SATAN

Satan came to Earth after an absence of several thousand years, and found himself a famous scapegoat. Confronted by suspicious mankind, He noted that their gods had not served them particularly well. "I see that the rumors are true: no wickedness of mine in Hell could ever compare with the princes of religion here. And since my kingdom then cannot serve its ultimate function, I have abandoned my forces to their wiles and resigned myself to a term of fresh experiment on Earth." And mankind, having tired from so many millennia of torment under their deities, was surprised to find that he seemed a most reasonable man, and much like themselves. "I will play God" he now proclaimed, "but if you tire of my reign, thou art welcome to try and dethrone me, as I would enjoy the struggle; and I like you when you are in a revolutionary mood, and willing to suffer." Mankind, restless and skeptical, contemplated this when he further proclaimed: "I see that your numbers are diminishing; that you are ruled by the old and the corrupt, they that practice the white arts, the arts of false holiness; and yet their reign has wearied you, as much as it has wearied them; neither can overthrow the other. And so this is my covenant to you: I am going to remove all your control mechanisms. I am going to show you how to unleash chaos in your women, and from them how to renew it in yourselves." And mankind, though stunned and bereft of all religion, seemed fascinated by these ideas. "You will build altars, but the shape and meaning of them is all left up to you. One warning I give you only: above all, I desire to be entertained, and to remain entertained. I understand that the reign of the Gods has left you dull and commonplace, so I will be patient with you at first: but thou must entertain me, and entertain me well. I trust you will." And the masses, unsure of what to do, went about in search of fresh costumes.