The Adventures of Mephistophiles

Mephistopheles was an angel. He was angelic in all ways except one; he had an insatiable curiosity. He was always pestering God with questions. He wanted to know The Creator's most intimate and embarrassing secrets. He'd ask such ridiculous questions as: What existed before the universe? How did God, Himself, come into being? Why did He create the universe in the first place? Why was such a tiny, tiny grain of sand like the planet Earth so important? Why did things fall down instead of up? Why did He want his creations to worship Him? God put him off by saying that all that such information was highly confidential. If He gave intelligent beings, such as angels, the answers to such queries, it would endanger Heavenly security. He referred Mephistopheles to His right-hand man, the archangel Satan. (This was before the fall.)

At the time Satan was already contemplating God's overthrow. He felt that he should be king of Heaven and Earth and the Universe. It was Satan's belief that, when God created the whole mess, He had botched the job. Before Satan could stage a coup, however, he need allies. Hence, when Mephistopheles came to him with his silly questions, he said, "I'm sure I don't know the answers. I think God wants to keep us in the dark about many things so that He can lord it over us. Why should only He know all the answers?As though he were an omnimind."

Mephistopheles shrugged, disappointed at Satan's reply. "Perhaps there's another way of finding out the answers. If I sit on the head of a pin and contemplate the universe for several millennium, it should come to me."

"Bah. Why strain your brain? I know a quicker way. You know that place called Eden where God put that creature He fashioned after Himself? Well, right in the middle of it, He planted a tree called the Tree of Knowledge. I have it on good authority that by eating its fruit, one can learn God's secrets. How about them apples?"

"Really? I must go right down there and try some."

Satan pulled the impulsive Mephistophiles back and put his finger to his lips. "Sh. It's against His law. He's forbidden everyone from touching that fruit. If you go down there, you'll be seen by His eye in the sky."

"So, what good is it for me to know about this fruit if I can't have any? I wonder why he made the tree in the first place if no one can eat the fruit."

Satan though a while. Finally he snapped his talons. "I've got it. You should create a diversion. Then while the eye in the sky is looking the other way, you could snatch some." This was Satan's first act as a tempter, a career he excelled at.

"You're right. I've got an idea." He whispered his plan into Satan's ear.

***

Mephistopheles called upon a beautiful angel by the name of Lilith, who was somewhat of an air head. "Hi Lilith. What's up?"

"Why the seven crystal spheres are up. Didn't you know that?"

Mephistopheles chuckled. "I guess I did. I was wondering, if you weren't busy, whether you'd like to accompany me to that Earth place that God took so much time making."

"How long did it take?"

"I forget. It was either six days or billions of years."

Lilith brushed back her long blonde curls. "Well, I was about to join the Heavenly Choir, but that's what I do every day. I am a little bored with singing God's praises all of the time.