WAY way back, before none became one there lived
in heaven an arch angel named, Lucifer.
An arch angel means, a chief angel.

God created Lucifer and put him in charge
of all the angels in heaven.

But that wasn't good enough for Lucifer.
He was selfish. He became jealous of God.
He wanted to be in charge of all God's angels...
and be in charge of God too.

When God said; "Oh! No! No! No!"
Lucifer got angry with God.

Many of the angels in heaven liked Lucifer,
more than they liked God.

They took side with Lucifer.
They joined all together...
and started a fight with God,
and the rest of the angels
who liked God the most.

Lucifer and his angels lost the fight.
After they lost, God named them demons.
Then God threw them all out of heaven.

Thousands of years later word got around on earth,
that God renamed Lucifer. He renamed him Satan.
Satan means, the Devil.

People believe that Satan made his home
right here on earth. Word has it that the Devil
still lives here on earth to this very day.

Rumors claim that the intense heat from Satan's anger
with God was so hot...that it set his house on fire.
The flaming inferno turned his door red.

The Devil keeps the path that leads to his red door well lighted
when curious people approach it. He wants it to be easy to find...
so that people who want, can easily find it, enter through it,
and unexpectedly end up frying with him.

There is no end to his fiery world. Satan named it Hell.
All who live there with him will never be able to leave
unless God allow them to leave.

Word has it, that If people on earth disobey God while they live here,
when they die, God will throw them in hell with Satan and his demons
and they would have to live there in Hell's fire with the Devil forever.

This brings us up to, TODAY. YES, TODAY.

HERE AND NOW...as the story goes, lives a boy named, Caleb.
A new kid moved in next door. His name is, Josh.
One day they met while taking out the trash.

"Hey Kid," called Caleb, "did your Dad promise you something
if you take out the trash?"

"No," replied Josh, "but he promised me something if I didn't."

After they were done laughing while putting out the trash,
Caleb said...

"You got jokes, dude. I like you. You got a name?"
"Henry," the boy replied.
"HENRY? HA! How'd you think up a dumb name like that?"

"I didn't. Mom thought that up."
"Oh, then I guess your name is, Henry. Hee Hee."

"Aaaaaa, Just call me Josh."
"Okay, Josh. Howz 'bout me and you go down to the courts
and shoot a couple of one-on-one hoops?"

"Okay...but I'm good at shootin' hoops. I'll just beat you."
Caleb chortled. "We'll bring my ball."

On their way to the courts the boys romped along
laughing and poking jokes back and forth while flaunting
and exhibiting their dribbling and passing skills.

At the end of the block there was this old
abandoned house that had been vacant for years.

It look so rickety that it appeared that it would collapse
the very next moment.

"Hey, howz 'bout we go inside and check that joint out?"
asked Josh.

"Ooooo NO!" replied Celeb, "that's the house with the red door.
I ain't going back in there."

"The red door?" asked josh

Caleb told Josh the story of how and why Lucifer became Satan,
and all about the red door.

"All the reason why I want to see this red door for myself," replied Josh.
"Been in there before, huh?"

"Yep, been in there before. Nope, been in there no more...Nooo sireeee."
"Why not?
"Cause I saw the door."
"Ya did? And?"
"And this hand that looked like a lizard's hand came through the door
from inside. It was wagging its, come here, finger, at me. I said, no way."

"So?"
"So then it gave me the fat finger. I picked up a bottle from the floor and
smashed it against the door. When I did that a long scaly arm shot the hand out at me.
It grabbed me. I left my shirt in the hand, and got the rest of me out of there
with the quickness. NO. I ain't goin' back in there."

"Hey look, Caleb," said Josh..."okay...I might be a chicken...but I'm a rooster...
I'm going in there and check out this...this red door."
"I see that you're a chicken too. But if you're a hen...well...cluck cluck...
and bock bock all ya want. I'm goin' in. See ya when I come out, Henrietta."

At that Josh raced up the shaky wooden steps.
Caleb watched the warped dried-out floorboards of the porch piano
beneath his feet as he dashed up to the door.

Josh took the rusty doorknob in his hand and...paused.
He turned his head, looked back at Caleb, and grinned.
His facial expression made him look like he was
about to sneak a cookie from the cookie jar.

When he pushed the door to open it the whole door fell in.
That sounded like a firecracker bursting.
Josh disappeared in a cloud of quick rising dust.

Fragmented debris scattered. A dusty window shattered.
Its shutter came unhooked and plummeted to a crash.

When the dust cleared Josh could be seen dusting himself off.
He was coughing, gagging, and holding his throat.
Caleb squinted to see Josh.

"Yo...are you okay, Dude?" he asked.
"Donno...yet...It's dark in there. Plus I can't see beyond all the cobwebs."

Caleb's eyes looked day dreamy.
"Cobwebs? Oh yeah...there are cobwebs in there...oh yeah."
"Just you, oh yeah, your keester up here." said Josh. "I need your eyes.
I can't see. I got dusty crap in mine."

"Dusty crap?"
"Caleb, just get the hump in you back up here...NOW."

Caleb's shaking bones somehow managed
to carry him up to where Josh stood waiting.

"You ready to go in...check this joint out?" Josh asked.
"Nope. Not for really."

"Oh, get your rear pant pockets in there. I got your back."
Josh gave his buddy a shove through the door.
Caleb stumbled in. Josh followed him.

Fanning cobwebs out of their faces the boys
eased deeper into the eerie looking old house.

The floor creaked. A pack of startled mice squealed and scattered.
Overhead from the rafters blackbirds went wild with excitement.
They flapped their wings frantically sending feathers and crumby debris
raining down on the boys.

"Are we having fun yet?" Josh asked.
"If having birds poop on you is fun, I'm thrilled," replied Caleb.

"Hey...wait a sec' ... ain't this place supposed to be abandoned?" Josh asked.
"For over sixty years," Caleb replied.

"Then why are there candles burning in here?"
"Search me..maybe the devil lit them."
"Why would he light candles?"
"So he can see us trespassing upon his territory."

"Yeah, and so he can see if we're scared or not...ya think?"
"I think you'd better get your hand off top of my head."
"Both my hands are clutching this old broken-off table leg I picked up.
Just in case I might need it."

"Then what's that on top of my head?"
"Donno...looks like a...a..."
"A? A what?"
"I can't say for sure...but...it's...it's..."
"It's what, Dude?"

"It's...it's dark in here."
"Uh-duhhh...that's because something, somebody, just blew out the candles.
What is that thing on my head, Caleb?"

"Well, from what I can see...
it has modified forelimbs that looks like webbed wings
that are covered with membrane skin that extends
down to its hind limbs."

"WHAT! WHAT'S IT DOING?"
"It's flying away."

"WOW! A vampire bat just landed on my head, Dude."
"Maybe it came out from inside." replied Caleb.

"Ya know...you're cute, Dude. Even in the dark...you're really cute."

Caleb came to a sudden stop.
Josh's nose collided with the back of his head.
"OW! My nose. I think you just broke my friggin nose, Dude."

"If you think I'm cute. What do you think about him?"
"What him?"
"Him...over there...that ghost...hanging from a noose.
He's leering at us like WE hung him.
Looks to me like he has malicious intentions to get even with us."

Josh was rubbing his nose.
"Oh that's no ghost, Dummy. That's an old dingy white curtain
blowing in the window."

"Does old dingy white curtains have shiny red eyes?"
"That's sunlight seeping through cracks in the wall.
Hey...are you scared, Dude?" Josh asked.
"Yep...but I ain't admittin' it."

"Yikes! There's a giant-sized black spider crawling up
my arm, Dude," cried Caleb.

Josh swatted the spider off.
"Awe...don't sweat that.
Spiders are known to hang in haunted houses ya know.
Ya get it? Hang, as by a web string...hee hee."

"Yeah, and a whole bunch of the devil's other advocates."
Caleb replied brandishing his table leg weapon.

"HA...advocates like you and me, huh?" replied Josh.
"Yeah...like you, me, and she."
"She who?"

"That old hag riding on her broom. Look. Up there."
Josh looked up, and all around.
"Awe...your bugging...I don't see nothin' up there."

Just then bright lights flashed on but a few steps before them.

"Then howz 'bout just ahead. What do you see?" asked Caleb.
"Yooooo. Now THAT, I see. Heeey, What's this?"

Caleb took a few tripping steps backward and said,
"This, my friend, is where you see the..."
"THE RED DOOR!" exclaimed Josh.

Caleb looked at Josh with ominous looking eyes.
"Word has it that if you take three steps through that door,
you'll plunge down to the bottom of the bottomless pit."

"That pit ain't got no bottom," replied Josh, "it's just a deep black hole."
"Lucky for us. At least we don't have to worry
about breaking our bouncing buns on the jagged rocks
down there." replied Caleb.

Josh stared at the door with an apprehensive squint.
"Hmmm...I know you're expecting me to ask...so....
Think we should mosey over and knock?"

"Don't have to. All you gotta do is give it a little nudge.
It'll squeak open. Knock? If you'd like. But no one is going to answer."

"How do you know it's not locked?" Josh asked.
"Oh it IS locked. But only from the inside.
So that once you're in...you're in."

Josh was hesitant.
"May...may...maybe we shouldn't..."

"Be afraid?" asked Caleb.
"I ain't afraid."
"Pig ain't pork," replied Caleb.

Josh tiptoed over and held his ear near the door.
"Hear anything?" asked Caleb.
"Shhh...they might hear me listening."

Josh beckoned to Caleb.
"Come...quick."
Caleb went over and held his ear near the door.

"What?"
"Hear that?"
"Yeah...somebody's laughing."
"Sounds like they're crying to me."

Josh gave Caleb a wary look.
"There's one way to find out."
"Ask?"
"NO, flat top. Nudge the door."

"I ain't nudgin' it. You nudge it." said Caleb,
"Oh for daring sake," replied Josh,
"let's both nudge it. Come on...on three.
One, two, three. At that they gave the door a tiny shove.

It squeaked open, but only to a narrow crack.

"Are we still alive?" Caleb asked peeping through the crack.
"Awe...come on man," replied Josh, "let's open the friggin door."

At that...in a whirlwind the door swung wide open on its own.
The boys wanted to jump back...but they were frozen stiff.

There was a thunderstorm raging inside. It was raining balls of fire.
Within sizzling bolts of lightning they saw a flaming red dragon.

It had only one body...but it had seven long snake-like necks
with seven king cobra heads. It had four legs like an alligator,
with claws like a bird of prey. It had wings like a vampire bat,
and it was flying straight at them with seven scowling faces.

It was too late to scat, so the boys covered their faces
and ducked they're heads as the fleeting creature swooped by.
Following closely behind it came thousands of smaller creatures.
They were as black as pitch and looked like evil angry vampire bats.

Immediately after all of the fleeting creatures swarmed out,
the door slammed closed so hard that the boys stumbled
back against the wall.

The turmoil left the boys dumfounded. They just stood there huffing puffing,
and staring at each other as the fleeting creatures swarmed out
of the broken windows.

Little did the boys know, but those hideous creatures were
all relatives of earthly troublemakers. They were all of the sadness,
heartbreak, grief, and sorrows that we face daily.
All the things that hurt people were locked up behind that red door.
But now they were loose.They flew out the windows and spread out
all over the world.

The boys hadn't hardly caught their breath when they heard a peaceful
tapping from the inside of the red door.

"Who the...?" Caleb gasped.
"The who...?" Josh asked with a gulp.

A small voice spoke from in side.
"Open the door... and you shall see. It's me."

"NO. Awww, NO," said Josh. "I've had it with opening that red door."
"NO NO NO," said Caleb. "I'm with him."

"Please. Trust me," replied the voice, "Those evil creatures
are no family of mine. I'm completely different, exactly opposite
from them. I can...and I want to help you. Please,
I'll be your friend. You're going to need me. I'll be there
to comfort you. I promise."

"Cross your heart..or your fingers?" Caleb asked.
"I cross my heart."

The voice sounded honest.The boys slowly opened the door together.
Out flew a heavenly angel. She hugged both boys at the same time.
They hugged her back.

"If you are a real heavenly angel...why do you need us to open
the red door for you?" asked Caleb.

"You didn't open the red door for me. You opened the doors
to your hearts for me. That's the only way that I can come into your lives
and help you.You first have to want me to...and then allow me to help you.
Then I can...and I will help you."

"We believe you pretty angel," said Josh, "but what makes you care about us?"
"I care about you because I love you." At that she kissed both boys.

"You are such a kind angel," said Caleb, "Just who are you to us?"
"I am your hope. Your God placed me behind the red door
so I could comfort people when Satan and his evil demons got loose
in your world."

"Will you ever leave us?" Asked Josh.
"I will never leave you."

"Cross your heart...or cross your fingers?" asked Caleb.
"I cross my heart. I promise. There will come times when you won't see me.
But don't allow that to make you think that I have gone away.
I will be inside of you...looking after you."

The angel glided over to the window.
"HEY! WAIT! WHERE ARE YOU GOING, EARTH ANGEL?" they asked.

The angel stopped before she flew out.
"I've got to go quickly. Those evil demons have a head start on me.
But I can...and I will catch up to them. Because I fly a lot faster than they fly."
Suddenly she vanished in clear air.

"WAIT!" they said together.
Deep within the deepest depth of their hearts they could hear a tiny voice.

"Fear not. I'm here."

As Caleb and Josh played hoops that day every fluffy white cloud in the blue sky
looked like their earth angel. And shooting hoops had never been as fun as today.