Deal

High above in his impeccable tower of steel and glass sat a man wreathed in shadow at the end of a long dark table in a room of great importance, his head in his hands. Desperately he scanned the numbers on the papers around him, streams of data that may have well been raging rivers to drown him.

The click, clack of the visitor's shoes broke the silence like bad news. If the door had opened, the light from the hallway would have streamed into the room, perhaps lighting upon some simple miracle to save this man, but that would have been too simple.

"Not yet," the visitor thought.

"Having fun are we?" it spoke. The ragged man's head lifted from it's torment just enough to give an acid glare at the visitor.

"I'll take that as a no then," it said, and smiled. "I know I'm supposed to enjoy the subtleties of torment, but even after so long, I do love watching such a complete failure in His design as you."

"This was YOUR doing! GOD DAMN IT DON'T PLAY COY!"

"Haha," it laughed. "No I had nothing to do with it. I'll be honest, and don't take that lightly.

"I never once made plans against you. I honored our deal with no ill designs, no tricks, no loopholes or devious devices. I went out of my way to help you. Know that. No you are perhaps the only human being to ever receive my true blessing and honest help, and you are such a complete and total failure that you STILL manage to fuck it all to.. hell." It chuckled at that last addition.

The ragged man's rage died down quickly, and he settled painfully back into his chair.

"So what now?" he asked. The visitor simply leaned on glass wall of the window and stared dreamily over the city.

"This it?" he prompted, but silence settled in again.

"You here to collect on our deal?" His mumbled sarcasm did little to hide his fear. The slightest twist in the visitor's face betrayed a smile before he shifted to turn towards the ragged man.

"No."

Slowly, the ragged man shuddered and shrunk in his chair. His hands weakly cupped his face in his palms, and for all the life of him he wished he could cry out.

"No," continued the visitor, "that would be too simple, though I'll admit I'm hardly here to offer help. You've still got a way to go. I'm just here to tell you that it's not too late." And at this, the man turned smoothly and walked out the door, throwing it wide so the warm glow from the hallway touched upon the collapsed, shaking form at the end of the table.