Author's note. This isn't exactly a Christmas story. It is a story that takes place at Christmas, and that's different.

Inspection Time

It was inspection time in Hell again. Once a year, on the anniversary of the beginning of that terrible period called the Incarnation, an angel came down to the dark pit and observed.

At first, this had rankled Satan. He felt like it was rubbing his face in it. But after a while, he realized it was an opportunity to show off his successes, and it seemed like there were more of those every year.

Finally, the last couple of years, Satan had it so good, he actually wondered what the angel had done to deserve such an assignment. The angel’s name was Kai, and usually on these trips he said as little as possible, but made lots of notes.

As was custom for the angel’s visit, there had been the parade. First, the rank and file demons filed past the grandstand that had been built for the occasion. Then came the weaponry, and Satan felt that this was a very good feature. He felt that although only a third of the angels had followed him, he could more than make up for the numbers with the firepower at his disposal.

Lastly, the princes and dukes of Hell filed passed, driving the lost souls ahead of them. The sheer numbers of the prisoners was amazing, even to Satan, and he felt it had to sting his visitor to see so many former humans chained and whipped.

After the parade, it had become custom for the princes of Hell to come to the throne with the latest news from Earth. That was especially satisfying to Satan, as things only got better for him with each year.

But this year, something was off. After a selection of the dukes and princes of Hell had done their bits, a very lowly demon was more or less shoved in the direction of the throne.

This was not a good sign.

Satan understood the politics of Hell perfectly. When things were going well, the princes and dukes stepped up to take the credit and the praise. But when there was bad news to be delivered, they made some underling take the heat.

Satan guessed looking at the messenger this time, and knew that the news had to be really bad, because this demon, who was a personal tempter named Brim, was about as low as you could get.

“Yes?” Satan said, making the single word resonate with threats.

“I….I come from my patient, a member of the transgender community”

“Ah, yes.” Satan said. To the angel he said “One of my better ideas, I think.”

That was true, and Satan thought even the angel Kai would have to agree. Putting the souls of female in the bodies of male babies, and vice versa, it was a multi-pronged attack, and it usually worked.

First, it devastated the person so cursed. Many of them despaired, and some ended up taking drugs, selling themselves, and some even committed suicide.

The ones who might otherwise be the best servants to his adversary often despaired the most, because they thought themselves as going against the precepts of the faith, and due to the rejection they often experienced by other believers.

And that was the masterstroke, the real art in the curse. To have people who claimed to serve his adversary, who had been told in the plainest of language to love even their enemies, be so rigid and judgmental as to not be able so much as offer a cup of cold water to such suffering souls was nothing short of pure genius.

“Go on” Satan said to Brim.

Brim looked terribly uncomfortable, and said, “perhaps I should just give you the dossier on my patient?”

Satan snapped a finger, and a large binder filled with notes appeared. Then he felt a slight tap on his shoulder, and turning, he saw his “guest” looking at him with a raised eyebrow. He sighed, and another copy of the binder appeared and settled into the hands of the angel.

Opening up the binder, the first few pages were very encouraging. Family suicide, a rape, physical and mental abuse, all things that would warm the Devil’s heart, if he had one.

But then there was the notation that the “patient” had become a follower of his Adversary, and the demerits Brim had been given thanks to that.

However, Brim had managed to turn that situation into an advantage. Exposure to the more conservative elements in the faith led the patient to the conclusion that then need to be female or at least as feminine as possible was a sin.

That led to a cycle of indulgence followed by guilt and an attempt to be rid of the desire. As the Devil would have desired, this had eventually led to episodes of utter despair, and even a suicide attempt. And every time his Adversary had sent some “grace”, Brim had been able to place a cloud in every silver lining.

But then the was the current situation, and it was not good. Not only had the patient managed to reconcile itself with the female within, she had found a group of followers of his Adversary’s faith who loved her regardless of how they felt about her status, and even more disturbing, she had found Christians who were also transgender, and helped her see that she could serve his Adversary and also be true to her inner self.

Worse, due to her study of the words of his Adversary, her native intelligence, her gifts of compassion and patience, and her talent for writing meant that there was a serious possibility that the patient could be a major force within the community.

“What do I do, lord?” said the little demon.

“The solution is obvious. You must corrupt her faith so that she will not be able to use it to assist her fellow members of the transgender community.

Failing that, you must, by any means at your disposal, prevent her from getting into a position of leadership or where she has a large audience. Even the loudest voice cannot be heard in the deep forest.”

The demon was dismissed, and the visit from the angel wore down, and then finally it was time for him to leave until next year.

He took with him his copy of the binder, and returning to Heaven, he placed it with a smile in the hands of his superiors.

He had an advantage over the devil, and that was the ability to see the events to come because Heaven is outside the gates of Time.

He knew, therefore, that Brim would fail, that the patient would neither be corrupted nor prevented from having her voice heard.

It would make the next few visits very interesting. He would make sure that a report from Brim of his lack of success was part of each tour. It was such successes for his side that made having to go worthwhile, and he was going to make sure to include praise for that in his daily sessions with his Creator.

He appreciated such personal time because it was his without cost, without even the need to ask for it. He bathed in the love of the Creator, and thanked him for the opportunity to serve Him, even in the valley of the shadow of Death.

He smiled, and realized that he and the patient had that in common, and he looked forward to the day when they would meet and share their common experiences, and he would have the opportunity to thank her in person for her part in the Great Story.

It was something to look forward to.