God, It was hot. That wasnt surprising in itself, but the shear intensity of the heat continuously pummelling me caught me completely unaware. Molten rock seeped out of crevices in the walls, filling vast lava lakes that covered the horizon end to end. A blinding light glared down at the rocks, bleaching them a pale, sandy colour, absorbing all vapour from within them. So this is hell.

'what do you wish to be your fate?' a voice arose out of the thick set, red demon perched infront of me. 'I'm sorry?' I asked, almost doubting I even heard it at all. 'your fate- what shall you wish of it?' the voice repeated. 'you mean, I get to choose? Why?'

The creature shrugged, 'The reasons don't concern the likes of you. Speak now! I haven't got all bloodmoon.' 'okay, okay, let me think...' I quickly replied, whilst searching for an answer in which this devil couldn't twist. 'I can't think, I wish it wasn't so dry and hot here,' I mumbled, barely aware I uttered the words under my breath.

The devil's broad face glanced in my direction, a hint of surprise quickly vanishing just as it made itself known. 'No one has ever asked that before... I always have to grant the same wishes: wishes for peace, for wealth, for happiness. All of which I can twist into my own interpretation. But this... I don't know if I want to twist it. Some would think the heat wouldn't bother me, having been in it all my existence, but in fact, I truly despise it. I yearn to feel cool arctic winds whisper over my body, rain massage my broken, dry skin, replenishing it's moisture which never existed.

'Your wish, it will allow me to experience something new. I can't make a wish my self, you know, and if I could, that would be exactly what I want. So Thankyou, even if it wasn't intentional. thankyou.'

And with that, one sudden snap of the beast's bone-dry fingers caused a vigorous shudder in the ground, which suddenly opened up and bellowed a cloud of mist, before closing back up. The mist blinded me momentarily, concealing me from the drastic changes hell would surely undergo. Eventually it would dissipate, however. And when it did, hell would be forever changed.

Hell- a blazing furnace, only hospitable by the utterly mad and the devil itself, was no more. In it's place, was an oasis. clear fresh water waterfalls dived out of the cliff faces into the deep blue oceans which were once magma, the once blinding light above was now blanketed by a thin layer of water vapour which reflected the majority of the heat emitted into the atmosphere. It was glorious.

I welcomed the fresh, open breeze acceptingly, much preferring it to the pummelling heat I was greeted with before. A thought suddenly emerged in my new found freedom. Where was the devil?

Peering around, I finally notice it crouched beside the crystal waters, hand hovering above the liquid blue. 'touch it, it won't harm you.' I encourage, fully aware if how difficult this will be. 'you don't have to if you don-..' 'No. I want to,' the beast sliced in, 'I have never had the feeling of submerging my hand in a liquid other than lava before. This will make a change. ' suddenly thrusting it's hand into the surface of the ocean, the devil watched in awe as the water mingled with his dehydrated skin. 'Thankyou,' it whispered, tears streaming down it's face, 'so much.'