Forgive Us Our Trespasses by Audiomachine (no affiliation, just inspiration).
In an archeological dig on Babil, of the star system Sigma 95, a children’s story was found among the remains of an ancient civilization, long since lost in the Fell Wars. The planet, devoid of any life, is a testament to the pride and arrogance of one of the many races to have participated in these rebellions. Preserved on a plaque in the Museum of the home world of Galatia, this story is rendered in runic writings.
There once was an evil man who upon realizing his mortality had a choice of what to do on his final day. Death was upon him and his end was not only unavoidable but he longed for it because evil had filled his life with pain, anger, malice and darkness. Upon closing his eyes for the last time he was greeted by someone he did not expect – a man who carried not a sword but a pen and had no shield but a book.
Upon seeing the Author the evil man asked, “So, figment of my dying mind, why do you visit me now?”
The Author replied, “I have always been beside you, but now while your book is being finished I am allowing its main character to ask of me anything.”
The evil man thought aloud, “I’m tired. Life is unbearable and unfair. Everyone is ugly, mean, hateful, and no matter how hard I try, it’s never enough. Why?”
The Author paused and looked up, “You blame me for all the words in this book? The truth is that all I did was write the scenes before giving you the choices in them. There are but two words left for your story. Once again I will give you the pen as I have always done, but the power in it is mine.”
“What are the words?” Asked the evil man.
“For a lifetime I asked you to ask me for my words and now, at the end, do you finally turn to me?” The Author replied.
“Yes. What could possibly go wrong now that I’m dead?” Retorted the evil man.
The Author sighed, “You could say ‘The End’ and accept that what’s done is done and through my power you will put them down and you will be no more.”
The evil man was tired but he was also afraid so he asked, “Is there anything else that could be said and I live better than this mess?”
The Author smiled, “Yes, but since you are just a character and I’m the only one who is real here the only thing you could do to save your life requires me to do it for you. You have a been a proud and selfish man all your life, turning to me will make you small.”
As the lights faded and the darkness of death crept in so that nothing was left but the two of them, the evil man shuddered in fear for the first time. Everything he was, all that he’d done would just vanish and in the end it was all pointless. Nevertheless his fear overwhelmed the evil man, coldness and tingling touched every part of him and yawning ahead was a void whose darkness was so complete, so powerful and so hopeless that he began weeping before he managed to ask, “What words could finish this story such that there is any hope for me?”
The Author looked upon this wretched man, his eyes filled with love, “There once was a man who was evil and he hung upon a cross next to me. He knew that he was a monster, but that I had done nothing to deserve being there. That man used those words and to this day he lives with me in paradise.”
The darkness was everywhere at once. The evil man choked on his final breath, tears streaming from eyes down his cheeks and death stiffened his muscles, chilled his bones and nothing mattered. He felt no touch of the harlots he’d been with, no taste of the food he’d stolen not even the scent of the flowers next to his sick bed remained. He could not count one penny that he’d taken nor recall a single memory of the friends or enemies that he’d made. Then it struck him with terrifying certainty, death was so complete that he couldn’t even remember his own name. His book was finished and there were just the two words left. So, as the last air left his lungs, the evil man took the pen from the Author and pleaded one last question, ”What did he say?”
“Remember me. He knew just as you do now that only I am eternal. Only I am real. Only I matter and that the only hope is that the only chance of salvation lies in what I remember.”
As the evil man’s lights went dark, and the pen scrawled the last stroke of the last letter of the last words on the last page the evil man’s answer was made permanent by the power in that pen. Then the Author knelt over the book for the man’s body was no more, everything had returned to the void. All that the evil man had done was gone, his kingdoms, his riches, his very name were fated to the memory of those the last two words – a choice remembered only by The Author.
Whoa!! That’s deep… the finality of Everything