistaken, Keller boy. I can only bring back people who are already dead.”
“Already- wait what? You mean, Isabelle’s alive?” I asked, in pure shock.
“Well, if you consider her state alive. Barely.” Satan scoffed.
“But Officer John said-he said it was God’s plan for her to die! and her mittens were outside the police station where he works! And he reported her missing! I just- I don’t get it!” I said, tears streaming down my face. “What does it all mean?”
“Well, Theodore Keller. The simplest solution is often the right solution.” Satan bent down to be eye level with me. “You know where he lives. This town is the size of my little finger. Go, Keller. You know where I’ll be.”
My big brother instincts kicked in right about then, and I sprinted out of my room. Satan was right, this town was tiny. I just needed to run down the street, and I’d be at officer John’s house. I cut my bare foot on a shard of glass, but that didn’t stop me. I needed to get to Isabelle.
I grabbed a shovel from the toolshed outside of the officer’s house and smashed a window with it. I jumped through, not caring how much exposed skin I cut on the freshly smashed glass.
And with that, I was in his basement. The belly of the beast.
“Teddy?” I heard a weak voice from the corner, and turned around to find Isabelle. She was skin and bones and had multiple bruises and scars, but there was no mistaking that tortured little girl for my sister.
“Isabelle?”
I rushed to hug her, but my shirt got caught on something.
Someone.
I heard Officer John laugh as his grip on my shirt tightened.
“So, the Keller boy finally got a brain and figured things out.” He said, and I looked to his other hand to see something black and shiny. A gun. I tried to stop him, but I couldn’t as I watched him lift it into the air, and fire it at my sister. The first shot missed, and Isabelle’s screams rung out in my ear as I tried to get to her.
“Teddy, I’m scared! Can you take me home? Please, Teddy, help me!” She cried.
Officer John shot at her again as we both screamed. He let out a demonic giggle. It was like he was doing it on purpose. To scare her.
“I’m trying, Isabelle!”
“I just wanna go home. I want to open my presents.” She said, tears welling up in her eyes.
“I’ll take you home soon, okay? I promise. You’ll open your present. I got you the best one ever.”
Officer John laughed as he shot one more time. This time it hit her straight in the stomach. He finally let go of me, almost doubling down in laughter as I ran to her.
“Teddy? Am I going home?” She asked weakly.
“Yeah, Isabelle. Yeah you are.” I said as I wiped tears from my eyes.
“Did I get my Barbie Dream House?”
I nodded. “You did. It’s waiting for you at home.”
She smiled shakily. She tried to say something, but closed her eyes before she could.
I let out a guttural sob, crying harder than I ever had before. Officer John mocked me as he wiped tears of joy from his eyes.
“You know I would’ve kept your sister around longer if you hadn’t disrupted God’s plan so rudely. It was God’s plan for Isabelle to stay with me. And you and your meddling behavior had to show up and ruin my hard work. Everything has a system, Keller. I-“
I stopped listening to him as I recognized the large shadow behind him quickly and quietly approaching. I wiped the tears from my eyes and began to smile.
“…And that is why we must follow God’s plan to the very end. Even if it means a few… causalities.” He said, making himself crack up again.
But he stopped. He stopped when he realized his voice wasn’t the only laughter.
“What are you laughing about, Keller?”
I watched as Satan wrapped his large, icy hand on Officer John’s shoulder.
“I-I- What the hell are you?” Officer John said, and I stifled a laugh as I watched him wet his pants.
“You know, Keller boy, this officer was right about one thing,” Satan said as he opened a hole in the ground, grabbing Officer John and holding him over it. “God does have a very strict plan for all of us. And my job in this plan-“ He dropped the officer into the hole, sealing it as we heard him scream. “Is to punish the sinners.”
“Thanks, Satan.” I said.
“I’ll be off now, Keller. Keep an eye on that family of yours, got it? I’ll always be keeping an eye on you, that’s for sure.” He said, before disappearing into thin air.
I never did see him again after that day. But I always felt him. I felt protected. I knew he was around whenever I’d feel a chill across my spine, or wake up in the middle of the night for no reason. But it was comforting, not scary. It’s nice to have someone looking out for you. Because although life is never fair, it’s nice to know God has a plan for the sinners.