POSTREMO PROELIO (The Devil's Bet)- ebook via Smashwords

[fuzzbutt]

A new little novella in a sci-fi sort of way. A court room drama between God and the Devil as God has set up the ultimate trick to get the Devil to play into a bet for all the marbles- God or the Devil leaves earth permanently! Using a poor sap, Rudy Kretz, who's life totally sucks so bad that when the Second Coming finally arrives, he shoots Jesus and kills him upon his arrival on Earth in a depressed anger that his life was so bad. With no vengeance from God, the authorities have no option but to arrest Rudy and try him for various crimes including murder in the first degree.

The Devil appears as Rudy's lawyer, determined to get him off the murder rap. Of course, God also appears to counter this act and they make a bet as to who can win the case outright, with the loser being banished from Earth forever! And, they can't use any magic, tricks or powers- just the plain old legal wrangling of the court system, mano y mano!

Throughout the trial, God presents undeniable evidence and witnesses to prove Rudy's guilt while the Devil just sits back and laughs. Then, the Devil springs the ultimate defense- that murder is inclusive of killing a human being and that Jesus is not human, but instead he is a deity! The court is forced to agree with Satan and the world cries at the awful but correct decision. However, before the court rules in the verdict, God pulls the ultimate surprise- that Satan didn't prove all of his case- that Rudy was still guilty of "discharging a firearm within city limits," a mild misdemeanor!

Since the bet was for "all the marbles" and that each party must win in totality, the Devil realizes his mistake of just winning the main charge, murder. The Devil has lost the case on the smallest of margins and is banished form earth forever. Rudy, a miserable pawn in the game, is later given back his life in a better world.



Thanks for reading it if you can. Ebook format via Smashwords, Amazon, Apple store, etc.