Once upon a time there was a girl, who enjoyed playing with other people;s lives. Her eyes shone like stars in midnight heaven, and that sheen spread far around, and every day she sang songs? And everyone who saw the light of her eyes or heard her singing, lost his freedom forever. He became her obedient slave. And he was eager to do whatever she told him.
But one evening, when the girl was in her garden watering the roses, it happened that Satan and his squire were passing by, and they heard the girl singing.
“What a beautiful voice!” the squire exclaimed. “It is even better than angels; singing”
Satan curled his lips painfully:
“Haven´t I asked you not to remind me about it?”
The squire felt sorry.
I beg your pardon, my lord. But< how do you think, who could it be?”
“I don´t think, I know!” Satan replied. “This is the girl who enjoys playing with other people;s lives!”
“Well, all people do it in this or that way,” admitted the squire.
“Right! But this is a very particular case,” Satan said. “You see, she sings for purpose! Her singing charms everybody who listens to it, and everybody who listens to it loses freedom and becomes her obedient slave. Got it?”
In fact, he needn´t have asked the latter question, because the squire got that even too well. He grew pale and shivered.
Satan looked at him and couldn´t help laughing.
“Well, my friend, what are you so afraid of? For us it is not dangerous! Not a bit! We are not people, are we?”
The squire gave a watery smile and nodded.
“And, besides, her song will be finished very soon,” Satan continued thoughtfully. “I am going to teach her a good lesson, which is sure to help her a lot. Wait a bit, please, will you? It will not take me long.”
And Satan started his way towards the girl;s house.
“What wonderful roses you have, lady!” he said with the most pleasant smile, entering the garden. “May I have one?”
The girl was a trifle puzzled, but then smiled too.
“Of course, sir,” she said, raising her shining eyes to his.
But she realized with a great surprise, that her charms was powerless over him. His eyes shone brighter than hers, and there was a dark mysterious glimmer in them, which she had never seen in people´s eyes. And though that girl was a person of rare courage, she took fright.
“Don´t be afraid, sweetheart,” Satan whispered, and pressed her against his chest.
“Please, no!” the girl pleaded.
“No – what?” he asked tenderly and kissed her.
For some time the girl couldn´t understand what was going on, but then she found herself standing alone in the middle of the garden, feeling a strange delicate flavor on her lips.
She didn´t fall asleep that night, because she couldn´t forget his supernatural beauty and sweet tenderness of his lips.
She didn´t play with people´s lives any more. She was not interested in them. The girl could think only about Him, and all she wanted was to see Him again.
Her roses began to fade, and so did she herself. She became thin and pale, she cried instead of singing, and her eyes now shone only with tears.
“Don´t you think, that it is enough?” the squire wondered one day. “You see, how great her pain is!”
“But it is just what I want, my friend!” Satan answered and gave a really satanic smile.
‘To my mind, this is a very cruel lesson, my lord,” the squire admitted.
“No, it is just fair,” said Satan with a frown.
Frankly, that was not what he really wanted. Deep in his heart he was still an angel, and he couldn´t watch the girl suffering without taking compassion on her. So, he decided to visit her again.
When he entered the garden, she was sitting on the perron without movement, and her wistful sight was wet with tears. She looked extremely miserable, and it broke his heart. Involuntarily Satan remembered himself in that day when he had been thrown down from Heaven.
“My boy is right”, he thought. “That is really enough.”
When the girl saw him, she stood up rashly and hugged him.
“I love you. I want to be with you. Please, don´t leave me!” she whispered passionately.
Satan looked deep in her eyes and said: “You used to play with other people;s lives. Now you understand what is it – to have your own life being played with?”
“Yes, I understand,” she replied. “And I will never do it again.”
“Of course, you will not!” Satan said. “You simply won´t be able to, because I have taken your freedom away, and now you are going to do whatever I asked. You love me, don;t you?”
The girl kept silent for a little while, after that she said firmly:
“I love you with all my heart, but I will never be obedient even to you. Now I will not take away somebody else;s freedom, but I was born to be free, and I will be free forever!”
Satan looked at her in admiration.
“You were born not to be just free,” he said. “You were born to rule. You are strong and brave unlike that people whose lives you played with. They were not able to stand against you, while you are able to stand against me! My heart belongs to you. Take it and be Mistress of Hell!”
And next morning the girl´s maid found her lady dead.