Published March 13, 2016 by

Diary of a Soul Chapter One



This is a new free story that I've decided to write on the side while working on "Tales from a Land of Gods" part two. Unlike my other stories where I usually write and plan everything before posting anything. I'll be posting this one chapter by chapter. I will also be posting it on some free story websites such as Wattpad and Fictionpress.

This is mostly not a love story, but it does contain some homosexual relationships between some characters and I decided to just throw them in from the beginning, so please don’t send me angry messages about it because I did warn you.








  
Summary: Ethan is a soul doomed to spend eternity in Hell for reasons he can’t remember. Luckily he is purchased by the beautiful and sensual master Alistair. He happily lives out his days in his master’s mansion until his sheltered existence comes to an abrupt end.
Diary of a Soul
Chapter One
Am I alive?
I know I shouldn't think about it, but my mind disobediently strays away while I’m doing dull chores. I feel like I’m alive, even though everyone quickly reminds me that I’ve already died and left my body far behind. Now we’re all just shells of our former selves, or souls as the living people call us. We’re all white like ghosts, and I can sometimes see the walls and floor through my hands, but I exist just like all the real people here, so doesn’t that make me somewhat alive?
I can’t remember what being alive truly feels like. I can’t remember anything from before I came here. Once upon a time I was a real living breathing person who lived in a place called Earth. I can’t write about what sort of person I was, or what I liked to do, but during my lifetime I decided to sell my soul away for something selfish and I agreed to go to Hell.

Just saying the name Hell sends shivers down my spine, but this place isn’t as scary as the name sounds. Sure the sky is red and the days are hot, but I think the buildings are beautiful and I can’t wait to see more of this town. The real living people here are also mostly okay, but I heard it’s not strange for masters to beat and abuse their soul slaves in the street.
I wish I could remember what I did to end up in this place, but it’s already too late. Master said that all souls have their memories erased when they come to Hell and it's impossible to get them back. It would be a shame if I sold myself away for something amazing only to forget everything.
Therefore I decided to start this diary. This way if my memories are every erased again I can read it and remember all the things I did. Angelina says it's stupid, but Master thought it was a great idea. He even gave me this notebook and pen. He asked me to show him once I was finished, but I've decided to just hide it under my bed away from everyone.
I suppose that if I want to remember everything, then it's probably best to begin from my first memory.
A few weeks ago I woke up in a dark room surrounded by other souls. Some were sobbing uncontrollably while others were passed out. There were metal bars all around us and we were kept in something called a cage. I tried to talk to the souls around me to ask why we were there, but every so often a guard would walk past and throw pebbles at us. I know that we’re only souls but those small rocks were terrifying when they went sailing towards me. Other guards who walked past would hit the bars with bats, spit in our faces, and call us names. They called us trash and filth and said that we would get what was coming to us. They said we led rich and glorious lives in return for selling our souls and now we were going to suffer as slaves in return. They said that some real monsters were out there waiting to buy us, and we were going to rot for eternity in the depths of Hell.
That was enough to unnerve me and I was terrified back then. I had no idea what they were saying, but I was afraid that some master just like them would buy me and beat me as well.
We sat there in the darkness for what felt like forever, but slowly the sun began to rise and they came to collect us. They dragged us one by one down a narrow corridor until we emerged into a larger room. It was gigantic with a tall ceiling and full of cages as well. There were already other souls in them waiting, and some had two of three in one cell. The room was dim and illuminated by candles, which made it difficult to see the dusty floor and grimy stone walls.
They threw us all into the cages and I landed on the dirt floor with a thud. Some souls like me stared around the room in bewilderment, while others just sat back like they had seen it all before.
“First time is it?” Asked the old man opposite me. It was only the two of us. He looked about seventy years old with long hair and a beard. His back was slightly bent, and he looked just as ghostly as everyone else. “Can tell from that look on your face boy that you ain’t seen a soul market before.”
“A soul market?” I asked. “Is that what this place is.”
“Bingo nitwit,” he said and gestured to the room before us. “This is the grandest soul market in the north region. All the wealthy masters come here to buy the best souls. It’s my fifth time here, and I’ve been stuck in this stupid cage for a week. There aren’t many masters interested in an old sod like me, and I’ll probably just end up cleaning the front lines before long. But you on the other hand won’t have much to worry about. The pretty ones always sell fast.”
“Are you saying I’m pretty?” I asked. I was certain that I looked as pale and washed out as everyone else.
“Just look at yourself boy,” said the old man. “With your smooth skin and long girly hair you’ll have some buffoons fighting over you before long. Too bad that it’s always the pretty ones who suffer the most.”
I didn’t have any more time to ask what he meant because two large wooden doors opened and the customers began pouring in. Unlike the rest of us, they looked colorful and alive like real people should. I guess that I must have also looked something like them back when I lived. There were rich men and ladies with large hats and expensive suits. I even saw a large man wearing five gold necklaces over his large fur coat. They peered through our cages and talked to the guards. I saw a few souls leave with their new masters, and some had to be dragged away by their hair.
“A pain these new souls,” said a large man with a posh accent as his servants dragged a young girl soul away. “You always waste so much time breaking them in.”
I looked on with horror and hoped that my new master wouldn’t be as cruel. A kind old lady in a long skirt and blouse peered through my bars. I smiled and hoped that she would take an interest in me, but she quickly turned and walked away. I later saw her examining a man who looked twice my age.
I watched another man hit his soul over the head with his walking stick, and I began to imagine a terrible future under a master who would beat and abuse me like the guards.
But that was when I saw him.
He was a good-looking man who stood out in the crowd. His shiny blonde hair went past his shoulders, and his beautiful green eyes were surrounded by dark eyeliner. He was dressed in a white shirt and black pants and I could see many gold rings on his lean fingers. He moved gracefully like a cat, and I couldn’t help but watch as he circled the room looking through the cages and examining everyone. I guess I probably didn’t pay much attention to his eyes that day, but his face is now one that I remember very well.
“That’s Master Alistair,” said the old man behind me. He was right and very few people seemed to want to buy him. “There ain't anyone in this town who doesn’t know his name.”
“Why’s that?” I asked, but the man didn’t answer. I turned to see the subject of our conversation curiously peering in through the bars. I jumped back in shock and fell on my rear, but part of me was glad to see the beautiful man take an interest in me.
“I thought I heard my name,” he said with a pleasant smile while glaring at the old man who backed away towards the wall.  His voice was also quite pleasant and I hoped he'd talk more. It was then that he noticed me standing there staring at him. “Wow, aren’t you cute for a soul. Come here for a moment,” he asked and beckoned me to come closer.
I nervously walked to Master Alistair. I wasn’t sure what he was planning but I had to convince someone decent to buy me before some terrible master took an interest in me. He took my face with his hands and began to examine it from side to side. “Skin clear, and teeth, also in quite good condition. You look like you would have been popular when you were alive. It’s a shame that you’re only a soul. How old are you boy?”
It seemed like an easy questions and I open my mouth to answer, but all of a sudden my mind when blank. “I don’t remember,” I muttered. I felt ashamed that I couldn’t remember anything.
“Sixteen perhaps,” he said while looking at me skeptically and he tilted his head. “Or maybe even seventeen, your face looks too young to be any older than a teenager.”
Suddenly one of the terrible guards who spat in our faces appeared at his side. He was dressed in a clean brown suit with a fake smile. He looked entirely different from the man who called me trash and said that my future would be worse than death.
“This is a new one Master Alistair,” he said with a grin. “Collected him yesterday I did, he’s fresh from earth and innocent as a babe. He’s never had a master before and should be easy to train. I’m sure a man like yourself can find many uses for him.”
“Is that so,” said Alistair and he turned back to me. “Perhaps I may be interested, it’s rare for you to have a soul as pretty as this one.” He turned back to me. “How would you like to come live with me soul?”
I wasn’t sure what to say, or if it was a joke, but all I wanted to do was escape that terrible place. I nervously nodded my head and hoped that I wasn’t condemning myself.
“How much do you want?” Asked Master Alistair to the terrible guard.
“One thousand,” said the guard. “But for a council member like you, I’ll lower it to eight hundred and thirty-two if you can put in a good word for me with the high ups. I don’t want to be stuck here selling souls forever, you know what I mean.”
Master Alistair looked at me and bit his lip. It seemed like a high price so I was certain he'd refuse. “I’ll take him,” he said.
The terrible man in the brown suit unlocked my cage and dragged me out. He exchanged money with my new master and Master took hold of my translucent hand. He led me away from my cage and the souls. I waved goodbye to the old man soul who didn’t wave back, and we pushed through the large crowd of people and through a large oak door. We emerged on a brick street with stone buildings on all sides, and there were people riding on horses and in carriages. The one thing which surprised me most of all was the brilliant red sky. I don't know why, but I have a strange feeling that the sky isn’t supposed to be red.
Master led me around the building and towards a horse and carriage that were waiting for him. The carriage was large with a roof and gleamed in the sun. I admired the shiny oak exterior and ran my hand over the polished wood. There were various patterns carved into the door. I could see angels, devils, and fire as well. Master stood there staring at me like I’d gone insane. I must have looked like a fool back then, but everywhere looked so shiny and new compared to my filthy cage.
“If you think that’s impressive just wait until you see the inside,” he said and pushed me towards a large soul in a brown suit and top hat. “Take him Bernard.”
The soul named Bernard pulled me away from rubbing the carriage and escorted me inside. Master was right and the interior was even more beautiful. The seats were covered in red velvet and the curtains were black and sparkled in the sun.
Master opened the opposite door and took a seat next to me. “Home Bernard!” He ordered and the carriage began to move.
There was no glass in the windows so it was easy to see the town as soon as we took off.
The area around the soul market was grimy with trash on the streets, but once we went around the corner I was overwhelmed by the architecture. The houses were made from black and brown sandstone. Some of them were three or four stories high with red tiled roofs and elegant verandahs. I could see lush green mountains behind the town, and we rode past a square that had a giant bronze statue of a man wearing a crown. When we went over a hill I could see a harbour with sparkling crimson water, and over a hundred wooden boats.
“It’s a lovely little town isn’t it?” Said Master. “They call Haarlem the jewel of Northern Hell."
“It’s beautiful,” I said while staring out the window in awe. I could see souls like myself walking through the streets helping their masters with shopping and errands.
“You new souls are always so easily impressed, the girl I purchased before you didn’t even take a glance out that window. She said that Hell looks the same no matter where you go.”
“Wow, if all of Hell looks like this then it must be a beautiful place.”
Master began to shake. I thought that something was wrong until I realised that he was suppressing his laughter.
“Is something wrong?” I curiously asked.
“No, it’s nothing,” he said, but I could hear him faintly giggling. I’m sure that I didn’t say anything funny.
I returned to staring out the carriage window like a curious child. I didn’t notice Master subtly inching closer until he was right beside me. I tried to move away, but I had nowhere to run without falling out the window. All I could do was press myself against the wall and hope that he wasn’t planning to do something hideous.
One of the wheels hit a pothole in the road and the carriage violently rocked. I was sent flying into Master and I knocked him onto his back and landed on top of him. It was extremely awkward and I couldn’t believe that it was my first day in Hell and I had already pushed my new master over. I apologised and quickly tried to get up, but he wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me pulled me towards him. His body was muscular, lean, and if I had a heart it would have started beating very quickly.
“Sorry,” he asked while running his fingers through my hair. “Looks like they still haven’t fixed that hole from the hundred year war. What’s your name boy?”
“I..I..I I don’t remember,” I stuttered.
“That’s a shame,” he said. “But at least those fools at the soul market are doing their job. They once tried to sell me a soul who still spoke one of those terribly earthly languages, it was like talking to a bird.”
“Earthly languages?” I asked.
"Now now," he said and placed one finger on my lip to silence me. "That's something that you won't ever have to worry about again."
Master slowly leaned forward and pressed his mouth against mine. I was shocked that he had suddenly decided to kiss me.
“Sorry,” he said with a wicked grin when he pulled away. “You just looked so cute and I couldn’t hold back, but I promised that I won’t do it again if you don’t like it.”
It was a pleasant feeling and I enjoyed it as well, but I was frozen and confused. I wasn’t sure why he had kissed me. Even know I’m not quite sure why he does those sort of things.
“Ethan,” he said with a smile and pinched my cheek. “I will call you Ethan, my pretty little innocent Ethan. I have a feeling that the two of us will get along splendidly.”
He then leaned forward and kissed me again. I couldn’t feel his lips because all my senses felt numb, but I enjoyed the gesture and sudden attention. I’m glad that he gave me such a nice name.
After that he brought me to his mansion which he bragged is one of the largest in town, but I haven’t seen any others so I'm not sure if that's true or not. It’s a large three-story brick house with dozens of rooms. They’re full of expensive looking carpets, furniture, and extraordinary works of art. I thought it was all really impressive at first until I realised that one of my jobs was to help clean it all. His home is surrounded by four tall walls which I guess are there to keep out intruders, but it make me difficult to see much of this mysterious place called Hell. There’s a garden at the back with beautiful flowers and trees. I like the fruit trees and I often go for a walk there when I finish my chores. The round apples and pears look ripe and delicious. I often wonder what they must taste like, but it’s impossible for souls to eat.
Other than cleaning the rooms with the others, Master doesn’t order me to do much. Sometimes he orders me to sit with him and he strokes my hair like I’m some sort of pet. I wonder if that’s why he decided to buy me.
I have to admit that I kind of like the attention, but maybe it’s not worth the trouble that it sometimes brings. I can see that the other souls around me are jealous, and they sometimes take their anger out on me. I’d rather Master stopped talking to me if it meant that I could get along well with everyone.
There's so much more that I want to write, but I can hear Master calling me so I should go. Maybe he wants me to help prepare dinner, or just wants to talk, but he might start pouting again if I don’t go straight away. I'll write again tomorrow, I want to record everything about my new best friend Klaus.
Author’s Note: Thank you for reading chapter one. I’ll try and get another chapter up within the next few weeks. If you like my work you can check out some of my other stories at my blog (The address) is in my profile. I also have a free ebook called “The Monster Exorcist” so please check it out. You can download it for free on a site called “Smashwords” and it should come up on Google if you search for it.




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