The Devil’s Not Here

Percy stopped praying out loud two days ago.

At first, hearing the shake in his own voice as he cried out to God unsettled him deeply, his stomach a black hole in a way he never wanted to feel again. And yet, he got used to and almost longed to hear something, anything above the swish and swoosh of the water around them.

But as Percy was in the middle of praising God's sovereignty, Ted's voice sliced through his. "Shut up! Just shut up! God's not here. If he was, we'd be back to shore by now, wouldn't we?" Chest heaving, Ted took a few breaths, shut his eyes, and then blinked them open to look back out at the endless canvas. "No one's here."

Maybe Percy should have been surprised by his friend changing his tune so quickly. But Ted had always been like that, he supposed. It was 25 years prior when Ted came slamming through Percy's front door and claiming he was swearing off women forever after his steady of five years left him.

"If I ever start talking about wanting to go with another girl, talk me out of it," Ted said.

It was lunch time the next day when Ted didn't slam his way into Percy's house but glided in light as air, declaring his love for a beauty he met on the bus that morning.

Shaking his head and forgoing the "promise" from the day prior, Percy smiled and asked, "What's her name?"

Ted always had been and always would be finicky. But abandoning hope and God wasn't something one does because they're wishy washy. After all, before their fishing trip went awry that Sunday, they were chatting about life, love, and the sermon from earlier that morning.

Then, they both woke up to the sun having just dipped below the horizon and to the shore nowhere in sight, adrift. Rowing with the help of the sun proved to be fruitless. For all Percy knew, they had been going in circles for days. He was thankful they at least had water, but it wasn't going to last forever.

Percy stopped praying out loud two days ago. And Ted had gone silent.

The only sounds Percy heard from his friend were those that seemed to involuntarily come at night. The whimpers and mumbles were starting to become more than just concerning. Ted's form, curled up and crammed into the bow of their small boat, would shake and shiver. It felt as though the Ted Percy knew was slipping away before his eyes. And he could only watch in silence for fear of speaking letting out whatever was making its home in Ted's mind.

As the sun rose on what he thought was maybe the seventh day, Percy decided to take up rowing. He didn't consult Ted and picked the direction he assumed was east. After all, the sun was rising on that side. But he couldn't be sure of anything anymore.

Ted's back was to Percy. He was utterly still.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

His eyes locked in on Ted's shirt where his right elbow wore a hole through the fabric.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Percy rowed, the only sounds coming from the oars splashing through the dark water.

Lord, bring us close to You, and keep us far away from...

From what? What was out there? Percy supposed Ted was right. No one was there.

Ted still faced away from him, staring out at the dark expanse not yet lit up by the rising sun behind them.

When he first heard it, Percy couldn't be sure if he had imagined it. But the sound came again. Ted.

"I said, do you see that?" His voice was like gravel.

Percy paused his rowing, trying to look out and around Ted. "What? See what?"

"Come here." Ted had not turned or even moved a muscle it seemed. The only sign of life from him was when he spoke.

Percy stayed where he was. Something in the air between the two men had shifted. He had suspected it all morning but didn't bring the thought to the forefront of his mind for fear of that moment. The moment when Percy realized he was afraid of Ted.

"I-I don't see anything, Ted." Percy cursed himself internally as his voice shook. He didn't want to his friend to know he was nervous.

"You have to come up here. Then you'll see it." Ted's voice was still rough, but it was monotone, like he was speaking in one note.

Shifting forward slightly and reaching out a shaking hand, Percy tried to carefully turn Ted. "There's nothing out there. We don't need to go that way-"

A flying backhand and a thud.

Percy found himself awkwardly falling back, his cheek stinging. The boat shook and rocked back and forth as Ted clamored for the oars. Or rather for just one of them.

"Ted, stop!" Percy pushed himself up with one hand, the other reaching out again. Reaching for his friend.

All at once, Percy's senses went dull. He knew he had been hit, but it was like his mind didn't let him feel it. His head snapped back, and the rest of his body went with it as his legs flew over him.

He was falling, and he kept falling. Down, down, down...

The water around him blurred the figure of Ted still on the boat, who appeared as nothing but a shadow watching him go lower and lower.

Percy suddenly had a thought that maybe he should have been panicking, but he wasn't. He felt as though he was being carried somewhere. Maybe he was in the arms of his Savior, and the Lord was taking him away. Delivering him.

Ted had been right. There was no one and nothing out there. Not out on the waters. Not in the boat.

But the devil had got his friend.

Percy sunk further. And that seemed to be alright.

After all, the devil was up there and not down here.

Ecclesiastes 9:3

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.